Summary
- CLI is a Christian leadership development program that builds character, emotional health, and practical leadership skilCLI offers about 50 courses across several tracks, and each course is one month long.
- CLI is for leadership teams, supervisors and managers, and the capable employees who haven't been developed as leaders yet. CLI exists to cultivate the purpose and passion for leadership that God has placed in each individual.
- CLI is a self-paced coursework on the Develop.Me platform and mobile app, paired with a developmental cohort for discussion, feedback, and accountability. Courses are taught by CLI instructors, and organizations can arrange live sessions.
A Company With a Mission Already in Place
Mark Pavlansky is President and CEO of Hibco Plastics, a family-owned foam plastics manufacturer in Yadkinville, North Carolina. Hibco didn't come to CLI looking for a culture. It already had one.
"We've already got what I feel is a strong culture and vision that God's put on our heart, which is to advance his kingdom by running a profitable business." Mark Pavlansky President and CEO, Hibco Plastics
What Hibco needed was a way to develop the people who would carry that mission forward.
The Challenge
People Who Didn't Know They Were Leaders
The most striking thing Mark observed wasn't a skills gap. It was a self-perception gap.
"This has exposed them to the idea that they are leaders, and I see them as leaders. For a number of them, they never considered that possibility until now." Mark Pavlansky, President and CEO, Hibco Plastics
In a manufacturing business, capable people spend years being good at the work without anyone framing them as leadership material — least of all themselves. Technical competence and leadership identity are different things, and one doesn't automatically produce the other.
Why the Christian Framing Mattered Here
For Hibco, the Christ-centered approach wasn't something to work around. It was the reason the program fit.
"Teaching leadership from a Christian perspective is really important because it blends with the worldview that our owners have. Our worldview is that we are stewards of what God has given us, and we have an eternal perspective." Mark Pavlansky President and CEO, Hibco Plastics
Mark is precise about how far that reaches into the business.
"That is important whether it is producing parts on a production floor or whether it is being trained to be a new leader. We want to have Christ as the center focus of what we're doing." Mark Pavlansky President and CEO, Hibco Plastics
The Solution
Foundational Principles With a Christ-Centered Backbone
"The program that CLI is offering is centered on so many good foundational leadership principles, and it has this backbone of a Christ-centered approach — and my employees get to discuss that with each other, and they get to discuss that with the team at CLI." Mark Pavlansky President and CEO, Hibco Plastics
The discussion is part of the mechanism, not a supplement to it. Mark describes the result as structural.
"It continues to form this strong skeletal structure that's going to push my leadership team into a direction that gives them a greater degree of fruitfulness as they continue to push forward." Mark Pavlansky President and CEO, Hibco Plastics
Alongside the discussion, there's reading and academic work — and Mark uses a physical metaphor for it that suits a manufacturer.
"They've got books that they're reading with each other, and they are studying the academic side of this program. So they're exercising those muscles." Mark Pavlansky President and CEO, Hibco Plastics
What His Leaders Are Learning
Mark names four capabilities that come out of the program, and they're the four every business owner wishes their managers had.
STRATEGIC
Thinking long-term rather than only about what's in front of them.
CREATIVE
Approaching problems with more than one possible solution.
COLLABORATIVE
Working through complex problems together rather than in isolation.
CONSTRUCTIVE
Resolving and working through conflicts with each other.
"They're being exposed to ideas that allow them to think strategically long term, and they're thinking about problems creatively. They're thinking about how to resolve and work through conflicts with each other. All of these topics are going to enable them to perform at a much higher level." Mark Pavlansky President and CEO, Hibco Plastics
The ROI Question
"What's That Worth to You?"
Mark doesn't pretend to have a spreadsheet answer. He has a better one.
"It is so hard to put into dollars what this means to the organization. But when I have team leaders who are more capable, who can make better decisions quicker, who are able to work on complex problems with each other, who are able to think strategically long term — when you put all that together and look at what my employees are getting out of the CLI program, it's hard to put a dollar on it. But what's that worth to you?" Mark Pavlansky President and CEO, Hibco Plastics
"Better decisions, and better decisions faster." Mark Pavlansky, President and CEO, Hibco Plastics
For a manufacturer running a 120,000-square-foot operation, decision speed and decision quality aren't soft benefits. They're the business.
Key Outcomes
IDENTITY
Employees Who Now See Themselves as Leaders
People who had never considered leadership a possibility are being developed as leaders — and know their CEO sees them that way.
CAPABILITY
Better Decisions, Made Faster
Team leaders thinking strategically, solving complex problems together, and working through conflict constructively.
ALIGNED
Development That Matches the Company's Worldview
Leadership training grounded in the same stewardship and eternal perspective that already drives the business.
Why Hibco Recommends CLI
Mark's recommendation is aimed at owners who share his convictions.
"The CLI program is a compelling choice for other Christian-based organizations because it really does set the tone for new and upcoming leaders. It is all about stewardship — and as business owners who have a Christ-centered worldview, this is a fantastic choice." Mark Pavlansky President and CEO, Hibco Plastics
"I haven't found anything else better than this program. You would definitely be benefited to look at this program and put your prospective leaders through it." Mark Pavlansky, President and CEO, Hibco Plastics
Watch the Hibco Plastics Story
Hear directly from President and CEO Mark Pavlansky about developing leaders in a manufacturing business, why stewardship reaches from the production floor to the leadership team, and how he answers the ROI question.
Develop the Leaders You Already Have.
CLI helps Christian-owned businesses build leaders from within — grounded in stewardship, equipped to think strategically, and able to make better decisions faster.