by Michael Holland It was 6:55 a.m. on a Tuesday when I saw him. I was early for a client meeting and caught sight of one of their newly promoted managers through a conference room window. He was standing alone, hunched over his laptop, flipping between spreadsheets, his email, and what looked like [...]
By Michael Holland - When you happen upon a wise leader you’ll notice something very interesting: They ponder. They take a moment to dive into a pool of thought as they consider a decision, a course of action or a way in which to act. The pondering may be just a second or [...]
By Michael Holland - The power of our brain to create and execute habits can be extremely beneficial or detrimental. Your brain doesn’t know the difference between the habit to walk (think about it) and the habit to grab that unhealthy snack every night. The brain simply recognizes something being performed several times [...]
By Michael Holland - Recently I was watching one of those home remodeling shows and the host was showing off the before and after shots of wood trim in a house. To do it right, they had to put in a lot of work to strip down the layers of paint that had [...]
By Michael Holland - Recently we had a large tree fall in woods behind our house. It’s huge and I wondered how could this tree fall when others around it were fine. Some leaders are like strong trees with deep healthy root systems. They had nutrient rich soils that helped promote growth. They [...]
by Michael Holland - Do you have legitimate authority? What a great question. Malcolm Gladwell in his intriguing book David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, brings us perspective that we should know—or may already know—but that we often overlook. This perspective is contained in a principle of legitimacy and [...]
By Michael Holland - Adolf Hitler has a legacy. He left a rippling wake from his leadership. As soon as you saw that name you had an immediate reaction to the legacy he has left and understandably a very negative reaction. Now consider Abraham Lincoln who also has a legacy. He left a [...]
By Michael Holland - You know a great leader within a few minutes of talking with them. There's no mistake. They stand out like an oak tree in the middle of the desert. Their title - or lack of a title - bear no connection to their leadership impact. They create a circle [...]
By Michael Holland - There is an older TV commercial where a young couple throws a dart at a map and then take off for their weekend adventure to wherever the dart landed. How spontaneous and fun. Your employees are hoping you’re less adventurous. In the rush of work and the ever-changing whims [...]
by Michael Holland - What traditions have you created or enabled within your team or company? As a leader, you are in the powerful role of creating rituals, beliefs, values, and cultural norms by the ways in which you behave and enable behavior within others, both as individuals and in groups. Tradition sounds [...]
