Holly's Blogs

Get More Done – Interrupt Your Interruptions

Constant interruptions reduce focus and effectiveness. Learn how the human brain handles interruptions (poorly) and how to work more effectively by stemming their flow.

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Smart Classrooms, Smarter Students: AI Avatars Changing Education Dynamics

Image source Hey pals! Let’s have a conversation about how our classrooms are getting super smart with DEEPBRAIN AI avatars. These avatars are like super-smart computer buddies who are making our learning time way better! DEEP BRAIN AI avatars are like magical friends in our class. They help our teachers teach in a super cool…

Key Competencies That Any Business Leader Should Know Inside And Out

Effective leadership is the cornerstone of any thriving business. A leader’s role is multifaceted, requiring a diverse set of skills to navigate the challenges of today’s dynamic business environment. This article delves into five critical competencies that are indispensable for any business leader, shedding light on their importance and offering insights into how they can…

The Competitive Edge: Employee Rights and Talent Attraction

The battlefield for top-tier talent is no place for the faint-hearted. It demands enticing perks and brand prestige and a deep, demonstrable commitment to employee rights. Companies at the forefront know this secret: the brightest candidates seek a workplace where rights aren’t merely respected—they are celebrated. This realisation isn’t a light bulb moment; it’s a strategy…

Most Asked Questions By Small Business Owners

Launching and scaling a small business comes with no shortage of questions and uncertainties. Here we tackle some of the most frequent queries entrepreneurs have relating to legalities, marketing, technology, hiring, accounting and more. How Do I Choose The Right Business Structure? Factors like tax treatment, liability, investment needs and record-keeping determine ideal structures. Most…

Top Tips For Successfully Expanding Your Business’s Product Offering

image source Expanding your business’s product offering is more than adding items to your inventory. It’s a strategic move that requires careful planning, market understanding, and customer-centricity. This comprehensive guide will explore the top tips for successfully expanding your business’s product offering. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting, these insights will pave the…

How Does A Clean Office Affect Employee Productivity

Image Source Imagine walking into your office first thing in the morning, the sight of stacked papers, overflowing waste bins, and coffee stains on your desk meets your eyes. For most of us, this visual clutter creates an unconscious distraction that sets a negative tone for the day. In contrast, entering an organised, clean workspace…

Creating the Pathways to Excellence

If you talk to winning athletes – not the one-time wonders, but those who win on a consistent basis – they’ll tell you that winning is a habit. What they don’t tell you is just how hard they work to develop that habit. Winning takes a lot of things, like talent, commitment, resources and support….

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Developing a Winning Team

In my last blog, I talked about Alex Ferguson, the now retired coach for Manchester United, one of the most successful sports franchises in the world. In addition to his technical soccer skills, Ferguson won wide acclaim for his ability to grow and develop talent. Whether in sports or in business, building a winning team…

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The Ferguson Formula for Winning

You can always count on the Harvard Business Review for great insights on strategy, leadership and success.  I love this article – “Ferguson’s Formula” (http://hbr.org/2013/10/fergusons-formula/ar/1)  – from the October 2013 issue. One of the most respected names in global sports, Sir Alex Ferguson managed the highly successful English soccer club Manchester United for 26 years….

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Prompt Your Brain to Win

Do you recall learning to ride a bicycle as a young child? At first, you probably wobbled and fell and wanted to quit, especially if you banged a knee or an elbow in the fall. But with mom or dad at your side, or perhaps an older sibling, you had the courage to persevere. Or…

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The Pause That Refreshes

The pause that refreshes. Coca Cola first introduced this marketing slogan more than 80 years ago. If you ask me, they were way ahead of their time. More and more I’m recommending to clients and keynote audiences to take time out of their busy day to pause and refresh. Only I’m not referring to drinking…

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Are You Pausing to Just Look?

Have you seen those Magic Eye 3D books? I came across one recently, and they are amazing!  Each book contains two-dimensional pictures that look like nothing more than random patterns repeated over and over again across the page. But – and here’s where the magic occurs – when you focus the eyes in a certain…

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Prove Yourself Wrong to Get Your Plan Right

  One of our greatest strengths as adult humans is to the ability to “prove” ourselves right.  We do it in many different ways. First, we constantly look for evidence that supports what we believe to be true. At the same time, we actively block out data that contradicts our prevailing point of view, making…

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Are You an Elite Leader?

A simple definition of elite leadership can be hard to pin down, but we all know it when we see it. I’ve been studying and working with elite leaders for years – from military teams to Olympic athletes and high performing work teams – and it’s obvious when I meet them. But what is it,…

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Are You in Mental Fight or Flight?

Have you ever made a dumb management decision? One that seemed like a good idea at the time, but after it fell flat you looked back and wondered, “What was I thinking?” We all do this from time to time. But you may be surprised to learn that one cause of this particular human trait is…

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How to Implement with Discipline and Focus

A while back, I wrote a blog about how hard it is to win in today’s business environment. What with global competition, low barriers to entry for most industries, uncertain economic conditions, and the constant need to innovate, achieving a position of market leadership seems tougher than ever. But while talking on this subject with…

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Are You Engaging to Win?

It’s time for my annual update on employee engagement, and once again the news isn’t good. In fact, based on data from Gallup, the trusted public opinion and research firm, the current state of employee engagement in the U.S. could well be described as dismal. In a recent State of the American Workplace Report, Gallup…

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Are You Practicing to Win?

What do Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, LeBron James, and other elite athletes have in common?  They all practice.  A lot. Even after winning world championships, the first thing they do the following season is undertake rigorous training and practice sessions to develop their skills to even higher levels. Then they play a number of practice…

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Play With Your Brain Over the Holidays

The holidays offer a much-needed opportunity to relax, spend some time with the family, and reflect upon the true meaning of the season. They’re also a great time to engage in an enjoyable and useful activity that I talk about throughout the year – playing with your brain. Playing with your brain relieves stress. It…

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Are You Ready to Win in 2014?

Did you blink and 2013 zipped right by? Don’t worry, it happened to me too. Which means it’s now time to start getting ready to win in 2014! Here are the top five things you can do to prepare your organization to win in the year ahead. 1. Get clear on winning (your destination). Specifically,…

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Appreciating the Best of the Best

2013 is drawing to a close and it has been one heck of a year.  My husband and I settled into a new home in Denver this year.  Our daughter had her fourth knee surgery and continues her college journey.  She is now a junior.  Our son graduated from college and got his first ‘real’…

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Innovate Your Business Model… or Die

Kids say the darnedest things! Recently, researchers asked a group of 12-year olds if they typically listen to music on YouTube, an iPod, or a CD? Not surprisingly, the majority answered “YouTube.” However, the second most common response was, “What’s a CD?” Researchers also asked a group of high school students how they most often…

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Do You Have a Bias for Action?

Do you have a bias for action? These days, most of us do. From the time we wake up in the morning until we go to sleep at night, must of us are pushed from all directions to run as fast as we can. Never mind about whether we’re running in the right direction or…

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Seven Internet Trends that May Surprise You

Are you wondering where the Internet is headed these days? Consider the following trends (stats courtesy of www.staff.com): • China has more than twice the number of Internet users as the U.S. – 564 million vs. 244 million. • The Chinese website alibaba.com does more sales than amazon.com and eBay combined. • Facebook has more…

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