Mike Figliuolo – Page 67 – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

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Entries by Mike Figliuolo

What a Heart Attack Taught Me About Balance

November 18, 2013 /28 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

So I had a heart attack last week. No. Literally. And I’m using the word “literally” correctly here. I was just sitting there when out of nowhere I had a sharp pain in the right side of my chest (weird, right?). That pain started radiating out my back, down the backs of my arms and legs, and over the back of my skull. Breathing became a little difficult. This wasn’t just heartburn – trust me – I know heartburn because I get it after every trip I make to Taco Bell for their delicious Grilled Stuffed Beef Burrito XXL Extreme. Wait… causality? Hmmm… I drove over to the ER at Dublin Methodist Hospital – an OhioHealth facility (yes, I know… I’ve already been chewed out for the decision to drive versus calling 911 but I’m approaching the limit on my cell phone minutes for this month and I didn’t want to go over by making another call). Before I knew it, a wheelchair was under my butt speeding me back to a room. Incidentally, I decided to use my client’s services for this – OhioHealth is a major client of mine where I teach and coach many of their executives. It was only natural to choose an OhioHealth facility for this “event.” They poked, prodded, and measured. One of the nurses asked “Hey, aren’t you (OhioHealth senior executive’s) coach?” “Yep. That’s me.” “Wow.” Awkward. After a bit, the doc told me “You have a blockage. You’re going to be fine but we’re sending you to Riverside Methodist Hospital (another OhioHealth facility) and you’re going straight to the cardiac cath lab. You’re probably getting a stent or two.” This was one of the handful of freak-out moments I’ve ever had. The doc quickly reassured me “You’re going to be fine. You’re […]

Building a High Potential Mobile Team by Engaging the Virtual Worker

November 13, 2013 /0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by John Cardella, Executive Vice-President and Chief People Officer for North American HR Operations, Ceridian HCM. Technology continues to transform virtually every aspect of the workplace. With an abundance of high performance laptops, tablets, smartphones, VoIP, and with applications such as WebEx and Skype employees can virtually work from anywhere and be as productive as working within an office. Many will argue that the benefits of virtual work abound, and that it is indeed the trend of the future. There is no question that there are many cost savings and environmental benefits to working virtual including reduced overheads, cheaper fuel and lower green gas emissions along with greater employee autonomy. Besides that, who really wants to put up with rush hour? Realistically however, employers need to fully explore the issues that arise from virtual work and strike a balance that engages and connects the mobile workforce for maximum returns. Culture – Workplace culture is the heartbeat of any company. It helps define company brands, and attract and retain top performers. What happens when employers allow a large segment of their workforce to go virtual? At what point or threshold does a “virtual workplace” start to affect culture and how do employers protect company culture from deteriorating? While the actual threshold may vary depending on the size of the company, a good rule of thumb is to start asking these types of questions as your virtual workforce climbs to the 15-20% level. Retaining a cultural essence with a large percentage of virtual workers becomes more challenging. Steps can be taken to ensure that scheduled in-office face time occurs at regular intervals for staff meetings, informal get together and other work type events.

Finding the Courage to Pursue Your Dream

November 11, 2013 /5 Comments/in Career, Entrepreneur /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Paul Smith, thoughtLEADERS instructor and author of Lead With a Story. I recently found myself struggling with the toughest career decision of my life (you can read about that here). I was trying to choose between two very different options. One was to stay in my current job, which provided lots of reliable income and benefits as well as long-term financial security. But it wasn’t work I was unusually excited about doing. The other option I was truly passionate about, and through it I could make a tangible impact on people’s lives. But it provided no long-term financial security, and no steady paycheck. I figure you’re never too old to benefit from someone older and wiser. So I wrote my 80-year-old father a letter and asked him what I should do. But instead of just giving me advice, he shared a story about himself as a young boy that I’d never heard before. His letter said, “Son, when I was 5 or 6 years old I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up. I wanted to be a singer—yeah a singer—like Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, or Tony Bennett. My mother always had the radio on listening to all the popular music of the day, and I listened. And I just knew that’s what I wanted to do. By the time I started 1st grade I knew all the popular songs—words and music by heart. About the 2nd or 3rd week of school the teacher asked if anyone in the class had some talent like dancing or singing or doing magic tricks—things like that. Well, I put up my hand and said I could sing popular songs. So she asked if I would sing one for the class. Despite the fact that I’d […]

