How You Can Lead with Influence

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paper boats

The notions of perception, visibility, and influence are the keys not only to better performance for your organization but they’ll also help you advance your career to the next level.

Today’s post is by Joel Garfinkle, one of our thoughtLEADERS instructors.

How often have you looked at a situation in the company and thought of a better way to do it? Or felt that change was needed… but didn’t know how to make it happen? Sometimes we feel frustrated that we aren’t in a position or job title that has the power to make those changes.

But there are some techniques and methods designed to turn you into a strong influence in your company regardless of your title or position. Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level introduces the value of Perception, Visibility and Influence.

When you understand how to use perception, visibility and influence – the PVI model – you can lead from where you are right now. Those around you recognize your value. They respect your opinion and you have the skills to influence decisions and changes.

Start with Yourself

Sometimes advancing in leadership means changing cultural patterns and beliefs. You may have been taught to “not push yourself forward,” or “don’t ever volunteer for something.” You’ll need to push aside these well-meaning teachings in order to gain an unexpectedly powerful way of taking leadership.

The first step in perception is to examine how you see yourself. It’s not uncommon for people who want to be leaders to feel insecure – feel like a fraud. Here’s the secret. You’re likely better than you think.

So how can you raise your perception of yourself?

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How Great Stories Create Great Performance from You and Your Team

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Here are six great ideas to move performance from good to great. From the stories you tell to your own bold moves others will be telling stories about for years to come, you can build perseverance, passion, and engagement.

Today’s post is by Paul Smith, thoughtLEADERS instructor and author of Sell With a Story.

Here’s an easy way to learn some new leadership skills – in easy-to-digest 10-minute podcasts you can listen to at your convenience.

These podcasts are based on interviews with 100 executives and leaders at dozens of companies around the world. Each episode brings you an important leadership lesson through a single compelling story.

These next 6 episodes will help you learn to do remarkable things other people will talk about, lead your team to love what they do or find the perseverance to press on even in the face of defeat or ridicule, move their performance from good to great, and learn 5 steps to giving more effective feedback.

Staff meetings your employees won’t try to crawl out of

One of the perhaps less-than-obvious ways to help the people who work for you to find passion for their work, is to remove the things they’re decidedly dispassionate about – starting with your staff meetings.

Perseverance: The Pringles Story

Perseverance in the face of defeat is a required character trait in sports and politics. You have to lose a few games and races on the road to the Super Bowl or to Washington. Here’s what it looks like when you demonstrate perseverance in business.

The Jittery Compass: Moving your performance from good to great

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How Stories Inspire Great Performance from You and Your Team

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Pringles CansHere are six great ideas to move performance from good to great. From the stories you tell to your own bold moves others will be telling stories about for years to come, you can build perseverance, passion, and engagement.

Today’s post is by Paul Smith, thoughtLEADERS instructor and author of Sell With a Story.

Here’s an easy way to learn some new leadership skills – in easy-to-digest 10-minute podcasts you can listen to at your convenience.

These podcasts are based on interviews with 100 executives and leaders at dozens of companies around the world. Each episode brings you an important leadership lesson through a single compelling story.

These next 6 episodes will help you learn to do remarkable things other people will talk about, lead your team to love what they do or find the perseverance to press on even in the face of defeat or ridicule, move their performance from good to great, and learn 5 steps to giving more effective feedback.

Staff meetings your employees won’t try to crawl out of

One of the perhaps less-than-obvious ways to help the people who work for you to find passion for their work, is to remove the things they’re decidedly dispassionate about – starting with your staff meetings.

Perseverance: The Pringles Story

Perseverance in the face of defeat is a required character trait in sports and politics. You have to lose a few games and races on the road to the Super Bowl or to Washington. Here’s what it looks like when you demonstrate perseverance in business.

The Jittery Compass: Moving your performance from good to great

Read more

How You Can Lead with Influence

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Definition of the Word InfluenceThe notions of perception, visibility, and influence are the keys not only to better performance for your organization but they’ll also help you advance your career to the next level.

Today’s post is by Joel Garfinkle, one of our great thoughtLEADERS instructors.

