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 [...]
Job seekers have more options than ever in this competitive job market and as we have learned, their priorities have evolved since before the pandemic. Professional development and lifelong learning have emerged as important benefits that organizations can offer to attract and keep top talent while filling the ever-present skills gap created by The Great [...]
by Michael Holland - “I’m a working manager. I just don’t have the time to do all these people management things I’m supposed to do” Yes, you are a working manager. And so is every other person out there who is responsible for leading and managing other people. Every foreman, supervisor, team leader, [...]
By Michael Holland - Great leaders stand out like an oak tree growing in the desert. You see it, feel it, know it when you're around a great leader. There's an authenticity about them that is so endearing. They are great because they have the capability to be vulnerable and seek as much [...]
