Poll – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

What would your team members say is your greatest strength?

March 23, 2023/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Trevor Jones

Our reader poll today asks: What would your team members say is your greatest strength?

Your inspirational leadership 9.73%
Your ability to develop their skills 9.73%
Your strategic vision and ability to innovate 12.98%
Your decisiveness 9.19%
Your caring, empathy and compassion 43.25%
Your ability to influence others 9.72%
Something else 5.40%

Caring counts. While many of these leadership traits had some decent representation, far and away was the importance of caring, empathy, and compassion. People want to work for people who care about them. They’re willing to forgive mistakes when it comes to decisions, strategy, and influence if they know you genuinely care about them. When was the last time you sat down with your team members and expressed genuine concern for them? How often do you take time to listen to them and empathize with the challenges they face? A caring leader is one they’re willing to confide in and work hard for. Make the investment in demonstrating you truly care about them.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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How effective is your manager at creating a meeting environment where everyone is comfortable participating?

March 16, 2023/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Trevor Jones

Our reader poll today asks: How effective is your manager at creating a meeting environment where everyone is comfortable participating?

They’re great at it. They create space for everyone to participate comfortably 27.52%
They’re good at it. They create some space but tend to drive the discussion 24.84%
They’re OK at it. They drive most of the discussion and get some input 18.12%
They’re not good at it. They drive the discussion and don’t solicit much input 16.77%
They’re bad at it. They dominate the discussion and no one feels comfortable joining in 12.75%

Create the space. 48% of you report that your manager doesn’t do a great job of creating space for discussion. They just drive the conversation to get to their own chosen endpoint. That likely feels frustrating and unfulfilling for their team members. Now the real question – how would your team members answer this question about you? Seeing how easy it is for your managers to miss the mark on this one, it’s not a stretch to think that you might demonstrate some of the same behaviors. Be honest with yourself. Keep track of how much you talk during a meeting and how much others participate. Look at the balance of what you say. Do you make more statements or ask more questions? That’s a good indicator of how inviting your environment is. Get input from others. You hired them because they’re smart. They stay because they feel like they contribute and have an impact. Create that space for them to do so.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

In team meetings, how good are you at creating an environment where everyone is comfortable participating?

March 9, 2023/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Trevor Jones

Our reader poll today asks: In team meetings, how good are you at creating an environment where everyone is comfortable participating?

I’m great at it. Everyone offers their thoughts and I just guide the discussion: 17.95%
I’m good at it. Most people offer thoughts and I drive some of the discussion: 58.98%
I’m OK at it. I drive a lot of the discussion and offer some time for input: 17.44%
I’m not good at it. I have to actively remind myself to create space and not dominate the discussion: 5.12%
I’m poor at it. I dominate the discussion and no one feels comfortable joining in: 0.51%

Know your role. Most of you self-report that you’re pretty good at creating an environment where people feel comfortable participating in your meetings. Recognize that you might feel this way but they might not. A key to running collaborative meetings is clearly defining your role in leading it. If you want to create that collaborative environment, designate yourself as a facilitator. Challenge yourself to only ask questions or hold yourself to asking at least one question before you offer your own thoughts or opinions on a topic. Try defining meeting success as the participants generating and owning the outcome rather than trying to steer participants toward what you believe the outcome should be. This means releasing your own agenda, setting aside your ideas, and being open to different ways of doing things. This will be uncomfortable for many of you but the benefits are a more engaged team that’s more committed to executing the outcome they defined.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

When you have to deliver a tough message, what best describes your approach?

March 2, 2023/1 Comment/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Trevor Jones

Our reader poll today asks: When you have to deliver a tough message, what best describes your approach?

I deliver it directly and without apology or cushioning: 32.15%
I strike a balance between tough news and positive news: 62.15%
I soft-pedal the message and risk it not being received: 4.28%
I avoid delivering the message and hope they’ll figure it out on their own: 1.42%

Beware the “But” Sandwich. 62% of you report delivering tough news but trying to balance it with positive news. Another 6% soft-pedal the feedback message or don’t deliver it at all. That’s not fair to the person who needs to get the message. For the 6%, you’ve deprived them of an opportunity to improve. They are likely unaware of the issue (which is why it’s happening) and would probably like to rectify it if they know about it. For those who are balancing a tough message with a positive one, it probably sounds like “You’re great, but… here’s some tough news… but, here’s why you’re great.” The risk is they hear everything before the first but and everything after the second but and the part in the middle that’s the tough message gets minimized or missed. While this approach might make you feel better and make it easier to deliver the tough message, you’re risking them not getting the message and the behavior recurring. Step up. Deliver the tough message and instead of soft-pedaling, talk about how you’ll help them correct the behavior and improve their performance.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

How willing are you to change your decisions when presented information that could be counter to the original decision you made?

