Guest Blogger – Page 52 – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

You’re a Bad Teacher Because You’re Too Smart

October 6, 2010/6 Comments/in Guest Blogger, Leadership, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s guest post is by Michelle Braden, CEO of MSBCoach. She’s running the Authentic Leadership Summit (you can read details at the end of the post). Join me in welcoming her to the blog.

I was recently reading the book, “Brain Rules” by John Medina. In the book, Medina teaches us that in order for learning to take place we have to connect with those we teach. He gives several examples of how to do this, but one in particular stood out to me. This example is that we have a tendency to forget that the information we are sharing is NEW to those we are teaching.

This hit me like a brick when I began to realize as leaders, mentors, and teachers we take for granted the information we have accumulated and how long it took us to master it. I first reflected on this insight within myself. I realized that I often move very quickly when teaching and coaching new concepts to those I am working with. I have a tendency to just assume they “have it” and are ready to move on; often I do not want to “bore” them (or myself).

According to Medina our brains:
– can only process 10 minutes of information at a time and
– can only focus on one thing at a time.

He also provides proof that our brains
– do not pay attention to things we are not interested in
– are inspired by emotional arousal and it helps the brain to learn.

This book enhanced and brought validation to concerns I already had. I began developing ways that I can more consciously connect with my audience – even if it is an audience of one. I also began to think about the executives I work with and how frustrated they get when people do not “get it” like they do, do not “get it” quick enough, or make mistakes.

Here are some of the tools that I use to connect with my audience. I encourage other executives I work with to do the same. Hopefully they will help you too.

8 Critical Steps to Getting Your Talent Management Strategy Right

September 29, 2010/4 Comments/in Guest Blogger, Strategy, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s guest blogger is Heather McCulligh talking about talent management strategy. It’s a great complement to this three-part article we’ve written before on the subject of why HR strategy fails (check them out too). Here’s Heather:

Great companies have a well-articulated strategy that guides their business decisions. But many of them fail to then take that strategy and translate it into a talent management strategy. Yet the successful execution of a strategic talent management plan can determine your company’s ability to succeed.

Let me explain how…

Why is it important?

More and more research is showing the strong link between mature, integrated talent management processes and financial results. The Hackett Group recently found that companies with more mature talent management capabilities have on average18% higher earnings, 54% greater net profit margins, and greater return on equity and assets than their counterparts without mature capabilities.

The Aberdeen Group’s latest research finds that companies who integrate their talent management processes see significantly greater performance gains, and can measure a correlation between their talent management efforts and business operational results. IBM, HCI, IDC and others have shared similar findings.

Truly successful companies are realizing that the only sustainable competitive advantage they have is their people. It’s clear that to achieve your goals, you need to effectively manage your workforce.

Now let’s stop for a minute and look at what I mean by a talent management strategy.

Five Steps to Entrepreneurial Success on the Web

September 15, 2010/0 Comments/in Entrepreneur, Guest Blogger, Social Media /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s guest post comes from across the Atlantic. Straight from Denmark I’m delighted to bring you Steffen Hedebrandt, COO of VintageandRare.com.

Do you know the recipe for transforming your passion into a global business?

Here’s a real life start-up story where someone did exactly that.

As newly appointed Chief of Operations at VintageandRare.com (a company focused on vintage and rare musical instruments) I have learned a lifetime of entrepreneurial lessons within a very short period. I have identified five crucial elements that when combined can transform a seed of passion into a growing and sustainable global business.

These five elements are: passion, persistence, people, SEO, and social media.

Passion

My partner Nicolai Schneekloth, the CEO and Founder of VintageandRare.com is a lifelong guitar player, collector and aficionado. He has always been completely captivated by guitars. Their sounds, details and uniqueness fostered and reinforced this enthusiasm which grew into a lifelong passion. This passion impelled him to perform as a solo artist, to become a band member of a national hit band, and a singer-songwriter expressing the grief of the loss of his mother through music.

