Mike Figliuolo – Page 11 – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

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Entries by Mike Figliuolo

How willing is your organization to go above and beyond to take care of its associates?

June 21, 2018 /1 Comment/in Entrepreneur, Leadership, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How willing is your organization to go above and beyond to take care of its associates? Extremely. We’ve done amazing things to take care of people: 10.1% Very. We’ll go well above expectations for our people: 26.9% Kind of. We’ll do special things in extraordinary circumstances: 34.9% Not very. It’s rare that we’d go out of our way for our people: 19.2% Not at all. I’m surprised people are still willing to work here: 8.9% Putting people first. It’s a tired old trope that “our people are our most valuable asset.” What makes that ring hollow is the fact that we don’t do all we can to help our associates. While a solid portion of poll respondents state that their organizations do a lot for their people, a scary number of you say that you don’t go out of your way to take care of your team. While you don’t have to take on extraordinary gestures to make your team members feel important and valued, some gestures do help. Consider that your employees know there are other organizations out there that will take care of them. Factor that into your decision on whether or not to go out of your way to help that person. If not, they might not stick around. Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below! – Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

Optimizing Supervisor Training for Business Success

June 20, 2018 /0 Comments/in Guest Blogger, Leadership, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

The ongoing, effective coaching, training and managing of supervisors should be a part of every organization’s performance management program Today’s post is by Marta Moakley, JD, MA, Legal Editor at XpertHR. Conscientious employers emphasize comprehensive supervisor training in order to minimize the organization’s overall liability risks. However, the depth and breadth of supervisor training options must be carefully considered for strategic, compliance, performance, and financial impacts. For example, merely mimicking a peer’s practices could result in a laundry list of training “needs” that result in paltry returns on the organization’s investment. In addition, overbooking training sessions in a way that does not allow the material to truly sink in for supervisors could result in a trainee’s surface-level understanding of concepts. This may be perfectly acceptable for a limited number of subject areas (for example, a supervisor need not know the intricacies of wage and hour law so long as he or she can respect a rest break). However, for some crucial concepts (e.g., the understanding of a supervisor’s role within the organization), a supervisor’s firm grasp of what is truly at stake is essential for an employer to be able to ensure compliance with legal and ethical responsibilities. Surface-level comprehension of a supervisor’s role may result in a “jack of all trades, master of none” scenario, where a supervisor may: Know something about coaching, but not excel at it; Be aware of a corporate policy on workplace romances, but ignore it; or Fail to pass on to HR important information regarding a safety violation, until it is too late. For an organization to succeed, it should adequately invest in its supervisors in order to support and advance employees. Developing customized training curricula, which furthers business mission statements and goals, for both new and seasoned managers will assist in those individuals […]

The Networking Opportunity You’re Missing

June 18, 2018 /2 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Communications, Entrepreneur, Leadership, Sales /by Mike Figliuolo

In a connected world, opportunities are more about who you know than what you know. Whether it’s a job, making a sale, or finding your next great new hire, you’d be a fool to miss some great opportunities to build your network. With the growth of platforms like LinkedIn, it’s easier than ever to connect with folks. Unfortunately, we’re lazy and pretty much suck at it. It’s become too easy to click a “connect” button and try to build your network absent a real connection. Every week I get a bunch of requests to connect. Unfortunately they have zero context. No note. No explanation as to why someone wants to make the connection. That prompts a really fast “ignore” response from me. But what about connecting outside of social media? It’s a lost art. Our noses are in our phones all the time and we miss opportunities to make great connections all around us. With a little effort, though, you can forge some great connections and build a network of people you actually know personally. There’s one place I’ve found that’s better than anywhere else to build my network: the airport. I spend a lot of time in airports. A lot. I recently spent 21 hours on planes to come home from Singapore. And that was just the return trip home. I could treat that as dead time (and many times I do – I watch movies, read books, and sleep). But if I have the energy, I look at it as a chance to build my network. For example, when I was going from Chicago to Tokyo on the first leg of my trip, I stopped in the United Club to ask where their international business class lounge was. The guy in line in front of me was asking […]

Will you lead a revolution when you see change that needs to happen?

June 14, 2018 /0 Comments/in Entrepreneur, Innovation, Leadership, Poll, Strategy /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How likely are you to lead a revolution when you see change that needs to happen? Extremely: I’m the first one to call for big change: 18.4% Very: I often take up new causes: 39.6% Kind of: I’ll lead change but only if I’m really passionate about it: 39.0% Not very: It would take a lot to get me to step forward: 2.8% Not at all: I’ll always let others lead big change: 0.3% Rebels with a cause. It’s encouraging to see 60% of you taking up causes you believe in. The question to ask is if your cause is having the desired effect. Does it pick up momentum and lead to real change, or does it tend to sputter out and be forgotten when you move on to the next cause? To have a real impact, nail down the core components of a revolution: find a big problem, find other people sick of the same problem, define the future state and galvanize the masses. If you’re going to take the risk of starting something, put the conditions in place to see it through. Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below! – Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

What do You do when the Career Punches Come?

