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Entries by Mike Figliuolo

Why Respect is the Cornerstone of Effective Leadership

January 18, 2016 /0 Comments/in Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

To get respect, you’ve got to show respect. Without respect, leaders become tyrants. Earning respect is easier than you might think. Today’s post is by Dean Vella who writes on behalf of the University of Notre Dame and Bisk Education. Imagine being a minimum-wage employee and working for a boss who consistently sits in his or her office, barking out commands. Whenever something goes wrong, the volume and vitriol from the boss increases. Imagine having a boss whose sole management plan is to do as little as possible. A boss who makes empty promises of incentive rewards to employees who go the extra mile, promises that never materialize. A boss who refuses to relate to employee issues and needs, such as time off requests. What if that boss approached work differently? What if he or she came in early and stayed late, offering to help with menial chores after closing in order to expedite the process and get people home earlier? Or simply took the time to talk to workers, to joke, to learn about them as people? This situation, which centered on a series of restaurant managers, and was detailed by the website Respect and Leadership.net, sums up the toughest part of being a boss and a leader. It’s the quintessential quandary of how to manage people and make sure they work to a certain standard, while also finding a way to make them respect you and your authority in order to help the business succeed. Great leaders have to be respected in order to be successful, but earning that respect takes time and effort. When employees respect you, they are more likely to work harder to accomplish a shared goal they believe in.

How effectively do you resolve conflict with others?

January 14, 2016 /0 Comments/in Leadership, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How effectively do you resolve conflict with others? – Very — conflicts don’t last long as I resolve them quickly: 32.83% – Somewhat — some conflicts are difficult to resolve: 62.92% – Not very — I have more conflict than I can handle: 3.04% – Not at all — my work life is nothing but conflict: 1.22% Guiding versus driving conflict resolution. While none of us enjoy conflict, we have to resist the urge to resolve it. Your job as a leader is to teach others to resolve conflict on their own. If you’re constantly mediating disputes, you’re an enabler of bad behavior. Everyone will keep arguing and coming to you to solve their problems. They’ll never learn to resolve things themselves. So the next time people come to you to resolve an issue, guide them on how to resolve it versus driving resolution yourself. 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 Key to Snapping Out of Analysis Paralysis

January 13, 2016 /1 Comment/in Business Toolkit, Entrepreneur, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Analysis paralysis runs rampant in our organizations. The mountains of data available to us are a blessing and a curse. You may find you’re constantly doing more analysis but never making a decision. There’s a simple question you can ask to break out of this dynamic. Making executive-level decisions requires you to exercise judgment. You’ll never have perfect data. Gathering data takes time and effort. While you’re gathering incremental data, the world changes while you wait, and you’ll need more data to reduce those new sources of uncertainty. Your job is to manage the trade-off on risk, certainty, reward, and speed of making the decision. When you go to gather incremental data, or the members of your team are saying “we need more information,” ask yourself “Does it change the answer?” If that incremental data you’re going to gather won’t change the decision, just make the decision. This simple question can break you out of the data’s grip on your throat. One situation I was involved in, as far as using data but exercising judgment and speed, was an acquisition. We were looking at buying a business that had a fleet of trucks. Truck maintenance costs were in question because they were a driver of some of the economics of the deal. I spent a lot of time gathering and analyzing data and discussing that data for what the maintenance costs would be. Ultimately, I baked an assumption into the model. When I discussed that assumption with some senior executives, we got into very fine detail on what those costs would be. The conversation devolved to the level of “When was the last oil change for this truck? How old were the tires on this one vehicle?” I found myself gathering more and more data about every truck in the […]

The Secret Key to Maximizing Your Productivity

January 11, 2016 /1 Comment/in Books, Communications, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

A great executive assistant is only half the equation. Learning how to work with him or her effectively is the real key to maximizing your productivity. Today’s post is by Jan Jones, author of The CEO’s Secret Weapon (CLICK HERE to get your copy). For my new book, The CEO’s Secret Weapon: How Great Leaders and Their Assistants Maximize Productivity and Effectiveness, I interviewed the world’s #1 leadership thinker, Marshall Goldsmith and management guru Ken Blanchard, who expressed a deep appreciation for the value executive assistants bring to the lives of time-constrained executives. Business leaders Richard Branson, Donald Trump and others echoed their sentiment. Yet, despite the ringing endorsements of assistant’s capabilities by these and other business luminaries, many executives don’t capitalize on this resource that can help smooth out their day and relieve them of untold minutiae. By not capitalizing on the advantage assistants bring to the table, executives are cheating themselves out of an abundance of talent. While a minority of executives do this because they just can’t let go, many executives are oblivious to the expertise of their assistants because they’ve never learned how to utilize an assistant, or experienced top quality support before. But you can have this support if you consciously recruit and develop an assistant who can take on a leadership role and serve as your “right arm.” To find your exceptional assistant, start with a candid analysis of yourself. What is your work style – big picture, or myopic? Do you prefer someone whose work habits mirror yours? Are you a micromanager? If so, you will be irritated with a self-starter who takes the ball and runs with it. If you don’t want to be bogged down with details, a self-starter will suit you just fine.