How often have you looked at a situation in the company and thought of a better way to do it? Or felt that change was needed… but didn’t know how to make it happen? Sometimes we feel frustrated that we aren’t in a position or job title that has the power to make those changes.

But there are some techniques and methods designed to turn you into a strong influence in your company regardless of your title or position. Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level introduces the value of Perception, Visibility and Influence.

When you understand how to use perception, visibility and influence – the PVI model – you can lead from where you are right now. Those around you recognize your value. They respect your opinion and you have the skills to influence decisions and changes.

Start with Yourself

Sometimes advancing in leadership means changing cultural patterns and beliefs. You may have been taught to “not push yourself forward,” or “don’t ever volunteer for something.” You’ll need to push aside these well-meaning teachings in order to gain an unexpectedly powerful way of taking leadership.

The first step in perception is to examine how you see yourself. It’s not uncommon for people who want to be leaders to feel insecure – feel like a fraud. Here’s the secret. You’re likely better than you think.

So how can you raise your perception of yourself?

Read more

Peeling ‘Pineapple’ Problems Requires a Proven Process

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Sliced PineappleIf you have a challenging problem to solve, approaching it in a methodical and structured way can make you more efficient and effective in your search for a solution.

Today’s post is by Mike Lynn, thoughtLEADERS instructor and  featured speaker at Executive Insight 16.

Brazilians have a Portuguese idiom that we should have in English…”Descascar o abacaxi”, which literally means “to peel a pineapple.” It’s commonly used as a way to express “to tackle a big problem.”

Too often, we get overwhelmed and daunted by tough, thorny problems put before us. Without a sharp tool and a proven approach, we see that pineapple and wonder how we will get at the fruit inside.

If desperate, we might try to messily smash it open or scrape up our hands trying (and usually failing) to peel the rough, prickly skin. Good luck. Hint one: You need something sharp. Hint two: cutting (not peeling) a pineapple requires following a precise proven pineapple paring process – a let’s call it “5P.”

Problem-solving is similar. The sharp instrument is your brain. Wise Brazilians and wise problem-solvers have to be able to take a step back from the mess and frustration of pineapple smashing or hand scraping to recognize that there has to be a better way.

If you lack this problem-solving sharpness, you’ll repeatedly end up wasting lots of time, going down bad analytical paths, spinning your wheels, “boiling the ocean.” and never getting to any solutions.

Sharpen your machete mind, and prepare to face that pineapple with the power of “5P” – five steps to problem solving.

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What We All Need to Learn About Sales – from a Pig

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Pig Swimming in the OceanStories are a great way to connect with your customer. They can make the ordinary product or service you’re selling extraordinary by adding richness and experience to the sale.

Today’s post is by Paul Smith, thoughtLEADERS instructor and author of Sell With a Story. He’s also a featured speaker at Executive Insight 16.

In May of 2015, my wife Lisa convinced me to attend a juried art fair with her at Coney Island in Cincinnati, Ohio. As an artist herself, she has a sophisticated appreciation for fine art that I don’t. She can spend hours on end lazily drifting from one booth to the next, studying each piece and talking to the artists about their inspiration, medium, and techniques. Me, I just like to look at the pictures.

As the day dragged on, we arrived at the booth of Chris Gug (pronounced “Goog”), a photographer known for his awe-inspiring images of marine life. His gallery is full of breathtaking underwater shots of anemones, corals, sea turtles, and whales. On a mission to find a piece for our boys’ bathroom at home, Lisa eyed a picture that, to me, looked about as out of place as a pig in the ocean.

It was a picture of a pig in the ocean.

She described it as inspired genius—a cute little baby piglet, up to its nostrils in salt water, snout covered with sand, dog-paddling its way straight into the camera lens.

I thought it was a picture of a pig in the ocean.

I asked the artist what on Earth that pig was doing in the ocean. And that’s when the magic started.

Gug explained that the picture was taken in the Caribbean, just off the beach of an uninhabited Bahamian island officially named Big Major Cay. He told us that years ago, a local entrepreneur brought a drove of pigs to the island to raise for bacon. Gug went on:

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Upcoming Event: Change Management Conference

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ACMP Change Management 2016

Change management and project management professionals face obstacles between the planning and execution process ranging from lack of consensus, lack of resources, poor communication, poor management support and employee resistance. Because all of these can factor into the success of your initiative, these challenges can lower both the program’s success rate and the manager’s motivation.

