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Entries by Mike Figliuolo

How to Think About Your Leadership Legacy

September 30, 2013 /4 Comments/in Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

You’ve likely heard the phrase “leadership legacy” at some point. It sounds big, ominous, and scary. It’s not. There’s a simple formula for thinking about your personal leadership legacy. It only has four variables in it. It’s not some big quadratic equation with derivatives, exponents, or any of that complicated stuff. Before I get to the formula, I should probably share some thoughts on why you should care about having a leadership legacy. Most of us aspire to leave our mark on the world in some way. Often we do so through our kids but it’s a little harder to conceptualize how we do it through our professional lives. It’s not very satisfying to think about people saying of us “Yeah, he worked here for 20 years. Showed up on time. Got his work done.” And that’s it. It’s much more exciting to think about how we’ve inspired others and improved things around us beyond just punching the clock. We want to be remembered for something. We want to improve the world beyond our immediate span of control. That’s why proactively thinking about your legacy is so critical. And a legacy takes time to build so the sooner you define it and think about it, the higher your odds of successfully doing so. Laying it out will give your work direction. It can serve to inspire you to achieve more than you ever thought possible. It can fill that need to leave something behind once you leave a company or retire. So if you’re interested in building your leadership legacy, all you have to do is think about four things: Legacy = Impact x Breadth x Duration x Multiplicity

How to Better Deal With Angry People

September 25, 2013 /1 Comment/in Books, Career, Communications, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

This is a guest post by John R. Stoker, Founder and CEO of DialogueWORKS, and author of the newly-released book Overcoming Fake Talk (CLICK HERE to get your copy). I am often asked why some people always seem to be angry. One person wrote to ask me, “I have a manager who is always angry. She gets angry when I do as she has asked. She gets angry when I don’t do as she has asked. It seems like she is angry at everyone all the time. Everyone on our team goes to great lengths to avoid her. In fact, the first thing we do every morning is assess the level of her irritation before the day gets under way. Why are some people always angry, and is there anything you recommend that would help the situation?” It is important to understand how to manage emotional reactions to insure that our conversations at work and in our personal lives are effective and rational. Let’s begin by defining anger: an emotion that arises because of a perceived loss. This loss can be perceived because something someone did is, in the individual’s view, unfair or unwarranted. Interestingly, anger is a secondary emotion that serves to veil a more vulnerable emotion—what we feel first. The perception of loss we experience in dealing with others may veil one of five primary emotions: – Frustration – Embarrassment – Disappointment – Fear – Rejection Frustration occurs because of violated expectations, broken promises, or failed commitments surrounding performance issues. Expectations are at issue when you hear:

Is it Time for You to Quit Corporate America?

September 23, 2013 /13 Comments/in Career, Entrepreneur /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Paul Smith, thoughtLEADERS instructor and author of Lead With a Story. “Why would a director in good standing at Procter & Gamble leave after 20 years, too young for retirement, and without another corporate job to land in?” That’s the question I’ve been getting non-stop since I announced I was leaving P&G last month. It’s not unusual to see corporate-types job hop from one company’s corner office to another. But here I was leaving one of the oldest and most prestigious companies in the world to do something as uncertain and unstable as being a full-time author, speaker, and trainer. “Why on Earth wouldn’t you just stick around for another 9 or 10 years and retire comfortably, then go play around with this stuff? It’s a fair question. And that’s why it took me several months of agonizing to finally pull the trigger. But my reasons were sound. And since so many people asked – and on the off chance there are others out there wondering what it would take for them to leave the safety of their corporate womb – I’ll share my conclusions. After much soul searching, I settled on three criteria that could compel me to take the leap:

The Role Stress Plays in Stupidity

September 18, 2013 /2 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Books, Guest Blogger /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Nicole Lipkin, author of What Keeps Leaders Up at Night (CLICK HERE to get your copy). I wrote my most recent book, What Keeps Leaders Up At Night, on a barstool at my kitchen counter. The day I started chapter 3, a chapter about stress, my neighbor started construction on her house. When I say “construction,” I mean a complete demolition that started at 5 AM and continued well into the night. The contractors enjoyed screaming profanities as loud as they could, blasting music, and doing the loudest possible work either very early in the morning or really late at night. The screaming. The hammering. The noise! After a week, I was living in a state of chronic agitation, “grrrr-ing” throughout the day, not sleeping well at night, anticipating being awoken by a jackhammer or drill that would feel like it was inside my brain. My concentration and thinking were so shot that I couldn’t think, let alone write. In hindsight, I probably should have gone elsewhere to work, but I couldn’t think clearly. I was stuck in a state of stress-induced stupidity and mired in rage. My state of existence became a stream of fragmented grunts and groans. I lacked the brainpower to change the situation, to think: “Go to a coffee shop or your office, Nicole.” The deadline for chapter 3 was fast approaching. Prolonged, chronic stress often causes relative stupidity. Today’s business environment is saturated with “low-grade fevers:” financial problems, overwork, job dissatisfaction, jackhammers, drills, information overload and a host of other issues. Amazingly enough, though our brains are capable of dealing with sudden acute stress, they don’t fare so well with chronic stress, i.e., the endless little yipping Chihuahuas that prompt what psychologists call the long-term fight/flight response. Our stress response triggers […]