How effectively do you get your team the resources it needs?

January 7, 2016 /0 Comments/in Leadership, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How effectively do you get your team the resources it needs? – Extremely — they always have everything they need: 8.7% – Very — I get what they need most of the time: 49.13% – Somewhat — I get them the most important things they need: 26.52% – Not very — I have trouble getting them resources: 13.91% – Not at all — I hardly ever get them what they need: 1.74% Making a Case for Resources. Asking for resources simply isn’t enough. You need to make a compelling case for getting them. This means laying out the list of your organization’s priorities first and getting your boss’ agreement on the priorities. Once you have that, articulate the resources needed to accomplish those goals. When your boss sees you’re not getting down the priority list as far as they’d like, the only choice they have is to give you the resources to make it happen. 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 Simplest Sales Boosting Technique EVER

January 6, 2016 /4 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Sales /by Mike Figliuolo

Sales are the lifeblood of any company. No sales, no company. In a cluttered, competitive world, it’s hard to get through to your prospects and make the sale. The good news is there’s an incredibly simple technique that should immediately boost your numbers and you can start doing it right now. Strap yourself in. You’re about to have your mind blown. Ever since grade school when I sold anything that wasn’t nailed down, I’ve been drawn to sales. It started with pencils I painted with custom designs and people’s names on them. I then graduated to selling comic books. Then I sold table space at comic book conventions I put on myself (at age 14). Over the years I’ve migrated to other sales roles and, in the day to day running of thoughtLEADERS, I’m the head of sales. I won’t lie – sales can be a grind especially when facing competitive situations or making big ticket complex sales. Long lead times, budget constraints, and prospects who are tough to get a hold of make selling efforts difficult. But I’ve found a secret. I’ve found a way to get in touch with clients and prospects and engage them in a sales conversation 100% of the time. Not only that, they’re excited to talk to me about it and they’re usually ready to buy by the time we finish talking. I’ve been astonished with how effective this technique is and it’s beyond simple. I’m going to share it with you now and it will change your life. Ready?

Dealing with a Crisis Absent a Leader

January 4, 2016 /0 Comments/in Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Without a leader, the team will founder and fail. The difference in any endeavor is having a leader who is willing to step up to the challenge. Today’s post is by Hap Klopp, founder of the North Face and author of ALMOST: Twelve Electric Months Chasing a Silicon Valley Dream (CLICK HERE to get your copy). Let’s get the facts straight first, we can distort later. It is the person who says, I will! And then does. The leader, a giant among society. On the shoulders of such people the human race is carried forward. The quantum leaps are not made by committee, but by the indomitable will of the single individual. The individual who steps up to be the leader. For sure, there is good leadership and there is bad leadership. There are great leaders who do bad things (think Hitler). But, there are no bad leaders who do great things. Because to win, to be the best, and to make those quantum leaps – excellent leadership is essential to every enterprise. Great leadership never wavers. Leadership is leadership is leadership – be it in business, sport, politics, military or church. The concepts are the same and absolutely interchangeable. The bad news is there really aren’t many good leaders. The good news is that since leadership is the same across so many fields, you have a lot of places you can look to come up with examples of what is the right thing to do. Trust me, looking to others to get examples of what to do is much better than reinventing the wheel making all your own mistakes. That can be fatal. Fatal to your career and fatal to your enterprise. The smart way to learn your lessons is to learn observing OPM – Other People’s Mistakes using […]

How effectively does your organization manage reorganizations?

December 31, 2015 /0 Comments/in Leadership, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How effectively does your organization manage reorganizations? – Very — our reorgs are smooth and effective: 6.44% – Mostly — our reorgs go well but not without issues: 35.25% – Somewhat — we don’t do a great job with reorgs: 27.12% – Not at all — our reorgs are painful and problematic: 31.19% Disorganized Reorganization. Why are we so bad at this? Organizations need to change and people need to be put in new roles. Those shifts turn into disasters for several reasons. First, poor communication. The rationale for the change and everyone’s new responsibilities aren’t clearly articulated which leads to confusion and frustration. Second, poor talent assessment and role definition. Reorgs can be a great opportunity to put talent in bigger roles but more often than not, we fail to assess talent properly and instead frustrate some of our best performers. Think through the reorg and roles then communicate more effectively as you go through the process. 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!