Today, the same passion has driven him to become the CEO and Founder of long tail company at the tipping point of its full potential. His passion has taken the business there.

What in your life is so captivating that you cannot resist the temptation of getting engaged? What makes you feel energized and stimulated? What makes you get out of bed every day? That is your passion.

Valet Park, Self Park or South Park – What’s Your Brand?

September 9, 2010/1 Comment/in Communications, Customer Service, Guest Blogger, Sales /by Mike Figliuolo

I’m again happy to bring you AmyK Hutchens as today’s guest blogger (last time she was here she talked about reducing stress). No, that’s not her to the left. That’s Kenny from South Park. Here she is:

Stephen J. Cloobeck, Chairman and CEO of Diamond Resorts International, a company with 150+ branded and affiliated resorts in 26 countries, shared that if you want “to bring value to a busted brand, you start with the details.” For Cloobeck, this means a direct access email address available to every customer and a winning smile with the word “yes” at the tip of his tongue. With these details, and a few others, Cloobeck has built one of the largest vacation ownership companies in the world in an era when the words “time share” can leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

Brand Overhaul

How did Cloobeck sustain success despite turbulent times? He started with a brand overhaul, beginning with the classic time share sales pitch. “It was too aggressive,” stated Cloobeck. “We needed to soften the customer experience. We had to bring the value back to a busted brand.” So they shifted the pitch to a connect, and Cloobeck went straight to the consumer’s children to start. When he heard they had a menu kids refused, they added mac n cheese and other child-friendly foods. When he heard the kids were bored, he changed “baby-sitting” hours to outdoor adventure sessions and opportunities for physical and mental activities, and… he added an adult beverage to the “meet & greet” for parents, so they too could have a little more fun. Diamond’s new mantra? We’re listening!

You too can stimulate and reinvent your brand. How do you know if your brand is successful? It creates and retains customers. Successful branding is actually that simple. Ask yourself two questions: What are you promising? How can you best deliver that promise?

4 Keys to Short-Circuiting Stress – Guest Blogger

April 28, 2010/1 Comment/in Balanced Lifestyle, Guest Blogger /by Mike Figliuolo

Today I’d like to welcome AmyK Hutchens as our guest blogger. I figured anyone who had tips on dealing with stress would be helpful to you folks in today’s business world. This post is a great complement to the Building Resilience post Belinda Gore wrote here previously. Everyone please welcome AmyK.

For every six minutes you experience a high state of negative stress it takes your immune system six hours to recover. That doesn’t stress you out, does it?

Experiencing a rotten, lousy, no good, stressful day creates a chronic cycle that wears your immune system down, leaving you exhausted, sick and feeling even more stressed. The goal, however, isn’t to get rid of stress… our brains are hard-wired for it, and we actually need some stress (called eustress) in order to function. The goal is to short-circuit the negative cycle.

Stress has been around since the first human tried to light a fire and failed, only to have his girlfriend show him how it’s done. Telling your brain that “not having enough time in the day” does not equate to “being eaten by a saber-tooth tiger” doesn’t work. Attempting to convince your brain that the wooly mammoth in front of you is really just your boss or your mother-in-law is next to impossible. Your brain doesn’t distinguish the difference between the two. You’ve got better odds teaching your brain that the saber-tooth tiger is actually a house cat and that your mother-in-law really doesn’t care that you can’t cook.

Seems simple. It is simple, it’s just not easy, especially when your mother-in-law sighs every time you look at your cookbook.

Entrepreneurs Need to Bootstrap to WIN

February 9, 2010/2 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Entrepreneur, Guest Blogger, Innovation, Strategy /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s guest post is by Brian Link who is a partner of mine in weBuild, thoughtLEADERS, and TiXiT among the many other things he does (yes, both of us have many entrepreneurial interests). This perspective on bootstrapping a new venture is so spot-on it almost hurts. This article is prompted by today’s launch of TiXiT where Brian is the CTO and I’m CEO. Enough context. Here’s Brian:

I’ve seen my share of Internet startups and each entrepreneur, if you asked them, would tell you that getting started is the hardest part. Many people think they have a great idea. Some have even have written it down and dreamed of turning it into something big. But taking those first few steps of talking to other people, committing your own money, finding a team to help build it and figuring out how to tell the world about it is where you need great strategy (and some luck).

