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Entries by Mike Figliuolo

Drive Results Without Being The Taskmaster – The 7th Leadership Principle

November 24, 2008 /7 Comments/in Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Leadership without action is nothing more than cheerleading. It’s a rah rah speech. Stuff has to happen. Results count. The seventh Leadership Principle is “ensure the task is understood, supervised, and accomplished.” I know some of you are conjuring up visions of taskmaster bosses when you hear those words (hopefully none of those bosses have been as bad as The Taskmaster comic book villain pictured here – although it would be very cool to work for him because that would mean you’re a cartoon which carries all sorts of possibilities along with it…). I’m not advocating that. This principle is all about mission definition, articulation, and accomplishment. There’s a lot loaded into that very short statement of principle so let’s break it down. Ensure the task is understood Seems simple, right? Make sure people know what you’re asking them to do. And exactly how many times have you or your boss skipped that critical step this week alone? We assume. You know what happens then (bad things). I screwed this up this very morning:

Hey 007, The Memo Isn’t “For Your Eyes Only” – The 6th Leadership Principle

November 17, 2008 /3 Comments/in Communications, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Knowledge is power but the problem is too many people abuse that power. Spidey said “with great power comes great responsibility.” I’m pretty sure wherever he is, Spidey is reading this series on the Leadership Principles just like you are. You can be a super-hero just like him. As a leader in your organization, you are privy to a ton of information which in turn gives you a great deal of power. Unfortunately, many so-called leaders fail to share information and either knowingly or unknowingly abuse the trusted position they occupy. Does your boss ever act like James Bond? They go into a meeting with mucka mucks above them (search the blog for the technical definition of mucka mucks). They come out of the meeting and everyone is wondering what’s going on. You wait all day to get an update and come 5PM, they disappear into the night (it’s getting dark pretty early these days – curse you daylight savings time!). Their Bond persona kicks in and they act as if the information they’ve been given is for their eyes only and divulging it would put the security of the UK at risk. (Note: I asked my twitter followers to pick the best bond – the vote was split between Craig and Connery hence the pic. Follow me on twitter – it’s fun!). How do you feel not knowing what’s going on? It’s unnerving. Annoying. Such behavior plants the seeds of poisonous gossip. If people don’t know what’s going on, they’ll make something up, won’t they? So let’s put the flip-flops of subversion on your feet, get into your team members’ heads and see how you can prevent your people from experiencing the same frustration. The basic premise to follow here is that they know what you know. Sure, some […]

Competing Through Service Differentiation

November 12, 2008 /0 Comments/in Customer Service, Strategy /by Mike Figliuolo

I recently had the extreme pleasure of being a speaker at the W.P. Carey School’s Compete Through Services Symposium. Some fantastic lessons came out of the sessions that were delivered by some phenomenal speakers. I count myself fortunate to have been part of such incredible company. The W.P. Carey School at Arizona State University has distinctive offerings in the arena of business services and they’ve truly become thoughtLEADERS on the topic (according to my definition of someone who agitates for change in order to drive business impact). The symposium, led by Dr. Stephen Brown, Dr. Mary Jo Bittner, and Alicia Holder drew phenomenal speakers from around the world. Those individuals covered some great topics and leave us with some pointed lessons on differentiating in the new service-based economy. The leaders of the symposium describe the program as follows: “In business, there is one decisive moment when the choice to separate and set one’s self apart becomes evident. The “Compete Through Service” Symposium is the premier executive education event that helps you seize that opportunity by showing you how to: – Design and deliver “out of the box” customer service – Create and promote new, innovative services – Construct value-added, revenue-producing services – Establish a service culture that differentiates – Instill an unrelenting focus on the customer” They’re lofty goals but the event absolutely delivered on them. I’d like to share a few thoughts from some of the other speakers at the event (there’s no way I could ever cover all the great stuff that was presented there):

Do You Know Your People? The Fifth Leadership Principle

November 10, 2008 /2 Comments/in Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

It’s time to get into the heavy lifting of the Leadership Principles. The fifth principle – know your people and look out for their well-being seems like the easiest one of all. Therein lies the trap. How well do you know them as individuals? What makes them tick? Freak out? Happy? Fearful? What do they do really well? What are they terrible at? Getting the picture yet? You know I love examples so let’s explore this principle with some stories. First, I encourage you to read this previous post about 7Up. It’s good grounding on treating your folks as individuals which is the first step in getting to know them and looking out for their well-being. So here’s a story. I screwed up (I know! Some of you are shocked. Some of you are applauding that I’ve finally come to my senses and admitted a mistake.). I had a great guy on my team. He did phenomenal work. He tackled large projects, put order to them, and made stuff happen. I made some assumptions about work he was comfortable performing based on my prior experiences with folks of similar backgrounds. I asked him to perform said work and present it to our muckamucks (definition – muckamuck, noun: an individual in an organization whose title has a letter in front of “VP” or begins with the letter “C”). He did the work. I didn’t check it because I thought it was pretty basic for him and I trusted he had nailed it. He hadn’t.

