Jeannette Seibly

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She has been an award-winning executive coach, keynote speaker and business author for more than 30 years. Her expertise is guiding leaders to get unstuck and achieve unprecedented results. Contact Jeannette for a confidential conversation @ JLSeibly@SeibCo.com

We’ve earned the right!

by

As biz professionals, we do a very poor job of selling ourselves and our ideas.  We have not yet learned to brag in a biz-savvy manner. Instead, to put the word out about our achievements, we rely upon endorsements or testimonials, articles, websites and printed marketing materials.

We are accomplished women and men who have achieved amazing results! What’s missing when we lose a deal (or job or promotion) to a less competent competitor?  Investor or banker interest?  Awards we could have won? Belief in our expertise?

Too often we downplay our accomplishments. Or worse, we use “scripted” material that only makes us sound like the competition instead of helping us stand out from them! Either way, we lose. We’ve been taught bragging is wrong all our lives. This misperception carries right over into our business lives. We don’t even apply for awards. We falsely believe it is unwise to brag about ourselves, products or services. It’s why our competitors win the deal, even though they offer inferior products and/or services!

The issue isn’t that you need more confidence when speaking. It’s not that you need to “feel it.” It’s that you need to learn how to quantify your results and share those achievements in a biz- savvy manner. It’s time to brag!

Take this million-dollar coaching to heart and turn things around! Get over your apprehensions! Learn how to brag! You’ve earned the right!  http://TimeToBrag.com

©Jeannette L. Seibly, 2012

5 Attitudes to Fast Track Career Derailment

by

Wonder why so many business professionals, executives and biz leaders are included in the ever increasing statistic of job shopping? These qualified professionals live under the false illusion that finding the perfect career or job will automatically have them earning mega-bucks, working for a great boss, while having fun in life!

  1. I can do anything. Sixty-three to seventy-nine percent of the workforce toil in jobs that don’t fit them. They continue seeking similar work with similar responsibilities only to achieve similar dissatisfaction.  (Think, do the same thing over and over, yet expect different results). Or they leap into a different type of industry that poorly suits them while arrogantly thumbing their nose at their past employers. Stop blindly seeking job satisfaction at the expense of your resume. Build bridges, don’t burn them.
  2. Gimme, Gimme. Most people jump for extra pennies or dollars in their paycheck, but leave those jobs because they are unhappy! Job gratification is personal. Satisfaction can be achieved meeting deadlines within budget, completing work to customers’ needs, etc. Your fulfillment comes from within you by building on your strengths to stretch your skills. 
  3. Grass is Greener. All companies have similar problems. The list is long: bosses who are poor managers; compensation and benefit packages that need improvements; economic focuses on financial results that negates a balanced work-life style. Job fit is critical to minimize these concerns. Employees (and executives) in the right job are much more productive and tolerant than others with the same challenges.
  4. Not My Problem. If you’re someone who creates elephants for your bosses and co-workers, or is continually putting the monkey on someone else’s back, no one wants to hire you! Learn how to handle issues by turning monologues into dialogues with the right person who can make the difference. Be part of the solution. Clean up your elephant tracks. 
  5. More is Better. A bigger company does not mean it is better run, regardless of their bigger budgets! Don’t assume your boss will be more understanding or the tools you need to do your job will be readily forthcoming. Millions of dollars are spent each year obtaining more certifications and more education, hoping this will transform people into fitting their work requirements. If people are not in jobs that fit them, additional education will not transform them into rock stars.

Rather than believe you’re stuck in a job or career, recognize you’re there because of your unwillingness to make an actual and real difference! Only you are responsible for your work-life happiness!

