Mike Figliuolo's Blog, page 43

Six Definitions that “Innovation” Ain’t

Innovation is the buzzword of buzzwords. But what exactly does it mean? And how are you most apt to achieve it?

Today’s post is by David Cutler, author of The GAME of Innovation  (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

Innovation is the buzzword of buzzwords. Job descriptions seek “innovative leadership.” Organizations tout their “innovative culture.” Grants support “innovative solutions.”

But what exactly does this mean?

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

How confident are you in your written communication skills?

Our reader poll today asks: How confident are you in your written communication skills?

Extremely: I convey thoughts clearly and compellingly 30.36%Very: I’m an above-average written communicator 47.96%Somewhat: I do an OK job expressing written thoughts 15.57%Not very: My writing skills aren’t what I want them to be 4.84%Not at all: My writing skills are severely lacking 1.27%

Are you really clear?

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

Understanding Opportunity Cost

 

Understanding the concept of opportunity cost will help you prioritize your team’s most important tasks. Learn to say no to low-value work.

Do you know what your team’s time is worth? Lack of focus consumes time. That’s the one resource you can never get back. When you look at activities in terms of their time cost, it becomes easier to say no to distractions.

Don’t just ask, “What task am I going to do next?” Instead, ask, “What task am I not going to do so I can work on the new request?” When requests come in to your team, assess what other work isn’t going to get done by the team if you take on the new request.

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

How Good Leaders Keep Their Top Talent

 

Retaining top talent should be at the top of a leader’s priority list. Doing so requires engagement, recognition, and caring. Those investments pay off in improved performance.

Today’s post is by Jill Lublin, author of The Profit of Kindness (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

High-performing employees contribute extensively in achieving business results. Hence, companies have designed programs from benefits and compensation to training and development to retain them.

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

When you delegate work, who are you most likely to give the task to?

Our reader poll today asks: When you delegate work, who are you most likely to give the task to?

A high-performer — I know they’ll get it done 54.30%A low-performer — it’s a good chance for them to step up 3.79%Someone with a development need around that task 36.76%I don’t delegate 5.15%

Rethinking where you delegate.

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

Challenge How Your Business Operates

Transform your business by completely rethinking how it works. Analyzing your business model, revenue, and costs can lead you to innovative solutions.

When you go to generate new ideas to run things better, you need to think critically about the way your business runs. I like to look at three things: a business model blowup, a revenue blowup, and a cost blowup.

On the business model blowup, fundamentally rethink how you go to market.

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

How to Harness the 4 Aspects of Focus

Multitasking doesn’t work. It’s only through true focus that you can make meaningful progress on your work. By using the four aspects of focus, you can excel at any task you put your mind to.

Today’s post is by Achim Nowak, author of THE MOMENT: A Practical Guide to Creating a Mindful Life in a Distracted World (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

Let’s face it.

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

How receptive are you to “constructive” feedback that you disagree with?

Our reader poll today asks: How receptive are you to “constructive” feedback that you disagree with?

Very: It helps me learn about my blind spots 38.37%Somewhat: I don’t like it and resist but do pay attention to it 54.22%Not very: I push back on it and only listen when it’s a strong message 5.62%Not at all: everyone has an opinion.

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

Critical Thinking: Understanding the Real Question

When a stakeholder asks you to solve a problem, make sure you understand what’s driving their request. Asking follow-up questions can help you come up with better solutions.

So many times when we’re asked to look into an issue, we just rush off and start solving it without really thinking through what’s causing the person to ask the question in the first place. Probe to understand why you’re being asked to look at something. 

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

Critical Thinking Tools: The Problem Statement

 

Writing a problem statement helps you define your goals, boundaries, constraints, and assumptions when faced with a challenging project. 

One of my favorite critical thinking and problem solving tools is a good problem statement. You should never just take a problem and rush off in a general direction, thinking you’re going to come up with a solution that will satisfy the needs of your requester. If you don’t know the destination, you’re going to get lost. 

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