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Ryan Shaw

About Ryan Shaw

This author has yet to write their bio.
Meanwhile lets just say that we are proud Ryan Shaw contributed a whooping 252 entries.

Entries by Ryan Shaw

When you put a team member in a stretch role, how much of that role should they know how to do?

February 4, 2021 /0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: When you put a team member in a stretch/developmental role, how much of that role should they know how to do before you give it to them? 90% or more: 2% 70%-90%: 16% 50%-70%: 51% 30%-50%: 25% 0%-30%: 5% Balancing risk and growth. Developmental roles are purely a balance between risk and growth. If you don’t take any risk on people, they can’t grow. If you take too much risk, they’ll possibly struggle and fail. Finding that sweet spot can be challenging. Most successful growth roles I see put someone in the “they know 70% of the new role” range. About 67% of you fall in that space. If they know too much about the new role, they’ll grow a bit but then that growth curve flattens out. For those of you putting people in roles where they know less than 50% of the new job, be prepared for them to fail if you don’t provide them significant amounts of coaching and support along the way. Most important of all – have a conversation with this person and clearly communicate how much of a stretch it is and ask them how you can best support them in that role. 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!

When someone misses a deadline they set, how do you handle it?

January 28, 2021 /1 Comment/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: When someone misses a deadline they set, how do you handle it? I hold them just as accountable as if I had set it. 59% I let it slide a bit because they’re learning to self-manage. 33% I blow it off — it was their deadline to set, and it’s theirs to manage. 7% Deadlines matter. Whether you set the deadline or your team member does, holding them to it is highly important to the majority of you. Other commitments are often made based on that deadline and your team member slipping can have follow-on effects. For those of you who are more lenient, this is a teaching opportunity. Help your team members understand how to better estimate deadlines as well as plan and prioritize their work so they meet them whether those deadlines are self-imposed or not. Show them the consequences and knock-on effects of them missing that deadline. Demonstrate how their miss causes issues for their colleagues and customers. Over time their ability to set accurate deadlines and meet them as committed will improve. It’s one of the most critical skills you can teach your team members. 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 comfortable are you with reading, understanding and executing contracts?

January 21, 2021 /0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: How comfortable are you with reading, understanding and executing contracts? Extremely: I understand contracts well and have no issues executing them 18% Very: I’m familiar with most contracts and am mostly comfortable executing them 36% Kind of: Contracts sometimes confuse or intimidate me, but other times I’m comfortable 28% Not very: Unless it’s a simple contract, I prefer to leave contracting to the experts 14% Not at all: I want nothing to do with contracting in any situation 4% Practicing Law without a License? Slightly over half of you are very or extremely comfortable with understanding and executing contracts. That’s a great skill to have given how prevalent they are in everyday business. If you’re in the minority who aren’t as familiar or comfortable with contracts, that’s fine too as long as you’re represented by competent counsel. In any case, it’s a good skill to have because the better you understand contracts, the more effectively you can point out any “business” issues to your attorneys (who mostly read contracts for their legal implications and not necessarily the business implications). Even if you’re not the one signing the contract, knowing what’s in there can help you identify and mitigate business risks and prevent your organization from entering a bad deal. Stop being intimidated. Read the contract. Get familiar with their structure and terminology. Your understanding of contracts will be an asset to your organization. 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 […]

How would you characterize your organization’s attitude toward customer service?

January 14, 2021 /0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Customer Service, Leadership, Poll /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: How would you characterize your organization’s attitude toward customer service? We go out of our way to exceed expectations 61% We do our best to meet expectations 32% We try to meet expectations but don’t worry too much if we don’t 6% We do the bare minimum to get by 1% Is meeting expectations good enough? IN a hyper-competitive world, a clear majority of you are going out of your way to exceed your customers’ expectations. It doesn’t take much and it goes a long way. For those of you satisfied with meeting customer expectations, recognize that your competitors are trying to push beyond those expectations. Fall short enough times and you’ll find those customers are no longer yours. We all know it’s less expensive to keep an existing customer than it is to acquire a new one. If you’re one of those “meeting expectations” firms (or even the ones who don’t really care too much about meeting expectations) just recognize your marketing team will be very busy and very expensive but your finance team might not have a lot of work to do when it comes time to count your profits. Ignore customer service at your own risk! 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 generous of a person would you say you are?

January 7, 2021 /0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: How generous of a person would you say you are? Extremely: I give freely and often sometimes until it hurts 13% Very: I regularly give what I can to others 41% Kind of: I’ll give to people and causes I’m passionate about 35% Not very: I’ll occasionally do generous things but not often 9% Not at all: I rarely give to others unless I’m encouraged to 3% Others before self? Generosity has many benefits beyond the actual act itself. Giving can foster connections, understanding, empathy and community. The item or action given doesn’t have to be large to be meaningful. During especially challenging times, generosity can turn someone’s entire day, week or month around. Don’t give until it hurts. Hurt shouldn’t be part of the equation. But do consider giving for the sake of giving. Occasionally, others will hear of your generosity and hopefully be inspired to be generous, as well. We’re all weathering the same storm — consider how you might make someone else’s experience a bit more pleasant or bearable. 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!

Which of the following statements best reflects your situation related to getting promoted?

December 31, 2020 /0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Poll /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: Which of the following statements best reflects your situation related to getting promoted? I was promoted within the last 3 months: 12% I expect to get promoted within the next 3-6 months: 11% I expect to get promoted in the next 6-12 months: 14% I’m more than 12 months from being promoted: 63% Getting close? Looks like a lot of you (25%) see yourselves in line for a promotion within the next 12 months. The question is, what are you doing to secure that jump? If you’re not already acting “as if” you’re in that role, consider doing so. Many times it’s not about “can they perform at that level?” but instead the conversation is, “Are they already performing at that level?” When there’s uncertainty in the market, organizations tend to assume less risk which puts your promotion in question. Start acting as if you have the role in terms of the size of your contributions and your acceptance of responsibility. For the 63% who see it more than 12 months away, what can you commit to in the next year to get yourself ready for the next role and get yourself the visibility you need for your leaders to see yourself as ready? Build a plan now. Execute it in the coming year. Without action, it’s simply wishful thinking. 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!

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