February 23, 2023/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Trevor Jones

Our reader poll today asks: How willing are you to change your decisions when presented information that could be counter to the original decision you made?

Very willing: new information means new decisions even after I’ve made them: 59.24%
Somewhat willing: I have strong beliefs and it takes concrete new information to get me to change: 35.54%
Not very willing: I have a hard time changing direction even in the face of new information: 3.48%
Not at all willing: I want to see my decisions through and not be seen as being “wrong”: 1.74%

New information, new decision. Decision making flexibility can be challenging. We make a decision and share it with our teams. We own that decision. It’s hard to say “I was wrong” and change course when new information is presented because no one wants to be seen as “wrong,” especially in front of their team. Here’s a different way to think about it. Instead of saying “I was wrong” or “I made a bad decision,” say “I made the best decision I could with the information that was available at that time. Since then, I’ve received new information that requires me to make a different and better decision.” It’s possible to be right and be right again. This is a mindset you can adopt that will make it easier for the 40% of you who say you have some challenges changing your decisions.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

What kind of challenge do you find the most interesting or exciting?

February 16, 2023/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Trevor Jones

Our reader poll today asks: What kind of challenge do you find the most interesting or exciting?

Taking something that’s been successful and building on that success 9.10%
Taking something that’s failing and turning it around 49.67%
Building something new that no one has ever built before 41.23%

Give me a challenge! 90% of respondents want to take on big challenges – either fixing something that’s broken or building something entirely new. Obviously these approaches carry significant risk with them, but the rewards and satisfaction that come with success are clearly attractive. Be sure to go into these situations fully aware that your chances of failure are high. You might not achieve the impact you want to have. Manage expectations with your stakeholders accordingly. There’s no upside to an aggressive forecast of success. You’ll simply be putting undue pressure upon yourself and set people up for disappointment if you don’t achieve your lofty expectations. These situations are ones where you’re best off underpromising and overdelivering.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

How robust are the employee mental health resources in your organization?

February 9, 2023/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Trevor Jones

Our reader poll today asks: How robust are the employee mental health resources in your organization?

Very: We have a significant number of high-quality resources available to our associates 33.34%
Kind of: We have some key resources available but we could do better 27.17%
Not very: We have a couple of critical mental health resources but that’s it 18.51%
Not at all: We have no mental health resources available whatsoever 20.98%

An absence of resources. Mental health issues impact a significant number of employees yet two-thirds of respondents say their company’s mental health resources are lacking. While mental health issues may be mostly invisible, their impact on employee wellbeing and productivity are substantial. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there. If you’re a leader, see if you can lead the change on making these critical resources available. Your team members and colleagues could benefit greatly from them. Depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and other mental illnesses are no joke. Facing them alone is an incredible challenge for your team members. Show them you care about them as an entire person. Get them the resources they need. They’ll appreciate it and it’s simply the right thing to do.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

When you or someone on your team gets sick, how do you approach the situation?

December 29, 2022/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Trevor Jones

Our reader poll today asks: When you or someone on your team gets sick, how do you approach the situation?

Stay home, stop working and only focus on getting well 31.81%
Stay home but stay in touch on major deliverables 29.69%
Stay home and keep current on as much work as you can 30.03%
Power through and go to work for important tasks 3.88%
Power through, take medicine and get back to work 4.59%

Give yourself a break. While 32% of you focus on getting well when facing an illness, the other 68% of you continue with some degree of work – up to and including actually going into the office when sick. And note these results apply to expectations of team members as well. As a leader, the wellbeing of yourself and your people should come first. The work will always be there. The more you focus on getting well, the faster you’ll return to work fully healthy. You’ll also be sending a message to your team that their personal wellbeing is more important than whatever work is waiting on their desk. Carefully consider what you’re communicating with your behavior as far as expectations you have of others when they fall ill. People want to work for employers who care about them as individuals and prioritize their health above the work. If you’re not sending that message, you might find yourself with some open roles on your team.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

How well do you define accountabilities when the team is listing out all the work that needs to get done but no names are being put next to the tasks?

