Business Toolkit – Page 60 – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

Defining the Factors of Resiliency

April 22, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Maureen Metcalf, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss her thoughts on resilient leadership.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, Maureen talks about developing and being a resilient leader in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

Maureen defines resiliency, and resilient leadership, in the modern era, why it’s important when leading a team and differentiates resiliency from adaptability.

Jim and Jan ask a few questions about the different “area” or “phases” of resiliency and the importance of balancing everything out and Maureen explains how your mindset and thought process directly effects the rest of your body, your work, and a slew of other aspects of life.

Stay tuned for more of these brief Chalk Talks featuring Maureen, as well as many more members of the thoughtLEADERS team.

How prepared is your organization for a sudden crisis?

April 16, 2020/1 Comment/in Business Toolkit, Career, Communications, Leadership, Poll, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: How prepared is your organization for a sudden crisis?

Extremely: 10.01%
Very: 27.81%
Somewhat: 36.82%
Not very: 17.56%
Not at all: 7.80%

Crisis management identifies opportunities. It would have been interesting to take this poll a few months ago and see what the responses were. My guess is the “Extremely” and “Very” categories would have scored much higher. We tend to overestimate our capabilities and underestimate the impact of a crisis. The best thing you can do during a crisis, other than dealing with it, is identify where your organization is falling short and fill those gaps either during the crisis or after it passes. The weaknesses exposed in the midst of the chaos are ways you can harden your business and get it ready for the next inevitable, unforeseen challenge. Start gathering lessons learned as soon as the crisis hits and allocate resources immediately to fix those issues. You’ll be glad you did when the next crisis hits.

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!

Breaking Down Authenticity

April 15, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Rob Salafia, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss his thoughts on authenticity.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, Rob gives his insights and thoughts on authenticity in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

Authenticity is a commonly used word in the leadership realm, so Rob breaks down the textbook definition about authenticity and how to use that to your advantage with the different needs of a team and being a leader.

Rob further breaks down why exactly people struggle with just being themselves, especially in a work environment, and how it’s tied to being your “best” self, or the best version of you when at work.

Stay tuned for more of these brief Chalk Talks featuring Rob, as well as many more members of the thoughtLEADERS team.

Which of the following skills is your team most in need of improving?

April 9, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Communications, Leadership, Poll, Project Management /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: Which of the following skills is your team most in need of improving?

Communications: 34.7%
Decision-making: 9.0%
Problem-solving: 9.7%
People leadership: 13.0%
Strategic thinking: 19.3%
Time management: 14.3%

It’s all about the communication. A significant portion of you listed communication as the most critical skill gap on your team. That makes sense. Many other skills like leadership, decision-making and problem-solving require strong communication skills at their foundation. Even skills like time management have roots in communication — how can you delegate or push back on requests if you can’t communicate clearly? Given this demand for communication skills, the question is: What are you doing about building your team’s capabilities in this arena? The ability to get recommendations approved and convey thoughts in a clear and compelling way is something that can be learned. Are you investing in building your team’s skills? Given the current environment, it seems there’s no better time than the present to start working on it.

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 you get stressed out, how do you deal with it?

April 2, 2020/0 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: When you get stressed out, how do you deal with it?

I go exercise. 24.38%
I take time off from work. 5.48%
I throw myself into my work and push through it. 28.86%
I meditate. 13.31%
I do something else.24.12%
I never get stressed out. 3.85%

Find a productive outlet. While many of you have productive places to release stress (exercise, meditation, time off or some other activity), an alarming portion of you (29%) simply push through the stress. This can work in the short term, but over time, the cumulative effects of this stress can be tremendous. Whether it’s health issues, relationship challenges, decreased performance, irritability or some other damaging effect, your desire to “push through” can have catastrophic effects. Find an outlet for your stress. Channel it into something productive (outside of doing more work). Your health, your family and your team will appreciate your new habits and you’ll perform better, be happier and be healthier in 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!

How would you describe the “back office” functions at your company (finance, procurement, legal, HR, etc.)?

March 26, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll, Project Management /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: How would you describe the “back office” functions at your company (finance, procurement, legal, HR, etc.)?