At ACMP’s Change Management 2016, you can get the tools required to take your change management skills to the next level. Taking place May 15-18, 2016 at the Gaylord Texan in Dallas, Texas, this 3-day conference focuses on providing solutions and best practices in a collaborative environment. Whether you are a seasoned professional or new to the challenges in change management, this conference will provide you with insights to break through these barriers to successful results.

There are five key reasons for attending Change Management 2016:

Update Your Toolkit – Whether you’re just starting out in change management or are a seasoned professional, there is always room for improvement. Stay up-to-date in this ever-changing industry with educational opportunities that add to your skillset. Earn professional development credits while doing it.

Network with Your Peers – Make connections that will advance your career. When you meet with your peers, you have a chance to collaborate and hear new ideas that may inspire you to implement something similar or validate your perspectives. The program has built-in networking events. View the various networking opportunities here.

Meet with New Vendors and Suppliers – The exhibitors are industry experts. Vendors in the exhibit hall can help you learn more about the future of change management. If you’re interested in becoming a vendor or sponsor, learn more here.

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What Makes A Leader Authentic?

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Authenticity StampToday’s post is co-authored by Michelle Braden (leader of the Authentic Leadership Summit) and Mike Figliuolo. 

I have asked myself the question, “What makes a leader authentic?” many times over the years.  My natural response would be that you just know in your “gut.”  I realize now that although the “gut” does talk to you, there is a better, more accurate way to measure what is truly authentic.   I have also come to realize how important it is for me to look at myself to check my own authenticity.  I cannot change anyone else; I can only change myself.

For myself, as well as the leaders with whom I work, my goal was to create factors we can look at in our own lives to determine and measure our authenticity.  I truly believe that being authentic is easier for some than others because of how their brains are wired, both from a nature and nurture standpoint.

Looking at the word authentic from a dictionary standpoint is a good starting point.  According to dictionary.com, authentic is something that is “NOT false or copied; genuine; real.”  Authentic is also defined as “Having the origin supported by unquestionable evidence, entitled to acceptance or belief because of agreement with known facts or experience, reliable; trustworthy.”  We can take this literal definition and break it down in authentic leadership.  An authentic leader is:

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How Your Leadership Philosophy Can Defuse Future Crises

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One Piece of Paper Cover - SmallToday’s post is an excerpt from the draft of my upcoming book One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership. Sure, publication is a ways off (target is fall of ’11) but I want to share a taste of what will be in the book.

Please become a fan of One Piece of Paper on Facebook (and invite your friends/colleagues to do the same). By becoming a fan you’ll have the latest updates on the book’s release and also get to see samples of it before it lands in stores. Some of you will even win a free copy of the book.

All that said, here’s a sample about how to think about leading your people:

People “situations” can be frustrating and confusing. We have a hard time having difficult conversations. Those conversations are difficult because we are the bearers of bad news, corrective actions, and feedback. That feedback generally causes people to feel like they do not measure up as a person when in fact our assessments should be focused on the actions, not the person.

We need something to lean on to help us through those tough situations. Creating personal leadership maxims for how you want to lead your people helps you manage those difficult situations and conversations. A maxim is nothing more than a rule of behavior or conduct you want to follow. You can write your own set of maxims and use them in a variety of situations. Today I’ll share an example of one of my maxims and how it helped out with a difficult conversation.

Maxims set expectations with your team members for how you will treat them. They provide you a solid foundation for building consistency into your behaviors and reactions to unpleasant situations. If you have written your maxim well and communicated it clearly to your team, there are no surprises when those unpleasant situations arise. Here’s an example of how maxims can help you through a tough spot:

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Train Them Now or Lose Them Later

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Man Training Doing Bicep CurlsA friend of mine was lamenting the current economic environment. He bemoaned budget cuts at his company and the lack of opportunities for professional development. He also said something truly alarming:

“Our management team is so focused on just making the numbers that they’re not investing in developing their people.” (Incidentally, I think making the numbers can be stupid). He added “But it’s really not a huge deal because in this economy, no one is going to quit over lack of training or development, y’know?”

