Best of thoughtLEADERS 2015: Even Better than Last Year

It’s time again for our annual year in review list of the BEST posts we’ve published over the last 12 months. Welcome to the 2015 edition of The Figgies (our SEVENTH YEAR of em!  Wow!) which are the awards we give ourselves for writing awesome blog content (here are the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 editions of those awards).

This is an annual event at the thoughtLEADERS Blog. This list is comprised of our most viewed, most forwarded, quirkiest, most provocative work. Enjoy. Share. We’ve loved writing them. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading them. I don’t ask a lot of you folks so I have two small requests as your holiday gift to me (you are getting me something, right?):

1. Invite all your coworkers, friends, and family to come check out the blog and become readers. The only way we all get better is by raising everyone’s game. I’m not asking a lot here. If you found this blog helpful at all this year, here’s your chance to return the favor for all our hard work. Just email folks and tell ’em to come take a look.

2. Pick up a copy of my books. They make great holiday gifts for the professionals in your life. The titles include:

One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful Personal Leadership. In the words of Roland Smith (former CEO of Wendy’s/Arby’s) “This book could change your life.” To get a sense for what the book is about, read this free ChangeThis Leadership Manifesto which is based on the book. If you like the manifesto, you’ll love the book.

Lead Inside the Box: How Smart Leaders Guide Their Teams to Exceptional Results. “Finally, a leadership book that cuts through all of the noise. This book needs to be on every leader’s desk!” – Andrea Procaccino, Chief Learning Officer, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

The Elegant Pitch: Create a Compelling Recommendation, Build Broad Support, and Get it Approved. If you’re looking to get to “yes” for your idea, this book will give you the method for doing so in an efficient and effective way.

Thanks for your incredible support in ’15 and best wishes for ’16! We hope to be a part of your future success!  Now on to the best of list!

Best Way to Deal with a Slacker: Leadership Tips for Turning Around a Slacker’s Performance.  We’ve all had slackers on our teams at one point or another. Improving their performance is one of the biggest challenges you’ll face. Here are some techniques for overcoming their slackitude.

Best Advice for Not Sucking at Idea Pitches: The Secret Keys to a Great Pitch.  People pitch ideas all the time. Most of those pitches never get heard. Why? Because they don’t consider the audience. If you prefer to not suck at idea pitches, this advice will be right down the middle of the plate for you.

Best Guest Post: Are You Stuck In The Manager’s Dilemma? It is increasingly easy to slip into unproductive habits that make it hard to get great work done. However, one quality that distinguishes the good leaders from the truly great ones is the capacity to recognize and shift those patterns in real-time.

Best Interview about How to do Less Work: Simple Leadership Techniques That Save You Time. Leaders are tired of simply being told to “do better” and instead they hunger for practical and simple guidance on how to do that. Learn some simple techniques for being a better leader and saving time.

Best Self-Awareness Insights: The Real Problem With Your Team Might Be You. Are you tired of your team members not performing well and driving you crazy?  There’s a fix for that. It begins with realizing it’s probably all your fault… Learn why you might be the biggest challenge your team faces.

Best “Think Big Strategical Thoughts” Post: 4 Ways Your Competencies Drive Your Strategy.  Core competencies can help you decide which initiatives to pursue and which ones to avoid. By appreciating what you’re great at and applying it to your initiative portfolio, you can achieve incredible success.

Best Avoiding Getting Screwed Post: How to Keep from Being Thrown Under the Bus. Office politics suck but they’re a fact of life. The risk you face is someone “throwing you under the bus” to protect themselves politically. There are steps you can take to reduce the risk of this happening to you.

Most “Tips Given in a Single Post” Post: 9 Reasons You Should Write All the Time.  Writing is a powerful habit that can improve your performance in several ways. It also makes you smarter, more relaxed, and more disciplined. Here are 9 reasons you should build a writing habit of your own.

Most Patriotic Post: 4 Things Leaders Need to Understand About Veterans. Veterans come in all shapes and sizes, from varied backgrounds, and with unique personalities. The one thing they all have in common is sacrifice. Your organization could likely benefit from having a veteran or two around.

Best Advice from My Kids Post: 5 Personal Leadership Lessons I Learned from My Daughter. Daughters are awesome. They’ll also make daddies insane. I’m blessed with two of them. I’ve learned a great deal about leadership from them and have grown personally a great deal from having them in my life. Here are a few things I’ve learned from my eldest.

So there’s the best stuff we published this year. I hope you enjoy them. Thanks for all your support this year. I’m really looking forward to sharing more ideas with you in 2016!

Again – please invite your friends to come check us out (just share, tweet, or email this post for starters) and also grab your copy of our books. I’m sure you’ll enjoy them!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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