Holly Green
Wow, what a year! 2009 has come and gone, and many of us are taking a huge sigh of relief. Going through one of the worst recessions in U.S. history will certainly take the wind out of your sails. But we appear to have weathered the worst of the storm. And while the economy might…
It’s that time of the year we all dread. No, not fighting the crowds at shopping malls or maxing out the credit cards with over-indulgent holiday spending. I’m talking about the bane of managers and employees everywhere — year-end performance evaluations. Let’s face it. Most managers dislike giving performance evaluations and most employees hate receiving…
Which is more important for a business to engage in – strategic planning or strategic thinking? If you answered “both,” you win the prize. What’s the difference between the two? Typically, strategic planning involves a formal process whereby company leaders and senior managers gather for a day or two and peer into the future to…
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year. The days are still warm (in Southern California) and the nights are starting to cool. The stress of last-minute Christmas shopping trips to the mall hasn’t yet reared its ugly head. I do know the holidays are approaching quickly because my Google Alerts for “Holly…
There’s been a lot of talk in the media lately about the dangers of over-protective parenting. In fact, it’s gotten so bad that psychologists have coined a new phrase — “helicopter parents” — for the moms and dads who get over-involved in their kids’ lives. These are the parents who yell at the soccer coach…
Imagine if Hogwarts, the mythical school of magic and sorcery in the Harry Potter books, taught strategic planning. You could use enchanted mirrors to gaze into the future with unerring accuracy. You could conjure up potions for warding off evil competitors, recite charms for turning lousy products into perennial moneymakers, and chant incantations for rendering…
Wait your turn. No pushing in line. Yield to pedestrians. Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Certain timeless rules are better obeyed than broken. But in today’s topsy-turvy business world, many of the rules that informed and guided previous generations of business leaders no longer apply. If you’re not breaking rules…
They say that denial is a river in Egypt. Maybe so, but I contend that denial is also running rampant in the conference rooms and corridors of most of today’s companies. I’m not talking about the stuff you need to see a psychiatrist for. I’m referring to something far more subtle and insidious, a kind…
It takes many different qualities to make a great leader. Vision. Honesty. Integrity. Passion. Commitment. Communication skills. The ability to build relationships. And in today’s world of rapid-fire change, I also put flexibility at the top of the leadership attribute list. The dictionary defines flexibility as “a ready capability to adapt to new, different, or…
Identify Key Lessons from Troubled Times Signs of an economic recovery are starting to come into view. Are you prepared to seize the momentum? Or is your organization still in a holding pattern as you ride out the storm? Those companies that act carefully, but swiftly, will have an unfair advantage in re-building as the…
There’s a new normal for today’s businesses Part 1 of a 3-Part Series All great leaders are constant learners and unlearners. They study, analyze and question everything regardless of the economic situation. They shift when the need arises, not depending on those things they have always done the same way. Effective leaders don’t take anything…
To most Americans, Labor Day represents just another three-day weekend that signals the end of summer and a return to school for the kids. But as with all holidays, there’s more to it than the barbeques, beach bashes and family get-togethers. Created by the Central Labor Union of New York, a forerunner of various trade…
