Mike Figliuolo

Founder and managing director

thoughtLEADERS

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.

Wed, 03/25/2026 - 14:01
Defining Your Career Experience Headhunters, fingerprints, and social media
Wed, 08/28/2024 - 12:02
Susan Strayer, a friend of mine, posed a question on social media the other day: “Can you sum up your expertise in 140 characters or less?” Great question. A few people took her up on the challenge. Being an overachiever, I did it in three words.…
Are You Ready for the Next Apocalypse? Define goals, track them, and take action to make them real
Mon, 08/19/2024 - 12:03
In case you missed it, the apocalypse happened a few weeks ago. The end of days. The reckoning. It was a time to take a step back and reflect on all you’ve accomplished or failed to accomplish in your life. Even though the world was not torn asunder…
Authentic Leadership: His Name Is Angel The injustice of the word just
Mon, 08/12/2024 - 12:03
I hate the use of the word just in front of anyone’s title, as in, “He’s just an analyst,” or, “She’s just a cafeteria worker,” or, “I’m just an administrative assistant.” No one is just anything. The word is demeaning and pejorative. We’re all…
I Never Want to Be [Sic]k Take the time to proofread your writing, or pay the price
Wed, 08/07/2024 - 12:02
Reading the news (or even your email) can be distressing to the point of despondency. It can also be fun. It’s especially fun when people say or write silly stuff, and the reporter or editor has to write [sic] after a misspelling or a stupid comment…
You’ve Been Pwned! I go to work so I have the resources to go play
Tue, 07/30/2024 - 12:02
We take ourselves too seriously, and in doing so we become boring and no fun. Sometimes it’s OK to let loose, act silly, and have a good time. It’s energizing. So often we while away the days being the consummate professional. We read professional…
Hands-On Customer Service Training Let your team experience expectations firsthand
Mon, 07/15/2024 - 12:03
It’s all well and good to pontificate about “the customer comes first” or “deliver outstanding service,” but often it’s hard for your team members to wrap their heads around what that really means. You can say these things until your jaw muscles are…
Great Leaders Should Move to a Cubicle Show you’re an equal and learn a lot
Tue, 07/09/2024 - 12:03
Congratulations! You’ve arrived. You’ve earned that nice cushy office where you can shut the door and no one can hear you listening to the greatest American Idol video ever on YouTube (or looking for a video card to send to your mom on Mother’s Day…
Leaders Who Empower: Why Kenny Wins Every Time Do you allow low-rank employees to make decisions?
Tue, 07/02/2024 - 12:02
Are you giving your lowest-level employees the power to make crucial customer-relations decisions without supervision? If not, you’re making a huge mistake. Within a four-hour period on Friday I witnessed both excellent leadership and an abject…
A Leadership Lesson From Kung Fu Panda Focusing on today, not yesterday or tomorrow
Tue, 06/18/2024 - 12:03
You can learn a lot about leadership from Master Oogway in Kung Fu Panda. He emphasizes leading today rather than worrying about yesterday or tomorrow. My expectations for the movie were quite low. I mean, a panda that does kung fu? A jackrabbit I…
Authentic Leadership: ‘He Drinks 7Up’ It helps to know your people
Wed, 06/05/2024 - 12:02
One of the most exciting things you can do as a young tank platoon leader is participate in a tank gunnery exercise. Essentially it’s going to a shooting range with some really big cannons mounted on a 68-ton chassis. One particularly hot summer in…