Monkey See… The Fourth Leadership Principle: Set the Example

November 3, 2008 /6 Comments/in Career, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Do you have kids? Want some? (Kidding – mine are great and you can’t have them and no, I’m not implying your kids or mine look like this post’s picture…). I ask this first question to kick off our discussion of the fourth Leadership Principle: Set the Example. Anyone who has kids or has spent any time around them knows this principle can be an exceedingly powerful and/or embarrassing one. Kids are incredible mimics and they are very adept at self-preservation. Let’s explore. As far as being mimics, if you do it, they do it (monkey see, monkey do, right?). If you take out the trash, fold laundry, clean up after yourself, etc. you’ll find them doing the same (or at least not complaining when you ask them to perform those thrilling tasks). They’ll also imitate the bad behaviors. Pick your nose. Kick the dog. Drink too much. Drive like a maniac. How do you think they’ll behave in their teenage years? Yeahhhh… Fortunately for them no matter how badly you behave, you’re not allowed to get mad at them or discipline them when they behave that way. Why? Because “well you do it” is an incredibly powerful defense. How do you as a parent have a whit of moral authority in such a situation? Short answer – you don’t. No, you haven’t been transported to a child rearing blog. This dynamic applies in business more than you might appreciate.

Leadership Means Seeking Responsibility, Not Chucking People Under The Bus

October 27, 2008 /5 Comments/in Career, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Back on the topic of the Leadership Principles, we’re going to explore one that even Tommy from Rugrats understands: responsibility (or “‘sponsbltee” as he pronounces it). The principle states “seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions.” While it seems relatively straightforward, this principle requires some parsing and deeper exploration. Many managers (which I do work hard to differentiate from leaders) understand they are accountable but few make the leap to being responsible. Responsibility is all about ownership. Accountability is simply being the first person they call when things get screwed up. Big difference. To really understand this principle, I think some fictional examples might be helpful. First we’ll explore the “take responsibility for your actions” clause because it’s simpler then we’ll move into the advanced class about “seeking responsibility.” Accountability and responsibility are somewhat different animals. To make the point, allow me to offer two responses to the same scenario. The situation is the business unit just cratered and completely missed its earnings target. The leader of said unit is called onto the carpet to explain what’s happened. Here are the responses.

Do You Really Know What You’re Doing? The Second Leadership Principle

October 20, 2008 /1 Comment/in Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Do you know what you’re doing? I mean really know what you’re doing? Continuing with our Leadership Principles series of posts, today let’s explore the second principle: be technically and tactically proficient. I realize when you see the word “tactically” you might have the reaction of “gee Mike, I don’t wear camo therefore this doesn’t apply.” Wrong. If you have a job, it applies. This principle is all about knowing how to do your job; how to execute the daily tasks required not only of you but of your team members. How will you coach them or hold them to a standard with a straight face when it’s not something you can do yourself? As far as credibility goes, this is perhaps the most important leadership principle. Your people watch your every move (just like kids do). They imitate your actions and behaviors. They talk about you at the water cooler when you violate this principle. The good news is there are a few very pointed ways you can immediately bring this principle to life.

Communicating Via New Technology: The Twitter or The Egg

October 17, 2008 /1 Comment/in Communications, Guest Blogger, Social Media /by Mike Figliuolo

Clearly I’ve become infatuated with new technologies that enable better communications (especially with broader audiences). But all of us have fallen into that trap of using technology without first understanding the impact and results we want to get from it. Jim Canterucci and I just co-authored a blog post on this very point. Essentially we’re asking you to think about which comes first: the Twitter or the egg (and our perspective is it’s the egg because you have to understand the results you’re seeking before you start Tweeting or using any other technology). I also encourage you to check out the rest of Jim’s blog and his offerings. He’s an extremely smart guy I’ve been fortunate enough to find on Twitter. I also encourage you to follow Jim and I on Twitter (@Canterucci and @Figliuolo). Doing so will help you learn how we’re leveraging this new technology to expand our networks and our businesses. I hope you enjoy the first of what will be several collaborative efforts between Jim and I. – Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

You… Meet You. Knowing Yourself – The First Leadership Principle

October 15, 2008 /7 Comments/in Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

