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

What’s the best part of being in a leadership role?

September 17, 2020/0 Comments/in Communications, Leadership, Poll, Strategy, Training /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: What’s the best part of being in a leadership role?

Helping my team members develop, grow and succeed: 52%
Having control over the way things run: 4%
Being able to set direction, take risks and make things happen: 34%
Being visible and valued in the organization: 6%
Overcoming the challenges leaders face every day: 3%
Something else: 2%

Making stuff happen and developing others. The two clear winners in this poll are how much you enjoy making things happen and developing your team members. Both are great rewards for any leader. The interesting thing is they’re both outward-facing in that the impact is about the environment around you versus the impact of the role on you. While I recognize these polls are simple and these are complex topics, there are clear patterns. If you happen to be inward-facing in your leadership, I encourage you to take a moment to look at the broader impact you’re having. The things you’re getting done and your impact on helping people grow may be much larger than you expect. You will likely also find the rewards of that impact far exceed the inward-facing rewards of how your role makes you feel.

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

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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Developing Stronger Executive Communication Skills

September 16, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Mike Figliuolo, thoughtLEADERS Managing Director, sat down with Adam Torres of The Money Matters Top Tips Podcast to talk about executive communication.

In this podcast interview, Mike reunites with Adam Torres of The Money Matters Top Tips Podcast to delve deeper into his personal thoughts and tips on executive communication.

Mike breaks down executive presence and what exactly it is, and then points out a few of the standard shortcomings that people point out with regards to executive presence and how finding a few small fixes really can move the needle in interacting with others.

As the discussion continues, Mike gives his top tips for improving this executive communication, starting with knowing your audience, something people have heard many times before, and how finding and knowing that hot button topic to get people engaged and bought in is a game changer. And then being able to assemble everything beyond facts into a compelling story that further engages the ‘audience.’

Stay tuned for more of podcast features and interviews from Mike and the rest of the thoughtLEADERS team.

Money Matters Top Tips Podcast – Mike Figliuolo

Change Starts At The Top

August 3, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Guest Blogger, Leadership, Sales, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Leadership cannot be do as I say, leadership must also be do as I do, show your team how you want to operate.

Today’s post is by Pat McManamon, author of The Intentional Sales Manager (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

As a sales leader, you have to admit it’s been an interesting year.

You’ve been faced with business challenges you never even imagined you would encounter. Guess what? Your sales people are in the same situation! Your decisions, like theirs, are going to be crucial. What criteria will you use to make them?

Business is still being conducted; prospects are reaching out; your competition is on the phones and on the streets; customers are buying. Many companies I’ve spoken to had a record month in March despite the disruption of a nationwide shutdown. All signs point to a strong recovery in the near future for those who are prepared. But we must be prepared to make constructive changes, and we must accept that the most important change starts with us!

Leading With A Story

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

In this episode of Innovating Leadership Maureen Metcalf, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sits down to discuss with Paul Smith, a fellow thoughtLEADERS Principal, about the power of stories.

Paul talks with Maureen about his perspective and thought process on the power of story for leaders.

He shares his insights about what works, why it works and how you will be more effective as a leader if you master the use of story as one of your skills. Paul recounts a compelling story told by Bob McDonald, CEO of Proctor and Gamble and connects it to a primary leadership and parenting lesson for him.

Through his use of story he illustrates a couple of things like what is a great leadership story? What are the primary elements the make up a great leadership story? He also breakdown why you should use stories to lead and sell and just what are the most common mistakes of using stories. This discussion will have you walking away with the foundations of using and telling your personal leadership story.

Stay tuned for more of these leadership discussions between Maureen and Paul, along with a few other team members from thoughtLEADERS, being featured on the Innovating Leadership podcast.

Applying Storytelling to Sales

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

Paul Smith, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss storytelling and how it can make your role as a salesperson easier and more effective.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, Paul breaks down just how storytelling can make you a better and stronger salesperson in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

After his previous breakdown of storytelling for leaders, Paul takes some time to differentiate storytelling for leaders versus storytelling for salespeople, and how the storytelling really affects the emotional decision making that we do as human beings.

Paul goes into the framework for a great story that works in a sales environment and how it differentiates from our traditional idea about storytelling, like a bedtime story. He gives further insight into what it takes to really build a compelling story and get buy-in from your audience.

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

Personal Empowerment and Why It Matters

July 13, 2020/0 Comments/in Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Blanca De La Rosa discusses how people can take control of their careers through personal empowerment.

Today’s post is by Blanca De La Rosa, author of Empower Yourself for an Amazing Career (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

Are you in control of your life and your career? Is your life what you imagined it would be? Or have you somehow allowed yourself to be deterred from your chosen path? Did you know that nothing changes unless you change it?

No matter what you seek, it can only happen if you do something about it. Take charge of your personal power. To be empowered you must know what you want for your life and why.

Personal empowerment is a collection of beliefs, actions and skills all working together to help you achieve your goals and it begins with two things: self-awareness and a positive mindset.