Innovation – Page 3 – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

Will you lead a revolution when you see change that needs to happen?

June 14, 2018/0 Comments/in Entrepreneur, Innovation, Leadership, Poll, Strategy /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How likely are you to lead a revolution when you see change that needs to happen?

Extremely: I’m the first one to call for big change: 18.4%
Very: I often take up new causes: 39.6%
Kind of: I’ll lead change but only if I’m really passionate about it: 39.0%
Not very: It would take a lot to get me to step forward: 2.8%
Not at all: I’ll always let others lead big change: 0.3%

Rebels with a cause. It’s encouraging to see 60% of you taking up causes you believe in. The question to ask is if your cause is having the desired effect. Does it pick up momentum and lead to real change, or does it tend to sputter out and be forgotten when you move on to the next cause? To have a real impact, nail down the core components of a revolution: find a big problem, find other people sick of the same problem, define the future state and galvanize the masses. If you’re going to take the risk of starting something, put the conditions in place to see it through.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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Do You Innovate from the Top Down or Bottom Up?

March 12, 2018/1 Comment/in Books, Communications, Guest Blogger, Innovation, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Innovation is the lifeblood of any organization but too often it stalls because leaders see change as too disruptive or they’re not fully aware of why the front line is advocating change. Change your way of looking at change if you want a more innovative organization.

Today’s post is by Jeanne Liedtka, Randy Salzman, and Daisy Azer, authors of Design Thinking for the Greater Good (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

That is a constant query when corporations, governments, non-profits – indeed all organizations – seek to innovate. Are creative new ideas imposed from on high or do they evolve from front-line staffers?

Our research for Design Thinking for the Greater Good, and past research into effective corporate innovation, indicates “all of the above” is the best answer. Our stories demonstrate that it is not an either-or proposition. Instead, leaders encourage creative thinking with top-down systems which facilitate front-line innovation. Successful, effective ideas require management which protects employees from failure fallout and need employees willing to stick their necks out.

Beginning with The Catalyst, the first innovation work by Darden Business School’s strategy professor Dr. Jeanne Liedtka, one prime key we’ve discovered is managers who “run cover” for innovators by keeping any organization’s designated doubters at bay while innovators explore, empathize, ideate, experiment and iterate. Perhaps surprisingly it is rarely upper management who stall potential innovation, more often it is mid-levels and peers who can’t find the time to study an innovative possibility. They often “back burner” change makers to distraction.

Hence, a management style providing the time and minimal resources necessary to get through the experimentation stage where some predictive data can be developed is a godsend for creative front-liners.

Too often, it seems, upper management seeks innovation but leaves a command and control structure in place which discourages innovative employees from trying new methods of problem solving. To their employees, top-down C-suite dictums then become flavors of the month to be waited out because the next flavor is seemingly days away.

“Change is painful when done to you,” as one innovator told us, “but powerful when done by you.”

How to get top down-bottom up balance is, therefore, another main question. Our design thinking work provides management suggestions – and helps lower level employees navigate their bureaucracies – but, here, let’s consider the only “failed” project of our 10 Design Thinking for the Greater Good stories.

Make Sure it’s a Problem before Solving the Problem

February 26, 2018/0 Comments/in Books, Communications, Entrepreneur, Guest Blogger, Innovation, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

It’s easy to fall into the trap of fixing a problem as soon as you see it. The issue arises when you’re solving the wrong problem. You’re much better off getting clarity on what the real problem is – if’ it’s even a problem at all! – before you rush off into problem solving.

Today’s post is by Maxine Harris, PhD. She’s the co-author of Lessons for Non-Profit and Start-Up Leaders: Tales from a Reluctant CEO (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

All organizations face problems. No matter how hard you try and how many solutions you attempt, there are always barriers to running a smooth sailing ship. One of the biggest barriers is when you find yourself trying to solve the wrong problem or in some cases a “non-problem.” So before you spend your time and commit your organization’s resources, make sure it is the right problem to solve. Sometimes, it helps to take a step back and gain a different perspective. Getting a bird’s eye view can be a wonderful tool in looking at problems, or in running a business for that matter.

Take, for example, company X, a mid-sized non-profit operating in a large urban center that experienced a high rate of staff turnover. Where the industry standard was roughly 30%, company X posted a turnover rate of almost 40% among its front line staff. Leaders postulated that this high turnover rate was responsible for low rates of productivity, inefficiencies in the human resources department, and organizational malaise. Note, there was no data to back up any of these assumptions.

Leaders struggled to solve the turnover problem, and they approached it from a variety of different angles. Perhaps they were hiring the wrong people in the first place; perhaps, salaries were too low; perhaps the organizational culture worked against staff enjoying coming to work, and perhaps employees were not provided with enough opportunities for training that might allow them to move up within the organization.