In my last post, I opened the conversation about the “original” leadership principles. Number one on the list is know yourself and seek self improvement. Just by virtue of the fact that you’re actively reading this blog, you have clearly taken the first step in that direction (at least I hope you’re here for self improvement and not just irreverent and witty banter). But what’s this principle really about? Knowing yourself. It’s about taking a hard look in the mirror and assessing yourself warts and all. We all have our deficiencies. The difference between the Average Joe/Josephine and a solid leader is the solid leader is honest (sometimes painfully so) in their assessment of self. They first can admit they have weaknesses and they actively move toward fixing them or mitigating their deleterious effects (Yay! It’s been a while since I’ve been able to use “deleterious” in a sentence. Now THAT’S a fun word!). The real challenge here is summoning up the courage to know yourself. There are a few ways you can get started pretty quickly though.

Leadership Lessons from West Point

October 13, 2008 /3 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

It’s no secret. I’m getting old(er). Every month there’s another gray hair in the goatee. Every year there are a couple of extra pounds. Nothing makes that fact hit home more than a class reunion. I spent the last few days back at alma mater dear, The United States Military Academy at West Point. As cadets, we had a few well-founded perspectives on West Point. It’s the most beautiful place you’ll ever hate. It’s a good place to be… from. The best view of West Point is in your rear-view mirror. Fifteen years after throwing my hat in the air and receiving my diploma, I’ve had the benefit of time to reflect on my experiences at my rockbound highland home. As I’ve grown wiser (and older and fatter and grayer) I’ve come to appreciate the timeless nature of some of the things they teach there. One of my favorites is the “official version” of the leadership principles (as opposed to my unofficial version). These eleven principles span military, business, and organizational leadership. They’re straight-forward and require little explanation. They are: 1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement 2. Be technically and tactically proficient 3. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions 4. Set the example 5. Know your people and look out for their well-being 6. Keep your people informed 7. Ensure the task is understood, supervised, and accomplished 8. Develop a sense of responsibility in your subordinates 9. Train your people as a team 10. Make sound and timely decisions 11. Employ your unit in accordance with its capabilities Simple, right? One of my favorite books, Ed Ruggero’s The Leader’s Compass eloquently explains these concepts in the appendix (and the main part of the book is more than pretty darn good too – grab a copy). These concepts translate […]

Detail Oriented Versus Control Freak – Where’s the Line?

October 6, 2008 /8 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Twice in the last week I’ve heard about “idiot bosses” (all right, maybe more than twice, and if you don’t believe me check out the polls at the bottom of the page). Being the inquisitive guy I am, I probed for the root cause of such comments. Rather than simply asking what the cause is, I decided to probe the symptoms first. “Tell me more about this idiot boss.” “I’m so fed up with him. He’s always on top of everything I do. He nags at me. Sometimes he even goes behind my back on things that I’m responsible for. It seems like everything I do is constantly under a microscope.” “Like how?” (I know – I sounded like a Valley Girl on that one). “The other night I was getting ready to leave and he actually called my cell as I walked out of the building because he wanted to discuss something that happened earlier that morning. He sometimes goes to members of my team, asks them what they’re doing, and then reprioritizes their work or even gives them new projects I’m not aware of. On top of that, he doesn’t even tell me he’s done this and I find out after the fact that my team’s priorities have changed.” “Wow. That’s pretty bad. Lemme tell you what I think you can do here.” “Okay. Shoot.”

Headhunters, Fingerprints, and Twitter: Defining Your Career Experience

September 29, 2008 /2 Comments/in Career, Leadership, Social Media /by Mike Figliuolo

Susan Strayer, a friend of mine, posed a question on twitter the other day (by the way, come follow me there – it’s a very cool platform): “Can you sum up your expertise in 140 characters or less?” Great question. A few people took her up on the challenge. Me being an overachiever, I did it in three words. Before I dive in, let me set some context. For some odd reason, headhunters like to talk to me. Maybe it’s because I actually pick up the phone and listen to them. Or maybe because I’ll have them send me a job spec and I’ll forward it along to colleagues who might fit the role (which makes the headhunter’s job infinitely simpler and, incidentally, it gives me first crack at seeing the opportunities before I pass them along). Occasionally though, I’ll talk to them about a role for me. Invariably they ask me to summarize my experience. That’s the moment where Susan’s “twitter pitch” approach comes in really handy. Mine goes something like this: “I like roles where I can demonstrate two things: leadership and impact.” When they ask me to explain and elaborate, I articulate how I view leadership as both people leadership and thought leadership. I can then use that structure to explain roles I’ve been in and how I’ve led in those respective areas. It gives the headhunter an easy framework to understand my experience in that arena.