Mike Figliuolo – Page 26 – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

About Mike Figliuolo

This author has not written his bio yet.
But we are proud to say that Mike Figliuolo contributed 1284 entries already.

Entries by Mike Figliuolo

What Leaders Can Learn from Logan

March 8, 2017 /1 Comment/in Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Logan (the Wolverine for the uninitiated) isn’t just a bad-assed comic book character. He’s a leader who can teach us all about sacrifice, perseverance, and how to productively channel anger. Have you seen Logan yet? If not, go. Now. I’ll wait. It’s required watching if you are a reader of my blog. Okay. You’re back. Wasn’t that AWESOME?!? Holy crap. Amazing movie. Note: don’t worry – this post will not contain spoilers. I’m not a jerk like that. Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of everyone’s favorite clawed hero isn’t just a cinematic masterpiece. It’s also a great depiction of leadership skills that can set you apart. Logan’s willingness to sacrifice for others, persevere in the face of staggering odds, and his ability to channel his anger into productive work are traits all leaders can learn from. Here’s a quick synopsis so you don’t get lost: Wolverine (Logan) is a mutant with healing powers. He also has unbreakable adamantium claws that he uses to shred opponents. The year is 2029 and mutants have been all-but exterminated. Because of that, Logan’s on the run from baddies who are trying to capture him and his mutant friends, Charles Xavier (Professor X who is 90 and has psychic powers) and Caliban (an albino mutant who has the power to sense and track down other mutants). A young mutant girl comes along and Logan, Charles, and Caliban try to get her to Canada where she’ll be safe. Cue pursuit by baddies and ensuing slaughter. Sacrifice for Others Even though he has super mutant healing powers, it still hurts when Logan gets shot, punched, kicked, clawed, and smacked with a lead pipe. His healing powers aren’t what they used to be and it takes longer for him to shake off a shotgun blast to the chest. He knows […]

Walking the Talk Can Be a Cliché – How Do You Make It a Reality?

March 6, 2017 /0 Comments/in Books, Communications, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Any transformational change requires the support of senior leadership. They have to demonstrate the culture they’re building by reflecting it in their daily actions. Today’s post is by Kay Kendall, author of Leading the Malcolm Baldrige Way (CLICK HERE to get your copy). The first category in the Baldrige Excellence Framework is “Leadership,” with the emphasis on the senior leaders. We have often remarked that organizational transformation cannot be successful if it’s being led from the middle. All eyes of the organization are on the senior leaders to assess whether their personal actions and behaviors match the words about the change that is being promoted. In our interviews with more than fifty senior leaders of more than thirty Baldrige Award or Baldrige-based award recipients, this fact was reiterated by nearly everyone with whom we spoke. These senior leaders emphasized the need to personally demonstrate the organization’s values in highly visible ways. Scott McIntyre, Managing Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers Public Sector Practice, talked about his participation in teaching part of New Employee Orientation. He told us, “It’s easy to talk about what you will or won’t do because of our values. I give very specific examples where short-term opportunities have been foregone to stick to our values.” In a highly competitive and crowded marketplace, having the senior-most leader telling new employees about turning away revenue to remain true to the organization’s values is very powerful. We also had examples where senior leaders demonstrated their commitment to the organization and its values when faced with very tough times. Paul Worstell, retired CEO of PRO-Tec Coating Company, described the precipitous downturn his organization faced in September 2008 with the near collapse of the automotive industry – a the company’s sole customer base. Utilization of its production capacity plummeted from a record 115 percent to less […]

How authentic are you as a leader?

March 2, 2017 /4 Comments/in Communications, Leadership, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How authentic are you as a leader? – Extremely – Everyone knows pretty much everything about who I am: 28% – Very – My team knows the “true” me with a few exceptions: 54% – Kind of – My team knows me but not as well as they could: 13% – Not very – I tend to wear a “work face” most of the time: 3% – Not at all – I’m a totally different person at work than who I really am: 1% Show them the real you. Authenticity boils down to stripping away pretenses and making yourself vulnerable. Until your people know the real you, they won’t fully trust you. Take a risk. Share something personal. Tell them about a time you failed, things you’re afraid of, and what you feel strongly about. Don’t let them walk around thinking you believe you’re infallible because we all know every one of us has flaws and failings. Strip out the buzzwords and eliminate the “corporate aura” if you want to make powerful connections with your team members. If you’re afraid to try this, start small. Tell them about a failure and see how the conversation goes. It’ll be more impactful and hurt less than you think. 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!

