Mike Figliuolo – Page 61 – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

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Entries by Mike Figliuolo

Will you drop everything at work to attend to family matters?

May 29, 2014 /1 Comment/in Balanced Lifestyle, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How likely are you to drop everything at work to attend to family matters? – Sometimes I choose work, and others I’ll choose family: 51% – I’ll choose family at the drop of a hat: 38% – Work is a top priority, and it has to be a true crisis to pull me away: 11% Most of you place work first or at least require it to be a dire situation before dropping work to attend to family. This one is a tough one because not attending to work can ultimately affect your family as well — if you don’t have a job, it’s tough to take care of the family. This is a constant source of angst and tension. The best advice I can give is to be transparent and honest with all parties involved. If you need to attend to family, be clear with your boss and other work stakeholders about the reason you’re unavailable, how long you’ll be out and who will handle your work in the interim. When you choose work, let your family know what you’re working on, the reason it’s important and how you thought through the decision. Hopefully, transparency can reduce some of the friction inherent in these difficult choices. 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!

Leading Beyond Problems and to Solutions

May 28, 2014 /2 Comments/in Books, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

The following is an excerpt from One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership (you can get your copy here). This post focuses on the importance of looking beyond the problems you face and coming up with solutions. An authentic leader does not say what people want to hear, but instead says the things people need to hear whether they want to hear them or not. Those same leaders take actions consistent with their thoughts and beliefs. When asked to take action in conflict with their ideals they stand up against those actions or at least voice their disapproval and make others convince them it is the right path to pursue. The sum of these genuine words, actions, and beliefs over time defines a leader’s style. Style is a construct through which a leader demonstrates their authenticity. There are many ways to convey ideas, beliefs, and values. There are just as many ways of putting ideas into action. By now you have likely found approaches for communicating and acting that are comfortable for you and other approaches that are not. Those comfortable techniques become your preferred style over time. It is important that you know your style, can articulate it clearly, and are comfortable living it every day. To do this you must find the approaches to communicating and acting that work best for you and continue to use and hone those techniques so that you maintain your confidence in their efficacy. A virtuous circle will result. The more you use a tool, the better you get with it and the more inclined you will be to use it. Using tools that allow you to comfortably convey your values and beliefs will eventually form the basis for your natural style. That is the key to being authentic […]

3 Keys to Cultivating High-Return Relationships

May 26, 2014 /0 Comments/in Communications, Guest Blogger, Leadership, Sales /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Gary Polsky, author of Selling Healthcare (CLICK HERE to get your copy). If you’re reading this, odds are you’re looking to take it to the next level in interacting with customers and colleagues (which includes just about everything except cyber crime). I’m convinced you will experience greater professional success—and happiness—if you cultivate mutually fulfilling relationships. I know this not only from my own 30-plus years in healthcare—from my tenure as a hospital administrator to my calling as a hospice pioneer—but from recognizing this same core component for success in the stories of my idols, peers and employees. Those who excel in business and in life are masters at grooming and growing the key connections that I like to call High-Return Relationships. High-Return Relationships are pre-qualified connections elevated beyond the professional level by a genuine desire to connect as individuals, with shared goals and passions and a long-term outlook. A Five-Pronged Approach to Relationship Building In Selling Healthcare, I explore the five strategies I’ve identified for forging High-Return Relationships:

Which of the following excites you the most about being a leader?

May 22, 2014 /1 Comment/in Leadership, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: Which of the following excites you the most about being a leader? – Having an ability to positively influence and grow our business: 40% – Developing the next generation of leaders: 29% – Learning and growing personally and professionally: 23% – Getting to call the shots and make decisions: 4% – Greater compensation: 4% It’s all about growth. Whether you’re interested in expanding the business, developing your people, or improving yourself, leadership is the place to do it. Sure, there are a few folks who are in it to be the boss, call the shots and make some cash but the tremendous majority of you want to make things bigger and better than when you found them. I challenge you to find growth opportunities in all three of these arenas. 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 to Avoid the Transparency Trap

