by Michael Holland - Remember those feelings of the first days and weeks in a new job. The thrill of learning a new environment, the freedom from office politics and gossip, the flood of ideas, the intrigue with meeting your employees for the first time, the adrenaline rush of opportunity to make an impact, and [...]
By Michael Holland - You know a great leader within a few minutes of talking with him. There's no mistake. He stands out like an oak tree in the middle of the desert. His title - or lack of a title - bear no connection to his leadership impact. He creates a circle of safety [...]
By Michael Holland - Recently I saw a 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 of senior leadership, [...]
by Michael Holland - Manager Matt is two years into his 1st tour of duty as a leader. He’s survived the dark days of learning to manage on the fly with new situations when everything was new to him. He’s been through handling performance reviews and slow staff meetings, handled performance challenges and un-engaged peers, [...]
by Michael Holland - "Here he comes. Heading straight for my office for yet another 'conversation' about why he can't get his work done in time for our meeting next week. Again and again he just doesn't come through. And last week he left early one day. I'm getting so tired of this routine. He's [...]
By Michael Holland - There’s a dance going on each and every day between new leaders and their bosses. The new leaders are in their first management role trying desperately to balance an insane workload with the art of delegating to their former peers. The new leaders appropriately want/desire a consistent, safe space to gain [...]
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 tremendous success [...]
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 perceived we [...]
by Michael Holland - John Maxwell's 11th Irrefutable Law of Leadership (from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You) states that a leader's potential is determined by his inner circle, those closest to him. Basically, your success as a leader, whether you're a CEO or a new supervisor, builds [...]
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 greatly with [...]