It’s an attitude. The time is now! Take charge of your career. Professionals who hire a career advisor have a competitive edge, with their current employer or their next one. They don’t wait for someone else to show them the right direction. They take a qualified assessment to clarify job fit. The assessment determines thinking style (major component in job satisfaction), core behavior (how they use their job skills vs. how the company needs the job done) and occupational interests (little or no interest equals poor quality, iffy results). They learn to how sell themselves in a biz savvy manner (http://TimeToBrag.com). They write down the top three qualifiers for their next job. The result? New opportunities appear quicker. They are sought after by their next employer or boss. They are on the right track to fulfill their career goals. (http://SeibCo.com)

©Jeannette Seibly, 2012

Avoid Disruptive Employees

by

As a boss and leader, it’s important to handle disruptive people issues immediately! Waiting can cause more destruction than a bad competitor. How can you avoid them?

Hire the right person for the right job. Good job fit normally creates better team members, whether they need to work independently or interdependently. Have others involved in the interview process. Conduct due diligence by first clarifying what you need to achieve. Use a consistent interview guide and ask the same interview questions of each candidate. This will make the process to compare responses easier. Moreover, it keeps it legal! Don’t settle for less than is required. Accepting someone as “good enough” can create negative and costly impacts to your clients and company.

Integrate new hires into team. Give new hires basic tasks to complete. Enable them to win immediately. Remind them, winning requires everyone pulling together for the benefit of the team. The good news is that the “right” person who does not like these tasks will find great opportunities to get them done faster, often with less cost! A true win for everyone.

Come Down to Reality. Realize there are times when people who create a lot of brouhaha truly are grounded in the mission and goals of the team. It’s time to have a reality check. Be open to the new opportunities healthy discussions produce, without dissing what caused the exchange of ideas.

Just fire them. There comes a time when someone is unable or unwilling to be part of the team, or do the work. It’s kinder to let them go, than to keep haranguing them to perform the job tasks they were hired to accomplish. Working around them wastes costly time drains precious energy. Sadly, this strategy rarely solidifies the team into working well together.

©Jeannette L. Seibly, 2012

When Winners Lose

by

There are times you can win simply by quitting. Or, losing gracefully.  You recognize them. Times when there’s been a financial drain. Resources are unavailable. No one is willing to work with you. It’s time to move on. If you’re unwilling to hire a biz advisor and incorporate their ideas, it’s doubly time to quit.

Feeling Bad. Regret rarely makes a difference to your team, investors, boss or customers. While many people will need to process it emotionally, moving forward is important so it doesn’t overwhelm you, your team or the company. If you’re not committed to the goal, consciously and unconsciously, your internal dialogue will stop you! Turn your monologue into a dialogue quickly instead of reinforcing “why it should’ve, could’ve and would’ve worked if only it had been different.”

Get clear. Every success and every failure provide “lessons learned.” These will be repeated in future projects and ventures until they are learned!  Complete a review of what worked from the project or venture. Clarify specifically what didn’t work. Using numbers will often help you see it more objectively. Incorporate these lessons into future plans.

Be Coachable.  Too often, people will give up too quickly due to entrenchment in how it’s always been done, or unwillingness to learn a new method. They might hang on too long due to their boss or leader not moving them forward.  Learn to quit gracefully after talking with a biz advisor to determine if the project, plan or venture can be turned around profitably and fulfill the intended outcomes.

©Jeannette L. Seibly, 2012

Leaders! Learn to lead in 3 steps.

by

There are leaders amongst us today who achieved their status by domineering, controlling and scheming how to use the organization’s resources and connections to their own advantage. For them, it’s not about serving their clients or employees or other benefactors. It’s about “what’s in it for me.” They falsely believe this makes them successful long term leaders. The truth?  It’s a short term fix, with long term consequences. Career derailment is inevitable.

Want to learn how to be a good long-term leader? Want to possess skills and attitudes that consistently work? First and foremost, hire a business advisor to help you see what you’ve been unwilling to see about yourself. To do what you’ve been unwilling to do. Remember, long term executive savvy requires a higher quality of leadership competencies and expertise.

1 – Straight talk. Attempting to out-talk or manipulate people into thinking the way you do is not the mark of a true leader.  Listen to others’ ideas and build upon them. Understand there is always more than one way to achieve the required results.

