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One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership
A robust, authentic model for creating and clearly articulating a personal leadership philosophy Based on leadership expert Mike Figliuolo's popular "Leadership Maxims" training course, One Piece of Paper teaches decisive, effective leadership by taking a holistic approach to defining one's personal leadership philosophy. Through a series of simple questions, readers will create a living document that communicates their values, passions, goals and standards to others, maximizing their leadership potential. Simple, applicable, and without pretense, One Piece of Paper provides a model for real leadership in the real world.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 7, 2011
47 people are currently reading
366 people want to read
About the author
Mike Figliuolo
4 books66 followersMike Figliuolo is the founder and managing director of thoughtLEADERS, LLC, a professional services firm specializing in leadership development, and a nationally-recognized speaker and blogger on the topic of leadership. An Honor Graduate from West Point, Figliuolo served in the U.S. Army as a combat arms officer. Before founding his own company, he was an assistant professor at Duke University, a consultant at McKinsey & Co., and an executive at Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro.
Mike actively blogs about leadership, strategy, communications, innovation, and other critical business skills at http://www.thoughtleadersllc.com/blog/. His work has been featured on Inc.com, Forbes.com, SmartBrief, The Huffington Post, and many other well-recognized media outlets.
He lives in Columbus, Ohio.
Mike actively blogs about leadership, strategy, communications, innovation, and other critical business skills at http://www.thoughtleadersllc.com/blog/. His work has been featured on Inc.com, Forbes.com, SmartBrief, The Huffington Post, and many other well-recognized media outlets.
He lives in Columbus, Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 3, 2019
This book was an assigned reading text for a college course in leadership. Mike's stories and approach to leadership will prove to be an essential foundation for building my leadership skills. Following his strategy for finding and defining my leadership maxims, what they mean to me, what they represent, and how I will use them to lead myself and my people will help me make the sometimes tough decisions that I will face as a leader. I will use my maxims and continue to evolve with them over time. This book is a great read and Mike does a great job of being relatable, funny, and wise. Thank you Mike for sharing your maxims with us and for speaking to our class, we really enjoyed it.
February 2, 2019
For anyone wanting a down to earth book that focuses on your personal leadership style and how to help yourself become a better leader look no further here it is.
May 10, 2015
In an age when we all need to learn to communicate with less "blah blah" and more concisely, Mike Figliuolo shows how this is, and can be, done. Not only has he written one of the most compelling, easily devoured, and heartwarming business books I've read in a long time, he offers the reader a remarkably simple yet effective way to capture their personal philosophy on a standard 8.5 x 11" piece of paper.
We're probably all familiar with the guff that comes out of the mouths of marketing departments of leaders and organizations - hilariously captured by Figliuolo on page 15: "My leadership philosophy is to optimally leverage the passions of my people such that at the end of the day we maximize employee engagement to get them to think outside the box and synergistically drive value-added activities in a profit-maximizing way that is a win-win for our people, our shareholders, and our customers."
As the author points out, this all sounds - well, I guess, impressive (to the easily impressed at least) -- but what the heck does it mean? What Figliuolo offers with his Leadership Maxims approach is a way to express who we are, uniquely, by tapping into the everyday but profound experiences that shaped us. Then he shows us how to distill the essence of each experience into a phrase or short sentence, that can be used as prompts when required.
I remember, in the days of Maggie Thatcher (I'm from Britain originally), when she talked about the men in her Cabinet, that she had the greatest respect for the one guy (Lord David Young, I think it was) who didn't bring her problems, he brought her solutions. I've always remembered that and endeavored to emulate the same approach throughout my career. "Don't bring me problems. Bring me solutions" is, Figliuolo shares, one of his "leadership style" maxims but, as is the beauty of this approach, we can each make a maxim our own because we each have a different story to share behind it.