The Leadership Development Wobble Board

November 6, 2013 /3 Comments/in Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Emmanuel Gobillot, author of Follow the Leader, Leadershift and The Connected Leader (CLICK HERE to see his books). About six months ago, having been reliably informed by my 15 year old daughter and her 12 year old brother that I was now “way past” middle age and having been given a Nike Fuel band by my partner and an introduction to the MyFitnessPal app, I finally understood it may be time for me to become healthy! So donning my newly purchased sports gear I walked into the gym. Whilst this experience reaffirmed my deep held conviction that restaurants, not gyms, are my natural habitat it did however offer me an insight into leadership development. Amongst the shiny torture equipment, lying on its side, seemingly forgotten in the middle of the room, was a wobble board. For those of you uninitiated in the art of keeping fit, a wobble board is a disc with a half ball underneath designed to strengthen your core by having you maintain the necessary equilibrium to stay upright on the structure. Now for the analogy and the (hopefully worthwhile!) insight. Leadership development is like standing on a wobble board trying to maintain the equilibrium between three separate, yet, equally important constituencies – you, – your “superiors” – and your “followers” Having worked for over a decade in the leadership development field I have come to conclude that building core strength is the biggest challenge faced by anyone embarking on a leadership development journey. Let’s take each constituency in turn.

How to Stop Being Your Own Worst Critic

November 4, 2013 /2 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Career, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

I’m pretty sure I can safely say that individuals who read our blog are achievers. You work hard, seek to develop your skills, and look forward to the next goal in front of you. I’ll also bet you’re your own harshest critic. You probably beat yourself up at the smallest perceived failure. Some of you do more damage to yourselves than that funky albino monk in Da Vinci Code did to himself with that nasty rope of his. Sometimes your self-deprecating humor isn’t very humorous. Stop it. Now. These negative thoughts don’t just affect your performance – they rub off on your team. If you’re not careful you can create an environment where your standards are perceived as unreasonable and where praise seems extremely hard to come by. Over time, that erodes your team’s morale and can eventually lead to turnover (not to mention a lousy standard of living for you). We’re going to get a little cerebral and introspective today. I ask you to do so in the spirit of getting on a healthier mental track. Do so not just for the benefit of your team but for yourself, your friends, and your family. So how can you do this? My suggestion: assess, admit, and act.

Building Successful Brands: Real Purpose Isn’t Built in a Day

October 30, 2013 /1 Comment/in Communications, Customer Service, Guest Blogger, Sales /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Chuck Wall, author of Customer CEO: How to Profit from the Power of Your Customers (CLICK HERE to get your copy). Here’s Chuck… Tired of hearing brands blather on about how much they really care about their customers? Wouldn’t it be a lot more honest if they would just admit their real passion is to separate people from as much of their money as possible for stuff they don’t really need? Maybe that’s a bridge too far, but there’s clearly something different happening in this social era. In Customer CEO: How to Profit from the Power of Your Customers, I write about what I call the Power of Purpose. This customer power confronts every business leader with a new reality; that today’s customer is thirsting to do business with brands they can really believe and believe in. In my customer research work over the years, I have heard people say “Just do the right thing” more times than I can count. What customers are saying is they want to share values with the companies they do business with. These values have nothing to do with price. They are talking about being honest, showing integrity, providing fair treatment, demonstrating a caring attitude, being loyal, and doing it consistently. Let’s be frank: for many companies facing the complexities of modern business, it is too much work to create, teach, and live values. They often cut corners and look the other way. Leadership either refuses to lead with values or tolerates poor values in their management ranks. Many customer-facing employees are left in their jobs far too long. The customer experience becomes a bad joke. This is why there is such a huge disconnect between the flawed advertising spewing forth from these brands; it hardly resembles the reality the […]

Should managers strive to be liked?

