by Michael Holland - Joshua Chamberlain found himself at the Battle of Gettysburg, leading the 20th Maine Regiment on the end of a battle line as they defended a strategic location: Little Round Top. The Confederates charged again and again and again, decimating Chamberlain’s regiment to just a few soldiers, each with little or no [...]
by Michael Holland - Your role as a leader – should you choose to accept it – is to effectively lead the people asset you’ve been charged with owning. This means: You are responsible and accountable for the effectiveness and productivity of each individual person on your team, as well as the team as a [...]
by Michael Holland - What can be learned from a survey of 1,000,000 employees and 80,000 managers about why talented employees decide to stay in a job or go? What can you learn about yourself as a leader if you looked at yourself first as employee who has a manager? At times leaders believe -- [...]
By Michael Holland - Generation after generation of leaders have followed the same path: Get thrown into the position to take over leading their former peers Spend 10 or so years guessing at what they're supposed to do as a leader, and Then start attending leadership development programs which attempt to educate them on the [...]
By Michael Holland - As we walk through each day, we make what seem to be minor decisions and take small actions to solve whatever problems might arise. These decisions and actions in and of themselves are not wrong. But we should be asking ourselves if these decisions and actions are wise for us as [...]
by Michael Holland - How far can a bungee cord stretch before it will break? I squinted at the 4th bungee cord I was using to hold down my son’s modified couch for Young Life’s couch race (a story for later). As I stretched and stretched it, I held my breath, hoping it wouldn’t snap. My [...]
by Michael Holland - A 52-year-old vice president struggles to keep his job. While “successful” throughout his career, it seems he now lacks the leadership capability to adequately enable his team of 60-plus folks to achieve basic success. He also lacks the introspection to see that his domineering, “take-the-hill-at-all-costs” style has disengaged him from [...]
By Michael Holland New leaders waste so much energy. They have to invest so much time and thought into how to do this leadership thing. One day they're working side-by-side with coworkers and the next day they are walking in as the boss. Think about the moment they walk through the door that morning into [...]
By Michael Holland The pressure has been building for months. You were clear on his performance review 6 months ago. You were clear 3 months ago when you put him on the performance improvement plan and 1 month ago you met with him to sign the update to the PIP making sure he read the [...]
by Michael Holland During a recent visit to Lake Placid, NY, I was able to see the USA Hockey Team’s Miracle on Ice exhibit. What an exhilarating time, seeing the pictures and watching a replay of that magical game! Without much knowledge, we’d think this team just happened to come together and play their hearts [...]