June 13, 2018 /0 Comments/in Books, Career, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

The ability to receive feedback, even when it’s critical, and bounce back from adversity are just two of many characteristics that make for a great leader. How many of these traits do you possess? Today’s post is by Tim Cole, author of The Compass Solution (CLICK HERE to get your copy). Here’s an interesting litmus test to apply to the headlines as you sip your coffee this morning or watch the evening news tonight. If you look for it you’ll see a common strain. Someone somewhere will be under attack, criticized for a failed policy, facing an indiscretion that has come back to haunt them, or for making a misstatement that is now being roundly assailed in the media. Someone once said that the essence of story is and always has been conflict. If that’s the case then the daily news is the petri dish for great stories because it is rife with conflict. I grew up in the corporate world and made my career there. I learned a thing or two about conflict and how to survive it. I learned even more about people and what distinguished a limited few from the masses when it came to how they dealt with adversity or more specifically, criticism. Here is the insight I eventually gained (and unfortunately this was not an overnight process.) Everyone is at their best when they dictate the game. Far fewer are effective when the game is being dictated to them. Said another way, if you really want to know the character of an individual, watch them when the bright lights of scrutiny, criticism, or adversity are being directed toward them. Many lose their way then. I liken it to the same phenomenon I see in combat sports like boxing and mixed martial arts. The offensive dynamo […]

5 Levers for Building Your Desired Culture

June 11, 2018 /0 Comments/in Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Building the culture you want is a matter of modeling the right behaviors, investing in your people, training your team, and communicating the culture effectively. Today’s post is by Soyini Coke, Managing Principal at Annona Enterprises. In over 130 interviews with high-performing CEOs, across a wide variety of industries, culture was almost universally cited as the single most important factor contributing to company success. Why is culture so important? Because culture drives how employees feel about working at your company. And this drives productivity, discretionary effort, and customer experience. A recent Aon Hewitt study shows that engagement does drive financial performance. According to their study, “a five-point increase in employee engagement is linked to a three-point increase in revenue growth in the subsequent year.” Here are five approaches to bringing your desired culture to life in your business. It’s a lot more than putting platitudes on the wall in your breakroom. It takes strength, honesty, and an intentional strategy. Model the Behavior It’s simple and effective (and cheap!). Culture is very much a conversation. It’s very much monkey see, monkey do. For example, Emory Johns Creek Hospital is a committed to removing the “us vs. them” from their culture. Their CEO, Marilyn Margolis – a former nurse – explained her approach to establishing this as a cultural norm. “One of the ideas is a program we instituted a while ago called Walk a Mile in My Shoes,” she said. “What we do is: everybody in leadership takes time every month to go upstairs, what we call upstairs, and work with a department.” For Margolis, it’s a chance to demonstrate want she wants from others through using herself as an example. “We go to the pharmacy, we go to accounting. We just find out what everybody does,” according to the CEO, […]

Would you rather be a big fish in a little pond or a little fish in a big pond?

June 7, 2018 /2 Comments/in Career, Leadership, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: Would you rather lead as a big fish in a little pond or a little fish in a big pond? I like leading as the big fish in a little pond: 48.7% I like leading as a little fish in a big pond: 51.3% Different ways to swim. It seems folks are very evenly split on preferring to be a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big one. Each has their benefits and drawbacks. For you big fish, the leadership challenge is making the pond bigger for the benefit of everyone. If you have a position of importance or power, think about how you can expand growth opportunities for everyone around you. For you little fish, consider focusing on your own development and growth. Explore more of that big pond and build your skills and perspectives as you do so. In both situations, it’s not really about your environment or your position in it — it’s about what you do with the opportunities presented to you. Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below! – Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

How effective are you at establishing trust with a new team?

May 31, 2018 /0 Comments/in Career, Communications, Leadership, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: When you take on a new role, how effective are you at quickly establishing trust with the team? Very: I can build trust quickly: 58.8% Somewhat: it takes me a little while to build trust: 37.6% Not very: I struggle to build trust with the team: 2.8% Not at all: I don’t know that they ever trust me: 0.8% Building trust takes time and effort. Getting your team members to trust you needs to be a deliberate endeavor. If you leave it to chance, it’ll take a while to build that trust. The trust you build serves as both a foundation for the efficiency of your team and a way to improve loyalty and morale. There are plenty of great techniques for building trust. Find other leaders who do it well, and ask them how they’re doing it. I can almost guarantee it’s something they focus on and take action toward on a regular basis. The faster you build trust, the more you can empower your people and expect them to deliver great results. Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below! – Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