October 23, 2013 /2 Comments/in Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Aaron McDaniel, author of The Young Professional’s Guide to the Working World (CLICK HERE to get your copy). “So, Peter, what’s happening? Aahh, now, are you going to go ahead and have those TPS reports for us this afternoon?” I can still picture Bill Lumbergh, played by Gary Cole (the infamous boss from the cult favorite “Office Space”) saying these magical words, reaffirming that he is the boss who everyone loved to hate. For managers, there are a number of scales that must be artfully balanced: giving specific direction versus the freedom to think freely; command and control versus consensus. One that is particularly hard to balance is between being liked, respected and even feared by their employees. The question beckons, should managers strive to be liked? The answer is simple yet complex. No, but also yes. Ultimately the goal should not to be liked but at the same time to be likeable. Bill Lumbergh struggled on both ends of this spectrum. He was disliked by his staff and was also a giant jerk (not that likeable). The boss of Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch (from the show The Office), Michael Scott (played by Steve Carrel), was too consumed with being liked by his staff that he became ineffective, letting them get away with many things, preventing them from reaching peak performance. Effective managers find balance: a way to be likeable, so that their employees will follow their lead and buy-in to their vision and goals. At the same time, they don’t concern themselves with whether their team likes them. Respect is more important to employee empowerment than being liked.

How to Lead Your Way to Customer Loyalty

October 17, 2013 /3 Comments/in Books, Customer Service, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Susan Baroncini-Moe, author of Business in Blue Jeans: How to Have a Successful Business on Your Own terms, in Your Own Style (CLICK HERE to get your copy). There’s no disputing that retaining customers is far more cost-effective to a business than recruiting new ones. But it’s getting harder and harder to develop customer loyalty. On the flip side, some companies seem to be able to get it right from the start. What does it take to create loyalty so strong that your customers keep coming back for more? The Three E’s 1. Empowered Employees Your first loyalty is to your employees. Why do they come first? Because your employees are on the front lines. They’re the ones serving your clients and customers directly and they’re the face of your business, representing your brand every single day. If you want your customers to be happy, you’d better make sure your employees are happy. How do you create a happy work force? Hire Well. You start by hiring well. Hire people who fit into the corporate culture and who will be team players. It’s not just their skill set that matters—skills can be learned. What you can’t teach or train so easily is the soft skills—people skills—and the way people think. Focus on hiring for culture and personality and put people in the right positions where they can succeed, then worry about any additional skills training. Compensate Well. Make sure your compensation structure is competitive. The first, best way to retain top talent is to offer generous salaries and compensation packages, because employees who aren’t paid well tend to look at their jobs as “just a way to pay the bills,” rather than being truly invested in how well they do their jobs. When employees are paid […]

3 Steps for Protecting Your Most Important Asset

October 14, 2013 /1 Comment/in Guest Blogger, Leadership, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s guest post is from Joel Garfinkle, thoughtLEADERS instructor, executive coach and author of Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level (CLICK HERE to get your copy). Are you protecting your most important asset? No, it’s not your buildings, your equipment, or your investment accounts. It’s your people. Especially those rising stars whose contributions affect your bottom line and your future success. The true cost of losing an employee goes largely unrecognized in many companies. Yet that cost is significant. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, it can cost you $3,500 to replace one employee who earns just $8 per hour. Other estimates place costs at 125% of an entry level employee’s wages, 150% of a mid-level manager’s salary, and as much as 400% for higher level managers and executives. You do the math! Are you paying attention to this cost? Some managers shrug off this expense as a normal cost of doing business. Because there is no mechanism in place to compute the actual cost, the reality of the loss does not get reported to top management or discussed in terms of its strategic impact. But you can change all that. Here’s the caveat: you need to be proactive. Don’t wait until turnover costs spiral out of control before you develop and implement a retention program. Start by mentally separating your employees into three categories: – top performers – mid-level performers – lowest performers While you may ultimately need to replace those in the third category, let’s concentrate on the other two. There are three important ingredients in an effective employee retention strategy:

