Business Toolkit – Page 78 – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

Building a Personal Board of Directors

April 27, 2009/6 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Business Toolkit, Career, Entrepreneur, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Whether you’re in big business or an entrepreneur, you need advice from time to time. External perspectives can be incredibly valuable. They’ll round out your thinking, help you work through complex problems, and identify new opportunities for growth.

Unfortunately many of us don’t have a formalized group of advisors – we simply pick up the phone or stroll by the office of anyone who will listen. That construct is only partially effective. The advisor may not have time to chat. They might be unfamiliar with the issue you’re dealing with. They might not even care to help but you’ve imprisoned them for 30 minutes with your plaintive “can you please help me?” request. The result? You get suboptimal and, sometimes, even bad advice.

There’s a better way. You should create your own personal board of directors.

In the corporate world, a board of directors is composed of ostensibly wise outside senior advisors to the leadership team. Their job is to help set direction, solve complex problems, and hold the business accountable against a variety of standards. Their role is formalized (meet once a quarter, they’re compensated, they have employment agreements, etc.). There are expectations placed on these individuals both by those within the company and those outside it (shareholders, regulators, etc.).

Fortunately for you, setting up your own board of directors should be less cumbersome. No employment agreements. No shareholders. But you still need to set standards. Here’s how I use mine:

As the Chili Peppers Say – Give It Away Now!

April 20, 2009/15 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Entrepreneur, Sales, Strategy /by Mike Figliuolo

I love the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Great tunes especially at 3AM on a Friday night. They’ve also got an incredibly relevant message for how you can grow your business: Give it away, give it away, give it away now! (I’ll spare you the repeats).

Want to grow your business? Give it away.

No. I haven’t fallen and hit my head again. I routinely give away our stuff. Our services. Our content (ummm… yeah, you’re reading a FREE blog full of our intellectual property and the only price I ask is comments and telling your friends – you are telling your friends, right?). But I give it away deliberately and with purpose.

Have you ever been in that “free seminar” that was nothing more than a disguised sales pitch? Infuriating, huh? Did you buy the speaker’s stuff? Didn’t it grate on you when they’d say “so those are the first two steps in our secret ten step process. Buy the other eight steps for just $999.99!”

Those folks aren’t successful long term. They need to learn how to give it away. So do you. Allow me to explain.

Train Them Now or Lose Them Later

April 6, 2009/4 Comments/in About Us, Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Training, Upcoming Events /by Mike Figliuolo

A friend of mine was lamenting the current economic environment. He bemoaned budget cuts at his company and the lack of opportunities for professional development. He also said something truly alarming:

“Our management team is so focused on just making the numbers that they’re not investing in developing their people.” (Incidentally, I think making the numbers can be stupid). He added “But it’s really not a huge deal because in this economy, no one is going to quit over lack of training or development, y’know?”

After I reattached my head to my body, I thought about this painful comment. I think we might have actually reached the point of myopic leadership destruction where leaders get so focused on the short term that they forget the future. They become so narrow in their view they miss the point that their people will have choices before them after this crisis. Sure you can skimp on your people today and they’ll sit there and take it. But as soon as the economy turns, they’ll be bugging out on you and heading to a better job faster than you can say “leadership FAIL.”

So all this got me thinking. Tight budgets. Lack of training dollars. Yearning for professional development. As I noodled on these ideas, I fortuitously had a great conversation with Jack Windsor and genius struck. He handed me a solution to these problems on a silver platter. I would love to hear what you think about this…

Interview Landmine: Don’t Worry – We’re Off The Record

March 23, 2009/9 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career /by Mike Figliuolo

Here’s a fun little interview landmine I’ve seen many people step on. In the process, they’ve blown the legs off the rest of their interview and after the fact they sit there scratching their head as to why they didn’t get a job offer. Hopefully this gentle warning can save you from a similar job search fate.

I’ve mentioned some resume myths that are out there. Let’s assume you debunk those and actually land the interview. Here’s the next place you can blow your chance for a new job.

I was interviewing for a fantastic role. The meeting in the reception area went swimmingly (pro tip: always be nice to the receptionist manning the lobby. More on that later). The receptionist and I had a very pleasant conversation about how wonderful the employer’s city was and how surprised I was by everything in the downtown area.

My first interviewer arrived to bring me back for my day of meetings. The first four sessions of the day went very well. I liked the interviewers and they seemed to like me. The conversations were interesting, pleasant, and stimulating.

It was time for lunch. Another associate from the company met me in the lobby and we headed to the restaurant. After some idle chit chat, we placed our orders. Then he threw out the landmine to see if I’d step on it.

