Want Better Results? Encourage Employees to Speak Up

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“Want great results? Encourage your employees to stand up and speak up!” Jeannette Seibly

Yes, we’re all busy! But taking the time and encouraging employees to speak up ensures better solutions and retention of top talent!

Many leaders fear taking risks, especially today. And in turn, employees fear speaking up to report mistakes, ask questions, offer new ideas, or challenge action plans or decisions. With everyone focused on keeping their jobs or not rocking the boat, projects, and plans fail because no one risked standing up and speaking up!

(Watch “Air,” a film based on true events about the origin of Air Jordan, Nike’s basketball shoe line with rookie player Michael Jordan. An employee had to step up and speak up. It forever changed how players were treated.)

How to Get Employees Talking and Creating Solutions

First, ASK! The #1 key to encourage employees to stand up and speak up!

Second, LISTEN! If you don’t, they won’t speak up again.

Brainstorming! Many leaders do a poor job of brainstorming. They latch on to the first idea that sounds good! However, often, it’s not. Learn how to truly brainstorm. It saves customers, bottom lines, and retention!

Critical Thinking! Take the time to conduct an analysis of essential considerations with all ideas (e.g., budget, ROI, impact on others, company mission and vision, workability, etc.).

Listen, Value, and Build. Use good listening skills and value others’ thoughts and opinions. Then, build on these ideas. Remember, all ideas can spark new ones. Build on these for better solutions. Also, avoid consensus building and focus on alignment with team members before agreeing on a plan.

Encourage Everyone on the Team to Participate. Ask each person several times for their input. Then, allow them to say “pass.” Many times, the second or third time, they’ll offer great insights. So, don’t ignore or overlook them.

Provide Training and Manage Conflicts. While having differing ideas is important, it needs to be a safe space for employees to talk! Ensure everyone is trained on how to participate in meetings (NO! It’s not natural, and learning by trial and error leads to employee disengagement). Manage disagreements by ensuring every employee can share without being criticized, humiliated, or made fun of.

Team Selection Is Important. Most teams fail because they include employees with no interest or time to commit (but meet diversity initiatives). Seek out those with the interest and willingness to attend all meetings. Include those without the skills with someone they can learn from during the project.

Get Out of the Way! Like in the movie Air, leaders do get in the way! It would be best to learn how to work through new ideas without shutting down employees from speaking up. For example: After a 6-month employee project, a company president decided he didn’t want employees offering suggestions to solve a critical issue. The problem? He feared the risks of adopting a new approach to solve an old problem.

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She is an award-winning international executive coach, speaker, and business author. Her wisdom of over 30 years guides clients to work through sticky situations and challenging relationships. Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion. PS: She’s also a three-time Amazon Best-Selling Author!

A note from Jeannette about getting employees to speak up: I remember working with a client that bet me a cookie that I could NOT get her employees talking. Yes, I won the cookie! (And I’ve won other similar bets with other clients!) When you are willing to listen and value employees’ input, they will talk! Often, their ideas are better than yours! It’s learning how to do it! Contact me for a confidential conversation about team facilitation.

Have You Considered the benefits of strengthening your ability to ask for and listen to employees’ input about a project or plan? It makes a positive difference in your success as a leader! I have extensive experience guiding leaders to work with and through their teams to achieve unprecedented results. Contact me if you want an in-depth, one-on-one hour over 13 weeks. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to win.

Ask your employees to share their ideas! This is a superpower that many leaders fail to develop! Then, they experience turnover, shaky bottom lines, and loss of customers. Working with and through others builds confidence and the ability to influence! Take action and contact me for a confidential conversation.

How to Achieve Results While Working through Uncertainty

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“Uncertainty in life is normal. Embracing it fully creates a positive difference to achieve results.” Jeannette Seibly

When you feel uncertain about a decision, it is often due to your fear of making a mistake, experiencing a failure, or not being in control of the outcome. Uncertainty feels uncomfortable. Many people will do everything they can to avoid it, which causes anxiety in their jobs, relationships, careers, businesses, and life choices. But life never provides absolute certainty.

So, how can you make uncertainty a superpower and have it help you create a great business, career, and life? Keep reading!