2 – Goals. Set true and compelling goals on behalf of the company. This is different than focusing on your own personal financial or professional gains. One Regional Manager wanted his people to get out there and sell so he could purchase his dream sailboat. Needless to say, this manager’s self-serving attitude permeated the team and discouraged them from playing full-out. Their buy-in was to achieve the company’s sales goals, not rack up big boy toys for him. His career as a sales manager sunk. Be prepared to understand and communicate what is in it for your team. Focus 100% on your employees winning. You are only as successful as your people!

3 – Elicit the best in others. Lying, playing people against each other, and using punitive threats to get your way or achieve goals does not bode well in the long run, although it may appear to provide needed short term gains. This type of leadership style creates havoc, litigation and bad will with internal and external clients. Learn how to manage people or hire someone else to do it for you. Learn to talk straight and tell the truth appropriately. It will make a difference in people wanting to work with you. It will build your career as a leader.

©Jeannette L. Seibly, 2012

Want a Fabulous 2012? Plan it.

by

It’s that time for you to complete 2011. Review. What was successful? What lessons did you learn? Then, create 2012! Build upon your successes. Avoid pitfalls! Be sure to include your business advisor during the strategic process. A qualified facilitator will keep you focused on the right things, point out avoidable pitfalls and help you recognize new opportunities to build upon for financial growth.

Lone Wolf approach. Turn monologues into dialogues!  Many business owners attempt to go it alone. They believe they are the only ones that know what their company needs. They use the excuse that others will only cloud the process. Or, take up too much time or money. The reality? It costs a lot more time and money to implement anything, if at all, when they are not part of the planning process. Hire a qualified business facilitator. Work alongside your core team to create plans with positive ROIs. You’ll be amazed by the positive difference!

Group Consensus. On the other end of the spectrum are executives that will negate the strategic process because it’s impossible to get everyone to agree. A 100% consensus is an illusion. Use a thorough brainstorming process to capture everyone’s ideas. Write them all down. Then, work towards alignment, not consensus. Can everyone align with the goal? What are the additional steps to be considered?

Bright Shiny Objects. These pull you away from your core, money-making business (think, positive ROI). Properly designed strategic plans will cause a magnetic pull forward. Focused action plans provide the sustained effort required to achieve this new reality. The keys for success are to stay focused and clear. If you simply can’t resist the allure of the shiny object, on your own time, create a blueprint and review the ROI. Get others’ input before investing time and money to implement it. Don’t neglect your core business!

©Jeannette L. Seibly, 2012

Leadership Maturity

by

Reprint from 2-11-2011

Honestly ask yourself:

Are you able to discuss others’ opinions without being defensive?

Do you know how to take an idea or concept and make it profitable?

Do you laugh at appropriate jokes without taking it personally, even if it’s about you?

Do you have the ability to see the bigger picture and patience to rephrase it into bite-size pieces so that others can get on the same page?

Can you make decisions that balance both the facts and the human interests?

If you answered yes to these questions, good for you! You are on the right track as a leader. The higher up the corporate ladder we climb the more our effective leadership relies upon interpersonal skills such as these and less about technical expertise.

But often as leaders, we take ourselves too seriously. We are unable to build upon ideas or create a consensus that works. We openly disparage others when they disagree with us. We exclude people with broader experience instead of learning from them, and defend our limited experience in an attempt to feel better about ourselves. This is career limiting behavior for any leader!

Persuasive Listening. To truly listen, we must silence our internal chatterbox and refrain from thinking about our response when others are talking. We will hear similarity in arguments even when it appears we are on a different side of the issue. Good leadership skills – like active listening – provide new solutions that might not be readily apparent.

Be open to differing opinions. We can make better decisions for our companies and organizations when we openly hear what others have to say. But if we become defensive or belittle differing perspectives, we make less than adequate decisions, fail to address the bigger picture or miss details for implementation entirely.  We create a negative reputation for ourselves and our organizations. Disparaging others reflects more negatively upon the speaker than the person being belittled!