December 22, 2022/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Trevor Jones

Our reader poll today asks: How well do you define accountabilities when the team is listing out all the work that needs to get done but no names are being put next to the tasks?

Extremely well: We don’t end the conversation until there’s a name next to every item 31.29%
Very well: We resolve most accountabilities immediately but some slip by 27.61%
Well: The important items have accountabilities identified but I let the smaller ones sort themselves out 22.70%
Not well: Only the most important tasks get defined and others tend to languish without owners 15.34%
Poorly: I have a really hard time assigning people’s names to tasks 3.06%

Naming names. 80% of you report doing a good (or better) job of assigning accountabilities to specific people when task and project lists are being created. Without visibility into who’s driving something, you run the risk of the task falling through the cracks of “I thought so-and-so was in charge of that.” If you’ve not yet developed the habit of assigning tasks, even smaller ones, to specific people, consider changing that behavior immediately. And just because a task is small, that doesn’t mean the owner should go unnamed. Small tasks can be on the critical path for larger ones getting done. It can be a nasty surprise when a seemingly-small item got dropped and that failure delays or jeopardizes a larger deliverable.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

What is your organization’s biggest source of competitive advantage?

December 15, 2022/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Trevor Jones

Our reader poll today asks: What is your organization’s biggest source of competitive advantage?

Our people — we have the best team out there 49.54%
Our product/service — no other products/services come close 21.97%
Our prices — you can’t beat our deals 5.61%
Our placement — we own the market we’re in 6.54%
Our promotion — we’re amazing marketers and salespeople 0.46%
Something else 7.47%
We don’t have a competitive advantage 8.41%

People are our edge. Half of you reported that your people are what give you your competitive advantage in the market. So ask yourself – if that’s the case, are you doing everything you can to develop and retain them? Do they have the tools and resources to get their work done to compete effectively or are there processes and gaps in your organization that make things harder for them? Are your compensation decisions focused on keeping them happy or do you focus more on “hitting your numbers” even if it comes at the expense of your team members’ happiness and satisfaction? The mantra of “people are our most important asset” gets trotted out frequently. Spend some time asking yourself if you’re living up to that belief. If not, make the required changes or face losing your competitive advantage to an organization that backs this saying with actions.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

Which type of team member do you find to be the most challenging to lead?

December 8, 2022/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Trevor Jones

Our reader poll today asks: Which type of team member do you find to be the most challenging to lead?

Someone with the skill but not the will to do the work 82.83%
Someone with the will but not the skill to do the work 17.17%

Motivating is harder than training. The vast majority of respondents (83%) are more challenged by a team member who can do the work but simply chooses not to versus the person who wants to but doesn’t have the ability. The key to getting these skilled but unmotivated associates to perform is engaging them. Have the honest conversation about how their performance is not meeting expectations, especially since you believe they’re fully capable of doing the work. Then ask why this is happening. Are their obstacles to doing the work? Do they not have the resources or authority they need? Are their interpersonal conflicts that are causing difficulty? Is something happening outside of work that’s distracting them? Are they not excited or challenged by the work? Do they feel unappreciated or not appropriately compensated? Instead of guessing why they’re not performing, go right to the source. Create a candid environment where they can share and you can really listen. Once you understand the barriers or factors that cause the lack of motivation, you can take the appropriate action.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

What do you do when you find your passion for your work waning?

November 24, 2022/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Trevor Jones

Our reader poll today asks: What do you do when you find your passion for your work waning?

I find new ways to reengage with the work to make it exciting again 35.98%
I take a break from it because I’m probably burned out 30.58%
I look for a new type of work that will excite me once again 16.54%
I’ve never had a passion for my work 7.55%
I’ve never lost my passion for the work I do 9.35%

A fresh set of eyes. When you lose interest and passion for your work, many of you (67%) try to look at it with a fresh set of eyes to reignite that passion. That can be in the form of taking a break because you might be burned out (31%) or coming at the work from a different perspective and finding something new and exciting about it (36%). This can be in the form of new developmental challenges, figuring out ways to improve your results, or appreciating a different aspect of the work itself. A significant number of you (17%) look for new work that will excite you. For leaders reading these results, think about how these approaches apply to your team members. Sometimes you need to force them to take a break. Others, you’ll have to help them see their work from a different angle to reenergize them. And for that 17% looking somewhere else, consider role changes they can make within your organization and facilitate those changes because if you don’t change their situation, they’ll take their talents elsewhere.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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