Tips to Work Through Uncertainty for Great Results

Be Open to Others’ Ideas. Like many leaders, you rely on your thoughts, opinions, and feelings about what is true and certain. But this is short-sighted. Instead, welcome others’ ideas. Learn how to brainstorm. For each idea, develop five reasons it could work, not why it won’t.

Unleash the Power of Others. Delegate! Get comfortable delegating! Allow others the opportunities to explore new ideas, even if you’re uncertain whether or not they’ll work. Their ideas and results can often be better than yours if you get out of the way!

Embrace Not Knowing How to Achieve the Outcome. Otherwise, you’ll feel stuck, paralyzed, and procrastination will set in. Instead, allow for the fact that you don’t know that you don’t know! And not knowing is OK. (Yes, reread those sentences.) Be clear about the goal and outcome you want to achieve. Now, move forward step-by-step with your team and executive coach through the uncertainty.

Develop Inner Confidence. Celebrate each step along the way, no matter how big or small. Develop “brags” to help you gain confidence and believe in yourself. “Brags” remind you that you’ve handled uncertainty and achieved successful outcomes in the past.

Make the Best Decisions for Now. When making decisions, collect factual data and don’t rely solely on your intuition/gut or overthink everything. Remember, no one has a crystal ball that foretells the future. While many believe success demands you move forward, a good decision can also include staying where you are (e.g., signing a new lease with your current landlord). Remember, uncertainty can and will still occur because uncertainty doesn’t go away.

Avoid Group Think; It Impedes Agility. Too often, during times of uncertainty, fear will prevail. Then, the team will adapt to the fear. Instead, share your concerns, and ask good questions.

  • “What would be the best outcome for this project or program?”
  • “What would we need to change?
  • “Give me five reasons why these changes could work?”
  • “Why won’t these changes work?”

Now, allow the team to own the project. Be their champion for winning and working through the unknown factors! And always welcome critical thinking!

If you embrace these six tips, uncertainty becomes your superpower!

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She is an award-winning international executive coach, speaker, and business author. Her wisdom of over 30 years guides clients to work through sticky situations and challenging relationships. Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion. PS: She’s also a three-time Amazon Best-Selling Author!

A note from Jeannette about embracing uncertainty in work and life: We seek certainty in everything we do. We think it helps us avoid making mistakes or experiencing failure while staying in control of the outcome. Yet, doing the same old same old will hurt your team, results, and bottom line. Want uncertainty to become one of your superpowers? Contact me for a confidential conversation.

Have You Considered: Strengthening your inherent superpowers? It can make a big difference in your success as a leader! I have extensive experience guiding leaders to work with and through their teams to achieve unprecedented results. Contact me if you want an in-depth, one-on-one hour over 13 weeks. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to win.

Taking the safe path to avoid uncertainty will never work in your business, career, and life. Develop your superpower and learn how to work through uncertainty. It builds confidence and the ability to influence others! Take action and contact me for a confidential conversation.

Leaders Who Quietly Quit Their Employees Hurt Their Company

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“Quietly quitting your employees will come back to haunt you!” Jeannette Seibly

In Q3, I wrote an article about how to prevent employees from quietly quitting their jobs. The newest craze is for leaders to quietly quit their employees! For some leaders, “quiet quitting” is in retaliation to employees quietly quitting on them.

Yikes! It’s creating a vicious circle with no winners!

For leaders, what does quiet quitting your employees look like?

You may change, eliminate, or withhold:

  • Flexible work schedules
  • Paid training and skills development
  • Availability for 1:1 or team meetings
  • Focus on employees’ self-care
  • Bonuses
  • Benefit packages
  • Acknowledgment and appreciation

During and following the pandemic, leaders significantly enhanced these benefits and actions to attract and keep employees.

But it’s pay now or pay later! If you’re citing the reason for making these changes as a way to improve your bottom line, stop and think! This form of quiet quitting will hurt your company’s productivity and your ability to improve retention, revenues, and results now and in the future!

How to Stop Quietly Quitting Your Employees

Remember, your actions speak louder than your words!

Keep the Lines of Communication Open. To turn around employees that may have quietly quit (yes, you’re the leader … it’s up to you):

  • Meet 1:1 at least twice a month
  • Have short weekly team meetings to keep everyone on the same page
  • Keep an open door
  • Have the tough conversations when employees are not producing the required results
  • Show that you care by guiding them to achieve intended results

 Make It Safe for Employees to Speak Up. If employees feel you’ve quietly quit them, they will hesitate or fear reporting mistakes, asking questions, offering new ideas, or challenging a plan. Leaders and employees cannot hide when they’ve quietly quit! Remember, your actions speak louder than your words! Work with your coach to get back in the game of being a great leader!