If you go over to Amazon, you'll see that almost every one of the 56 reviews (to date) that Figliuolo has received is 5 stars. He certainly deserves them. I probably read two or three business books every month (it used to be more when I wrote reviews for my Thought Readership series on ActiveGarage.com) ...some of these books are really bad, others are as boring as heck, a few gems stand out. This book is one of the gems. As the testimonial on the front cover states: "...buy this book." I heartily concur.
We're probably all familiar with the guff that comes out of the mouths of marketing departments of leaders and organizations - hilariously captured by Figliuolo on page 15: "My leadership philosophy is to optimally leverage the passions of my people such that at the end of the day we maximize employee engagement to get them to think outside the box and synergistically drive value-added activities in a profit-maximizing way that is a win-win for our people, our shareholders, and our customers."
As the author points out, this all sounds - well, I guess, impressive (to the easily impressed at least) -- but what the heck does it mean? What Figliuolo offers with his Leadership Maxims approach is a way to express who we are, uniquely, by tapping into the everyday but profound experiences that shaped us. Then he shows us how to distill the essence of each experience into a phrase or short sentence, that can be used as prompts when required.
I remember, in the days of Maggie Thatcher (I'm from Britain originally), when she talked about the men in her Cabinet, that she had the greatest respect for the one guy (Lord David Young, I think it was) who didn't bring her problems, he brought her solutions. I've always remembered that and endeavored to emulate the same approach throughout my career. "Don't bring me problems. Bring me solutions" is, Figliuolo shares, one of his "leadership style" maxims but, as is the beauty of this approach, we can each make a maxim our own because we each have a different story to share behind it.
If you go over to Amazon, you'll see that almost every one of the 56 reviews (to date) that Figliuolo has received is 5 stars. He certainly deserves them. I probably read two or three business books every month (it used to be more when I wrote reviews for my Thought Readership series on ActiveGarage.com) ...some of these books are really bad, others are as boring as heck, a few gems stand out. This book is one of the gems. As the testimonial on the front cover states: "...buy this book." I heartily concur.
May 1, 2015
One Piece of Paper - the simple approach to powerful, personal leadership. The book title sounds too good to be true - but getting there means a lot of meaningful homework. And that’s exactly what Mike Figliuolo challenges you to do. This is great food for thought for leaders who can use a little more reflection - to develop themselves to great leaders. It isn’t just what they do, or how they do it - it’s who they are that makes the difference.
Mike Figliuolo emphasizes the importance of what makes you YOU as a leader, and how that differs from everyone else. Go a level deeper than the corny values statements to find out what really makes you tick, who you are, and how you like to do things…
Figliuolo rightfully observes that “leadership” is often limited to “leading people” - while it also entails “leading yourself”, “leading the thinking” and “leading a balanced life”. Do your homework in those 4 areas. Go beyond abstractions and make it personal and applicable! From values to maxims (principles) to daily behaviors: consciously develop yourself as a leader. When you do this homework, you can really write down your philosophy on one piece of paper!
Mike Figliuolo emphasizes the importance of what makes you YOU as a leader, and how that differs from everyone else. Go a level deeper than the corny values statements to find out what really makes you tick, who you are, and how you like to do things…
Figliuolo rightfully observes that “leadership” is often limited to “leading people” - while it also entails “leading yourself”, “leading the thinking” and “leading a balanced life”. Do your homework in those 4 areas. Go beyond abstractions and make it personal and applicable! From values to maxims (principles) to daily behaviors: consciously develop yourself as a leader. When you do this homework, you can really write down your philosophy on one piece of paper!
February 1, 2019
I am grateful to have been forced to read this book in a leadership class. We actually used it as a textbook, based our discussions off of it, and followed each chapter to create our maxims and our personal leadership philosophy. The format of it is very easy to follow along, and as it is written like a friendly conversation, I found that the material and insights within it were easier to retain. It is written with the purpose of making your leadership philosophy easy to understand and remember, cutting out all bullshxt, and using events/moments/anything in your life that evokes strong emotion to create your maxims out of.
