Strategy – Page 32 – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

Structured Thought Problem Solving, The Nitty Gritty

March 11, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Mike Lynn, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss structured thought problem solving, on a micro level.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, Mike goes into his explanation on structured thought problem solving, on a micro level, in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

Mike explains the difference between structured thought problem solving at a macro level compared to micro level, and utilizing this practice to save time and be more efficient.

Jim and Jan ask Mike to delve further into identifying the need for this type of practice and how to notice in yourself whether you are “good” or “bad” at problem solving, plus how do “facts” fit into it all.

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

Structured Thought Problem Solving

February 26, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Mike Lynn, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss structured thought problem solving, on a macro level.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, Mike goes into his explanation on structured thought problem solving in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

Mike breaks down exactly what structured thought problem solving is exactly, and what it means for organizations and the impact it can have.

The group furthers the discussion about where the gap lies with current leadership and organizations, and how this structured thought problem solving is directly correlated to a businesses proclivity for risk. And Mike explains how this idea is both a methodology and a mindset necessary for organization growth.

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

Breaking Down Structured Thought and Communication

February 19, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Victor Prince, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss structured thought and communication.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, Victor dives into his explanation on structured thought and communication in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

Victor utilizes a few real-world examples to better define structured thought and communication, or rather to point out situations where we can identify a lack thereof.

Jim and Jan ask a few key questions, particularly around why clear communication and structure is so difficult and Victor explains the need most of us feel to really showcase our hard work and the time we’ve spent doing something, instead of focusing on the clear outcome and what we are really looking to communicate.

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

Leading Inside The Box

February 12, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Victor Prince, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss leading inside the box.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, Victor explains what exactly it means to lead inside the box in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

Jim and Jan kick things off asking Victor to explain what it means to lead inside the box, to which Victor explains the need for leaders to adjust and shift their leadership style and format to address the needs of the individuals on the team they are working; that leadership cannot be a one-size-fits-all.

Victor goes further to discuss that the “box” analogy is not meant as a limiting factor, but rather, the boxes are positions that everyone finds themselves in over the course of time and how each of those stages/positions requires something different from the leader involved.

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

Knowing When You’re In the Middle of Negotiation

February 5, 2020/2 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

John Fisher, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss identifying when you are in the midst of a negotiation.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, John is back discussing how to know when you are in the middle of a negotiation in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

John begins by pointing out a very important piece of negotiation, which is to say, that it starts well before any of us would normally identify being in the “middle” of negotiation, but that it truly starts the minute you introduce yourself. Teams will begin asking small but knowledgable questions to try and understand your level of interest, what exactly your interested in, how much money you have, etc.

Jim and Jan further ask John to dive into the importance of understanding negotiation in relation to being a leader and working with/on a team.

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

What Do Pie And Negotiation Have In Common

January 29, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

John Fisher, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss Negotiation.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, John discusses another perspective on negotiation in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

John breaks down his pie analogy for Jim and Jan, explaining that there are different styles of negotiation, and that an easy way to think about these different styles and approaches is to think about divvying up the pieces of the pie.

Utilizing the different “slices of the pie,” not only the different styles, but each style of negotiation has a very different end goal in mind and that you need to know and be cognizant of whatever this end goal may be to best approach your negotiation.

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

How To Build Executive Presence

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

Mike Figliuolo, thoughtLEADERS’ Managing Director, talks about how to build executive presence.

Beyond the Uniform is a site for career resources for Veteran’s and they host a podcast where they interview a military Veteran about their civilian career: what they do, how they got there, and advice for other Veterans seeking to do the same.

This is a skills episode, where Mike sat down with the team at Beyond the Uniform to dig into a specific skill set that is likely to be highly relevant to all listeners. Mike is an expert corporate instructor on many topics, and in this episode he delves into Executive Presence – what it is, why it is so important to the Veteran community, and specific actions they can take – today – to start to further build this. Mike also talks about his own career path, starting his own company, and how Executive Presence has played a role in his success.

Being a Leader Through Conflict Management

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

Jon Wortmann, thoughtLEADERS Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss conflict management.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, Jon delves into conflict management in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

Jon explains some of the keys to conflict management, the most important being the awareness of it, and also the importance of strong verbal communication skills in order to navigate through and best understand any conflict.

In further discussion, Jon points out that, though navigating conflict itself and being able to hear individuals and various sides of an issue is important, conflict management is only successful when you can come to an actual resolution. Solving the problem, even if it involves compromise, is ultimately the most important piece of conflict management.

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

Building Your Resilience as a Leader

January 8, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Jon Wortmann, thoughtLEADERS’ Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss Leadership Resilience.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, Jon explains leadership resilience in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

Jim, Jan, and Jon define exactly what it means to be resilient, where Jon compares the idea to being a human slinky, and how to continually bounce back against the regular and extraneous stresses of life.

The team at the leadership podcast ask Jon to breakdown recognizing when someone on our team may be struggling and how we, as a leader, can support and provide a strong environment for others to be able to develop their own resilience and to “bounce back” from their own particular stressors.

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

Breaking Down Leading Yourself

January 1, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Sabrina Smith, thoughtLEADERS’ Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss leading ME.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, Sabrina discusses what it means to lead ME, yourself, in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

Jim, Jan, and Sabrina break what exactly Sabrina means when she says leading ME, and how to show up and work on yourself for the betterment of others every single day.

The group dives into what happens when you believe you’re above needing to be led, when you aren’t thinking about yourself as a part of the team, and how to break out of that dangerous mentality.

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

What It Means To Have Ownership

December 18, 2019/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

Sabrina Smith, thoughtLEADERS’ Principal, sat down with Jim and Jan of The Leadership Podcast to discuss ownership.

In continuation of our new collaboration with The Leadership Podcast, Sabrina goes into detail about taking ownership in this short form “chalk talk.” These chalk talk series are bitesize sessions on a common (but challenging) leadership issue.

Jim, Jan, and Sabrina break down exactly how to define ownership and how it plugs into your day-to-day work life, especially when you are managing people, while also breaking down what a conducive environment looks like and how to create it to empower and encourage ownership across your team, including with yourself.

Sabrina goes into some detail about why exactly ownership is an important part of leadership and some of the pitfalls and gaps that are happening already, maybe within your own organization.

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

Speed Over Perfection: Why Being First to Market is Crucial

December 16, 2019/0 Comments/in Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership, Strategy /by Ryan Shaw

The fast-paced business environment is sometimes necessary, especially when making a name and space for your brand.

Today’s post is by Francisco Serrano, author of Brain-Ding (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

When you talk about branding, you are talking about constant change. This fast-paced environment leaves brand managers with no choice: they need to favor SPEED over perfection. That is, if they want to succeed. Especially when launching products.

When innovation is a key element in the industry, processes must be faster. Great businesses such as Amazon understand that decisions need to be immediate and the ability to adapt means the ability to survive. If companies decide to wait until they have the perfect product or service, they are giving their competitors the opportunity to get ahead of the game.

The truth is that chasing perfection slows down the process and in an increasingly dynamic world, you can’t afford to waste time. It is better to launch a product or a service and then build on it, rather than waiting on a faultlessness that might never come.

Being the first to market often means leadership. If you come in second place you might be perceived as a follower, and followers can’t charge premium prices or get to the top of the industry that easily.