By Michael Holland - I like to play golf. I find it relaxing and a great opportunity to compete against myself and the elements. In golf – or any sport or creative endeavor – feedback and coaching can help one learn how to improve and get at least more satisfaction if not more [...]
by Michael Holland - We are mid-way through the calendar year and it’s time for a mid-year check-in with each of your employees. While you’ve been regularly talking with your employees about their job tasks and performance, now it’s time for a different conversation. Schedule an extra meeting with each of your team [...]
By Michael Holland - Creating rituals and habits in your life enable you to be much more efficient and effective. Many studies and books – The Power of Habit is a great one – delve into the inner workings of our brain and the role it plays in creating habits. The short story: [...]
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 [...]
The team was three weeks out from a client strategy session, and the team leader asked one of their newer team members, to take the lead on prepping the slide deck. She’s bright, fast-moving, and full of ideas, so it felt like a safe handoff. Two days before the session, the leader checked in. The [...]
By Michael Holland - The Adirondack Mountains in Upstate NY provide a beautiful opportunity for hiking. There are 46 mountains that are higher than 4,000 feet. I’ve spent some time climbing a few of the "46ers" and one challenge appears often: the false summit. After a few hours of hiking you come to [...]
By Michael Holland - Your employees are frustrated with you. Yes, even though they may love you, admire you, work their tails off for you, they are frustrated with you. Some leaders cause so much frustration with their employees, they dream of how you will look when they finally tell you they are [...]
By Michael Holland - The team is not the problem. The team itself is not dysfunctional. The team didn't wake up today and say hey, I'm going to be a dysfunctional team. The team is simply a label being placed on a group of people who together create a entity that can enable [...]
by Michael Holland - Steve Jobs was a grand quitter. While he was immensely successful building and running Apple, he strategically leveraged quitting. He quit acclaimed Reed College after one semester and then dropped in periodically on creative classes at the school. He later recounted how one course in calligraphy developed his love [...]
