by Michael Holland - Do you have legitimate authority? What a great question. Malcolm Gladwell in his intriguing book David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, brings us perspective that we should know—or may already know—but that we often overlook. This perspective is contained in a principle of legitimacy and helps us [...]
By Michael Holland - As a leader, how do you analyze recent events, interactions, situations, encounters? Do you have a critical eye seeking intelligence regarding how you have behaved and how your behavior impacted others? Looking closely at what we haven't completed or improved or how we behaved or could've behaved is a good habit. Deciding where [...]
By Michael Holland - There’s the young leader slowly walking in the door to work at 7:50 am. His face reveals the agony he feels on this Friday morning as he’s worked so many hours this week just trying to get ahead of the workflow for his team and himself. He’s in for a 10 [...]
By Michael Holland - You know a great leader within a few minutes of talking with them. There's no mistake. They stand out like an oak tree in the middle of the desert. Their title - or lack of a title - bear no connection to their leadership impact. They create a circle of safety [...]
By Michael Holland - Recently I saw a commercial where a young couple throws a dart at a map and then take off for their weekend adventure to wherever the dart landed. How spontaneous and fun. Your employees are hoping you’re less adventurous. In the rush of work and the ever-changing whims of senior leadership, [...]
By Michael Holland - There’s a dance going on each and every day between new leaders and their bosses. The new leaders are in their first management role trying desperately to balance an insane workload with the art of delegating to their former peers. The new leaders appropriately want/desire a consistent, safe space to gain [...]
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 - In life, as in sports, we do well when we practice like we play. In other words, if we practice desired behaviors in ways that mimic how we’d behave in real situations, we will prepared to fully activate those behaviors at game time. We will have created muscle memory. As we [...]
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 - Only 1 in 10 people have the necessary traits to be great managers and lead their team to achieve excellence in ways that truly impact company performance. That’s what Gallup finds from their research. That’s not 1 in 10 managers, that’s 1 in 10 people! And are those talented people the [...]