Our class had a lot of fun with this, and many have praised it as being a book they actually got a lot of meaning out of. My copy is heavily marked and tabbed. I plan to revisit it whenever I am in a position of leadership.
Our class had a lot of fun with this, and many have praised it as being a book they actually got a lot of meaning out of. My copy is heavily marked and tabbed. I plan to revisit it whenever I am in a position of leadership.
July 14, 2015
I purchased this book several years ago, wrote my maxims, and shared them with my team. In the daily chaos that can often engulf the corporate world, my published maxims, based on Mike's book, have been of great value in providing consistent guidelines to follow - both to myself, and my employees. It has been extremely valuable in leading through those turbulent times. Putting something down on paper is more powerful than relying on what's in your memory, especially during stressful times. An exceptional book - still providing value years later.
February 8, 2019
In my leadership course, we were asked to read Figliuolo’s One Piece of Paper. This book taught us how to create maxims for each of four categories. These are: leading myself, leading my thinking, leading my people, and leading a balanced life. If it were not for this book, I would have never even thought to do this. Mike made writing maxims an achievable task. Writing maxims is not easy without a guide. Mike did an excellent job of guiding me through this process.
March 4, 2018
You cannot lead effectively if you do not know yourself as a leader. Mike Figliuolo does an excellent job in guiding you through this process. If you follow his assignments you will find clarity in who you are as a leader. Highly recommend this book!
April 9, 2019
Extremely simple, but very powerful!
Read
June 22, 2025read about 75% of this for my mba class
February 5, 2019
This book was a required text in my BAS program I am currently working on. Though this was a required text, it is nothing like your average college text book. Mike takes a complex subject of what makes a great leader and presents it in a fascinating easy to read and follow manner. When reading how he creates his "maxims" you feel as if you are sitting with the author for a casual conversation. The book so engaging, I read two more chapters than what was required in my first week because I could not put it down. His approachable steps to digging deep within yourself to make a great leader are relate-able no matter what your chosen path in life. Our class was lucky enough to have a one hour Skype session with Mike this quarter and he was as fascinating and sincere as you will find when reading his book. This is one book I will not be selling back to my school, instead I will keep this for future reference. You won'b be disappointed with the book and this book will change you for the better.
August 5, 2013
The central idea of this book is this: if you can create a core set of maxims that direct your actions as a manager and leader, then your actions will be more consistent and more understandable to the people who work for you. The bulk of the book is devoted to helping you figure out what your maxims should be.
As a piece of general introspection it was interesting and fine, but having finished the book (and its exercises) recently, I did not walk away with the feeling that this would something that will be impacting my management style 6 months from now.
For someone less neurotically introspective than myself, the book may be a good tool for helping people understand their natural management style.
As a piece of general introspection it was interesting and fine, but having finished the book (and its exercises) recently, I did not walk away with the feeling that this would something that will be impacting my management style 6 months from now.
For someone less neurotically introspective than myself, the book may be a good tool for helping people understand their natural management style.
February 6, 2019
I had this as a reading assignment for my class. I also had the pleasure to have a telecom forum with Mike Figliuolo himself.
The book was easy to read and maneuver and it gave you ways to look at your life and your choices. The idea of "Maxims" gives you a reasoning of how to go about your day/business while staying true to yourself. If you can remember what is important to you, those things will follow you and your decisions.
My biggest take away is that you really have to set time for yourself and find what really is important to you. It is more than just answering the questions in the given chapters, but an I depth look at ones self and what is important to you.
The book was easy to read and maneuver and it gave you ways to look at your life and your choices. The idea of "Maxims" gives you a reasoning of how to go about your day/business while staying true to yourself. If you can remember what is important to you, those things will follow you and your decisions.
My biggest take away is that you really have to set time for yourself and find what really is important to you. It is more than just answering the questions in the given chapters, but an I depth look at ones self and what is important to you.