Don’t Change Policies & Procedures (P&P). If they are working, there is no need to change them. It doesn’t save time or money! However, if employees abuse the P&Ps, manage them for the intended results. For example, if you’ve been allowing flextime, and it’s not working, have a team meeting to discuss it and develop win-win solutions.

Upgrade Training & Development. It’s very short-sighted to stop providing training and development. These dollars keep your employees’ skills top-notch. Remember, you cannot replace employees or teams without experiencing the lag time before they are fully productive! This can range from weeks to months (sometimes several years!). Create individualized career plans with the required budget dollars.

Require Coaching for Managers. This is critical. Usually, when managers don’t want a coach, there is a reason (e.g., fear, dislike of people, unable to delegate). Hire outside executive coaches to support them. This will eliminate your managers from quietly quitting and these managers from quietly quitting their employees. Remember, the other leaders within the company are often poor coaches since they want others to follow the same pathway they did. But they can make great mentors.

Ensure a Competitive Benefits & Compensation Package. Employees stay where they are valued. It also attracts top talent when weighing job offers! Make changes to pull together a comprehensive package, not reduce coverages. Messing with employees’ pay and benefits will cause quiet quitting or worse!

Focus on Team Development. Throwing together team members to meet diversity and inclusion efforts is failing. But the reality is that most teams were failing before the pandemic due to a lack of resources and poor leadership—base team creation on required skills. Or team members will quietly quit due to lack of interest. Also, make sure you and your teams are continually developing skills, including facilitation skills.

Keep Focusing on Well-Being. Many employees are experiencing burnout! It’s one of the reasons they quietly quit! This issue will not go away by ignoring it and quietly quitting on them! Honor their work hours. Encourage breaks and vacations! Do not allow employees to come to the office if they are ill! Don’t forget to focus on your self-care too!

Thoughtfully Develop Your Workplace Culture. Engagement and connection to the company’s vision and mission are essential. But many leaders and their employees have forgotten all about it! Review the company’s core values when you or your team are struggling. Consider making this a monthly practice and discussion. Are the decisions you’re making in alignment with the company’s vision and mission? For example, are your selection practices for hiring, job promotions, and job transfers in alignment? Most are not.

Instead of quietly quitting on your team members, take the time to engage, create workable solutions, and develop their skills. Your involvement makes a significant and sustainable workplace culture now and in the future. Don’t forget! The bonus is that happy employees keep customers from straying to your competition!

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She is an award-winning international executive coach, speaker, and business author. Her wisdom of over 30 years guides clients to work through sticky situations and challenging relationships. Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion. PS: She’s also a three-time Amazon Best-Selling Author!

A note from Jeannette about leaders quietly quitting on their employees: Leaders are doing this for several reasons, including retaliation for employees quietly quitting on them. It’s time to step up as a leader and get back in the game. Or you will lose customers and a healthy bottom line. Contact me for a confidential conversation to re-engage yourself and your employees before it’s too late.

Have You Considered: As a leader, strengthening employee engagement is critical to everyone’s success. I have extensive experience guiding leaders to engage their teams and achieve unprecedented results. Contact me if you want an in-depth, one-on-one hour over 13 weeks. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to engage your employees to excel.

When you feel like quietly quitting your job, stop! Working through sticky situations and complex relationships isn’t hard if you understand “why!” Your mindset impacts your resilience and ability to achieve intended results! Stop waiting and hoping things will change! It won’t get easier if you wait! Instead, take action and contact me for a confidential conversation.

Resilience Requires Leaders to Step Up

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“Successful leaders must strengthen their resilience to achieve results.” Jeannette Seibly

Traditionally, resilience was about being mentally tough, stoic, and silent about your true feelings. In other words, don’t say anything and hide your reactions.

The American Psychological Association defines resilience: Resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.

I’m amazed by the number of younger employees who hate their jobs and say, “I’d rather be unemployed.” They jump from one position to another and are often surprised that there is no relief. Many older employees may not love their job responsibilities either. But they have developed a healthy resilience to adapt and become flexible to their jobs’ typical external and internal demands.

This is resilience today! Leaders need to acknowledge their feelings or emotions when triggered and not let them run the show! And, while it is healthy to express yourself, verbal dumping doesn’t work and only creates resentment, not resilience.

Resilience requires taking responsibility and addressing your reactions in a positive manner with your team. Doing so allows for new ideas, resolutions, and solutions to appear.

7 Tips to Create Resilience

Breathe. When you notice you are triggered, breathe in for 5 counts. Pause. Exhale for 5 counts. (Or any number that works for you.) Repeat this breathing pattern 3 times. Breathing reduces the fight, flight or freeze stress response triggered in your brain. Breathing also allows you to take responsibility for your reactions (aka triggers) and is critical before attempting to resolve any issue.

Self-Care. Self-care is essential today for leaders to strengthen their resilience. There are many changes occurring in jobs and workplaces where you have no control over the impact (e.g., loss of employment, work responsibilities, etc.). If you’ve experienced a loss (family member, pet, job, finances, etc.), take the time to grieve. Remember, you do have a choice in your reaction and the attitude you choose.

Get to the Heart or Core of the Problem. Conflicts between you and your team, or between team members, need immediate resolution. This requires a commitment and resilience to work through the apprehension and fear that often stop you and others from achieving the intended results.

Be Responsible for Your Communication Style (most people aren’t)! As a leader, take responsibility. It strengthens resilience. When you are responsible for how you communicate, you show others they can trust you.

Examples:

  • Apologize and stop using words or terminology that others don’t understand.
  • Ask team members questions when they present new ideas and be curious.
  • Remember, when presenting a new solution you’ve been thinking about, it’s the first time they’ve heard it.
  • Keep in mind that people learn at different rates of speed. So take it slow to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Have Reality-Based Conversations. Team members may hold onto upsets, exaggerate them, and use them to justify their poor job performance. Resilience and straight talk with compassion require having tough conversations. Before these conversations, get the facts. Then, talk with your executive coach, boss, or human resources to clarify how to create a positive outcome.

Learn How to Forgive, Even When You Don’t Believe You Should. As a leader, you will have arrows aimed at you when team members feel frustrated or upset. But resilience is vital. While this is easier said than done, forgive those that gossip about, criticize, or blame you. Remember, forgiveness is for you. Remember, don’t say, “I forgive you,” to the offender. This often only worsens the situation since they believe there is nothing to be forgiven for.

Hire the Right Coach. When you’re resilient, you can expand your point of view and step up as a leader. If sticky situations or political relationships are not going well, immediately talk with your executive coach to strengthen your resilience. Listen and learn. You can make things worse and sideline your career if you attempt to do it alone. The same mindset or lack of awareness that created the problem will not resolve it!

©Jeannette Seibly 2020 -2023 All Right Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. With over 30 years as an award-winning international executive coach, speaker, and business author, Jeannette’s clients effectively work through sticky situations and challenging relationships to become positive influencers. Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion. PS: She’s also a three-time Amazon Best-Selling Author!

A note from Jeannette about strengthening your resilience: Being aware of your feelings and emotions is essential. When you verbally dump on others, it’s damaging and demonstrates a lack of resilience on your part. Contact me for a confidential conversation to strengthen your resilience.

Consider: Strengthening resilience takes time and the experience of successfully working through challenges. I have extensive experience guiding leaders (current and future) to achieve unprecedented results. Contact me if you want an in-depth, one-on-one hour over 13 weeks. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to excel, starting with strengthening your resilience.

Have you met a challenge you’ve not been able to work through? Many managers and directors have, and their bosses may not be of much help. Now’s the time to develop your resilience and ability to achieve intended results! Waiting will not make a positive difference. Take action and contact me for a confidential conversation.

Want to Improve Productivity? Improve Your Meetings!

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“Ineffective meetings drain productivity and results.” Jeannette Seibly

Harvard research found that 70% of meetings keep employees from doing productive work. The same study found that employee productivity was 71% higher when meetings were reduced by 40% … also, employee satisfaction improved by 52%.

But before you throw out the importance of meetings, be clear about their purpose: communicating, getting everyone on the same page and in the same book, and solving problems (current, past, and future). The biggest challenge? Too many meetings are poorly planned and facilitated!

We’ve all attended bad meetings (in fact, most of them). But, unfortunately, the negativity sticks with you! It creates a meeting recovery syndrome that hurts your productivity and drains you. But before you blame the facilitator, look at the three fingers pointing back at you! Everyone has a role in conducting effective meetings, one-on-one or group, and onsite or virtually.

These 8 Factors Improve Meetings and Increase Productivity

The biggest question to ask yourself before scheduling a meeting is: “Can I send an email instead of hosting a meeting?” In many cases, the answer will be “Yes!” Do that instead!

MEETING PREPARATION

Before the Meeting. Send out an agenda of specific items for discussion and include all documentation for review. Plan on keeping the meeting short and on point. Remember, some issues are better handled 1:1 or in small groups.

Start and End on Time. This requires everyone to be ready to begin 5 minutes before the actual start time. Turn off all distractions: electronic gadgets, phones, and mind wandering!

If you are the facilitator or presenter, arrive even earlier to ensure:

  • The room is set up physically, or the virtual meeting (or hybrid) is ready to go
  • Ensure PowerPoint presentation works
  • Printed materials are distributed (it’s best if they are emailed the day before)

Come Prepared. Everyone is responsible for coming prepared — that means reading all documents, agendas, and other materials before the meeting and having them readily available to refer to during the meeting. (NOTE: Remember, simple graphs with short narratives are the easiest to understand). Write down questions. Or, better yet, get the questions answered before the meeting!

MEETING PROTOCOL

Take Turns. Make sure you hear from everyone! Unless each person contributes, ideas get missed, important nuances get overlooked, and conflict can erupt! Team members will not voice their concerns if they fear ridicule! Remember, conflicts should not be ignored… there is usually a valid point no one wants to hear. But it’s pay now or pay later!

LISTEN! This is the most critical factor in improving your meetings now. Listening requires active involvement. It includes hearing things you don’t know, don’t agree with, or don’t believe in. Active listening has three components: 1) hearing what is said verbally, 2) hearing what is not said, and 3) being aware of non-verbal cues (e.g., attitude, tone, physical). Good listening skills can resolve old issues and formulate new ideas for products and services. It’s a skill everyone needs to develop.

State Your Point Upfront. Most attendees will stop listening when others talk too long, share gossip, or use technical jargon. Avoid monologues or lengthy responses by starting with the point first, then providing any supporting information to reinforce the point presented.

Ask Questions. Too often, we don’t ask questions to learn more. Instead, we believe we “get it” and then misuse the information. Or, we judge the idea or information as irrelevant without further investigation. Or, we don’t want to ask questions because we feel stupid. (Get over it!) Instead, learn how to drill down and clarify by asking questions out of a commitment to resolve the issue or move the project forward. Stay away from sounding like an interrogator – it puts everyone on the defense.

Reach Alignment. Consensus is non-productive since too much time is spent wooing a person(s) to agree with the majority, creating groupthink. When you reach alignment, you and the team have taken the best information available and made a decision.

Then consider the following:

  • Can everyone live with this decision?
  • Is it workable and doable?
  • If not, what needs to be added or changed so everyone is on the same page moving forward?
  • Then, stand firm and respond factually to the naysayers.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2016-2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. With over 30 years as an award-winning international executive coach, speaker, and business author, Jeannette’s clients effectively work through sticky situations and challenging relationships to become positive influencers. Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion. PS: She’s also a three-time Amazon Best-Selling Author!

A note from Jeannette about meetings and productivity: Did you know most meetings sabotage productivity and employee satisfaction? The reasons: poor facilitation and quality, and they are time-consuming. It actually creates a “meeting recovery syndrome” where people feel drained and non-productive. It’s time to develop the skills required to hold productive meetings and hold less of them! Contact me for a confidential conversation about a training program!

Consider: It can be challenging to facilitate meetings as a manager or director (or anyone else, too!). I have extensive experience guiding meeting facilitators to improve their meeting management skills, virtually and onsite. Learning this skill takes time and practice. Contact me if you want an in-depth, one-on-one hour over 13 weeks. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to trust yourself and get results.

How’s your leadership development progressing? Are you moving forward … or a tad stuck? Do you need a “nudge” or “kick-in-the-butt?” Want to accelerate and soar your results? Then, get into action by contacting me for a confidential conversation.

