Mike Figliuolo

Founder and managing director

Mike Figliuolo is the author of The Elegant Pitch (Weiser, 2016) and One Piece of Paper (Jossey-Bass, 2011), and co-author of Lead Inside the Box (Weiser, 2015). He’s also the managing director of thoughtLEADERS LLC, a leadership development training firm. He regularly writes about leadership in the thoughtLEADERS Brief on LinkedIn.

Fri, 12/06/2024 - 11:07
Overcoming Your Decision-Making FearsIf you’re deliberate and understand the trade-offs, you can decide faster with less fear
Thu, 03/27/2025 - 12:02
A leader’s daily decision checklist is daunting: From hiring or firing to major business changes, every judgment call carries with it some level of risk. A bad choice could result in a toxic hire or a new product launch that crashes and burns.…
How to Handle Getting Layered at WorkPut the organization first, acknowledge good behavior, and you and your new boss will be fine
Wed, 03/19/2025 - 12:03
Things are awesome at work until that dreadful day your boss (with whom you have an awesome relationship) tells you, “Hey, I’ve hired a new person who will be reporting to me, and you’ll now report to that person.” Just like that, you’ve officially…
How Your Enemies Can Make You BetterResolving conflicts benefits you the most
Wed, 03/12/2025 - 12:03
We all have enemies. Some of us have many. But when we spend our time and energy focused on attacking them and counterattacking their inevitable strikes, we’re the ones losing.  In getting us to attack, our enemy has taken us away from productive…
How to Set Better Boundaries at WorkYou need to define your own lines
Wed, 02/19/2025 - 12:01
You are the only one who can protect your time and your interests. You have to establish the “line” you’re not willing to cross or allow others to cross. Whether it’s the number of hours you work, the work you do (and the work others do), or the…
Staying True to Your Purpose in LifeIt’s important to define what’s important to you and align your choices with that
Tue, 01/28/2025 - 00:03
For me, the future is all about learning and teaching. Learning new ideas or disciplines fascinates me. Interconnecting those experiences and disciplines and creating new ideas to share with others through teaching is even more exciting. And the…
Experts and FraudstersAnd how to tell the difference
Mon, 01/13/2025 - 12:02
Every day there’s a new pile of “experts” cropping up on every subject imaginable. The key to differentiating genuine experts from frauds is to ask the right questions. Warning: This post is a bit of a rant (but it does have a story and some…
What Squirrels Can Teach You About NetworkingIt’s fair to ask, ‘What have you done for me lately?’
Wed, 01/08/2025 - 12:02
When it comes to networking, are you a squirrel or a grasshopper? From what I can tell, there are loads of grasshoppers out there but very few squirrels. You folks know that fable about the squirrel and the grasshopper, right? The squirrel works…
Solve Your Customer’s Problem If You Want the SalePutting your buyer’s interests first is the difference between having a customer or a client
Wed, 12/18/2024 - 12:01
Everyone has goals these days. The one that causes more disconnects than any other is a sales goal. It’s a number to hit (either units or dollars or both—the better ones are actually measured in profit dollars rather than revenue dollars). They’re…
Go Ahead, Make MistakesBut not really
Tue, 12/10/2024 - 12:02
As leaders, we say we want our people to be empowered to go out and make decisions. We say we’re OK with them making mistakes, and we’ll still support them making decisions on their own. But not really. I’m lucky to have a huge leadership lab in…
The False Economy of ‘I’ll Do It Myself’What can happen when you want to improve and save money at the same time
Tue, 11/26/2024 - 12:03
We’re constantly seeking ways to both improve our business but save money at the same time. That can lead to the dangerous dynamic of “I’ll do it myself.” Doing more with less can turn us into idiots. Our hubris and arrogance puts our idiocy into…