How to Avoid 4 Big Mentoring Traps

October 9, 2013 /0 Comments/in Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Chip Bell, author of Managers as Mentors: Building Partnerships for Learning (CLICK HERE to get your copy). There are countless traps along the path of mentorship. Mentoring can be a power trip for those seeking an admirer, a manifestation of greed for those who must have servants. Mentoring can be a platform for proselytizing for a cause or crusade, a strong tale told to an innocent or unknowing listener. However, the traps of power, greed, and crusading all pale when compared with the subtler “watch out for’s” listed below. There are other traps, of course, but these are the ones that most frequently raise their ugly heads to sabotage healthy relationships. I Can Help. When is help helpful and when is it harmful? People inclined to be charitable with their time, energy, and expertise often attempt to help when what the learner actually needs is to struggle and find her own way. Here’s a test: If you ask the protégé, “May I help?” and she says no, how do you feel? Be honest with yourself. If you react with even a trace of rejection and self-pity, this may be your trap to avoid. I Know Best. Some people become mentors because they enjoy being recognized as someone in the know. They relish the affirmations from protégés who brag to others about their helpful mentor. They especially like protégés who regularly compliment them on their contribution. This is a trap! You may get off track and end up using the protégé for your own recognition needs. The test? If your protégé comes to you and says that he has found someone else who might be more helpful as a mentor, how do you react? If you feel more than mild and momentary disappointment, beware! This may be […]

What Metallica Can Teach You About Leadership

October 7, 2013 /0 Comments/in Career, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

If you’ve been a reader of this blog for any amount of time, you already know I’m a metal head. While listening to that driving double bass drum and the fury of the rhythm guitar can be invigorating, there’s also the matter of the wisdom of the lyrics. Contrary to popular belief, metal bands don’t always sing about demons and blood. Many times there are lessons in the lyrics that can be applied to your everyday life. Today I’ll explore some great leadership lessons embedded in the lyrics of one of my favorite bands: Metallica. I’ve listened to those guys for over 20 years and I’ve been to many of their shows (which are absolutely amazing). Yes, some of you recognize this post from about three years ago (thanks for being a longtime reader!) but for many of you it’s all new. I figured I’d share it again given the recent release of Through the Never (which I just saw in IMAX 3D and it was AMAZING! GO SEE IT!). Metallica puts a lot of thought into their lyrics and in a certain context you can apply many of those thoughts to your own leadership style. So here goes – I’ll offer up the song and lyrics then a quick lesson or interpretation of how you can apply them. As an added bonus, I’ll provide a link to the track when available. So limber up your necks, turn up the volume, and get ready to rock out… here we go!

Five Steps to Becoming an Authentic Leader

October 2, 2013 /0 Comments/in Books, Communications, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Maureen Metcalf – a thoughtLEADERS instructor and author of The Innovative Leadership Fieldbook. and the newly-released Innovative Leaders Guide to Transforming Organizations (CLICK HERE to get your copy). Here’s Maureen: Authentic leadership is getting lots of attention in the press today and yet many people have the question what does it mean and how might I get there? Let’s look at authentic leadership starting with a recent Forbes article, “Authenticity: Your Greatest Leadership Asset,” leadership guru, Warren Bennis, says: “…letting the self-emerge is the essential task of leaders. Indeed, leadership is, first and foremost, all about you. People often have a misguided notion that leadership is about everyone else. But if a leader hasn’t journeyed inside first to get clear on his or her values, strengths, passion and vision, their lack of authentic grounding will cause them to behave in inconsistent ways, eroding trust and undermining their leadership effectiveness.” Now, let’s look at an example of a highly skilled leader, Bill, who is facing a challenging employee situation. Self-aware, Bill makes a concerted effort to create an environment in which each of his team members can be their most effective at work. He has assembled a diverse staff with unique skills and a lot of idiosyncrasies. Bill has worked hard to help this staff of stars come together as a cohesive team. One morning he arrived to find an obviously upset employee sitting in his office. He has a conversation with the employee who is clearly concerned about the condescending behavior of another colleague. The upset employee, Michelle, suggests that the work environment Bill created is hostile and clearly not supportive of her doing her best work. She feels belittled by her colleague and is seeking Bill’s support to ensure the office in which they work […]