May 21, 2014 /0 Comments/in Communications, Customer Service, Entrepreneur, Sales /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Victor Prince, one of our thoughtLEADERS instructors. “Transparency” has become a hot buzzword over the last several years among business leaders and consultants. We have all probably heard something like this from someone with a big job title – “We have got to be more transparent!” Fast forward through a ton of meetings, reams of slide decks and maybe even some significant consulting fees that ensue and what do you have to show for your efforts? If all you can point to is a bunch of shiny new pretty pictures and paragraphs about your business on your website but no meaningful business results, you have probably been the victim of the Transparency Trap. The Transparency Trap is what happens when you do transparency for transparency’s sake, not for your customers’ stake. You talk about what you want to talk about instead of answering the questions your customers care about. As the big transparency initiative rolls down through your organization, employees will translate it into a “let me show you how complex and hard it is to do my job so you are impressed.” You end up putting up a cloud of information that is interesting to your staff but irrelevant to your customers. Your website is now stuffed with lots of nice pictures and profiles of your people – that nobody outside your walls ever clicks on. Best case, you have burned a lot of organizational calories without any benefit. Worst case, you have frustrated your customers who cannot find the answers to the few key pieces of information they need. They just wanted to know what they would get, when they would get it, and how much it would cost them. You couldn’t tell them that, but somehow you had time to make a snazzy […]

12 Ways to be a Great Leader

May 19, 2014 /0 Comments/in Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Ritch Eich, author of Real Leaders Don’t Boss (CLICK HERE to get your copy) and Leadership Requires Extra Innings (CLICK HERE to get your copy). Real leaders, the kind we want to follow and emulate, are rare in today’s global, hyper-competitive and financially driven-world. In their place are fast-track wannabes and imposters focused on unsustainable short-term results. Instead of mentoring employees and looking for long-term solutions to lasting profitability, they seek to drive performance by bullying and focusing on personal glory over the success of the entire organization. What steps can enlightened leaders take to limit this type of behavior? There are three essential steps that must be taken: 1. Recognize that problems will occur; don’t pretend they aren’t real. 2. Communicate clearly and regularly what the consequences of misconduct are. 3. Stay true to your ethical and behavioral principles and commitments. For most of my career, I have typically reported to the president, CEO or chairman of the board. As a result, I’ve been fortunate to see chief executives in action in many different industries and organizations. Along the way, I have observed what the best leaders do, and learned a few lessons about what never to do. This unique perspective has enabled me to create a mosaic of how real leaders handle complex problems. The following are a dozen of the most important insights I’ve gained:

How predictable is your boss’ leadership style?

May 15, 2014 /1 Comment/in Communications, Leadership, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How predictable is your boss’s leadership style? – I always know what to expect from my boss and how he or she leads: 22% – He or she is predictable most of the time but occasionally surprises me: 53% – My boss is mostly unpredictable, and I have to react to shifting styles: 16% – My boss is completely unpredictable, and their style is not clear: 9% There’s a lot of uncertainty about how our bosses act. Only about a quarter of you can count on your boss to be totally predictable. Many of you are surprised, with varying frequency, with a quarter of you declaring your boss is mostly or completely unpredictable. Those lines of communication and consistency need to improve. The next time your boss surprises you, take it upon yourself to ask him or her the rationale behind the decision. The more views you can get into your boss’ thought process, the more predictable he or she will become for you. You might also consider sitting down with your boss and asking for expectations and how he or she likes to work. That kind of clarification will help you better understand what to expect from your boss. 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!

Finding Your Daily Motivation

May 14, 2014 /9 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Career, Entrepreneur, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

I heard an interesting twist on an old question the other day. People always ask the classic “what keeps you up at night?” question. By the way – don’t ever ask that of your interviewer during a job interview. It comes across as cheesy and stupid. While the question itself is a little corny, the notion behind it is interesting and points to a dark set of issues. It’s pessimistic. It presumes our work (or personal issues) are so all-consuming that they override our ability to sleep. The connotation is we’re dealing with such weighty issues that they torment us in our dreams and become our nightmares. The fear of failure and disaster wakes us from our deep slumber with clammy hands, sweaty brows, and gasping for air. That’s a crappy way to live. But we live that way all the time and hyperfocusing on that type of question sets a tone for how we think about and approach our work and personal lives. That approach isn’t sustainable. It’s unhealthy (and trust me – after my heart attack last year, I pay a lot more attention to the unhealthy impacts of stress on my physical well-being). You have to ask yourself – do you really want to go through life focusing on things that scare you and keep you up at night? I certainly don’t. I used to. I’ve now, however, seen the light. We need to ask ourselves a fundamentally different question. A question that is diametrically opposed to understanding the concerns that haunt the small hours. And if you ask yourself this question, I’m betting your entire outlook will change. The question we should be asking is quite simple.

Is your business ready to expand overseas?

