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BruceHolland

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What would you say to someone else considering Bruce Holland for strategy facilitation?

• I think the workshops were very useful, targeting intended objective. The prework was relevant and easy to follow. As for the facilitation, this was one of the best workshops/courses I attended. It was engaging and interesting. Use Bruce. Guaranteed to deliver. Very interesting and engaging methods of facilitating a workshop. Rating 5 out of 5 (one of the best I've been to). Zvonko Lazic, Magnet Engineer, HTS-110.

• Overall, I enjoyed the experience of attending the project workshops and felt that there were some valuable results obtained in the workshops. I thought the modules well presented, entertaining, thought provoking, and well worth the time used. Your chairing of the meeting start and end was also very competent. I felt that there were real benefits to be had in the presentations and exercises and would recommend it to others. Rating 5 out of 5 (one of the best I've been to). Mike Fee, Magnet Design Engineer, HTS-110.

• Overall impressions: The process was insightful and reminded me of exciting times at a previous job. this bought direction, confidence and belief to our ability to succeed. Comments to someone else: Go with an open mind and be prepared to be challenged. This process has bought direction to our company. It has identified our strengths as a team. How could it be improved? More time. Overall score: Five out of five. Murray Seamark, Manufacturing Director, Canary Enterprises Ltd.

• Overall impressions: Pre-work excellent. Well run, right amount of intervention and guidance to ensure desired end is met. Comments to someone else: Very useful means of defining objectives and achieving consensus within a team. An inclusive process. How could it be improved? nil. Overall score: Four out of five. Ross Mc Cullum , Consultant, Canary Enterprises Ltd.

• Overall impressions: Insightful, thought-provoking and satisfying. Enjoyed the pre-reading. Like the way things kept moving along. Comments to someone else: Don't wait. Be ready to get out or the box and answer/ ask hard questions. How could it be improved? Have more people involved, that is other staff. Overall score: Five out of five. Kylea Heaton, General Manager Operations, Canary Enterprises Ltd.

• Overall impressions: Workshop wa structured in a way that took all participants through a process that delivered the end result that we were looking for. Comments to someone else: Bruce is an excellent facilitator with great experience in leading a team to develop their own conclusions. How could it be improved? There is never enough time to complete anything like this. Overall score? Five out of five. Derek Bartosh, Director, Canary Enterprises Ltd.

• Overall impressions: Very good. The pre-reading well thought out and provoking and intriguing. The process of the workshop built to a nice conclusion. Very favourable results indeed. Good on you. It was a really enjoyable and thought provoking. Comments to someone else: It will be hard work. It will challenge you, but will also be rewarding and directional. You will have a plan. How could it be improved? nil. Overall score: Five out of five. James Gray, Director, Canary Enterprises Ltd.

• Found the process very positive and engaging with an excellent directional guide. Easy to follow and very useful to explore ideas, options and strategies. Rating 5 out of 5 (one of the best I've been to). George Ready, Dirctor New Zealand Artificial Limbs Board.

• A big thank you for your wisdom, effort, enthusiasm and patience in my cause. I have enjoyed our programme to date and look forward to continuing next year. Brent Anderson, Corporate Services Manager, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet

• I felt the workshop was extremely valuable. It was really interesting watching the team come out of their comfort zones yet still be fiercely protective of their way of thinking. I don't want myself or the organisation to be identified but I'm happy for you to use my feedback. Snr manager MSD.

• Thank you so much for your assistance this year, I find your course content very interesting indeed and have especially enjoyed your facilitating! Kylie Fraser, Department Of The Prime Minister and Cabinet.

• Seminar was excellent, well handled with a good degree on objectivity. Facilitation was well controlled, good flow and all major bases covered. Bruce is good at drawing material out of people and contextualising. Write up of the session was a faithful account. Looking forward to the final 10 page draft. Highly recommend Bruce for this task. Geoff Hicks, Chief Scientist, DOC.

• Very appropriate content, delivered at just the right pace. Would recommend Bruce. 5/5. Lynne Cousins, Team Manager, Older People Policy, MSD.

• A really excellent workshop, well worthwhile, very gentle style, worked well with the team. I would highly recommend Bruce. Nothing could be improved, it was spot on. 5/5. Dianne Rogers, General Manager, Older People and International Policy Group, MSD.

• I was initially skeptical about the Herrmann test, but it was integrated very well and extremely relevant to the session. Excellent facilitation and we saw results. Highly recommended - was focussed, relevant and very useful. Roanna Vining, Senior Policy Analyst, Older People and International Policy Group, MSD.