If You Want Your Company to Grow, Fish for Whales

September 16, 2013 /2 Comments/in About Us, Entrepreneur, Sales, Strategy /by Mike Figliuolo

You can’t get big without thinking big right from the start. As an entrepreneur starting a business, it’s easy to see yourself as “the little guy.” If you do, you’ll forever stay the little guy. Too many times I’ve seen entrepreneurs name their companies after themselves (e.g., Tom Jones, LLC). Sometimes they stretch to seem bigger (e.g., The Tom Jones Group). Sometimes it’s a “creative” stretch (e.g., TJG Strategies – like we’re too dumb to figure that out?). Unfortunately all of those names are transparent and smack of small thinking. The impact of small thinking is you’ll never get the big opportunities. As a B2B company, you’re looking to land the whales – those huge companies who will buy massive amounts of your products or services. If they get the sense that you’re small, they’re not going to give you a chance to serve them because they worry about supply disruptions, financial strength, and your ability to meet their gigantic needs. This is one of the reasons I went with thoughtLEADERS from the start rather than “The Mike Figliuolo Group.” A corporation is much more willing to work with another corporation than they are to work with an individual. Fortunately, the answer to this problem is quite simple.

Why Leaders Must be Opportunity Creators

September 11, 2013 /2 Comments/in Books, Entrepreneur, Guest Blogger, Innovation, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Bill Treasurer, author of Leaders Open Doors: A Radically Simple Leadership Approach to Lift People, Profits, and Performance (CLICK HERE to get your copy). Opportunity is a powerful motivator. It always has been. Throughout history, whole migrations of people have left the safe shores of their home country in search of better opportunities somewhere else. Perhaps this is why former British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, once declared, “Opportunity is more powerful even than conquerors and prophets.” One of the most basic jobs of a leader is to motivate the people who are being led. People will move mountains for a leader as long as moving the mountain provides them with enriching opportunities. Leaders have to be opportunity-creators. It’s in the pursuit of opportunities that people can try themselves, test themselves, better themselves, and even find themselves. Opportunities are the means by which people and organizations grow, progress, and evolve. What makes opportunity so motivating? Here are a few reasons: – Opportunity Points People in the Right Direction: Opportunities keep you focused on what you want instead of what you want to prevent. “Our opportunity is to keep the ball in the air,” not “Whatever you do, don’t drop that ball!” – Opportunity Activates Imagination: We “take advantage of” or “capitalize on” opportunities. They are conditions that don’t yet exist and require people’s hard work and imagination to be fully exploited.

Are You Failing at Succession Planning?

September 9, 2013 /1 Comment/in Career, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

None of us likes to think about being replaced in our jobs. We enjoy the security that comes with the routine and familiarity of our role. The notion of someone else taking that spot from us can be unnerving. That discomfort leads us to behave in ridiculous and self-destructive ways. We hoard power and information. We keep our people from expanding their roles and their responsibilities. We wield the ring of power and there is but one ring to rule them all (oh. Sorry. Watched some Lord of the Rings this weekend…). The bottom line is we like our position in the organization and we’re not going anywhere anytime soon. I submit that the best leaders out there are actively seeking someone to replace them. Whether they are looking within their own team, the broader organization, or outside the company, a good leader always has a notion of who will be sitting in their chair next. Why? Because organizations change, new opportunities present themselves, and people need chances to grow. Those good leaders understand they might take another role in the organization. They might get laid off. They might have a life event that leads them to leave the company. Change is inevitable. Those leaders understand it is their responsibility to ensure continuity and to prepare the organization for those changes. When the seat becomes empty it is too late to think about succession planning (a topic we’ve covered in depth on our blog in this post – click here to read it). Ideally that leader has identified and fully trained that person to take on the role at a moment’s notice. The military provides a good model for this mindset.

7 Tips for Creating Leadership Sustainability

September 4, 2013 /2 Comments/in Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood, authors of Leadership Sustainability: Seven Disciplines to Achieve the Changes Great Leaders Know They Must Make (CLICK HERE to get your copy). Most good leaders try to become better. Around the world today, and every day of the year, thousands of leaders will attend leadership training to glean insights into how to lead better. Thousands will receive performance reviews with individual development plans on how to improve. Thousands will receive coaching with recommendations on how to change their behavior so as to deliver better results in better ways. Thousands will complete a 360-degree feedback process with data on how they are seen by others. At the end of the training, performance development, coaching, and 360-degree feedback, most of these leaders will resolve to use their new insights and be more effective. Unfortunately, few of them will implement these good intentions. As we help leaders improve, we often start with three questions: – On a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), how important is leadership either for your personal or organizational success? Most answer 8, 9, or 10. – What specific things do you need to do to be a more effective leader? Most can quickly write down two or three desired behaviors. – How long have you known you should improve these behaviors? Most meekly acknowledge that they have known what to improve for three, six, twelve months—or longer (decades for some). Any leader can ask him or herself these three questions to assess how they are doing in being a better leader.

