Parent Category for Leadership Learning Moments
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 - A foot of snow provided the perfect opportunity to teach my then 16-year-old son how to drive in the snow. He was several months into his learner's permit process and, all things considered, was a fairly good driver. To start off, we found a nice big parking lot. “Floor [...]
By Michael Holland - One of my often used warm-up question sequence when coaching a leader is: As you reflect on your leadership recently, what is one success that sticks out, one way in which you were leading well recently? And conversely, what is one thing you did as a leader that, upon [...]
by Michael Holland - Leadership is not only about achieving goals and driving performance; it is also about empowering people and creating a positive working environment. As a leader, your ability to effectively manage and inspire your team is crucial for your organization's success. In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of people [...]
By Michael Holland - My keen financial planning colleagues can speak for hours about the art and science of balancing portfolios. For the rest of us, we know that it's good to have a balanced portfolio whether it's with financial assets, the food we choose to consume over a week, or the selection [...]
by Michael Holland - Rock stars and celebrities often have eccentric requirements for their pre-gig preparation rooms. The famous band Van Halen had a clause in their contract that specifically said they wanted bowls of M&Ms backstage, but that all the brown ones must be removed. Seems ridiculous. But there was a method [...]
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 - There comes a point in time when leaders begin to lead other leaders. They have several people below them who are guiding teams or departments of their own, and they can see the breadth of their empire spread out before them, with all their resources working together to achieve [...]
By Michael Holland - A few years ago I joined a men’s lacrosse league. I hadn’t played lacrosse in quite a number of years, but yearned to be back in a competitive game, expending all that stressful energy and feeling the rush of natural adrenaline. To prepare, I went out for a run, [...]
By Michael Holland - “Hi I’m Mike, and I’m a recovering bad leader.” There was a time – or rather a season – in my life in which I led in ways that caused some collateral damage. I drove hard for objectives using sheer will to drive teams forward. While “I” may have [...]