• Very effective process whereby facilitator has low profile with consequential high involvement of participants. Process provides desired outcomes in timely and broadly involved manner. overall score 4 out of 5. David Hill, Chief Executive, Capacity Infrastructure Services.

• The pre-work reading was well prepared and very useful preparation for our workshop. Bruce Holland is an excellent facilitator. He managed to draw everybody into the project and kept our focus. He had a vision of how we needed to progress through the process. Very dynamic workshop with plenty of interaction. Overall score: five out of five. John Baines, Engineer, Capacity Infrastructure Services.

• Excellently facilitated. Pre-reading material and formative and challenging in the right way. Workshop focused and empowering stop a great way to get the best out of everybody in a warm way. Overall score: five out of five. Bill Arnold, Senior Engineer, Capacity Infrastructure Services.

• The workshop was very well organised, material was available to read through before attending the workshop. It was useful in terms of getting to know capacity's future direction and strategies. I strongly recommend Virtual for similar purposes. Overall score: five out of five. Diana Isaacs, Engineer/Planning Team, Capacity Infrastructure Services.

• Best strategic session I have ever done and not for the faint hearted. You definitely have to be willing to go beyond your comfort zones, but the rewards are worth it. Peter Swensson, Statistics New Zealand

• I thought the workshop was great for my personal learning and development. I thought it was very interactive and I honestly didn't daydream (which was good too!). Daria Kwon, Statistics New Zealand

• It was stimulating and really got me reflecting and thinking. I am still doing it. It was all relevant to the exercises that we undertook and I could clearly see the links. I would recommend their use. We were challenged, pushed outside our comfort zone but not bullied. We had concrete outcomes and a shared sense of direction and unity from the day. I was exhausted from the 2-day meeting as Bruce extracted the best and the most from me and my colleagues and I thank and praise him for this. Jude Hughes, Statistics New Zealand

• The pre-work notes were fantastic. I was really inspired by the story on the Tipping Point. I would recommend using Virtual Group because of the independent view and constructive approach to facilitating workshops and creating positive outcomes. Mele Collins, Manager ANZ National Bank

• Good notes and relevance to work covered... Bruce allowed a good free flow of ideas and discussion. Overall the workshop was excellent for bring the team together. Good value in Herrmann and Strategy. Craig Burns, Manager Support Services, ANZ National Bank

• Great presentations, well managed and good deliverables. Enjoyed every minute. Highly recommended. You clearly delivered on what you set out to do - loved it all!. Luke Maxwell, Manager Transaction Services, ANZ National Bank

• Really relaxed and non threatening but very valuable in terms of results. I would recommend it to anyone. Dave Penrose, Manager ANZ National Bank.

• To keep 80 people motivated and task oriented, and to achieve as much as we did was an experience I was glad to be involved in ... Session was amazing. Bruce was an inspiration .... Dynamic positive person with great people skills. Trev Mason, Hui. Early Childhood Development Unit

• The workshop was excellent. It brought out a high level of commitment from the team to the goals. This is what I was seeking. Bruce is an excellent facilitator - one of the best I have been involved with over many years. David Ley, Huhtamaki Flexible Packaging, Chief Executive Oceania.

• Great facilitation with appropriate intervention to keep us moving forward. Informative reading. A process that is simulating and successful. Rating 5 out of 5". Note: 5 = 'one of the best I've been to'. Graeme Titcombe, CEO, Access Homehealth.

• Prereading insightful, relevant and thought provoking, introduced new ideas and concepts. Workshop was well balanced, good use of group sessions. Definitely recommend. Rating 5 out of 5". Note: 5 = 'one of the best I've been to'. Darryl Harwood, Area Manager, Access Homehealth.

• Prereading insightful, relevant and thought provoking, introduced new ideas and concepts. Workshop was well balanced, good use of group sessions. Definitely recommend. Rating 5 out of 5" Darryl Harwood, Area Manager, Access Homehealth.Relevant and precise, good guidance. You should try it. Rating 5 out of 5. " Note: 5 = 'one of the best I've been to'. Henry Chan, Manager Finance and Administration, Access Homehealth.

• Very good and well structured. Thought provoking and achieved a result/concensus for our future strategy. No hesitation in recommending. Rating 4 out of 5". Kent Young, Area Manager, Access Homehealth.

• Well produced and facilitated. We were given an insight into the future and then a large mirror by which to reflect on it. Snap them up, be open to their ideas - move forward like we will. Rating 5 out of 5." Martin Withers, National Client Relationship Manager, Access Homehealth.

• Well prepared, organised and conducted ... Would highly recommend. One of the best workshops. Ken Douglas, Councillor Porirua City Council

• One of the best strategy workshops I've been involved in (with a very different group of participants). Recommended. Blair McRae, CE, Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency

• Brilliant prework because it really got me thinking in a bigger, strategic way before we got into the detail. No hesitation in recommending Bruce. Emily Loughnan, Click Suite, The Active Media Company

• Very good. Getting people out of their shells - to communicate. Very good discussions, especially at end - to conclude. Highly recommended. Inspiring (which was surprising). Miles Jeffrey, Snr Engineer, EXICOM

• Very good overall and since you managed to get emotions out of this lot you have done well. Bruce was very relaxed and fair. Paul Larkin, Snr Technician, EXICOM

• Very good at drawing out ideas and comments that were relevant and bought the group together. Tom Clarke, Technician, EXICOM

• Very insightful. Has broadened my thinking about how I may make a difference. A good investment and well presented. Do all the pre - course work. Wayne Visser, Component Engineer, EXICOM

• Very good participation and outcome, against a very tight deadline. A very open and useful planning process for anyone to undertake. Kyran Newell, CEO, SMC Building Society

• The written material was most appropriate. And the programme suited SMC needs extremely well. Geoffrey Clark, Director, SMC Building Society

• Very interesting. Everyone participated which was due to the facilitators input. Would recommend. Bryan Mooar, Director, SMC Building Society

• Hard work. Great facilitation. Generated enthusiasm. Very worthwhile - happy to recommend. Richard Calvert - Chairman, SMC Building Society

• Has given me great inspiration. An incentive to help the Club strive and thrive for many years. Don't just think about it. Make time - it is well worth it! Marilyn, Loans Officer, SMC Building Society

• Good techniques for bringing out big picture. Use them! Celia Wade-Brown, Mayor, Wellington City Council

• It was a great learning curve. I will make sure it helps me in business and setting guidelines for Committee Meetings in the future. Do it, be open minded and enjoy it. ..... One of the best training Courses I've been to! Excellent. Barry Clarke, MTA

• Top job and insight into leadership and strategic thinking in the available time. Good interactive practical sessions. Pre-meeting material superb. Any training that breaks down theories and bureaucracy and provides practical elements has to be worthwhile. Excellent. Jeff Dobson, Director, MTA.

• Very enlightening! Have learnt nuts and bolts of why and how people should be handled differently, and why they react as they do. A totally different approach. Dave Trial, MTA

• Interesting prework. Excellent knowledge of facilitation techniques and great implementation. I leave with a sense of achievement and good understanding of the ground we have covered and where we need to go in the future. One of the best sessions I've been to.! Graeme Goulden QA Manager TAB

• Very useful. Exceeded my expectations. Bruce facilitated well, he let the group maximise their contribution. A very effective approach, one of the best I've been to. Warwick Wright, General Manager TAB.

• Enjoyed the workshop. Liked the flow. Involved real thinking and feeling. One of the best I've been to. Annette Raper, Manager Strategy and Relationships, Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency
• Excellent prework material. Very good facilitation. Comfortable but challenging process which delivered solid outcomes. Pat Waite, Chief Executive, Public Trustee

• One of the highlights of the last year has been the Strategic Planning session you ran for the Northern Region. It was a memorable learning session for me and I felt compelled to write and say "thank you". I am richer for the experience!..... Thanks Bruce for your wisdom, your guidance and above all the challenge to think hard about the future. Mike Spraggon Regional Sales Manager BNZ

• Good preparation material, well linked into workshop.Good facilitation with diverse group. Kim Wicksteed, CEO Saatchi & Saatchi

• This will truly inspire employees to feel pride and to feel really valued with a great "Team" spirit nationally. I love the concept and look forward to its coming into fruition. Shirley Goff, Norwich Life.

• I would certainly recommend using Bruce. I thought your style was relaxed, non-intrusive, constructive. It was non-threatening and everyone had their say. Gary Lewis Assistant Government Auditor General NZ.

• The level of lateral thinking and honesty. Richard Harvey, CEO Norwich Union Holdings

• The humour amongst the serious business. An excellent outcome in the most positive and fun environment. Bryan Jackson Chairman Hutt Valley Health

• It takes me back to somewhere up high in the BNZ Black Box - about level 23 when you took me and my Operations team through planning. I still recall the day very well. You'd encouraged me to involve the managers - I was feeling very vulnerable in case others disagreed with my views, because at the time I still believed that 'not knowing' was a sign of failure (15 years of BNZ cultural training had reinforced the belief !). In fact what happened - apart from me finding out that indeed I didn't know everything - was a significant increase in the level of involvement and commitment from the managers. The fact that me - and several of them - are now not doing too bad, suggests that the Holland approach must have had something going for it!! Belated thanks ! Mike Horner, GM HR, Bank of Thailand

• Very well run and explained. Broken up with a bit of humour but retained focus and direction. A fantastic way of bringing a group of people together to form a team. Jono Bushell. Manager, CommArts.

• Just a note to say how much I enjoyed the last two days. I have been to several planning "retreats" over the years and I thought you outshone most in getting the participation of the whole group. You earned your money alright. Tom Young, General Manager- Energy, Electra Energy.

• You are an excellent facilitator and organiser, who's been able to present, and quickly guide us through current thinking on strategic planning and management, so that as a group we have been able to focus and agree on the future strategic direction of our programme. Derek Belton, Manager, ESR

• Be prepared to get involved in mind / body stretching activity..Real mind blowing thoughts have helped to jolt people out of their ruts.re-programming the brains will benefit..excellent standard of humour..Bruce is very effective in this role. Ross Jamieson, MAF.

• Bruce this type of session was a first for me so I found the experience exhilarating.! Val Findlay , Blueprint Consultant BNZ

• Great growth exercise...Go!! Thanks Bruce. Kim Kelly, Hutt Valley Health

• Of the decision making / team building courses attended I am most impressed with this facilitator. Bill Wheeler Ministry of Forestry

• Come with an open mind and not pre- judge the sessions mid way through....Style of presentation and leadership was encouraging. Had more of an impact than perhaps I initally realised...At times I did not quite see where the the direction was taking us. However, this was evident in the final session. Mark Carlyle, Norwich Union

• Be prepared to contribute. Be prepared for something a little different....Enjoyed it! David Biegel, Norwich Union.

• As a vehicle to promote communication, focus thinking on particular problems and initiate commitment to an ongoing process there is real merit in a session of this nature. ....Personally I enjoyed the sessions.... Bruce, Thanks for your efforts. Your attempts to get people thinking on the right track were noted. Craig Thorn, Norwich Union.

• An interesting, provocative approach to building both individuals and teams. A challenging and learning process as an individual learning about my team and how I could fit in. We should be a more effective and more productive team and many ways of increasing effectiveness were discussed...The best facilitation is one that is hardly noticed and Bruce did well to keep us on track. A good pace and mentally challenging. Warwick Bignell, Department of Labour.

• Yes: Made me think in a new way- slightly controversial. Helped build our team. Nigel Hooper Telecom National Accounts Manager.

• Group brain-power and "feeding off" one another. One end result. Without Bruce's input I don't think we would have come up with as high a quality strategies as we have. Created an excellent team feeling. The strategies are "ours." Beth Baker, Regional HR Manager BNZ.

• Overall the outcome was very positive. We have now developed a useful abase to enable the finalisation of a strategy. Allan Frost, GM Northern, Office of the Auditor General.

• A very worthwhile exercise. Well facilitated and the preparatory work was both manageable and helpful in stimulating discussion. Robert Buchanan, Office of the Auditor General.

• I was pleasantly surprised at how well it went. I guess I was inherently cynical about facilitated sessions, but it went well. Bruce's style was unobtrusive and nonthreatening. The product at the end of the session was good and was a major step forward. Terry McLauchlan, Assistant Auditor General.

• Staff at all levels really enjoyed the practical and participative nature of the conference. They also got insights into themselves and others that will be hugely beneficial in both their working and private lives. They now value and understand their differences rather than trying to hide and conform to the expectations of others. They also realised they are all individually leaders, and this really empowered them, particularly those in the lower paid positions. They are still talking about the experience 2 weeks later. In a nutshell they had fun and at the same time boosted their confidence and self esteem which can only aid customer service and productivity. I thoroughly recommend this leadership program developed by Bruce. Senior manager MSD, Name withheld.

• Denise. You may wish to contact Bruce Holland from Virtual Consultants who I found very good in the past for such group focusing and strategic work. Bruce worked for me in my time as CEO at South Wairarapa District Council so he has worked with a similar sized Council to CHBDC in the past. Ray McIndoe, Palmerston North City Council.

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