After I reattached my head to my body, I thought about this painful comment. I think we might have actually reached the point of myopic leadership destruction where leaders get so focused on the short term that they forget the future. They become so narrow in their view they miss the point that their people will have choices before them after this crisis. Sure you can skimp on your people today and they’ll sit there and take it. But as soon as the economy turns, they’ll be bugging out on you and heading to a better job faster than you can say “leadership FAIL.”

So all this got me thinking. Tight budgets. Lack of training dollars. Yearning for professional development. As I noodled on these ideas, I fortuitously had a great conversation with Jack Windsor and genius struck. He handed me a solution to these problems on a silver platter. I would love to hear what you think about this…

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Do you know your leadership maxims?

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Mike FigliuoloI’m thrilled to announce a few upcoming events where I’ll be covering the topic of creating your own set of Leadership Maxims. Defining these maxims is a core tool of a good leader. I recently met an EVP at a Fortune 100 who actually has his written on a small laminated card attached to his corporate security badge. This stuff matters and it works.

The first event is a breakfast sponsored by the Columbus Young Professionals on April 7th at 730AM. To register, CLICK HERE. It’s only $5 and that pays for your coffee (I’m not receiving any compensation for this engagement – it’s my way of giving back to the community).

The second event is June 9th at 530PM. I’m speaking at the Ohio Growth Summit and again will be covering the topic of Leadership Maxims. It’s $6 to attend and again, all proceeds go to the Summit (not me). REGISTER HERE. The summit is going to be fantastic. The two other keynote speakers are my good friend Jim Canterucci and Chris Brogan (yes, THAT Chris Brogan).

I should probably give you some more details on our Leadership Maxims program as well as background on the organizations sponsoring these events…

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Some Families & Little Kids Need YOUR Help!

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Please note – the contribution window for this has closed. Thanks to all who supported the effort. Just because this event is closed doesn’t mean you can’t help. Go volunteer somewhere. Donate. Make someone else’s life better. Thanks!

Turning Point Domestic Violence Shelter LogoLet’s face it – you’re pretty fortunate. You’re reading this by accessing the Internet over your laptop while sitting in the comfort of your home drinking your Starbucks quad shot venti caramel macchiato. Imagine NOT being able to pay for Internet access. Imagine NOT having your laptop. Imagine NOT being in your home because you no longer have one. Pretty grim, huh? Well that’s EXACTLY the situation some folks I’d like to help are in.

The Ohio State – Marion Psychology Club is sponsoring the Giving Tree Project, in which we all can help needy families during the holiday season. The families being helped are the victims of domestic violence. They’ve escaped from some terrible situations in their homes sometimes with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. They’ve found shelter and protection at Turning Point Domestic Abuse Shelter. They need YOUR help.

Due to a difficult economy, the project to give them a happy holiday has not raised as much money as they’d like. I’m asking your help to solve that problem. I’m asking you to donate whatever you can to your local shelter. All funds will be used to purchase items these families desperately need (and yes, I’m kicking in a nice chunk of change too).

Some of the gifts the families have requested are socks for a six year old little girl whose favorite color is purple (yes… she simply wants SOCKS for Christmas!). Another is a size 14 boys coat (the child only wants to be warm). One of the mothers is pregnant and due with a little girl on the 29th of December. The mothers asked for items for their children such as underwear, socks, shoes, shirts, pants, boots, and coats but didn’t ask for much of anything for themselves. The only thing a couple of them requested was a set of pots and pans for when they get a place to stay. As far as gifts outside of necessities, some of the kids are hoping for i-pods (there are a few teenage boys), bikes, toy trucks, light up toys, hair bows, etc. It would be nice to be able to give these children a holiday with gifts other than basic necessities as they are already going through a very tough time.

I’ve tried to give you a lot through this blog (articles, ideas, guest bloggers, etc.). I’ve never asked anything of you other than to read it and enjoy it for free. I’m asking for something now. It’s not for me – it’s for a six year old girl whose toes are cold. Please be generous. Please donate. Thank you so much for your generosity – I truly appreciate it.

I wish you all a blessed, safe, and happy holiday season. Please help me give that same blessing and happiness to others who are in need.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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