13 pages
The Baker's Dozen
Thirteen questions in five moves that create influence when you have no authority.
For anyone in the bank, peer to peer, not just managers.
Resources
Guides for Community Bank Leaders
Show:
Field Guides
Short, focused PDFs for the conversation in front of you.
11 pages
We Talked. What Changed?
A practical guide to holding people accountable without confusing recovery with tolerance.
For leaders who need to address a gap clearly, give someone ownership of recovery, and know when consequences are appropriate.
Reports & Practical Guides
Banking research and CBI guides for measurement and turnover.
2026 Field Report · For CEOs and boards
The Five Contradictions Running Your Bank
15 pages
The gap between what your bank says and does, and the leader behavior that closes it.
New · CBI Field Report
The State of Community Banking 2026
34 pages
Scale, consolidation, Michigan, technology and leadership, data separated from interpretation.
Practical Guide
Measuring the Business Impact of GDD Installation
5 pages
Separate leadership behavior, execution quality, and financial outcomes.
Practical Guide
The Cost of Turnover and Inconsistent Leadership
5 pages
Estimate turnover cost from your own records before choosing a fix.
Practical Tools You Can Use Now
No forms. No email required. Opens in your browser to print or save as PDF.
ROI CalculatorInteractive
Interactive tool
Leadership ROI Calculator
Estimate what turnover and inconsistent leadership cost your bank, using your own numbers.
Guide vs DriverAssessment
Interactive tool
Guide vs Driver Assessment
See whether your leadership habits lean toward guiding people or driving them.
Free · Leadership Tools
Guide Don't Drive™ Quick Reference Card
1 page
Drivers vs Guides on one page, with five questions to use Monday morning.
Free · Leadership Tools
30-Day New Leader Development Plan
2 pages
A week-by-week checklist for a new leader's first 30 days.
Free · Leadership Tools
Employee Onboarding Checklist
2 pages
A 90-day plan from before day one through full integration.
Free · Leadership Tools
Difficult Conversation Prep Worksheet
3 pages
Plan what to say and anticipate responses before a hard conversation.
Free · Leadership Tools
Weekly Team Meeting Agenda Template
2 pages
A 60-minute agenda covering metrics, problem solving, and action items.
Free · Practical Guide
Community Bank People Development Playbook
5 pages
Connect a bank priority to expectations, weekly coaching, and follow-through.
Free · Practical Guide
Developing and Retaining Community Bank Talent
5 pages
Clarify expectations and realistic growth paths so managers follow through.
Free · No form
The Full CBI Brochure
16 pages
Every installation, diagnostic, and engagement in one document to forward to your board.
For another quick reference, download The Four Guides (3 pages).
Access policy: Quick reference tools and selected guides are free to download without a form. The measurement and turnover guides ask for your name, work email, and bank name. Other reports and templates show their requirements before you submit. A practical-guide request does not subscribe you to our newsletter. Nothing gets sold.
The Tools
“Tools don't fix banks. Leaders who know how to use them do.”
Community Bankers Institute
Next Step
Ready to install this behavior?
See how Preparation for Installation turns these tools into a lasting operating standard.
Start the free check
GuideType™ measures one leader's behavior. DriftCheck™ measures your whole bank's drift.
GuideOS Platform
Want the system in your software, not slides?
GuideOS runs the GDD cadence week to week, behavioral scoring, MMI, guardrails, and an AI coach trained on the methodology.
Looking for an engagement survey replacement? Explore the GuideOS Insights EngagementAudit™.
Want a deeper diagnostic than a free tool? CBI's DriftAudit™ costs $10,000 and is application-only. It maps behavioral drift across the six steps of the operating engine before any installation begins.
Not ready for a call?
Find where your bank is drifting first.
Organizational · Free
DriftCheck™
Where is your bank's leadership behavior drifting? Find the specific behavioral disciplines that are drifting under pressure. Map results to install path.
About 5 minFreeNo email to start
Individual · Free
GuideType™ Assessment
Curious how you lead under pressure? Take the GuideType™ Assessment and find out where your leadership instincts fall. Most leaders think they guide, the data often says otherwise.
12 questions2 minFree
Powered by Guide, Don't Drive
CBI is one of eight brands built on the same Human Performance Operating System. Same doctrine. Different audiences.
GDD
Guide, Don't Drive™
The methodology. The doctrine. The Human Performance Operating System.
Steve Lowisz
Steve Lowisz
Creator of Guide, Don't Drive. Speaker, author, and installer behind the doctrine.
LLI
Lowisz Leadership Institute
Installation firm for non-banking industries, manufacturing, healthcare, professional services, and more.
CBI
You are here
Community Bankers Institute
The community-banking installation channel. Behavioral installs and role-specific capability installs for community banks.
Qualigence International
Qualigence International
Talent acquisition and talent optimization. Recruiting, retaining, and developing top talent since 1999.
Qualigence Staffing
Qualigence Staffing
Direct hire, contract staffing, and temp-to-hire for manufacturing, skilled trades, and light industrial roles.
REI
Recruitment Education Institute
Training and certification for recruiting and talent acquisition professionals.
GuideOS
GuideOS™
The software platform that operationalizes GDD weekly.
DriftAudit™, the paid pre-engagement behavioral audit, is sold by both LLI and CBI.
Take the Next Step
Ready to Go Beyond the Download?
Downloads don't change behavior. Preparation for Installation does. Twelve sessions that install the behavioral disciplines community bank leaders need to perform under pressure, and hold when it counts.