By Michael Holland - When a leader delegates they can picture very clearly what it is they want done. So they believe that they are communicating clearly to their employee. But there’s a villain of natural psychology that limits our capability to communicate clearly and that villain is the curse of knowledge*. The [...]
By Michael Holland - I was tired. It was late in the afternoon. The sound and feel of my car running over the rumble strips on the side of the road jerked me completely awake and focused. I immediately guided my car back into the lane. My reaction could've been a casual drift back [...]
By Michael Holland - Listen to this blog post: A few years ago, I got caught up in trying to get in better shape to lose weight. I focused my energy on the goal of losing weight which, unfortunately, was the wrong problem to solve. To be successful, I needed to look [...]
By Michael Holland - Newer leaders make the classic mistake of overcompensating when attempting to adjust their leadership style. They see the style difference as a problem to solve while they should see the difference as a tension to manage. Leaders naturally go to their strength with their approaches to leading. It's what they know [...]
By Micheal Holland - Young leaders want to grow quickly to become effective managers and business leaders and while companies like to leverage these resources as soon as possible, a concerted effort to invest in building these leaders would be more appropriate. Young leaders desperately need to learn the craft of management and the art [...]
By Michael Holland - I love the look of that frantic leader who is lost in the world of overbooked meetings, a flooded inbox with hundreds of emails, and employees frustratingly lined up at the boss' door to ask questions. It's that scene in a movie where you don't want to watch the dramatic climax [...]
By Michael Holland I'm so tired of hearing people talking about balancing their workloads, balancing their lives between home and work, balancing commitment to goals, balancing the needs of employees with the needs of the business. The reality is there is not a balance or equilibrium. We have been trained to think this false belief [...]
By Michael Holland I worry at times that the gap which exists between leaders leading well and those who won't is growing wider and deeper. Recently I re-watched the TED Talk "Why Good Leaders Make Us Feel Safe" by Simon Sinek. In the talk, Sinek inspires with stories of how true leaders provide a circle [...]
by Michael Holland - Employee engagement should be a top priority for all leaders, as it signifies the value an organization derives from its workforce. Current data shows that employee engagement is distressingly low, with only 32% of employees actively engaged. Instead of quibbling about precise figures within your organization, it's more crucial to focus [...]
by Michael Holland - Habits follow a fairly predictable pattern of a cue (or trigger, craving) which enacts a routine to achieve a reward. A habit is the brain’s efficient method of decreasing power consumption. Think about personal habits you perform all the time: brushing your teeth, walking, reading a text message after hearing the [...]