October 28, 2020
This new book, focused on the leader as an individual, promotes an important idea with a creative approach. Mike Figliuolo, an accomplished leadership trainer, coach, and speaker, suggests that to be the best leader we can be, we must be clear on our philosophy. - See more at: http://blog.kevineikenberry.com/leade...
June 11, 2020
I have read most part of the book and I am thankful to the author for penning down this one. Will surely help me to build leadership qualities. Before developing powerful leadership I believe we should be aware of tips to advance in career and these few point everybody should take care of https://www.roads2future.com/job-prep... and then leadership will do the rest
September 10, 2014
Mike Figliuolo single handedly exposes leaders to their own habits of baffling with bullshit while igniting a passion for authenticity. This idea has the potential to move managers from self important mediocrity to inspiring mentors.
If you read one book in ten years about leadership, make this the one. Figliuolo points out that it only works if you actually do it.
If you read one book in ten years about leadership, make this the one. Figliuolo points out that it only works if you actually do it.
August 6, 2020
I read this book in March 2020, and my first review was unfairly brief. After receiving some welcome feedback, I've removed my initial review and am replacing it with the following:
I rated this book 1 star as when Mr. Figliuolo wrote it, it appears he didn't have enough leadership experience to be speaking from a position of authority. The book is presented as expert opinion, which at the time he didn’t have enough experience to be an expert.
First, I do not consider service academy time as leadership experience. It's incredible leadership training, and a better education that I was able to get. But just as I don't consider a Doctor "experienced" when they first graduate their residency program, or a Lawyer "experienced" after they pass the bar, I don't consider new Lieutenants from service academies experienced. Absolutely well trained and ready for the role, but not experienced.
So with that caveat on service academy time, no one has the opportunity to lead all the time, because not every activity requires leadership. Going back to the Doctor example, they only get experience when they're treating the patient - not when they're filing the paperwork, interacting with peers, going to continuing education, or when they're not at work. So it takes a long time for them to be experts in their field, just as it does for leaders.
I think a safe average on time spent leading is about 25% in the right role (my opinion, open to feedback). I assume that Mr. Figliuolo wrote the bulk of the book in 2009, and spent 2 years in the editing / review process until it was published in 2011. That's 16 years of time from when he graduated West Point to when the book was written. I'll assume that a work week for him averaged 40 hours over the 16 year period, with bursts of longer days offset by transition periods between jobs with no work. I also assume that he was in an active leadership role the entire 16 years; and that aside from federal holidays he only took 2 additional weeks "off" each year on average. That is [16 Years] X [48 Weeks Worked / Year] X [10 Hours of Leadership / Week]; or 7,680 hours. That's 2,320 hours shy of the 10,000 hour "expert" mark established by Gladwell in "Outliers."
Because he was seemingly deficient in experience, I don't consider the book to be expert opinion - which is why I don't recommend it. Some may argue that Gladwell's 10,000 hour mark doesn't apply to leadership, if that is your stance then please disregard my review.
In addition to the issue of expert opinion, I have a difference of opinion of where management stops and leadership begins from Mr. Figliuolo. He is far more accomplished than I am, so I should probably defer to him - but for now I'm going to consider this a case where reasonable minds can differ. Had that been the only issue, I would have rated it 3 stars.
I wish Goodreads would do a binary "recommend / do not recommend," because 1 star could be mistaken as "this book is horrible!" It's not - Goodreads defines 1 star as "did not like it." If you have read other leadership books, and are okay that at the time of publishing the author may not have been an expert, check it out. I just don't recommend it if it's the only leadership book you'll read this year.
Despite my negative review, the author has been extremely gracious to me and offered free mentorship for which I am incredibly grateful.
I rated this book 1 star as when Mr. Figliuolo wrote it, it appears he didn't have enough leadership experience to be speaking from a position of authority. The book is presented as expert opinion, which at the time he didn’t have enough experience to be an expert.