They occasionally add value and respond in a reasonable time. 29.78%
They add value in every interaction and are highly responsive. 25.56%
They are extremely frustrating and overly bureaucratic. 19.38%
They rarely add value and tend to slow things down. 17.98%
They make my life a nightmare, and I can’t get anything done. 7.3%

Improving the back office. Eighty percent of you report your back office functions like procurement, finance, legal and HR only occasionally add value (30%) or even worse, rarely add value or make your life extremely difficult (55%). That’s alarming. But blame resides in two places. One place is with the back office. If you’re in one of these functions, remember these other groups are your customers. While policy and procedure has a place, responsiveness to their needs helps business performance. If you’re more interested in process and bureaucracy than you are in getting things done, it’s time to rethink your priorities. The other half of the blame is with those who consume back office services. Going to them with short timelines, ill-formed requests and excessive requests for exemptions doesn’t make their lives easier. You need to plan your requests better. Give them time to respond (they have a lot of customers!). Respect their rules and processes. The answer lies somewhere in the middle here (and 26% of you have found that sweet spot). It’s a partnership — treat it as such.

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!

New Ideas of Executive Presence

March 25, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Rob Salafia, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss his personal philosophy on executive presence.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, Rob explains his personal thoughts on executive presence in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

Rob dives into his explanation about what executive presence is, further explaining that it comes down to layers of experience, not your personal experience, but rather how others experience you or your impact on others.

The group then discusses whether there are ways to assess progress in development of your executive presence and Rob dives into his personal philosophy on executive presence and how he utilizes different factors to define and frame out the different components of executive presence so people can build upon them and improve.

Stay tuned for more of these brief Chalk Talks featuring Rob, as well as many more members of the thoughtLEADERS team.

Structured Thought Problem Solving, The Nitty Gritty

March 11, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Mike Lynn, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss structured thought problem solving, on a micro level.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, Mike goes into his explanation on structured thought problem solving, on a micro level, in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

Mike explains the difference between structured thought problem solving at a macro level compared to micro level, and utilizing this practice to save time and be more efficient.

Jim and Jan ask Mike to delve further into identifying the need for this type of practice and how to notice in yourself whether you are “good” or “bad” at problem solving, plus how do “facts” fit into it all.

Stay tuned for more of these brief Chalk Talks featuring Mike, as well as many more members of the thoughtLEADERS team.

Structured Thought Problem Solving

February 26, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Mike Lynn, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss structured thought problem solving, on a macro level.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, Mike goes into his explanation on structured thought problem solving in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

Mike breaks down exactly what structured thought problem solving is exactly, and what it means for organizations and the impact it can have.

The group furthers the discussion about where the gap lies with current leadership and organizations, and how this structured thought problem solving is directly correlated to a businesses proclivity for risk. And Mike explains how this idea is both a methodology and a mindset necessary for organization growth.

Stay tuned for more of these brief Chalk Talks featuring Mike, as well as many more members of the thoughtLEADERS team.

Breaking Down Structured Thought and Communication

February 19, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Victor Prince, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss structured thought and communication.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, Victor dives into his explanation on structured thought and communication in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

Victor utilizes a few real-world examples to better define structured thought and communication, or rather to point out situations where we can identify a lack thereof.

Jim and Jan ask a few key questions, particularly around why clear communication and structure is so difficult and Victor explains the need most of us feel to really showcase our hard work and the time we’ve spent doing something, instead of focusing on the clear outcome and what we are really looking to communicate.

Stay tuned for more of these brief Chalk Talks featuring Victor, as well as many more members of the thoughtLEADERS team.

Leading Inside The Box

February 12, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Victor Prince, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss leading inside the box.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, Victor explains what exactly it means to lead inside the box in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

Jim and Jan kick things off asking Victor to explain what it means to lead inside the box, to which Victor explains the need for leaders to adjust and shift their leadership style and format to address the needs of the individuals on the team they are working; that leadership cannot be a one-size-fits-all.

Victor goes further to discuss that the “box” analogy is not meant as a limiting factor, but rather, the boxes are positions that everyone finds themselves in over the course of time and how each of those stages/positions requires something different from the leader involved.

Stay tuned for more of these brief Chalk Talks featuring Victor, as well as many more members of the thoughtLEADERS team.

Knowing When You’re In the Middle of Negotiation

February 5, 2020/2 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

John Fisher, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss identifying when you are in the midst of a negotiation.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, John is back discussing how to know when you are in the middle of a negotiation in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

John begins by pointing out a very important piece of negotiation, which is to say, that it starts well before any of us would normally identify being in the “middle” of negotiation, but that it truly starts the minute you introduce yourself. Teams will begin asking small but knowledgable questions to try and understand your level of interest, what exactly your interested in, how much money you have, etc.

Jim and Jan further ask John to dive into the importance of understanding negotiation in relation to being a leader and working with/on a team.

Stay tuned for more of these brief Chalk Talks featuring John, as well as many more members of the thoughtLEADERS team.