Are you a person that gets “charged up” and excited by tight deadlines? Working under pressure at a rapid pace is energizing to you. But what if you work with others who need time to process information and have a high need to be organized and analytical, or their stress level peaks? Knowing this about [...]
You’re planning a training or off-site with your team. Everyone is excited to get out of the office and spend a couple of days together. You’ve gotten the budget approved – no easy feat - so you want to be certain to get the most from the time together. You plan the agenda Assign pre-work [...]
by Michael Holland I had the opportunity to moderate an armchair discussion between two CEOs for an audience of HR executives. Not surprisingly, a predominant theme during the discussion focused on leadership. Here’s a rundown of some of the salient take-aways from these two CEOs regarding what they look for in leaders. Read. [...]
by Michael Holland Focus, focus, focus. Focusing is difficult in today’s world with so many distractions and opportunities to multi-task. But when does multi-tasking become ineffective? When will you hit the overload critical mass point? At what point is your productivity decreasing? Just say NO! No to that extra project. No to reading every email [...]
Ah, the dreaded performance review. So many managers look at this as a tremendous chore, while employees waver between hopeful and anxious. Why is it that having a private conversation between a manager and an employee can evoke so many emotions and potentially leave so many scars? As noted in Abolishing Performance Appraisals: Why They [...]
By Michael Holland Great leaders are life long learners consuming blog posts, articles, videos and books to gain perspective and increase knowledge. Leverage that driving or flying time - or get away from the in-laws time - this holiday with a good book! Here are 4 books I recommend for this year. Get [...]
There are a few keystone behaviors that once established as habits make a significant difference in your leadership effectiveness. One of these habits is to have regularly scheduled 1-on-1 meetings with your direct reports. Managers consistently say, “But I talk to my staff all the time, why do I need a separate meeting?” In [...]
by Michael Holland See if you can answer these questions. What team won the last Super Bowl? Name the last 5 Super Bowl winning teams. Who won on last season's Survivor reality TV show? Who were the last 5 winners? What team won the World Series this year? Name the last 5 World Series winners. [...]
By Michael Holland I ran a red light yesterday. Not intentionally, mind you, but clearly I did run the light. I was in a new area and looking for my next turn when I found myself coming up to an intersection with a light that was already yellow. It’s that moment in time, the split [...]
by Michael Holland Sometimes you have to go back to square one of your management training and practice the basics. Sports coaches know well that players must keep their basic skills fully in tune. Pro football coaches bring their guys back to the line again and again during practices to run the same play over [...]
