Training – Page 4 – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

Leading in Crisis: Four Leaders Who Did It Right

December 6, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership, Project Management, Training /by Ryan Shaw

Join our free webinar about how to continue to learn and evolve and lead your organization through crisis.

As the Coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic slowdown continue, leaders need to become more deliberate students of how to lead in a prolonged crisis.

To help with that, thoughtLEADERS will be offering a free webinar called Leading in Crisis: Four Leaders Who Did It Right. We’ll be sharing case studies of four exceptional leaders as they faced significant crises and the perhaps unconventional wisdom they gained from those experiences.

The webinar is a one-hour session you can attend live or on-demand, free of charge, and will be taught by Paul Smith and Gary Ross, the thoughtLEADERS principals who developed the firm’s courses Storytelling for Leaders and Leading Through Change.

How much of a difference do you see between the roles of being a manager and being a director?

October 22, 2020/2 Comments/in Communications, Leadership, Poll, Strategy, Training /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: How much of a difference do you see between the roles of being a manager and being a director?

There’s a world of difference. They’re completely separate types of roles. 48.84%
There’s some difference between them, but not a lot. 36.45%
Pretty much no difference — a director is a glorified manager. 14.71%

The role is what you make it. If you’re not seeing a big difference between managers and directors, someone is falling short of making that director role everything it could be. Moving to director is where you make the shift to getting things done through others. The other big shift is moving from having the right answers to asking the right questions. Directors need to see beyond the horizon and ask about the things no one (including themselves) is thinking about yet. Pushing the thinking beyond today’s pressing needs is how new opportunities and threats are identified.

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

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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When you’re angry with a team member, how do you approach it?

October 8, 2020/0 Comments/in Communications, Leadership, Poll, Strategy, Training /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: When you’re angry with a team member, how do you approach it?

I cool off and don’t show any emotion when I speak with them. 45%
I wait a bit to talk to them but show them some of my anger. 51%
I pause first but let them see a lot of my anger. 3%
I unload my anger toward them immediately so they can see it. 1%

Pause and compose. The vast majority of you (96%) pause for some period of time before confronting a colleague who has made you mad. Cooler heads can have more rational discussions. The groups seems evenly split, though, on whether to show some of the anger when the conversation does happen. The pro of showing that anger is the person really gets a sense for how much they’ve upset you, but the con is it could inflame the situation. Conversely, not showing your anger and simply expressing concerns could cause them to misread how much their actions upset you, which might lead to repeat behavior. In any case, deliberately choose which approach you’ll take (whether or not to show some anger) and have a deliberate reason for doing so. Also, have a contingent strategy if your choice goes wrong. If you’re showing anger and it makes things worse, hit pause and cool off. If they seem to be ignoring your concern, perhaps let some of the anger show.

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

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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

How do you react when your work is unfairly criticized by someone?

September 10, 2020/0 Comments/in Communications, Leadership, Poll, Training /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: How do you react when your work is unfairly criticized by someone?

I ignore it. Haters gonna hate. 10%
I take it too personally but don’t react. 29%
I rebut their position gently, then move on. 54%
I vigorously defend my work until they recant their words. 7%

Split reactions on reacting. Unfair criticism is frustrating and sometimes painful. About 40% of you let it go, while 60% rebut it with varying levels of vigor. For those who let it go, your restraint is commended. Just be aware of the risk that the criticism could spread and become “fact” to others so if it’s not something you want associated with you, consider a rebuttal. For those who do say something about it, moderation is the key. Attack the criticism to vigorously and you’ll escalate the conflict. Do too little, and your rebuttal will be brushed off and ignored. Paramount in all of this is to remember to confront the problem and/or the comments versus attacking the person. The instant you make it personal, the higher the risk you face of an escalated response. Make it about the facts of the matter and the comments at hand, and you have a much better chance of resolving things peacefully.

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

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

How do you allocate your time spent with your direct reports?

September 3, 2020/0 Comments/in Communications, Leadership, Poll, Training /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: How do you allocate your time spent with your direct reports?

I spend most of my time with my high performers. 17%
I spend an equal amount of time with everyone. 62%
I spend most of my time with my low performers. 22%

Spend time where it’s needed. While it may seem “fair” to give everyone on your team the same amount of your time, you’re doing them (and yourself) a disservice. Your high performers likely need less of your time. By giving them more than they need, you’re wasting their time – and yours. You’re also not being fair to low performers who need more of your time but aren’t getting it. While it’s easy to just schedule everyone for an hour a week (or whatever the timeframe is), be more deliberate about giving people the time they actually need. In total, you might even end up spending less time with them but that frees you up to do other things and it helps them be more productive because they’re not wasting time sitting with you when they could be getting more work done. In some cases, you’ll give them more time than you currently are and that’s good too because then they’re getting the attention they really need. Don’t be lazy with your time allocation. It’s the most precious resource you (and they) have. Treat it accordingly.

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

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

How well do people in your organization take ownership for problems or issues?

August 27, 2020/0 Comments/in Communications, Leadership, Poll, Training /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: How well do people in your organization take ownership for problems or issues?

Extremely well: When people see a problem, they actively make sure it gets fixed no matter what. 7.70%
Very well: People work to fix most problems and own issues pretty well. 36.60%
Well: People take ownership of bigger issues, but smaller ones tend to slide by. 20.28%
Not very well: People infrequently take ownership of issues and tend to pass the buck. 27.27%
Poorly: No one wants to own anything, and they work hard to pass things to others. 8.15%

Less finger-pointing. While 65% of you indicate people in your organization do a decent job of taking ownership for problems, the 35% who say it doesn’t happen is a significant portion of respondents. Ask yourself how you can change that dynamic as well as how you might be causing some of it. Do you take ownership every time for every issue? Do you set a good example? Do you blame others when there are issues? Your people take their cues from you. If you complain about other departments not doing their job or you tell your team members to just let another group handle things, you might be feeding into this culture. This doesn’t mean you have to own the full resolution of every problem that comes your way, but you should consider taking an active role in moving it forward toward resolution. Culture is the sum of our daily behaviors over time. Are your daily behaviors creating the accountability culture you want to have? If not, change the behaviors.