Leaders set out to solve these problems on the assumption that if they were successful, people would want to stay longer.

The first and perhaps the most obvious solution was to hire people who would fit better with the culture of the organization. Leaders instituted an interview process that involved longer and more in depth questions as well as room for unstructured conversation. Prospective employees were given a chance to see what the job was really like by giving them an opportunity to “ride along” with current employees. They also had some private time to ask those employees off the record questions in order to get the “real scoop” on working for the company.

How would you characterize your approach to growing your business?

February 8, 2018/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Entrepreneur, Innovation, Leadership, Poll, Sales, Strategy /by Mike Figliuolo

Our reader poll today asks: How would you characterize your approach to growing your business?

– I lean toward “structured” and focus on pragmatic planning and execution: 56%
– I lean toward “creative” and always generate new, interesting ideas: 44%

Balancing creativity with structure. It’s a pretty even split between structure and creativity, with the edge falling more toward structure for how to grow your business. Clearly, both sides are important. When you can find the balance between the two, you have the opportunity to build something unique, special, and fundamentally sound. Err too much toward one or the other and you either miss out on new ideas or you let your business stagnate. If you personally fall on one end of the spectrum, consider surrounding yourself with others who skew the other way so you have a good balance between creativity and structure for 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 the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

Leadership Secrets from Eminem

January 17, 2018/0 Comments/in Career, Innovation, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Love him or hate him – you have to admit Eminem is a creative and talented guy. What’s interesting is you can learn a lot about leadership just by listening to his lyrics (if you can get past the f-bombs and other assorted provocative lyrics).

Let’s look at some of Eminem’s lyrics and explore how the concepts he shares can be applied to your own personal leadership philosophy and style. For those of you who have been readers for a while, you’ll recall I did something similar a while back in my Leadership: Metallica Style post. Since that one was a hit, I figure doing something similar with Eminem lyrics can be provocative too.

I’d ask you to set aside judgment of the artist and instead open your mind to finding leadership in innovative places. You might be surprised by what you can learn if you suspend bias and look for insight. So here goes… let’s drop some bombs.

Without Me

Now this looks like a job for me

So everybody just follow me

Cuz we need a little controversy

Cuz it feels so empty without me

As a leader, when is the last time you stepped up and created some controversy? Are you someone who agitates for and leads change or are you a status quo kinda person who doesn’t want to rock the boat? Leadership is about getting out in front and showing people new ways of doing things. Sometimes doing so makes you a pariah. Sometimes you’ll fail. Sometimes you’ll have wild success. Such is the mantle of leadership.

Look for something that’s not working in your organization. Provoke change. Don’t be afraid to put forth some controversial perspectives that challenge the way things are done. Nothing changes if no one agitates for that change.

Lose Yourself Read more

Best of thoughtLEADERS 2017: Our 9th Year of Badassed Blogging

December 13, 2017/0 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Books, Business Toolkit, Career, Communications, Entrepreneur, Innovation, Leadership, Sales, Social Media, Strategy /by Mike Figliuolo

It’s time again for our annual year in review list of the BEST posts we’ve published over the last 12 months. Welcome to the 2017 edition of The Figgies (our NINTH YEAR of em! Wow!) which are the awards we give ourselves for writing awesome blog content (here are the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 editions of those awards).

This is an annual event at the thoughtLEADERS Blog. This list is comprised of our most viewed, most forwarded, quirkiest, most provocative work. Enjoy. Share. We’ve loved writing them. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading them. I don’t ask a lot of you folks so I have two small requests as your holiday gift to me (you are getting me something, right?):

1. Invite all your coworkers, friends, and family to come check out the blog and become readers. The only way we all get better is by raising everyone’s game. I’m not asking a lot here. If you found this blog helpful at all this year, here’s your chance to return the favor for all our hard work. Just email folks and tell ’em to come take a look.

2. Pick up a copy of my books. They make great holiday gifts for the professionals in your life. The titles include:

One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful Personal Leadership. In the words of Roland Smith (former CEO of Wendy’s/Arby’s) “This book could change your life.” To get a sense for what the book is about, read this free ChangeThis Leadership Manifesto which is based on the book. If you like the manifesto, you’ll love the book.

Lead Inside the Box: How Smart Leaders Guide Their Teams to Exceptional Results. “Finally, a leadership book that cuts through all of the noise. This book needs to be on every leader’s desk!” – Andrea Procaccino, Chief Learning Officer, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

The Elegant Pitch: Create a Compelling Recommendation, Build Broad Support, and Get it Approved. If you’re looking to get to “yes” for your idea, this book will give you the method for doing so in an efficient and effective way.

Thanks for your incredible support in ’17 and best wishes for ’18! We hope to be a part of your future success! Now on to the best of list!