One strategy, if you’re lucky enough, is to borrow a million bucks from your rich uncle. You might also find an angel investor or venture capitalist and beat the one in a million odds and get funded before you have a product or revenue. The much more likely scenario and the smartest strategy is much more difficult, if you can pull it off. It’s called bootstrapping.

The term comes from a saying that started in the 1800s: “to pull yourself up by your bootstraps” which implies an impossible task. As a metaphor, it means to better oneself by one’s own unaided efforts. And today it often refers to starting a business that is self-sustaining and created with little or no external help. While bootstrapping is incredibly hard, there are huge rewards.

Bootstrapping is hard. You need to stick your neck out; quit your job; have some money to spend; have a great network to lean on; and have a lot of confidence and guts. It’s certainly not for everyone. But for the brave who have a great idea, the reward can be huge. The best practices for bootstrapping can fill volumes of books, but here’s a quick summary of some ideas and strategies:

Making Your But More Powerful

February 3, 2010/3 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Guest Blogger, Sales /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s guest blogger is Brian Ahearn who has written here before. Once again, we’re talking about buts. Sorry – I couldn’t resist acting like a third grader there. Take it away Brian before this goes further downhill…

A few weeks ago I read Mike’s article Managerial Miscues: The But(t) Sandwich (Reprise) and told him I really liked it but…

The article addressed how people often blow it when it comes to bringing about behavioral changes because all too often they want to appear nice so they say something nice then finish with “but…” and take the other person to the proverbial woodshed. Not effective management.

I teach classes on ethical influence and persuasion and one of the things I talk about with people is the power of transitional words like “but” and “however.” We focus on how to strategically use those words to make the most effective presentation because small changes can make a big impact!

Here’s the basic teaching point for you to remember when it comes to transitional words – people forget what comes before “but” and focus on what comes after. For example, has anyone ever said this to you, “Honey, I love you but…”? Odds are, all you remembered was the hammer falling after hearing the word “but.”

So how can you use your but better?

Lessons from Leonidas the Spartan King: Why Shrinking Your Business is Smart

November 4, 2009/2 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Entrepreneur, Guest Blogger, Social Media, Strategy /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s guest post is written by Brian Ahearn (no, that’s not his picture at left). Brian’s one of the most knowledgeable guys I know on the subject of influencing people (which is why he’s been a guest here before). Enjoy!

I conducted a workshop recently called Principles of Persuasion. During a break, one of the students said she’d had a conversation with her five-year-old son and expressed parental surprise over something he said. She told him she was going to a meeting about leadership at work. He told her they had talked about leadership at school and he knew what a leader was. He said leaders were people who had followers. Simple and to the point, his definition was right on. Out of the mouth of babes!

Let’s look at this leader/follower idea as it applies to the online world. If you’re on Twitter then you follow people and people follow you. In a sense, for those who follow you, you’re a leader. You might be a leader by virtue of your expertise in an area or simply because people find you interesting. But, by definition of our young friend, people have chosen to follow you and therefore you’re a leader.

4 Ways NOT to Run an Internship Program

October 28, 2009/2 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Guest Blogger, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

An internship program can be great for your company, but don’t do it simply because everyone else is. Just like Mom used to ask, “If everyone jumped off a cliff, would you?” Make sure you can provide a mutually beneficial opportunity, and make sure you’re thinking from both perspectives – the employer and the intern – when you’re developing your program.

One of my favorite references of real-life internship nightmares (and how to prevent them) is Krista Reaves’ “Do Interns Take Lunch Breaks, Too?” It’s a pretty candid look at shocking internship debacles, including some of these common mistakes:

5 Reasons No One Reads Anything You Write

October 21, 2009/4 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Guest Blogger /by Mike Figliuolo

Please give a warm welcome to our guest blogger Chandra Clarke who is the founder and president of Scribendi.com.