Be a team player. Many leaders don’t make good team players. They may play at being part of the group; however, they are more interested in how it applies or affects them personally.  Team has evolved into a broader definition this decade: It’s getting everyone on the same page and moving forward together. It’s not about everyone thinking the same thing or using the same signals or jargon!  It’s about learning to appreciate others and elicit the best in them, as they are. Learn this masterful skill and be seen as a leader to follow!

©Jeannette L. Seibly, 2011

Measure Sales Success During the Interview, Not After

by

Timeless reprint from 2008 and 2010

Contact me for a complimentary analysis of your sales team! JLSeibly@SeibCo.com

Selecting sales candidates who can actually sell is a huge challenge for any employer.  Even if they sold the same or similar products or services for your competitor, it doesn’t mean they can adequately sell for you.

Many times future employers are “sold” or mis-led about an applicant’s sales abilities when:

  • They have very good verbal skills (does not mean they have the personality and/or interests to deliver the results);
  • They appear to be good team players (many good sales people are not); or
  • They are able to sell themselves (does not mean they can sell your products or services).

The following interview metrics do not eliminate the need to use valid and objective assessments that actually (and legally) measure your candidates’ true sales capabilities (think, learning style, core behaviors and occupational interests). These questions simply provide you additional information to ensure you’re getting a true sales person, and not a “marketing-type person” who relies upon others to sell and close the deal.  Your sales people create your company’s reputation, now and in the future.

  • What was your candidate’s quota for his last employer(s) – did s/he hit it?
  • What was the average size deal?  (Dollars and re-sales)
  • Did s/he make President’s club or receive other industry recognized “acknowledgement.”
  • Does s/he have inside vs. outside sales experience?   Which did they prefer?  Why?
  • What were the number of cold calls, conversations, presentations, etc that s/he made daily and weekly?
  • What was his or her close ratio? (How many presentations vs. number of actual sales?)
  • Where did his or her leads come from – were they generated by the person or were they given to them by others in the company?
  • What were his or her day-to-day activities, including time at the desk and time in front of the potential customer?  Or, in front of current customers, up-selling or cross-selling?
  • What formal sales training has s/he had?
  • What tracking system did they use to keep stats on lead generation, lead conversion, and repeat business?
  • Do they plan their work and work their plan, effectively?   How do they know?
  • If they were to describe a sales person, what words would they use?  (Remember, you’re looking for the positive attributes, not the age old “snake oil” descriptors.)
  • If they were to use one word to describe his/her customer’s experience of working with him/her, what would that word be?

© Jeannette L. Seibly and John W. Howard, 2008-2011

Jeannette Seibly, Principal of SeibCo, is a nationally recognized coach, who has helped 1000’s of people achieve unprecedented results.  She has created three millionaires.  You can contact her:  JLSeibly@SeibCo.com OR http://SmartHiringMadeEasy.com  Jeannette is also the author of “Hiring Amazing Employees” (BizSavvyHire.com)  and “It’s Time to Brag!” (TimeToBrag.com)  Contact me for a complimentary analysis of your sales team! JLSeibly@SeibCo.com

John W. Howard, Ph.D., owner of Performance Resources, Inc. helps businesses of all sizes increase their profits by reducing their people costs. His clients hire better, fire less, manage better, and keep their top performers. He may be reached at 435.654-5342, OR JWH@prol.ws

Promote Yourself – No One Else Will!

by

Many of us are perplexed that people with lesser skills, results and abilities win the job, the sales contract or the award. They woo away our clients and potential investors, even when we have a superior product. What’s the problem?

Unfortunately, we’ve been taught from a very early age that bragging is wrong. Even in adulthood we are still careful not to be seen as a braggart. So we attempt to look and sound like everyone else. It doesn’t work. They’ve heard all the similar sales pitches. They are bored by the same old introductions or elevators speeches. They are unimpressed when you spiel off a list of all the tasks you can perform.