First, I do not consider service academy time as leadership experience. It's incredible leadership training, and a better education that I was able to get. But just as I don't consider a Doctor "experienced" when they first graduate their residency program, or a Lawyer "experienced" after they pass the bar, I don't consider new Lieutenants from service academies experienced. Absolutely well trained and ready for the role, but not experienced.
So with that caveat on service academy time, no one has the opportunity to lead all the time, because not every activity requires leadership. Going back to the Doctor example, they only get experience when they're treating the patient - not when they're filing the paperwork, interacting with peers, going to continuing education, or when they're not at work. So it takes a long time for them to be experts in their field, just as it does for leaders.
I think a safe average on time spent leading is about 25% in the right role (my opinion, open to feedback). I assume that Mr. Figliuolo wrote the bulk of the book in 2009, and spent 2 years in the editing / review process until it was published in 2011. That's 16 years of time from when he graduated West Point to when the book was written. I'll assume that a work week for him averaged 40 hours over the 16 year period, with bursts of longer days offset by transition periods between jobs with no work. I also assume that he was in an active leadership role the entire 16 years; and that aside from federal holidays he only took 2 additional weeks "off" each year on average. That is [16 Years] X [48 Weeks Worked / Year] X [10 Hours of Leadership / Week]; or 7,680 hours. That's 2,320 hours shy of the 10,000 hour "expert" mark established by Gladwell in "Outliers."
Because he was seemingly deficient in experience, I don't consider the book to be expert opinion - which is why I don't recommend it. Some may argue that Gladwell's 10,000 hour mark doesn't apply to leadership, if that is your stance then please disregard my review.
In addition to the issue of expert opinion, I have a difference of opinion of where management stops and leadership begins from Mr. Figliuolo. He is far more accomplished than I am, so I should probably defer to him - but for now I'm going to consider this a case where reasonable minds can differ. Had that been the only issue, I would have rated it 3 stars.
I wish Goodreads would do a binary "recommend / do not recommend," because 1 star could be mistaken as "this book is horrible!" It's not - Goodreads defines 1 star as "did not like it." If you have read other leadership books, and are okay that at the time of publishing the author may not have been an expert, check it out. I just don't recommend it if it's the only leadership book you'll read this year.
Despite my negative review, the author has been extremely gracious to me and offered free mentorship for which I am incredibly grateful.
July 24, 2012
I had to select a book that interested me in "leadership." Although it was somewhat required reading for my Master's, I really enjoyed it. I liked it because it makes it personal to the reader. The author helps you discover what kind of leader you are and want to be. He helps you discover the "authentic you." And I did, in fact, walk away from the book with my one piece of paper!
I highly recommend this book!
I highly recommend this book!
July 22, 2016
I thought the book was really good. The author helps makes things simple when creating goals in life. I agree that we often over think goals, and they often look like something that was stolen from a seminar or book on goals. He challenges you to create memorable statements that keep you focused on what you want to accomplish in life. I'm going to go back and think through creating some of my own maxims.
August 13, 2013
The basic concept/premise of the book could have been explained in half the number of pages. Repetitive, over-indulgent, and over-rated. The author is so full of himself. Don't bother buying this book, just "Google" it and whatever summary that comes up is more then enough to know what this book is all about.
December 23, 2014
Just one more piece of hierarchical top down leadership drivel. I had to really look to find anything useful in the book. The one concept that drew me in is still valuable. It is a good idea to articulate your personal leadership philosophy concisely and powerfully - and to share it. Download the worksheets off the website and save yourself the cost of the book.
August 13, 2012
I enjoyed this book. The biggest benefit is that it forces you to put into words things you already know about yourself and your leadership. Some things you may not even realize until you try putting them into words. Well worth the quick read and the effort required.
March 16, 2014
Good stimulant for personal introspection as it applies to leading yourself and others. The book encourages using maxims that can be written on one piece of paper to remind you how to live and how to lead.
July 6, 2015
It was ok, but for a book that decries buzzwords I found it light on substance. I didn't walk away with any next steps other than to take a piece of paper and right down inspirational and helpful sayings on it.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews