The Story
The Holism Group is an evolution of the life’s work of its Principal, Brad Rendle.
Where It All Began
You might say the story started when I was in my early teens. One day, a fixture and entrepreneur of the Maine-coast beach community where my family spent summers was discussing his recently approved plans for the beach's fast food and ice cream stand at the edge of the tidal marsh.
One requirement was that he install a holding tank for waste and sewage that he would need to empty on a regular basis, adding costs and cutting into his profits.
His boast that day was that all he needed to do was take his shotgun to the holding tank one night, and no one would know the difference. Much to my family's annoyance, I refused to ever step foot near or patronize the store when built.
In retrospect, I now realize that at that moment, I became a proponent of the triple, if not quadruple, bottom line for business, whereby the environment's and planet's bottom line was of more importance than the few extra dollars of business profit.
The "Systems Thing"
It was in grad school that I finally understood how my brain was wired. The “systems thing” (as I first termed it), or what’s more respectfully known as “systems thinking.” It is the natural way of thinking and seeing the world for me. A holistic perspective.
Throughout my career, I have navigated with clients what I have come to call the linear/organic dilemma. This often manifests when data-driven decision-making meets intuition-driven decision-making.
In my experience, I see that reductionist (linear) mindsets dominate most Western world systems and organizations today.
The Holism Group does not see it as an “either-or” approach. It requires both mindsets (linear and organic) for sustained results. Rather than having linear thinking in the driver’s seat, we keep it along for the ride in the passenger seat.
Clients’ and Sectors Served
In the years since, I have provided systems-thinking, informed strategic advice and resources to businesses, technology firms, natural resource enterprises, investors, and non-profit organizations on both sides of "the pond" and beyond.
My experience, personal story of transformation, discovery, and entrepreneurial roots underpin The Holism Group’s value as a trusted confidant to leaders and entrepreneurs as they adapt to new and uncertain business and political environments, write a new enterprise story, and discover new frontiers of opportunity.
Clients have primarily been CEOs, senior leadership, entrepreneurs and boards.
Services have included creating new business models, global enterprise strategies, and serving as turnaround CEO.
Sectors served include software, water, forestry, technology transfer, renewable energy, digital media, engineering, real estate, factory built housing and economic development organizations.
Business Sense™
Navigating complexity with purpose.
In uncertain times, making sense of your business challenges is more critical than ever.
It requires a purposeful balance: understanding the functional and rational aspects of the business context; tapping into the emotional drivers that influence our intuition; and creating clear, compelling plans for action. That’s Business Sense™.
We partner with leaders and their teams as they face disruption, drive growth, and embrace uncertainty—helping navigate challenges with strategic foresight and a deeper kind of Business Sense™.