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.

Thu, 01/29/2026 - 12:25
How to See Your Projects to Completion Six reasons projects go bad and how to avoid them
Thu, 04/23/2020 - 12:03
Projects go off the rails all the time. Some statistics I’ve seen say only one in eight projects can truly be declared a success. Why are we so horrible at executing projects, especially when we have all these “tried and true” project management…
Components of High-Performing Cultures Create a virtuous circle to empower your team
Mon, 11/11/2019 - 12:03
Driving a strong business starts with the people who work for your business, and those people align with the business through the company culture. How are you shaping yours? A high-performing culture is one where people drive performance because of…
Setting Team and Employee Goals Linking goals to strategy is key to success
Mon, 07/29/2019 - 12:03
For a goal to be really relevant, it must tie to the broader purpose and goals of the entire organization. Your strategy is going to help drive that. Strategy consists of a desired future state and a definition of how you’re going to get there. You…
The Benefits of Creating a Business Plan You do have one, don’t you?
Tue, 06/18/2019 - 12:03
Creating a business plan is the most fundamental step in building a business, and the importance of it cannot be underscored enough. You may ask, “Why do I need a business plan? Why can’t I just launch my business and get to market?” First, you…
Five-Step Problem Solving The power of clarity
Wed, 04/17/2019 - 12:01
Have you ever found yourself in the midst of a business problem that you’re not sure how to solve? This five-step problem solving process is a great place to begin working through any business issue. At one point I worked with a financial services…
Proactively Dealing with Regulatory Changes to Keep Your Business Safe What you don’t know can wreck you
Mon, 08/06/2018 - 12:02
Legislative and regulatory changes can cause massive upheaval for your strategic plan. Elections happen all the time. New rules and regulations are proposed, implemented, or repealed on a daily basis. Court cases can change an entire industry…
Building the Bonds of a High-Performing Team Four deliberate steps you can take

Mon, 05/21/2018 - 12:03
You think you’re well on the way toward building and leading a high-performing team. You’ve got a clear vision and mission, and a nice set of prioritized initiatives. You have all the right people. But what starts differentiating a regular team from…
Stop Being a Team Leader and Start Being a Team Member Learning to be a teammate from Capt. Nate
Thu, 04/12/2018 - 12:02
A few years ago, I was very lucky to be reminded of what it’s like to be a team member instead of being a team leader. It was fun, refreshing, and insightful. Too many times as leaders, we forget what it’s like to be led instead of doing the leading…
Define the Question Before You Solve the Problem Ramifications of miscommunication
Mon, 03/05/2018 - 12:02
To effectively solve problems, you must first understand the question being asked and why it’s important to your stakeholder. Without clarity on why your stakeholder cares, the recommendation you generate might be useless. The first step for…
The Importance of Setting Quantitative and Qualitative Goals Integration can provide a more complete picture of overall performance
Tue, 01/30/2018 - 12:03
When you set goals, there’s commonly two types: quantitative and qualitative. By setting both types of goals for your organization, you can achieve a balance of results driven by people focusing on the behaviors that matter. Quantitative goals and…