Project Manager Doesn’t Mean Status Monkey

March 18, 2009/5 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Leadership, Project Management /by Mike Figliuolo

Being a Project Manager is a little more involved than creating a project plan and asking for status. You have to understand your project and all its working pieces. I see a lot of project managers whose eyes glaze over when one of their team members explains their issues.

Stop daydreaming about getting back in your MS Project plan and updating your tasks and LISTEN!

In a conversation, when you are not talking, you should be listening. You shouldn’t be thinking about the next thing to say or going to your happy place. You have two ears and one mouth for a reason.

If the only time you talk to your team is when you’re asking for status, they will treat you like you treated your younger brother in high school. They will talk to you enough to shut you up and that is all. They won’t talk about how things are going, what’s keeping them up at night, or risks that may rear their head in six months.

Get Jacked Up on Caribou! 3 Key Networking Tactics

March 2, 2009/11 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Communications, Social Media /by Mike Figliuolo

If you’ve read this blog for more than a week, you’ve probably figured out I’m usually jacked up and hyper-caffeinated. As Texas Ranger says in Talladega Nights “I’m all jacked up on Mountain Dew!” While it makes me more productive, it’s also a key to networking success. In my case it’s not Mountain Dew though – it’s coffee so I guess I’d have to say “I’m all jacked up on Caribou!”

People sometimes overcomplicate networking or view it as something mysterious. It’s not. The best kind of networking is simple and personal. I won’t go into the value of networking (aside from pointing out the best business and career opportunities come from having a strong network). Instead, I’m going to elaborate on three simple networking tactics that can help you advance your business or career agenda.

These ideas aren’t new. They’re not revolutionary. I’m going to ask you one question though: when is the last time you did these things? If the answer is “it’s been a while” then get cracking.

Take A Dollar Today, Lose Ten Tomorrow – Negotiating 101

February 16, 2009/4 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Strategy /by Mike Figliuolo

I read a great article in Fortune a while back. Joanna Shields of Bebo.com quoted her dad: “Your career is long and the business world is small. Always act with integrity. Never take the last dollar off the table.”

Fantastic advice. Unfortunately many of us never heed it. We get wrapped up in near term numbers, performance bonuses, and, yeah, I’m gonna say it, greed. In economic times like the present, these pressures are amplified.

Many folks look at business as a competition. In many cases it is (duh, hence the term “competitors”). Sadly we sometimes extend the definition of competitor to include anyone sitting across the table from us. Quite often, that person across the table is supposed to be our partner but we engage in completely dysfunctional competitive or territorial behaviors. Then bad things happen. What kinds of bad things? You know I’m going to tell you.

Shields’ father continues: “You can always do a slightly better deal, but that incremental dollar or windfall is not worth creating an imbalance that affects the relationship. You have to have the intuition to know when to say, ‘I’m going to make sure that we walk away feeling like we’ve both done well.'”

“Expert?” Um, I Don’t Think So…

February 2, 2009/21 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Customer Service, Leadership, Social Media /by Mike Figliuolo

Warning: this post is a bit of a rant (but does have a story and some practical advice). Does it seem like every day there’s a new pile of “experts” cropping up on every subject imaginable? Social media expert. Blogging expert. Communications expert. Strategy expert. Wingdings font expert. It’s enough to make me gag. Sorry but having a bunch of twitter followers or being at the top of the twitter elite for a podunk little town doesn’t make you a “social media expert.”

Even worse than the seemingly-viral proliferation of these “experts” are the egregious rates they expect for their services. Just because you call yourself an “expert” it doesn’t mean you’re entitled to the fee levels “real experts” charge (then again, if you’re the individual hiring an “expert” and paying them ridiculous fees, I can’t save you from your own insipidness).

Lastly, the worst aspect of these “experts” is the damage they can do to your organization. In some cases I’d love to sue some of these folks for malpractice of the trade they proclaim they’re an expert in.

So how can you as a leader of your organization protect yourself from the damage false experts can cause and how can you find the real experts among that mess? How can you ensure the expert isn’t like the false tailor and you end up like an emperor with no clothes?

It all boils down to asking the right questions.

Happy Bloggiversary! A Leadership Principles Blast from the Past

January 12, 2009/1 Comment/in About Us, Business Toolkit, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Happy Bloggiversary! A year. Wow. This blog has been around for a year now (and I’m sure some of you will go check the original post dates and say “it started in OCT 07” but I backdated some of the original posts…). It’s been a wonderful learning experience and I’ve met a ton of wonderful people (YOU!) along the way.