It’s cool to complain about “information overload.” It’s less cool to realize you’re a big part of the problem.

Yes, you.

When we think about information overload, we tend to think about web sites, RSS feeds, videos, and podcasts – things other people produce. But you know what? You produce information too. Tons of it. Go have a quick look at your outbox. How many e-mails, memos, manuals, and reports have you sent out today?

Know what else? Nobody is reading it. Here’s why:

An Influence Shortcut: “What do you have to believe?”

October 12, 2009/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Guest Blogger, Sales /by Mike Figliuolo

I was recently invited by Brian Ahearn to write a guest post on his blog Influence PEOPLE. Brian recently wrote a great post here on the thoughtLEADERS blog and I’m happy to reciprocate and give his readers something to read over at his place.

The gist of the post is this: you spend a ton of time and energy doing completely wasteful work and analysis. You do so in an attempt to influence people to make a decision based on your recommendation. The problem is, you can get to that answer much more quickly and efficiently (thereby saving yourself tons of time and effort).

What’s the magic pill, you ask? It revolves around asking a simple question: What do you have to believe? (This is similar to the technique we described in a post on “Getting to YES.”)

Pop on over to Influence PEOPLE to learn more about this time-saving technique. While you’re there, be sure to spin through Brian’s posts as well – there’s some great content and ideas there.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

Are You “An” Authority or “In” Authority? A Critical Differentiator in Persuasiveness

August 20, 2009/3 Comments/in Career, Communications, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

It’s my pleasure to bring Brian Ahearn, a colleague and friend of mine, to you today as a guest blogger. I hope you enjoy his perspectives. – Mike

“An” authority vs “In” authority – it seems like a small distinction, a single vowel in front of the letter “n,” but it’s actually much more than that.

My guess is every one of you has worked for someone you thought was not qualified to be the boss. Some of you might even say that person was an idiot. Let’s face it, life isn’t fair and victory doesn’t always go to those who deserve it. Neither do raises or promotions. As a result we see people in positions of authority who ought not to be there. Sometimes they’re decent people but just not the most competent for the job. Regardless, they’re in authority over you and it’s usually not the best situation.

Now think back to other people who’ve impacted your life not because they were in a position of authority but rather because you viewed them as an authority. Who would you rather follow? The betting man in me believes you’d rather follow someone you view as an authority.

The difference is positional vs. personal, and that’s a huge difference. If you have authority because of position and nothing else, don’t expect people to follow you if you lose the title. However, if you are viewed as an authority because of who you are, that follows you everywhere. Having a position can enhance your results but results are not necessarily dependent on the position.

Who were authorities by virtue of who they were? How about Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa, to name just a few? None of them held office or had titles that made people follow them and yet the masses chose to follow.

It’s not likely you or I are the next Gandhi or Martin Luther King but we can impact our part of the world apart from having a certain position or title. Here are a few things I encourage you to focus on:

Hanging light bulbs with glowing one isolated on dark blue background

Executive Communications

Structured Problem Solving

Creating Leadership Maxims

Leading inside the Box

Deliberate Decision Making

Simple Strategic Planning

Storytelling for Leaders

Storytelling for Sales

Executive Presence

Principles of Chart Design

Time Management Mastery

Breakthrough Innovation

Leadership Resilience

Conflict Resolution

Leading through Change

Project Management Reality

Coaching for Impact

High Performing Teams

Everything is Negotiable

Leading with Influence

Building Personal Resilience

thoughtLEADERSHIP

Engagement Management

eLearning Courses on TITAN

Structured Thought: Problem Solving

Structured Thought: Problem Solving

Clearly define a problem, scope all issues related to the problem, generate potential solutions, then analyze and select the best solution by using time-tested critical thinking methods and tools.

Our Course Offerings

Leadership Skills

Communication Skills

Individual Skills