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

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

What are your expectations of team members when it comes to their development?

August 20, 2020/0 Comments/in Communications, Leadership, Poll, Training /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: What are your expectations of team members when it comes to their development?

They are 100% in charge of their own development. 5%
They should drive their development, and I provide some resources. 41&
We should partner equally on their development plans and actions. 51%
I should drive most of their development efforts with their assistance. 7%
I am 100% responsible for their development. 1%

Individuals drive their development. 92% of you state that the individual needs to drive their own development with some assistance from you. While they’re responsible for driving it, be sure you give them the resources they need to do so. Guidance on skill gaps, suggestions on ways they can fill those gaps, access to training, funding for coursework, time away from their desks to develop, and growth opportunities in their roles are things only you can provide. You can tell them they need to drive their development but if you don’t support them with appropriate resources, they’ll get frustrated, disillusioned, and eventually look for a leader who will invest in their development. There are more opportunities than ever to help people learn – guide them to those options and put the conditions in place where they can take advantage of them.

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

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

The last time you provided difficult feedback, how did it go?

August 13, 2020/2 Comments/in Communications, Leadership, Poll, Training /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: The last time you provided difficult feedback, how did it go?

The reaction was much better than I expected. 36%
The reaction was about what I expected. 54%
The reaction was much worse than I expected. 11%

It’s not as bad as you expect. While many of you got pretty much what you expected the last time you delivered difficult feedback, more of you were positively surprised by the reaction than negatively surprised. That’s not surprising. Giving feedback is a stressful process. We don’t like delivering tough messages and we mentally prepare ourselves for conflict going into the conversation. Recognize that people appreciate being told when something isn’t going well. The vast majority of people want to do better and are happy to hear ways they can do that. To get more comfortable with delivering tough feedback, use a standard feedback model that provides facts first, then interpretation, then a call for action. By starting with the facts, you remove emotion from the situation and people are much more willing to hear what you have to say rather than getting defensive and debating it.

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

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

When someone on your team pesters you to get something low priority completed, how do you react?

July 23, 2020/0 Comments/in Communications, Leadership, Poll, Training /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: When someone on your team pesters you to get something low priority completed, how do you react?

I firmly tell them, “No, I’ll do it when it’s time. Please don’t mention it again.” 34%
I ignore their pestering and get to it when I get to it. 22%
placate them and keep saying “I’ll get to it soon.” 32%
I give in and just do it. Anything to get them to stop pestering me. 11%

Maintaining focus and priorities. It looks like most of you try to get the distraction to stop – either by being direct, ignoring the distraction, or placating with a “not now” response. Recognize that if they’re pestering you, they likely won’t stop until they get a firm answer either way. Whether that’s you giving in and just doing it or firmly telling them “no” they’ll need a definitive result and will keep bringing it up until they have resolution. Try giving them definitive answers. If the answer is “no” or “not now” then just say so. Ignoring them or placating them doesn’t stop the distractions and those distractions impact your productivity significantly. Step up and assert your priorities. It will alleviate anxiety for them and will reduce interruptions for you.

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

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

How does your company handle times of extreme challenge?

July 9, 2020/0 Comments/in Communications, Leadership, Poll, Training /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: How does your company handle times of extreme challenge?

We hunker down and don’t do anything different until things calm down. 16%
We play defensively but take on small new initiatives with low risk. 37%
We aggressively seek new opportunities and invest behind them. 48%

Seizing the moment: While the poll is split on those playing offense and those playing defense, the implications are pretty clear. For those acting defensively, you need to factor in how other market participants will behave when calculating your stance. If you’re not factoring in the aggressive 48% into your expectations, your defensive stance might cost you more than you anticipate. Strategy isn’t just about your actions – it’s about your actions in relation to other players in the market. You might find your defensive strategy puts you further behind your more aggressive competition and when you come out of that defensive stance ready to compete aggressively again, you may have a lot of catch-up to play. While being defensive is certainly understandable, you could be creating many more risks than you believe you are. Conduct a rigorous market assessment before choosing a stance.

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

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

How important is it to your employees that you treat them consistently with one another?

June 25, 2020/1 Comment/in Communications, Leadership, Poll, Training /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: How important is it to your employees that you treat them consistently with one another?

Extremely: They want everyone to always be treated equally: 51.14%
Very: They’ll tolerate some special treatment but not very much: 31.99%
Somewhat: Some want consistent treatment, while others don’t seem to care: 11.34%
Not very: Most of them only worry about how they’re treated themselves: 4.28%
Not at all: Special and different treatment is an accepted norm: 1.25%

Fair versus equal? The majority of you said your team members want consistency and equal treatment. Be sure you have a perspective on equal versus fair though. Should a new hire be held to the same equal standards of performance as a senior peer in a similar role? Should someone be given time off to handle a personal issue while another person who doesn’t have a personal issue be denied the same time off? Equality absolutely matters on the vast majority of topics. Your challenge is figuring out when fairness comes into play and how to apply it. A big part of doing that right is explaining the difference to people and when you make decisions that aren’t necessarily equal or consistent that you’re able to explain to them why you did what you did and why it is fair. These are challenging topics to navigate. As long as you’re doing what is right and explain things, you can have a productive conversation. Also be open to other perspectives on how to handle the situation because “fair” to you might not seem fair to someone else. Enlist the aid of trusted advisers for those challenging situations.

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

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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