In honor of the bloggiversary, I’m thrilled to bring you the first series of posts I wrote here on a set of leadership principles you can use in your day to day job. If you’ve already read them (the original set, not the set we covered starting this past October), read them again – they never get old.

I’d also like to ask your help. If you’ve enjoyed this blog over the past year, I’m thrilled. In return for the tips, smiles, and perspectives we’ve provided you, I’d like to ask a simple favor. Our biggest challenge is attracting new readers (they tend to retain extremely well once they get here). I’d ask that each of you let a few of your friends or colleagues know about us and invite them to join our ranks of readers (almost 400 subscribers now). I’m not asking a lot – I’m simply asking you to spread the word. I thank you in advance for your help on this. We’ve typed over 100 posts for your enjoyment – we’re asking you to type a few emails to return the favor (I’m good at the guilt thing – I was raised in an Italian Catholic household).

Now to the good stuff. Straight from the archives, here are the original leadership principles we published here.

Leadership Lessons from West Point

October 13, 2008/3 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

It’s no secret. I’m getting old(er). Every month there’s another gray hair in the goatee. Every year there are a couple of extra pounds. Nothing makes that fact hit home more than a class reunion.

I spent the last few days back at alma mater dear, The United States Military Academy at West Point. As cadets, we had a few well-founded perspectives on West Point. It’s the most beautiful place you’ll ever hate. It’s a good place to be… from. The best view of West Point is in your rear-view mirror.

Fifteen years after throwing my hat in the air and receiving my diploma, I’ve had the benefit of time to reflect on my experiences at my rockbound highland home. As I’ve grown wiser (and older and fatter and grayer) I’ve come to appreciate the timeless nature of some of the things they teach there.

One of my favorites is the “official version” of the leadership principles (as opposed to my unofficial version). These eleven principles span military, business, and organizational leadership. They’re straight-forward and require little explanation. They are:

1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement
2. Be technically and tactically proficient
3. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions
4. Set the example
5. Know your people and look out for their well-being
6. Keep your people informed
7. Ensure the task is understood, supervised, and accomplished
8. Develop a sense of responsibility in your subordinates
9. Train your people as a team
10. Make sound and timely decisions
11. Employ your unit in accordance with its capabilities

Simple, right? One of my favorite books, Ed Ruggero’s The Leader’s Compass eloquently explains these concepts in the appendix (and the main part of the book is more than pretty darn good too – grab a copy).

These concepts translate across time, organizations, and beliefs. Print this out. Keep a copy handy. They’re worth knowing. I’ll use these eleven principles in future posts and relate stories around them so get to know them – they’ll be back.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

Detail Oriented Versus Control Freak – Where’s the Line?

October 6, 2008/8 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Twice in the last week I’ve heard about “idiot bosses” (all right, maybe more than twice, and if you don’t believe me check out the polls at the bottom of the page). Being the inquisitive guy I am, I probed for the root cause of such comments. Rather than simply asking what the cause is, I decided to probe the symptoms first.

“Tell me more about this idiot boss.”

“I’m so fed up with him. He’s always on top of everything I do. He nags at me. Sometimes he even goes behind my back on things that I’m responsible for. It seems like everything I do is constantly under a microscope.”

“Like how?” (I know – I sounded like a Valley Girl on that one).

“The other night I was getting ready to leave and he actually called my cell as I walked out of the building because he wanted to discuss something that happened earlier that morning. He sometimes goes to members of my team, asks them what they’re doing, and then reprioritizes their work or even gives them new projects I’m not aware of. On top of that, he doesn’t even tell me he’s done this and I find out after the fact that my team’s priorities have changed.”

“Wow. That’s pretty bad. Lemme tell you what I think you can do here.”

“Okay. Shoot.”

Project Management Without the Paperwork

September 24, 2008/6 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Project Management /by Mike Figliuolo

Often project management is criticized for adding overhead to a project (and when executed poorly, it does). Words like documentation and methodology make leadership think of productivity loss and non-value added activity. Project management is rooted in some very good principles, but much like anything else, in its extreme forms it is dangerous.

The positive principles I am speaking of are planning out your activities, providing accurate budgets, reaching your goal when you said you would, steering around roadblocks before you hit them, etc. Because of this, project management is growing in popularity every day. So why are some people opposed to it? I am going to explain why leadership doesn’t like project management and show you how to NOT live up to the stereotype.

Leadership doesn’t like project management because time spent planning or working on documentation is time not spent working on deliverables. They have trouble connecting the idea that hours of planning and pages of documentation help you achieve the goal faster and cheaper. They simply want the project done faster, cheaper, and leaner. The irony is that project management can do all of this if executed properly.