The Three R’s of Conflict Resolution

May 30, 2018 /0 Comments/in Communications, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Conflict is an ever-present part of life. The more comfortable you are with dealing with it, the more effectively you can resolve it. Conflict resolution requires you to know the three R’s – recognize conflict, respond to conflict, and resolve the conflict. Today’s post is by Jon Wortmann, thoughtLEADERS principal and author of Hijacked by Your Brain. He’s our primary instructor for our Conflict Resolution course. The meeting had been going so well until Josh brought up the org chart—again. The firm had made some changes recently and he didn’t like the new structure. The room went still. Kate, the most senior leader in the room, spoke up. “Josh, let’s finish our planning and we can talk about structure later.” “I am talking about planning,” Josh said. “How can we plan the roll-out if we don’t know how our new structure will execute it?” Josh was a pro at reframing any issue to bring up his agenda. If he weren’t such a talented designer, he would not have lasted this long. What should Kate say next? Conflict is like the weather. No matter how many good days you have in a row, eventually it will rain. And as rain is essential to the earth, conflict is actually crucial for every team and organization. The conflict Josh is creating may feel pointless, even manipulative. Well handled, it can be the kind of moment every leader and manager welcomes. It is better to see frustration and resolve it than have it buried. Teammates that hide their true impressions don’t engage real problem solving. Open conflict resolved consistently builds trust. What Kate says next will either be a reaction based on the stress conflict causes, or it can be an intentional, practiced approach. The fear of conflict doesn’t come from our apprehension about […]

Courage in Crisis

May 28, 2018 /0 Comments/in Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

When your organization faces a crisis, your initial reaction and subsequent follow-through set a tone that determines your success in navigating the challenge. That tone will also dictate your legacy after the crisis passes. Today’s post is by Constance Dierickx, author of High-Stakes Leadership (CLICK HERE to get your copy). One of the biggest cyber breaches in history, in which highly sensitive information for a staggering 143 million consumers was exposed, still has Equifax reeling. The response of the company, its executives and board has been lackluster to say the least. An investigation regarding the timing of insider sales of shares found no wrongdoing. The announcement of this finding was met with a solid thud, not because the results are suspect but because the company still fails to distinguish between being right and doing the right thing. When this breach was revealed, the shares of Equifax immediately plummeted by 30 percent. A loss of value of this magnitude indicates significant lack of trust and confidence in the company. In a crisis, what a company, or an individual, does immediately sets them on a path. Equifax’s response was very poor and hasn’t improved since it was made public. In stark contrast, just after Frank Blake, former CEO of The Home Depot, announced that he would be retiring and the board named Craig Menear to succeed him, the company experienced a major breach of its IT system. Blake could have said to Menear, “Well, what a shame for you to have this happen so soon. Good luck.” He didn’t do that. Instead, his behavior provides a model: Admit the problem. Do it quickly and without excuse. Apologize to those impacted. Support those who will be in the cross-hairs while you look for cause. Organize a response and stay close to it. Show […]

How well are your incentives aligned with your strategy?

May 24, 2018 /0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Leadership, Poll, Strategy /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How well are your people’s incentives aligned with your organization’s strategy? Very well: there’s a clear link between strategy and incentives: 14.0% Well: incentives are generally linked to strategy: 30.5% Not well: it’s unclear how strategy is tied to incentives: 37.8% Not at all: our incentives have nothing to do with our strategy: 17.7% Incentives drive behavior. Behavior drives strategy. An alarming percentage of you report there’s no link between your strategy and your incentives. That’s a problem. People do what they get paid to do. If you want your strategy executed, you need to align incentives with achieving those strategic goals. The stronger the link between strategy and incentives, the more likely you are to drive behaviors consistent with your strategic direction. When you notice misalignment between incentives and strategy, drive clarity quickly. Involve your compensation and HR teams in the conversation when you set strategy. If you don’t, don’t be surprised when people are working on things that have nothing to do with your strategy. Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below! – Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

3 Ways to Inspire Others to Follow You

May 23, 2018 /0 Comments/in Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Leadership includes encouraging different perspectives, getting everyone marching to the same beat, and measuring success by asking big picture questions. Today’s post is by Karyn Schoenbart, CEO of the NPD Group and author of MOM.B.A. (CLICK HERE to get your copy). As a leader, my responsibility is to inspire people to believe in our company’s vision and want to be a part of it. I like to position this in terms of what the vision means for our organization, clients, and employees, because it’s important that people understand how the vision affects them and what they can do to contribute. Frequent and motivating communication is key, but just communicating it isn’t enough. I need to walk the walk. For example, when we decided to become a more customer-centric organization—offering solutions instead of just data—I wanted to personally demonstrate what this meant. Our strategy involved getting in front of executive-level clients and uncovering their business issues rather than just their research problems. I led by example, visiting over 50 clients worldwide in a three-month period. My team and I took pictures with the clients and documented examples of the new things we were talking about. I encouraged others to do the same, and we shared the case studies and photos on the company Intranet. Before we knew it, everyone was talking more about clients’ business issues and actually getting out of the office to hear from customers. 1. Encourage Different Perspectives I was once asked: “What role does sharing the rationale for your vision play in getting people on board, and how do you overcome different perspectives based on different experiences and biases?” The first part is easy, but the second part of the question had me perplexed. Why would I want to overcome different perspectives? I explained embracing different perspectives […]