Why Working Backward is the Key to Getting to Yes

March 1, 2017 /0 Comments/in Books, Communications, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

It’s a terrible feeling to put a ton of effort into crafting a recommendation only to have it shot down in front of all your coworkers. If you want your idea approved, you should try doing things backward instead. Think about how you craft a recommendation. Typically it goes something like this: Identify problem. Gather data. Do analysis. Get an idea. Do more analysis. Figure out how to implement idea. Do more analysis. Write a big presentation that includes all the data. Share the idea. Get shot down. Drink. Repeat. It doesn’t work folks. It just doesn’t work. Notice nowhere in there is there an identification of true stakeholder needs. No confirmation of the issue itself. No understanding of what the narrative should be and what stakeholders or decision makers will find exciting. Notice how much analysis is conducted – 80% of which will never see the light of day. Does this sound familiar? I encourage you to try something different. Start with the end in mind. Be hypothesis driven. Before you gather and analyze data, take an initial guess at what an answer could be. Once you have that idea, start involving stakeholders. Yes, involve stakeholders before you gather data? Why? It’s simple.

Problem Solvers Make Great Leaders

February 27, 2017 /0 Comments/in Books, Business Toolkit, Communications, Guest Blogger, Innovation, Leadership, Sales /by Mike Figliuolo

Being a problem solver can help you stand out as a leader. Finding things that aren’t going well and coming up with ways to fix them can be a true differentiator. Today’s post is by Suzanne Paling, author of The Sales Leader’s Problem Solver (CLICK HERE to get your copy). Articles on the subject of leadership run the gamut, from the four essential qualities to the 30+ characteristics. Internet searches on the word leader offer up myriad choices including: integrity, passion, patience, delegation, clarity, creativity and fearlessness – valid and important traits all. To my surprise, one trait seldom gets mentioned – problem solving. Think about it. Acknowledging and effectively dealing with an issue (especially if it’s caused difficulties for a prolonged period of time) showcases leadership abilities. In my new book The Sales Leader’s Problem Solver; I take the reader through the process of solving 15 of the most common sales force conundrums. At the end of every chapter, I talk about how the act of solving a dilemma enhances the person’s leadership credentials. While the problems featured in the book are sales specific, the process for solving a problem has applications for leaders in different departments throughout the company. I offer the following suggestions: Gather Data Take the time to speak with others in your organization about the issue. Once you have a better understanding of the issue, get away from anecdotal information. Seek out unbiased facts and figures. Most of us tend to read and rely on a regular group of reports. Step out of your comfort zone. Ask people in different departments about their favorite reports. CFOs are often great sources of new information. Assemble data that backs up, shows the extent of; or reinforce people’s claims about the problem. Solve It

How effectively do you manage up?

February 23, 2017 /1 Comment/in Communications, Leadership, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How effectively do you “manage up”? – Very – I lead my superiors just as effectively as I lead my teams: 29% – Kind of – There are times I don’t do it as well as I should: 55% – Not very – I find it difficult to lead and manage my leaders: 14% – Not at all – I’m always the one being managed: 2% Managing Up Takes Effort. It’s just as important to manage up as it is to manage your team. Investing the time in keeping your leader informed, setting expectations, and communicating what’s going on goes a long way toward building a productive relationship with your boss and other key stakeholders. The three keys to managing up – setting expectations, asking for help, and knowing their “update frequency” – will help you build trust between you and your boss and get them engaged in your work in more meaningful ways. 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 Importance of Challenging Assumptions When Problem Solving

February 22, 2017 /0 Comments/in Communications, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

While leadership entails guiding people in the direction of success, it also requires the ability to look at problems and seek solutions. How you frame those problems can have much to do with the solution arrived at. Mark Twain once said, “What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know, it’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.” Remaining convinced that our way is the right way when in fact we might not know what we don’t know can be the stumbling block to uncovering solutions. The “right thing” often depends on the situation and who is looking at it. As a leader, you will be required to choose when uncertain and to decide where to focus as well as where not to focus. Here at thoughtLEADERS, I’m fortunate to work with some incredibly bright people. Greg Acton is one of them. Greg recently discussed the topic of problem solving with Steve Caldwell at Manager Mojo. They got together on his podcast to discuss how to better frame problems and generate solutions. Listen to the podcast here:

Building Creative Stamina: Three Keys to Strength Training for Adults

February 20, 2017 /0 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Books, Career, Entrepreneur, Guest Blogger, Innovation, Leadership, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Creativity is a skill that can be built like any other. Understanding your passion and challenging the voices in your head that say “no” are a great way to start. Today’s post is by Jane Dunnewold, author of Creative Strength Training (CLICK HERE to get your copy). Maybe it’s disingenuous to say that each of us has the potential to be a creative genius. Gifts of personality are dispensed in varied measures at birth. Humans are tangled balls of social conditioning, reactions to environment, and serendipity. Life isn’t fair. Luck plays a part. We’ve all heard someone say, “I was in the right place at the right time” or “I never get lucky.” As far as creativity is concerned, most people believe you’ve either got it or you don’t. I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard someone say wistfully, “I’m not creative.” When I hear a statement like that, I think to myself, “No one has ever shown you where to begin.” Because the fact is, creativity, like any skill, can be cultivated. It takes a healthy combination of self-knowledge and stamina. Athletes have an advantage: prescribed methods of building stamina, because physical prowess is revered by our culture. Hire a personal trainer and you’ll start with a series of exercises done repetitively – gradually adding reps as the body gains strength. Exercise is specific, varied, and involves what’s called cross training. One day a session of running to work cardio. Next time? Yoga to maximize flexibility. A steady, balanced program of activity keeps the human machine functioning at its optimal level. So what about the rest of us? How can we engage creatively with what we care about – whether it’s a job or an avocation? And just as important – how can we identify what works against […]

How effective are you at aligning behaviors with goals you set?

February 16, 2017 /4 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How effective are you at aligning your team’s behaviors with goals you set? – Very – Everyone knows the desired behaviors to hit our goals: 50% – Kind of – I point out the most important behavior changes required: 42% – Not very – I don’t often link behaviors to goals: 6% – Not at all – I just set the goal, and they’ll figure it out: 2% Behavior is Key. Goals are great but without specifying which behaviors need to change, your odds of hitting your goals are slim. Be sure to clearly spell out behavior changes required to hit goals. Tell your people what has to change and link it directly to achievement of the goal. If you leave it up to them, they may or may not change the desired behaviors. Why go through all the trouble of setting goals if you’re not going to invest the time in helping your team achieve them? 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!

An Easier and More Effective Way to Give Feedback

February 15, 2017 /1 Comment/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Entrepreneur, Leadership, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Giving feedback can be difficult and emotionally-charged. But by following a simple model focused on facts and behaviors you’ll be giving more effective feedback more easily than you’ve given it before. If we want people to change behaviors and improve their performance, we have to give them feedback. Giving feedback can be really difficult because we think to ourselves “Maybe I might hurt their feelings…” or “I have to have an uncomfortable conversation…”, or “I’m telling somebody who I really like and respect that they’re falling short in some regard…” So, we avoid feedback, but that’s a huge mistake especially as the leader of a high performing team. There’s a simple process you can follow to take the sting and nausea out of giving feedback. I’d like to offer a feedback model that can remove the emotion from those conversations and help people focus on improving performance versus getting defensive. I like to think of giving feedback as a tennis match. You serve the ball to them, they react to it and return it, and then you react to their reaction and so on. The model goes like this: – First, you’ll ask for permission to give somebody feedback and ensure, at that moment, that they’re open to receiving it. Their head may not be in it. They may have come out of a tough meeting, or they’re in a rush to go to their next meeting. Making sure they’re ready to receive feedback is critical. – Next, the feedback recipient should let you know that they are open to receiving feedback. – The next step really matters a lot in terms of removing the emotion from the feedback process.

Great Leaders are Always Learning

February 13, 2017 /2 Comments/in Books, Entrepreneur, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Growth of your organization is tightly tied to your growth as a leader especially if you’re an entrepreneur. Overcoming the challenges to your personal growth will, in turn, help you kick-start your company’s growth. Today’s post is by Michael Dermer, author of The Lonely Entrepreneur (CLICK HERE to get your copy). There’s a powerful book called Leading at the Speed of Growth: Journey from Entrepreneur to CEO by Katherine Catlin and Jana Matthews. It addresses the long-standing belief that entrepreneurs who start a business do not possess the skills to help a business grow. It challenges this notion and argues that entrepreneurs have enormous talent that simply needs to be applied differently at various stages of the business. In other words, the unique talents entrepreneurs possess—drive, passion, creativity, the stomach for risk and uncertainty—can’t remain static or be applied with cookie cutter repetition to distinct and evolving stages of your business. No matter how much talent you bring to the table, to achieve success you can’t remain satisfied with your own status quo. Your skills and perspective must be adaptable and flexible as you grow your business. This had a profound impact on me. It was as though someone said to me, “If you are as good as you think you are, you need to change.” Initially, this really challenged me—though I’m sure it was my ego talking. Then I realized how much a change in my own perspective could help my company. What an opportunity. I also didn’t realize was how empowering it was to be challenged, to acknowledge shortcomings and to grow. Change in the midst of calm seas is one thing. Change in the middle of a hurricane is another. If you can come out the other side, imagine what that would feel like. When someone asks […]

Do you invest in training and conferences for your development?

February 9, 2017 /0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: Do you invest in training and conferences for your professional development? – Yes – I invest a lot of time in these events: 34% – Kind of – I invest time in these events occasionally: 47% – Not really – I don’t go to training or conferences often: 15% – No – I don’t have the time or the interest: 4% A good 80/20. 80% of you are investing time in your development via training and conferences. For the 20% who aren’t, ask yourself if you’re happy with your career and your growth. If the answer is no, I’d suggest you start carving out time to develop yourself. Only so much growth happens via osmosis on the job. For any of you looking to invest your time, find programs where you’ll get a disproportionate amount of content and growth for the time you’ll spend. By being judicious about where you invest your time, you’ll tend to pay attention more during the program and therefore take away more information that you can apply. 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!