In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, returning guest Doug Holladay joins the show to explore why forgiveness is not just a personal virtue, but a critical leadership skill. Drawing from Doug’s book Rethinking Success and decades of leadership experience, the conversation reframes forgiveness as a way to reclaim mental bandwidth, build trust-driven cultures, and prevent resentment from quietly eroding performance. The discussion moves beyond theory into real stories, practical distinctions, and leadership behaviors that directly impact how teams operate and scale.
Doug Holladay is an author, educator, and leadership advisor known for helping leaders examine the internal patterns that shape culture, decision-making, and long-term success. He is the author of Rethinking Success and a frequent contributor to conversations on leadership, humility, and organizational health.
Resources mentioned:
Key takeaways from this episode:
- 01:33 Why holding onto resentment quietly drains a leader’s focus, energy, and decision-making capacity
- 10:45 What most leaders get wrong about culture, and why how you handle conflict matters more than what’s written on the wall
- 12:28 The difference between forgiveness and reconciliation -- and why waiting for an apology keeps leaders stuck
- 23:34 What forgiveness actually looks like in real leadership moments (and why it’s not about fairness or closure)
- 26:44 Why leaders who avoid examining their own role in conflict rarely move forward – even when they’re “right”
- 35:42 Why humility isn’t weakness -- and how strong leaders redirect power instead of using it defensively
- 49:13 How shifting from “What’s wrong with them?” to “What happened to them?” changes the way leaders respond under pressure
Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.
This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.
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