by Michael Holland Febreze is a magical mist sprayer that covers up almost any smell. In truth, it neutralizes the odor by binding "malodorous molecules" in a super-secret process, and the results are tremendous. But Febreze almost didn’t make it to the shelves. In the first market tests, the chemical was so effective that after [...]
By Michael Holland Leverage that driving or flying time this holiday with a good audio book! Here are 4 books I’ve recently listened to on my iPhone. Get Back to Basics. . . Leadership and the Art of Struggle: How Great Leaders Grow Through Challenge and Adversity by Steven Snyder. In hindsight, many [...]
by Michael Holland In the midst of the chaos comes yet more work. You're already way overloaded with 20-plus direct reports, and you still have to fill those two open manager positions. You are working 13 hours a day just to keep the fires at bay by providing minimal direction and insight to all [...]
by Michael Holland Each summer our neighborhood in upstate NY comes together for the Rick Braiman Memorial Lawn Mower Race. A race course is designed new each year to weave among several homes and around obstacles, requiring racers to negotiate chaos-inducing spots. Our recent race included two laps with two drivers, creating a “difficult” change [...]
By Michael Holland When we struggle as managers, we often feel inadequate. We may wonder quietly why we took the job in the first place, but we definitely do not want to talk with others about our struggles. But times of great strain create defining moments in who we are and how we can lead. [...]
by Michael Holland Reading well-written biographies provides a great opportunity to place myself in the life and times of the focus of the book. Recently I read Jon Meacham’s Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, a tremendous, deep dive into Jefferson’s use of all his talents. Jefferson was exceptional at knowing how to distill complexity [...]
by Michael Holland The Wright Brothers were successful in inventing and building the first successful controlled airplane even though they were neither as wealthy nor as educated as their rivals (neither brother received a high school diploma). But what they did have was a clear vision, an undying belief, and the capability to [...]
By Michael Holland Uproar, controversy, and disbelief. The business world and thousands of bloggers wonder how golden girl Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo , could make such a horrible decision regarding remote employees. How could this high-tech executive—the 20th employee at Google, the builder of the successful teams that launched Gmail, Google Maps, and iGoogle, [...]
by Michael Holland Do you have 3 minutes? A tremendous array of leadership education materials can be accessed on the Wall Street Journal website for simply the price of the online edition and the investment of a few minutes. The WSJ’s Lessons in Leadership series contains step-by-step how-to’s, WSJ stories and video interviews [...]
by Michael Holland Investing in your own development can reap tremendous rewards. Invigorate your effectiveness by taking a personal offsite day. Set up an agenda for the day that includes an inventory of what has been working, revisiting your goals, assessing the perception of stakeholders of your team’s work, dreaming about what could [...]
