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.

Tue, 11/26/2024 - 12:03
How Your Business Can Achieve Global DominationGlobalization is an unstoppable trend, so why not take advantage of it?
Tue, 10/24/2023 - 12:03
I’m going to take over the world! It’s really fun to say that. It’s even more fun to take action toward that goal. Our world has gotten smaller. Way smaller. Globalization is an unstoppable trend. But as they say, the trend is your friend, so why…
Managerial Miscues: ‘The But(t) Sandwich’Frank feedback doesn’t need any sweeteners
Wed, 10/11/2023 - 12:03
Some people advocate giving good feedback before and after bad feedback. Doing so is actually harmful. Instead, good leaders deliver tough feedback directly. Every once in a while history repeats itself—and those who fail to learn from it are…
Rabid Ferrets in the Corner... Give Them an OutThere are ways to defuse events simply by adopting the right mindset
Tue, 10/03/2023 - 12:03
Stupid stuff is going to happen. Expect it. It’s part of our complex and highly interdependent world. People will make mistakes. A lot of them. Layer on top of that some incredibly politically charged cultures (for more on that subject see “Hot…
Outlookicide!No one needs recurring meetings, unnecessary reports, and thoughtless emails
Tue, 09/26/2023 - 12:03
Meetings give me a rash. A really bad one. One that not even calamine lotion can soothe. The only things worse than meetings are reports. Standard daily reports, weekly reports, hourly reports. Reports on the status of reports. If I wasn’t already…
Hate Your Job? Then Shut Up and QuitTime to stop whining about it and do something

Mon, 09/11/2023 - 12:03
Do you find yourself muttering, “I hate my job” every day when you wake up? Have you been saying that for more than a month straight? Are people starting to avoid you because you’re a downer to be around? Then it’s probably time to shut your mouth…
Yoda’s Three Steps to Achieving Your GoalsAdvice to help you focus, believe, and act
Thu, 08/31/2023 - 12:03
Life goals. Bucket lists. “One day I’ll ....” We all have dreams and goals. The biggest difference between people who achieve them and those who don’t is the act of actually doing. Do you have goals and things you want to achieve? Professional…
Defining Your Leadership Philosophy on One Piece of PaperAs a leader, knowing your own role is a critical skill

Mon, 08/14/2023 - 12:02
We make leadership way too difficult. We write entire books on it. We teach it in universities and MBA programs. We dedicate entire fields of study to it. We create massive corporate programs to foster it. Here’s the thing: It’s really not that hard…
What to Do When You Make a Firing Mistake‘Not sweating it’ isn’t acceptable
Mon, 07/31/2023 - 12:03
Sometimes you fire someone who doesn’t deserve it. Your job as a leader is to admit the mistake and do your best to rectify it properly as soon as possible. Many of you (likely about 80%) have fired someone at some point. The odds are that some of…
One Question That Keeps You Out of TroubleNot jumping to conclusions can prevent you from being thought a tyrant or fool
Wed, 07/19/2023 - 12:03
You folks know I love asking questions. From this post about forgoing answers in favor of asking questions, to my quote, “Asking the right question about the future is more powerful than having the right answer about the past,” I’ve found questions…
Detail-Oriented vs. Control FreakWhere do you draw the line with bosses?
Mon, 06/26/2023 - 12:03
Twice in the last week I’ve heard about “idiot bosses.” Being the inquisitive guy I am, I probed for the root cause of such comments. Rather than simply asking what the cause is, I decided to address the symptoms first. Q: “Tell me more about this…