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BruceHolland

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Comments from public sector clients

What would you say to someone else considering Bruce Holland?

Clients of Strategic Processes

• Great impression. Excellent facilitation. Identified gaps in organisation. Real value in looking at the different quadrants particularly what we have on the Board. Would recommend. Kim Black, Deputy Chairperson, Parents Centre.

• Excellent content and facilitation skills – absolutely fantastic – loved it! 100% recommend Bruce, he is engaging and knowledgeable! Taking all factors into account it was one of the best sessions I have ever been to. Kylie Johnston, Parents Centre.

• Dynamic and encouraging and openness of thinking and interaction in a supportive environment! Would support Virtual Group. I like your inclusive style Bruce and simple but insightful resources, explanations and exercises to demonstrate purpose. Thank you so much Bruce. An excellent session – so valuable! I thoroughly enjoyed your delivery. Content created powerful thinking! Taking all factors into account it was one of the best sessions I have ever been to. Joan Hay, Manager Capability and Development, Parents Centre.

• Excellent session and great to have the pre-reading. Session was facilitated exceptionally well and clear messages. I would definitely recommend Virtual Group Business Consultants. Really clear understanding of the concepts and work programme prepared accordingly. Keep doing what you’re doing. Taking all factors into account it was one of the best sessions I have ever been to. Michelle Burton, Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive, Parents Centre.

• I really enjoyed seeing the overall vision come together, so this worked for me, and I could see the value of more of the leaders saying an understanding this vision. I appreciated the in variation presentation as it applied to different learning. Great way to keep the team decide on how to focus moving forward. Overall rating 4/5." Jess Howard, Palmerston North, Parents Centre, President.

• Well-prepared. Great for NGOs. Hence the spot well with our way of thinking. Taking all factors into account it was one of the best sessions I have ever been to. Sharron Cole, Chairperson, Parents Centre.

• Appreciated getting the workshop agenda and having the chance to go over it beforehand. Loved the content. It really gave me food for thought and a clearer vision of where we are and where we’re heading and how we will get there. Excellent facilitator. Thanks Bruce! I would '''highly recommend this workshop to groups of all varieties. Fun, interactive and extremely interesting. Taking all factors into account it was one of the best sessions I have ever been to. Debbie Kell, Senior Volunteer, Parents Centre.

• Fantastic! Lots of good information to take away. Loads to think about. Great facilitating! Easy to listen to and many ideas to take away. Overall rating 4/5. Sarah Parker, Board Member, Parents Centre.

• 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.

• 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. 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.

• 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

• 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

• 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 Mc Rae, CE, Positively Wellington Business.

• 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, Positively Wellington Business (CEO Click Suite, The Active Media Company)

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

• 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, Positively Wellington Business.

• Excellent prework material. Very good facilitation. Comfortable but challenging process which delivered solid outcomes. Pat Waite, Chief Executive, Public Trustee

• Good preparation material, well linked into workshop.Good facilitation with diverse group. Kim Wicksteed, Positively Wellington Business (CEO Saatchi & Saatchi)

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

• 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.

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

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

• An interesting, provocativeapproach 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 OSH Department of Labour

• 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. Name withheld for policy reasons.

Clients of Leadership development

These are the individual comments following three recent Four Month Leadership Development courses:

• My Comment to some one else who was considering using Virtual for something similar would be: Take the risk - it may turn out to be the best thing you have ever done. Two indicators that a trainer is committed to their material is their preparedness for the session and whether they have taken the time and trouble to collate hand-outs and other material for the "class" to read at a later date. You were always well-prepared, had hand-outs and readings available so that your message could be reinforced after the session had concluded. As you know I found a lot of the course very useful. Heather Tavassoli, Manager, Employment Court, Ministry of Justice.

• Overall I found the sessions informative and rewarding. The pre-reading was easy to follow and supported by some interesting articles and reports. Virtual met my expectations certainly. I found the Herrrman Thinking preferences to be an interesting view. It was communicated well by Bruce and supported by good interactive sessions. Harry Johnson, National Manager, Environment Court, Ministry of Justice.

• 'Readings were fantastic. Really valued the personal focus -"If it's going to be, it starts with me!". Wes Brown, Business Development Manager, Ministry of Justice.

• The course made me think a lot about what are my values and what style of leader I am. It also gave me confidence as many things that I do and have done appear to be to be required for a leader ... The course absolutely delivered on a making the management team stronger. We know and appreciate each other more and I learnt that I respect and enjoy the company of my colleagues a lot. Jude Hughes, Statistics New Zealand.

• I feel that the course allowed me to take a step back and think in depth about some of the issues behind my leadership style. I have picked up certain gems, which will allow me to be better and more effective as a leader. With regard to making the management team stronger, I think this was one of the highlights of the program getting to know and interact with my peers on a deeper level. I think the management group as a whole learnt a lot from and about each other. Brendan Mai, Statistics New Zealand.

• Thanks for all your hard work and energy, I think it has made a big difference for the management team and to me on a personal level. Rachael Milicich, Statistics New Zealand.

• Great course. Good mix background material /reading and interactive sessions. Some material challenged norms. Useful suite reference material built up for ongoing use. Andrea Blackurn, Statistics NZ.

• Excellent reading/prework material and usually good reference to this material during sessions. Well facilitated allowing for staff to understand some of their own journey and with each other giving good development opportunities. I certainly encourage participation in this training as an individual and team development process. Taking all factors into account I would rate the project overall as one of the best I've been to; thoroughly enjoyed the entire course. Ross Barber, Manager, Epuni Centre, Department of Child, Youth and Family.

• I think the course was very well designed, had a good mixture content wise and in delivery terms there was an appropriate mix of small group and large group work. The readings were particularly useful and the connectedness from module to module was a success. Facilitation was excellent. I am a bit biased. I don't think I would change much, if anything. Taking all factors into account it was one of the best development courses I've been to. Chris Harvey, Greater Wellington Service Centre, Department of Child, Youth and Family Service, Manager Central.

• Appreciated receiving pre-course work/readings well before the next session. Fantastic readings. Thought Bruce was a great facilitator and was able to engage everyone. Overall enjoyed every module. The course gave Lower Hutt staff an opportunity for everyone to get to know each other better and an opportunity to discuss strategies. Mahinarangi Gilbert. CYF

• The Herrmann profiling spoke volumes to me. The training modulus system, course readings and presentation was very useful and effective for me personally and professionally. The Hutt group is the biggest group in the greater Wellington region and having us together on a regular basis was very productive collegial support-wise'. Taking all factors into account this was one of the best developments I have been to. Lo'i Vole, CYF, Central.

• Interesting, insightful and useful information, very well presented-enjoyed every last bit. It affirmed existing knowledge and was a good reminder. Site supervisors are now more open and tolerant of each other and beginning to work as a unit (still work in progress). Good interactive delivery. One of the best I've been to. Cathy Christian, CYF, Central.

• Reading is were very good, informative and thought-provoking. Delivery of course material was well received, good delivery. Informative thought-provoking, self challenging sessions . Overall much enjoyed. Talafulu Laga, CYF, Central.

• The pre-readings are great, I will continue to use them in the future. It has been very useful being able to recognize the profile of team members and this has generated discussion that has been very useful. Anna Anty, CYF Central.

• Really enjoyed the readings; useful learnings, related well to the overall course and workplace. We now have a tighter management group, well-connected. Should be a flow on affect with teams at the office. Overall one of the best I've been to. Michael Murphy.

• Excellent facilitator. Readings very useful and helpful to learning. Course provided self-growth and development and reflection as to where I fit in the position. I liked the digging deep for the pearls and a personal challenge. Overall one of the best I've been to. Elizabeth Brown, CYF, Central.

• I enjoyed the development/prework/readings; they were interesting and informative without being too time consuming. Bruce was a pleasure to work with, relaxed, supportive and at times challenging. Andrew Little, CYF, Central.

• I have truly enjoyed the opportunity this course has presented including meeting with peers within the region, having some of my beliefs, thoughts and practices affirmed and having fun . Thank you Bruce. Tui Denny, CYF, Central.

• You are an awesome training facilitator and person. Facilitation was stimulating, lively and challenging - it made it easy to reflect and share. I think our supervisors were very lucky to have this training and not some leadership training that only touched the surface-it was the digging deep that made it really special. If you really want to make a true difference in the way you think, live and work then you better get Virtual! 5 out of 5. I never circle a 5 and I really mean it. Rosaleen Bham, CYF, Central.

• Most useful training we have had for a long time'. Great reading which I will refer to again. Francis Farmer, CYF, Regional Manager, Western.

• The program is very thought provoking and an excellent opportunity to look at ourselves and discover who our work colleagues are. The program opens up the mind to possibilities for personal growth and strengthening relationships with others. The program is unique, backed up with excellent reading resources. Jan Johns CYF, Western.

• Good concept indeed and a style of presentation that works to bring people together. Ray Wiley, CYF, Western.

• I found the programme very interesting and energising, covering a wide range of material. Bruce is a great facilitator, sharing some of his own experiences, but ensuring the bulk of the work happens in the group. Highly recommended as participants are guided to discover their own abilities and potential in order to become the best they can be. Patricia Chivers, CYF, Western.

• The course has been great and applicable in all areas of our lives. Bruce has an unassuming and humble nature, facilitating growth with care. Go for it. Be open to growth and watch your journey open up before you. Diane Attwell, CYF, Western.

• Programme was very though provoking, because it made me look at my inner self at times. Hard at times to do the pre-work, but necessary o get the full benefit from the workshops. I found the whole programme very worthwhile. Facilitation - excellent! Denise Loveridge, CYF, Western.

• Good flow of topics and always relatable across work and home lives. I really like Bruce's style - creates a "safe" group. Julie Dixon, CYF, Western.

• Awesome course ... Needs to be promoted. Different line of thinking. Challenging. Toka Walden. CYF, Western.

• Absolutely riveting - enjoyed every module. Course really affirming. very good delivery of programme. I have really enjoyed this programme and you are a skilled and talented presenter. Julie Marinovich. CYF, Western