Mike Figliuolo's Blog, page 11

What? You’re Leaving Me?

When a top employee resigns, how should a leader respond? Discover best leadership practices for handling transitions with integrity and support.

Today’s guest post is by Mark C. Fava, author of “LESSONS FROM THE ADMIRAL: Naval Wisdom and Sea Stories for Leaders”

You have trained and mentored an employee for years. You have invested time and money to ensure their development, success, and future. You have poured your soul and wisdom into them.

Read the rest of this post at thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World.

How frequently does your organization undergo major reorganizations?

Our reader poll today asks: How frequently does your organization undergo major reorganizations?

Constantly. It happens multiple times per year 9.60%Regularly. At least once a year 19.20%Sometimes. Usually every couple of years 41.91%Rarely. I can’t remember the last time we reorganized 29.29%

Not Mixing Things Up.

Read the rest of this post at thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World.

What Goldilocks Can Teach Us About Leadership

 

Learn three valuable leadership lessons from the classic fairy tale, Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Today’s guest post is by Lida Citroën, author of “The New Rules of Influence: How to Authentically Build Trust, Drive Change, and Make an Impact.”

Think back to the 19th-century children’s fable, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. A young girl, lost in the woods, stumbles upon a home that just happens to belong to a family of bears.

Read the rest of this post at thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World.

7 Tips for Dealing With Irate Customers

Dealing with angry customers can be one of the greatest challenges you face.  Here are 7 tips for dealing with those difficult situations gracefully and effectively.

Today’s post is by Mark Goulston, author of “Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone”

One of the things that all irate customers have in common is that they have an attitude that says “I rate better service than this and now that I have you on the phone, you’re going to pay for it!” And one of the other things about them that gets to you is you feel unjustly accused of having done this to them and that can make it difficult to remain calm.

Read the rest of this post at thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World.

How do you handle it when a team member talks about someone behind their back?

Our reader poll today asks: How do you handle it when a team member talks about someone behind their back?

I immediately tell them it’s inappropriate and shut down the conversation 12.21%I listen to their complaint then instruct them to take it up with that person 69.96%I engage in the conversation and sometimes join the complaining 5.63%I let them speak their mind but basically ignore it 12.20%

Beware of Tacit Approval.

Read the rest of this post at thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World.

The Importance of Critical Thinking

Critical thinking helps you truly understand the problems you are facing and how to solve them.

Let’s look at the importance of critical thinking. So many times when people ask us can you solve this problem, we rush off and start solving it without stopping to think before we do. We’re facing new demands that require extensive amounts of information before we can make a decision.

As part of your problem solving process, there are going to be multiple stakeholders involved. 

Read the rest of this post at thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World.

What Goldilocks Can Teach Us About Leadership

 

Learn three valuable leadership lessons from the classic fairy tale, Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Today’s guest post is by Lida Citroën, author of “The New Rules of Influence: How to Authentically Build Trust, Drive Change, and Make an Impact.”

Think back to the 19th-century children’s fable, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. A young girl, lost in the woods, stumbles upon a home that just happens to belong to a family of bears.

Read the rest of this post at thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World.

How well do you celebrate your team members’ success?

Our reader poll today asks: How well do you celebrate your team members’ success?

Extremely: I always find ways to praise and celebrate them regularly 23.17%Very: I often find ways to praise and celebrate their success 40.68%Somewhat: I celebrate them but could do so more frequently 28.82% Not very: I tend to only celebrate big milestones 5.64%Not at all: I barely spend time celebrating team member success 1.69%

Let them know you notice.

Read the rest of this post at thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World.

Use the 5 Whys of Critical Thinking

 

Repeatedly asking yourself “why?” is an effective tool to get to the root cause of your problems and gain insights on how to solve them.

One of the most effective critical thinking tools I’ve ever come across is the five whys. When I was a young analyst as a consultant, I was at a client engagement, and I was responsible for doing a lot of analysis. 

Read the rest of this post at thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World.

Retention is an Asset

Today’s post is by Anil Singhal, author of “The 5% Rule of Leadership: Using Lean Decision-Making to Drive Trust, Ownership, and Team Productivity.”

We live in an age of corporate layoffs. Whenever companies encounter a setback, the inevitable go-to move is to cut overhead. A challenging stock market, a significant customer loss, the retirement of an aging product line? Lay off employees. Wall Street analysts love to see it – staff cutbacks can mean a short-term boost in your stock price.

Read the rest of this post at thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World.