Holly Green
I have a confession to make – I love the NFL draft! I don’t sit in front of a TV for three days, hanging on every pick. But I like the suspense of wondering who will get selected first. I enjoy seeing the differences between what the experts predict and who the teams actually draft….
Have you ever noticed how when people talk about what lies ahead we always say the future? As if there is one, and only one, immutable future that will come to pass. Fact is, there are an unlimited number of possible futures, and it’s up to us to create the one we want. This is…
Are you sick and tired of hearing about the constant need to innovate in today’s markets? If so, I have some bad news. Innovation is not just another catchphrase of the day. It’s a new business imperative, and it’s not going away any time soon. The good news is that most leaders and managers are…
One of the biggest dangers in business is MSU, or making stuff up, especially when we don’t realize we are doing it. I see leaders and managers do it all the time, and the consequences to people and profits can be horrific. With the newly passed health care bill, our entire nation is about to…
In today’s world, innovation is a business imperative. You either find new and better ways to add value to your customers, you play follow the leader with those who do, or you go out of business as others change the game and you lose. Most business leaders intuitively know this. Which is why more and…
When I speak to CEO groups, trade associations, and industry conventions, this is one of my favorite questions to ask. Why? Because I love the reaction from the audience. They look at me like I’m nuts! Questioning the sanctity of best practices in a roomful of corporate leaders and managers is like walking into a…
January is a time when many organizations present new and/or updated goals to guide behavior during the year ahead. Often, these goals have been weeks or even months in the making. Yet many leaders feel that all they need to do now is communicate the goals once and then everyone can go back to business…
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…
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…
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…