3 Keys to Inspiring Action in Slow Decision Makers

September 2, 2013 /2 Comments/in Communications, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

You have a brilliant idea. It’s going to transform your business. It will help you get a huge leg up on your competitors and drive tons of money to the bottom line. Heck, if you can get this thing implemented you’ll probably get a big fat bonus and it’ll be a great holiday season at your house. Here’s the catch – this idea is a little risky. It’s not fully proven in the market. There’s a chance of failure and with it, the loss of any investment the business makes. On balance, the risk-adjusted return from the project is astronomical but you have to get past the most difficult gate of all: the senior decision maker who has to approve the idea. That’s no mean feat. Realize that many of these decision makers are busy and they might not have the same risk appetite you do. They might have a strong financial interest to NOT take on large risks (e.g., they have a large bonus coming if they hit their numbers this year and the risk of losing the investment you’re seeking would torpedo that bonus). So how can you move the business forward in a climate where senior management is slow or hesitant to make a decision? Here are three things I’ve found to be extremely helpful in those situations:

What to Do When Goals Seem Too Far Away

August 28, 2013 /1 Comment/in Business Toolkit, Career, Entrepreneur, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Kelly Gregorio of Advantage Capital Funds. As the leader of your team, it is your job to forge ahead. When the horizon feels miles away, your team will turn to you expecting enough support to keep them going. However, people (including you) can take for granted that the person in the management position is still human with their own doubts, stressors and anxiety. Regardless of your mentoring role, you still set goals for yourself in both your personal and professional life. The challenge being, when the going gets tough, there are few assigned to you to give you the motivating push and encouraging perspective that, as humans, we all need. Luckily, with some helpful tools in place, leaders can learn to shine their own light onto their paths of determined improvement. Ground Some Goals When your end-goals seem so far away that they are barely in sight, start small. Figure out what you could do today, in this afternoon, in this half-hour and then do it. Complete a task, any task, and recognize that you are now one step closer. How big or small that advancement is does not matter, all that matters is that you continue to engage in forward thinking and movement. Grounding goals still requires positive and proactive thinking. Prepare your brain for the success that is ahead. Envision yourself surpassing your goal and tie your brain to that vision emotionally. This can be accomplished by imagining the sounds, smells and sights of those events. If you believe that what you proactively thank the world for you will get in return, then do this. If you don’t…well, daydreaming about success can still be fun.

How to Keep Your Life in Balance

August 26, 2013 /3 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Books /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post focuses on how you can do a better job of achieving work-life balance. It’s an excerpt from One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership (get your copy here). Achieving personal balance is as important as achieving work balance and it is especially hard for people who love their work. If you love what you are working on, it is hard to step away from it. You must achieve a state where your energy is balanced between work and life. If you restrict your hours at the office by working at a furious pace that saps all your energy, you will have no energy left to live your life away from the office. That approach defeats the purpose of trying to achieve balance. I know a fellow entrepreneur who struggled with the “life” part of work-life balance. He dedicated every last ounce of energy he had to building his business. He could not stop talking about all the fantastic things going on in his business but when I asked how things were at home his tone became more reserved. He explained how tired he was when he got home at night and how his son regularly said he missed him. The entrepreneur had not been sleeping well and he had put on about fifteen pounds because his physical fitness regimen had lapsed. I asked if he had experienced similar challenges when he was a “corporate guy” and he said no. He had no problem making time for his family in the evenings. He would get in a solid workout every morning. He slept better and was generally happier despite not particularly enjoying his corporate job. I asked him what had changed since he went out on his own. He said he was much happier with […]

8 Ways to Manage Your Boss

August 21, 2013 /5 Comments/in Books, Business Toolkit, Career, Communications, Guest Blogger /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s post is by Beverly Flaxington, author of The Five Secrets to Human Behavior and Make Your SHIFT (CLICK HERE to get your copy). One of the most common problems I’m asked to solve in my consulting and coaching work with employees is helping them deal with a difficult or challenging boss. We call this “managing up,” because it involves a set of coping skills that employees don’t normally possess in their role. Oftentimes a boss may be unpleasant. Or perhaps the boss is a bully or a poor communicator. Sometimes the boss is disorganized and then blames the employee for any ensuing problems. Unfortunately for most of us, we have, or will have at some point, a difficult boss who requires special coping strategies. Instead of leaping to another job hoping that the next one will be better, it’s important to develop managing-up skills. The more you learn to manage up, the more successful you will be wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. Here are eight ways to manage up—without the boss knowing you’re doing it. 1. Be proactive in your communication. Learn your boss’s preferred communication mode—email, in person drop-ins, or lengthy memos—and be sure to pass along information to her regularly. Most bosses don’t like to be caught unawares. Even if your boss doesn’t ask it of you, keep them updated. This simple strategy works well with bosses who are disorganized or insecure.