by Michael Holland - What happens when you read Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, a book about President Lincoln’s leadership of his purposefully diverse cabinet, followed by C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, a transcription of radio shows communicating the common and basic beliefs of Christianity? Collisions in the mind that stretch the [...]
By Michael Holland - Having worked with hundreds and hundreds of leaders, I find so many lack focus on working to become effective at leading well. The key is micro-behaviors. Those little things that we do that have longer term ripple impacts. The gap for most leaders comes from not intentionally creating habits that [...]
by Michael Holland - Your role as a leader – should you choose to accept it – is to effectively lead the people asset you’ve been charged with owning. This means: You are responsible and accountable for the effectiveness and productivity of each individual person on your team, as well as the team [...]
by Michael Holland - Joshua Chamberlain found himself at the Battle of Gettysburg, leading the 20th Maine Regiment on the end of a battle line as they defended a strategic location: Little Round Top. The Confederates charged again and again and again, decimating Chamberlain’s regiment to just a few soldiers, each with little [...]
By Michael Holland The pressure has been building for months. You were clear on his performance review 6 months ago. You were clear 3 months ago when you put him on the performance improvement plan and 1 month ago you met with him to sign the update to the PIP making sure he [...]
By Michael Holland - In college I had the “opportunity” to take a ballet class for a semester with my then-girlfriend and my two very single roommates. My understanding and experience in the field of ballet was non-existent, and my appreciation for dance as a sport was less than mature. Throughout the semester, I struggled [...]
By Michael Holland Picture this real life competition with a goal to build the tallest structure that can support a soft, fluffy, lightweight marshmallow using spaghetti, twine and tape within 18 minutes. First, there's a ballroom full of 100 co-workers. They are broken out into random teams of 4 to 5 and are [...]
by Michael Holland - Are you using a spotlight or a floodlight when you review an employee’s performance? A spotlight is directed, tight, and narrow in its focus, able to illuminate specific targets, like an actor on a stage. A floodlight is broad, less discriminating, and wide in dispersing light to see more [...]
by Michael Holland – Great people leaders are lifelong learners consuming blog posts, podcasts, articles, videos and books to gain perspective and increase knowledge. Here are some favorites from books, podcasts, and articles I've consumed this year. Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI Ethan Mollick provides a compelling and practical guide for navigating [...]
By Michael Holland - Your boss is an okay guy but there are so many things about the way he leads that drive you nuts. He's the one who never received the training needed to get a clue on how to lead. He taught you all about leadership through an oft-experienced yet little known methodology called [...]