Understanding and Managing Conflict Styles

December 28, 2015 /1 Comment/in Books, Communications, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

In order to manage workplace conflict, it’s important to be able to understand and adjust to each situation and to the preferred conflict style of those involved. Today’s post is by Cornelia Gamlem and Barbara Mitchell, co-authors of The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook (CLICK HERE to get your copy). Everybody has a conflict style preference and knowing our own style preference and those of others can really help us manage workplace conflict. Here are the style definitions: Competing attacks and likes to argue and debate. This type is competitive, assertive, and uncooperative, and can be threatening and intimidating, causing others to give in to avoid the argument. Competing means “standing up for your rights,” defending a position you believe is correct, or simply trying to win. Accommodating is unassertive and cooperative, and is the complete opposite of competing. Accommodating may yield to another’s point of view or give even when h/she believes h/her ideas are better. Avoiding is unassertive and uncooperative and neither pursues h/her own concerns nor those of others. This type will not commit and is unsure where h/she stands on issues. Collaborating is both assertive and cooperative and takes a win-win stance in an attempt to work to find a solution that fully satisfies both people. This style approaches conflict with skill and balance, understands the value of positive conflict, and often acts as a mediator.

How well does your organization choose the best decision-making style?

December 24, 2015 /0 Comments/in Leadership, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How effectively does your organization choose the best decision-making style for a given decision? – Very effectively — we’re deliberate about choosing the right style: 5.78% – Effectively — we choose the right style most of the time: 32.13% – Not very effectively — we gravitate toward one style irrespective of the decision being made: 43.32% – What’s a decision-making style?: 18.77% Different decisions require different styles. Organizations tend to gravitate toward a single decision making style. Whether it’s autocratic, consensus-based, participatory, or democratic, organizations find a style that’s comfortable as a default. The problem is that many times it’s exactly the wrong style for a given decision. The better you understand the 4 decision making styles, the more effectively you can apply them to make better and faster decisions. 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!

Han Solo’s Secrets to Informal Leadership

December 23, 2015 /1 Comment/in Leadership, Project Management /by Mike Figliuolo

Han Solo never wanted to be in the spotlight as THE hero but he always got the job done. He can teach you how to be direct, take risks, and act decisively. I can’t help myself. I’ve been a Star Wars fan since first seeing A New Hope in 1977 at a drive in theater. Sitting atop my dad’s Buick Riviera, I was mesmerized by the characters. The one who really impressed me was Han Solo. No super powers – just raw badassery. I’ll confess – I’m pulling this post out of the archives for a few reasons. First, the new Star Wars is out! How could I not get on that bandwagon? Also, Han Solo kicks ass and more people need to understand his leadership skills. Plus, I’m on vacation and could use a break from writing since I’m in the middle of writing another book and my carpal tunnel is acting up. So here’s what you can learn from Han about leadership… You have to admit, Han Solo could definitely pull off that leather vest. On top of that, he can teach all of us a thing or three about informal leadership. We’ve all been in a role one time or another where we weren’t the “formal” leader of the team. We were just another team member trying to contribute to the greater good. Unfortunately, just when the project was going fine, a bunch of imperial stormtroopers and bounty hunters came along and changed the project charter. The crisis clearly demands leadership. The “formal” leader likely has her hands full trying to get things back on track. If the team sits back and lets the leader lead alone, there’s a chance everything will fall apart (there are a *lot* of stormtroopers involved here). It’s time for you to […]

3 Steps to Preparing Your Organization to be Future Strong

December 21, 2015 /0 Comments/in Books, Guest Blogger, Innovation, Leadership, Strategy, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Learn how to best prepare yourself and your firm for the best possible future. Becoming future strong is not just an organizational strategy — it may ask personal changes of you. Today’s post is by Bill Jensen, author of Future Strong, (CLICK HERE to get your copy). My team and I just spent the past few years asking over 7,000 leaders across the globe, “What are the toughest choices you must make to create the best possible future for your firm?” We wanted to uncover how to make the future of work work. After disruptive technologies blow up most everything we do today… After the Internet of Things creates a world driven by analytics… After Millennials hit a tipping point for being the majority of people at work — (depending on your industry, that happened this year and will through 2019)… And after all the other massive changes coming our way… What will make the future work? What’s the one biggest thing leaders should be thinking about and doing to successfully lead our teams and our companies into the future? The Future is Personal If you were expecting some easy market-driven answer, an updated version of the The Graduate’s “Plastics” — sorry to disappoint. What we uncovered is that what matters most is not the next big thing that’s coming at you from out there, but how you decide to embrace it, learn from it, and change your attitudes and habits. How you choose to disrupt yourself. The future is personal in that it reveals itself to you only after you have made a deeply personal choice about how you will embrace it. During our interviews, 86% said that the biggest challenge facing senior execs is how to free people to succeed. The issue isn’t more people-focus or better benefits. […]