Homepage > About Us
Dr. Lawanda J. Holliman is a leadership and culture strategist who has led people, resources, and complex systems under some of the most demanding conditions in the world.
As a retired United States Army Colonel representing less than one percent of the military workforce, she brings lived experience in responsibility, pressure, and decision-making where clarity and discipline are not optional.
Through Design High Performance, she partners with Fortune 1000 and mission-driven organizations to strengthen leadership effectiveness, talent retention, and culture health. Her work integrates experiential leadership development with evidence-informed cultural analysis, supporting leaders who are accountable not only for results, but for how those results are achieved and sustained.
Lawanda is the author of The High Performance Culture Blueprint, creator of The High-Performance Manager Blueprint, and architect of the 21st Century Supply Chain Management Blueprint for Stay Behind Equipment—overseeing more than $780 million in assets across teams in the Middle East and the United States.
Across government, corporate, and nonprofit environments, she has mentored and developed more than 350 senior leaders, delivered over 1,075 workshops and presentations, and facilitated leadership development experiences for more than 15,250 participants worldwide.
At the core of her work is the Design High Performance 3E Framework: Educate, Expose, Experience, which ensures leaders do more than gain insight. They strengthen judgment, presence, and the ability to lead well under pressure.
Design High Performance works alongside executives, HR and talent leaders, and mission-driven teams to support leadership that remains steady, clear, and effective through complexity and change.
The work is not about adding more initiatives, language, or expectations. It is about strengthening how leaders interpret information, carry responsibility, and make decisions so performance is sustained with integrity rather than driven by urgency or fear.
Targeted guidance to help organizations reduce costly turnover by strengthening leadership practices, manager capability, and employee experience—so commitment grows rather than erodes.
Experiential development that supports leaders in building trust, communicating clearly, and leading with consistency when pressure is present.
Practical, grounded sessions that help managers navigate difficult conversations, align expectations, and support team performance without burnout.
Evidence-informed culture analysis and advisory to shift norms, behaviors, and systems toward high performance as a sustainable standard.
We begin by understanding your organization, leadership context, and current pressures. This step clarifies what high performance needs to look like in your environment.
We design a tailored, data-informed strategy that aligns leadership development, manager capability, and culture priorities with your long-term direction
We work alongside leaders and teams as strategies are applied, using experiential methods that allow people to practice new ways of leading in real time
We assess progress, gather insight, and refine the approach to ensure changes are embedded and capable of adapting as conditions evolve
have anything to ask ? Contact us any time.