“The analogy? Too often we pretend we are raccoons when, in fact, we’re cats. Everyone knows we’re cats. The raccoons know we’re not one of them. The raccoons expect us to act like a cat when we are interacting with them. Obviously, as a cat, you can never be a raccoon. Attempting to be someone you are not is unimpressive, even when you act in a respectful and tactful manner! Sadly, you hide your true abilities and accomplishments.”  Taken from It’s Time to Brag (TimeToBrag.com)

The point? People are less likely to purchase your products and services when they are unable to distinguish a difference between you and so many others competing for their attention. They’ve heard (or seen) all the traditional benefits and cost analyses. We misinterpret people’s glazed-over look, if we even notice it at all.

People do business with people they feel comfortable with. They like to work with people who will help them be successful. If you’re comfortable with yourself, they will be too. If you look and sound like everyone else, people won’t see the need to meet you, talk with you or do business with you. If you’re trying to be like everyone else, they will simply shut out everything you say and think, “I’ve heard it all before.” 

Whenever you hear yourself starting to sound like everyone else, stop it! Think of the cat and raccoons. Hiding out (as someone you are not) won’t pay the bills. It will not earn you money or any well-deserved recognition. Nor will it win you a job or promotion.

How do you show you’re a winner? How do you “Wow!” them subtly and clearly and depict your product or service as the best?  In my recently released book, It’s Time to Brag! (TimeToBrag.com) I outline five amazing steps to differentiate yourself when selling or vying for that promotion or job. I have found these exercises also help keep clients who are ready to go with your competition. The results from the exercises can also attract potential investors and bankers. They place you at the top when you are nominated for an award.

Learn how to brag with biz savvy skills! It’s time! (TimeToBrag.com)

©Jeannette Seibly, 2011

How do you manage talent incompetence?

by

We’ve all had to work around them, to the detriment of the organization or clients. These troublemakers refuse to work well with certain people and blame others for their own inadequate skills. They make it impossible to resolve issues since they believe they have the authority to say “no” and use it too often. They can wreak havoc on any business if left alone to do what they want, if they want.

Why not simply fire them? It may be due to longevity, specialized job knowledge, or they simply know where the company skeletons lie. They fail to take responsibility and know how to manage their boss. Their false sense of bravado may have started with overly positive performance appraisals, an over-inflation of their abilities reinforced by a boss with poor managerial skills. They refuse to develop their skill-sets to keep up with industry or profession changes.  Or they may rely upon manipulating the system and/or their boss for their own interests. This type of chronic behavior makes it difficult for employers to take corrective action. Some companies actually give promotions – not-earned commissions or extra bonuses – hoping these tokens will give incentives to improve. But it only exacerbates the problems.

Come Down to Reality. If you inherit one of these people, don’t automatically fire them. They may have insights and job knowledge crucial to keeping current customers, building systems for the future and handling nuances not readily apparent in a system or product. This type of employee may simply require the right boss!

Take time to talk and work with them. Review the job description and job perception. Then, let them know exactly what your expectations are, including the scope of their authority and the quality you need in their work and people interactions. Since these employees often keep procedures in their heads to ensure their employment, be a step ahead and require them to cross-train others on their job. Some may be afraid of technology or have poor reading and writing capabilities. Do not allow them to continue to believe they are an exception to the rules. Insist they come up to speed. It will take time to break old habits. Be consistent. Be clear. Follow-up!

Qualified Assessments. Have the person take a qualified assessment. Use a tool that meets or exceeds the Department of Labor Guidelines for pre-employment tools; these tools have the highest validity and reliability on the market.  It’s very hard to effect change if you rely upon the results of a tool that has face validity (how a person wants to be seen) but no predictive value (actual correlation between the results and job requirements). Adjust job responsibilities accordingly. Provide skill development training.

Hire Bosses who can manage. Hire and promote people into management positions who are great motivators, unafraid of managing actions to produce actual results. Train them on how to conduct performance reviews. Remember, most employees want a coveted manager’s job since it’s the only way to earn more money and/or take on additional job responsibilities. The reality is many may not have the ability or interest to effectively manage or lead others. Some may simply need additional training. Create career ladders that allow non-managerial talent to be promoted and receive pay increases.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2011