by Michael Holland Some managers may find that they are easily focused on the tasks of their team, while others tend to focus more heavily on the people aspects. Ideally, it’s a balance. Remember – people come to work. That requires a manager to effectively manage both the people and the work demands of his team. [...]
by Michael Holland We race through our days - have back-to-back meetings, answer too many e-mails to count and push to meet the deadlines we are faced with. With this pace we need to be reminded to take some time out to think about the best way to work with each of our [...]
by Michael Holland “Take things always by their smooth handle” Thomas Jefferson There is a civil and respectable way to deal with people and situational conflict. Seeking a smooth path, a path of least resistance for all parties involved, can produce greater outcomes. As a leader, you make choices every day regarding how [...]
by Michael Holland Every leader interacts on a continual basis with employees, peers, supervisors and outside stakeholders. These dynamic interactions are ripe grounds for misunderstandings and ineffective leadership. You should take time to review – or learn about – your individual communication style and how you prefer to interact with your environment. Several assessment tools [...]
by Michael Holland What can you accomplish in the 38 days? During 38 days in late 2009, Jacob Shell endured a rare transplant procedure at The Children’s Hospital in Boston. As you might know, Jacob Shell, of ShellStrong fame, was 8 years old at the time and had neuroblastoma, a very difficult cancer. During this [...]
by Michael Holland All employees desire feedback on their job performance. For the employee-leader relationship, dynamics and timing are important factors in determining how feedback will be received. Consistency of both positive and critical messages is crucial. As you commute home during the week, make mental notes on some aspect of each of your employees’ [...]
by Michael Holland As a leader, you have authority over critical resources. What’s the basis of that authority? Generally, authority could be defined as: the power, the right, the clout to influence people and get them to do what you want and need them to. But in active leadership we can delineate that definition a [...]
by Michael Holland Vince Lombardi, the great football coach, taught his players to "run with complete abandon, and when you get close to the goal, let nothing stop you from getting across." Do you believe in your management and leadership skills to a point where you can honestly lead with complete abandon and lead your [...]
by Michael Holland The art of delivering relevant performance feedback hinges upon your ability as a manager to recognize a teachable/coachable moment, capture a mental video clip of the behavior exhibited and then create and deliver the insight. These skills aren’t natural for most managers and therefore need to be built and refined over time. [...]
by Michael Holland Riding waves at the beach is a lot like building a team. You rush to catch a lot of waves just before they are perfect and you hesitate just a bit too long and are late to catch great waves. Then just while you are focusing on the big house on the [...]