May 12, 2014 /0 Comments/in Customer Service, Entrepreneur, Guest Blogger, Sales, Strategy /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Sloan McKinney who has a passion for helping companies expand their global footprint. Introducing a business to a new country is very much like starting from scratch with a brand new company. Though a company may have experienced wild success on a much smaller level, the array of factors that could make – or break – an expansion make the process far more daunting than many are comfortable admitting. Taking time to contemplate the advantages and disadvantages of expanding is easy. Contemplating the logistics of expansion are a different matter entirely. Before you take the plunge and decide to establish an international presence, it’s vital to consider every possible expense and to create contingency plans that can account for anything that goes wrong. Deciding if you expand to reach new markets is a process in and of itself. When a business expands to cover new markets, a great deal of stress is put on the company. Where is the highest demand for my product? If that isn’t abundantly clear, then consider where the demand can be highest. Check out competitors and their respective products in the areas, and compare it to what your company has to offer. Consider the average income of citizens in the targeted country. Can the citizens in the target country afford to purchase what you have to offer? Understanding the structure of the community, and the targeted audience in the country you are bringing your product are crucial aspects of the planning process. Can your company adapt its product to the particular wants and needs in the targeted country?

How predictable is your leadership style?

May 8, 2014 /1 Comment/in Communications, Leadership, Poll /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How predictable is your leadership style? – My team always knows what to expect from me and how I lead: 29% – Most of the time I’m predictable, but I occasionally surprise people: 68% – I’m mostly unpredictable, and my team reacts to my shifts in style: 1% – I’m completely unpredictable, and my style is not clear to most others: 2% People don’t like surprises at work. Being predictable in how you lead enables your team to focus on their work rather than wondering how you’ll react to things they do. A consistent and predictable leadership style helps your team make decisions in your absence. It also builds trust between you and your team members. If they know what they’re going to get in any given interaction, they’re more likely to trust you than if you surprise them with an unexpected reaction (even if that surprise happens only occasionally). Spend some time defining your leadership style and explaining it to your team. It’s a good place to start building trust. 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!

5 Mistakes Every Entrepreneur Needs to Avoid

May 7, 2014 /4 Comments/in Career, Entrepreneur /by Mike Figliuolo

Entrepreneurs have it hard enough as it is. There’s no reason to make running your business harder than it needs to be. I’d like to offer a few thoughts to new and old entrepreneurs alike on what I’ve found to be critical learning points both from running my business, investing in others, advising others, and simply watching others from the sidelines. If you’re an entrepreneur you pour your heart and soul into your business. You need every edge you can get. The first edge available to you is not doing stupid stuff. In the past month I have spent a lot of time with other entrepreneurs and I have seen a bunch of good things and a bunch of bad things. Today I’ll share some of those observations with the hope you find it helpful and use these perspectives to strengthen your business. In the past I have covered some other challenges entrepreneurs face and I hereby declare them required reading. So here they are: – Two traps that destroy entrepreneurs – CLICK HERE TO READ – Two more traps that destroy entrepreneurs – CLICK HERE TO READ – Entrepreneurs need to bootstrap to WIN – CLICK HERE TO READ After you’re done reading them, continue with this post. The following tips are in no particular order nor are there broad categories they belong to. It’s simply a list of things I have seen go wrong recently and some thoughts on how to avoid those behaviors. Here goes:

What Starbucks Can Teach You About Leadership

May 5, 2014 /2 Comments/in Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership, Strategy /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by bestselling author Dr. Joseph Michelli (author of The Zappos Experience and The Starbucks Experience). His latest book is Leading the Starbucks Way (CLICK HERE to get your copy). Starbucks is consistently recognized as one of the world’s most effectively led and beloved brands. For example, Entrepreneur magazine ranks the company among the 10 “most trusted’ businesses and FORTUNE magazine places the company among the “most admired” global brands. Most importantly, Starbucks leaders steward more than 200,000 people who serve the more than 60 million weekly customers frequenting more than 18,000 stores in more than 60 countries worldwide. For these reasons and many more, two of my six business leadership books have been written about Starbucks – including my recently released Leading the Starbucks Way and a prior work, The Starbucks Experience. Following the publication of my first book about the company in 2006, Starbucks leaders faced challenges involving their frenzied speed of expansion, decisions made to drive year-over-year sales numbers, the effects of a sliding global economy and less frequent visits from loyal customers in Starbucks US stores. In 2008, Howard Schultz, who had been serving as the chief global strategist for Starbucks, returned to the helm as the company’s chief executive officer. At the fiscal 2008 second quarter earnings conference call, Howard was explaining a 21% earnings decline over the prior year period. He noted, “While our financial results are clearly being impacted by reduced frequency to our U.S. stores, we believe that as we continue to execute on the initiatives generated by our transformation agenda, we will reinvigorate the Starbucks Experience for our customers, and in doing so, deliver increased value to our shareholders.”