Waiting to Choose and Develop Your Successor Can Create Brouhaha

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“Waiting to choose and develop your successors only causes brouhaha.” Jeannette Seibly

There comes a time when you must choose and develop your successors. Usually sooner rather than later! But, too often, leaders and business owners wait until it’s too late and brouhaha ensues!

While you may be a very good leader, the problem is you haven’t taken the time to develop the future leaders or have refused to do so. Instead, you:

  • Thought you had time
  • Have done a poor job of hiring for job fit and no one is able to fill your seat
  • Have narcissistic traits and your ego (male and female) believes you are the only one that can do your job
  • Have a disability or diminishing mental acuity

Brouhaha will happen without a succession plan. Also, failure to choose successors and develop their management and leadership skills will hurt the company’s future. While many companies, especially family businesses, don’t believe conflict within the company will create a negativity, it does. Just read the social media and other media posts. Yes, it can happen to you too!

What Do You Need to Do and Know to Choose the Right Successor

Start Now by Talking It Out. Whether it’s a family member, favored key employee, or outside hire, have many conversations, starting now. During these conversations, learn about their goals and aspirations. If they are not interested or hedge, move on. Tap into your network. Remember, while some leaders have good leadership skills, it may camouflage a poor managerial style. Develop them now. If they refuse, remove them from the written plan.

Remove the natural urge to find a “mini you.” Businesses grow and change and you need the right person who is flexible and resilient.

Hire or Promote for Job Fit. It’s insane to promote a family member, favored friend or employee, or hire from the outside into a role when the person doesn’t fit the job. For example, taking a top operations or finance vice president and promoting them to a #1 position. This can cause havoc if the person lacks the qualities necessary to lead a large group of people across many difference disciplines. Remember, you cannot coach, train, or manage someone into fitting a job if they are a poor fit with the responsibilities!

Pay Now or Pay Later. There is a science to qualified assessments … they are not created equal. Some are designed for job fit use, while most assessments focus only on training and development. Use the right qualified 360-feedback and job fit assessments. These provide clarity about inherent strengths and weaknesses, leadership blind spots, and emotional intelligence. Read how to select the right one: Chapter 9 in Hire Amazing Employees.

 “People are promoted to their level of incompetence!” Peter Drucker (Please, reread … I’ve seen this happen way too often! It is preventable!)

Honor Your Promises. I’ve seen successors hired, but the owner or #1 person refuses to relinquish their role. This can be difficult for many reasons: poor job fit of the newly hired successor, fear of leaving, or unexpected business changes. Have the conversations up front acknowledging changes may happen. Also, provide an exit plan for each of you to avoid any litigation or company brouhaha.

Ensure Coachability. It’s critical the future successor is coachable. Are they willing to learn from you? Are they willing to do the work with an executive coach and develop their mindfulness, decision-making, and interpersonal skills? Remember, while they have been coachable as #2 or #3 in the organization, it is very different being #1. (Too often, #2’s or #3’s success depends on #1 telling the person what to do.)

Can You Get Out of the Way? Letting go of the reins for any reason can be difficult. You’re human and have emotional attachments that get in the way of objectivity, especially when you’ve grown or developed a great business. Be coachable and let go of the reins while you can still enjoy watching and smiling at the next generation’s progress! Getting out of the way requires soul-searching of whether or not you’re ready.

Conduct Internal and External References. While this can be part of the qualified 360-feedback process, beware! Some employees give bosses and leaders high marks because of their likeability. But that does not equate to having the qualities required to be the right leader.  Listen and learn by asking employees (current and past), vendors, and customers for their input.

Start Now and Update Every Two Years. Put the plan in writing and update! Share with the key leaders. Remember, people’s goals and company focus will change. Even a slight shift can cause a big disruption if the wrong leader takes the helm. So, don’t be afraid of modifying as appropriate.

REMINDER! Use this article as a wakeup call if you’re still on the fence. Call me for a confidential conversation. You would hate to have people shaking their fists in anger or stomping on your grave because of your refusal to get real. You have a moral responsibility to honor your employees, vendors, and customers to ensure they are well taken care of. Create your succession plan now and develop those successors today!

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. With over 30 years as an award-winning international executive coach, speaker, and business author, Jeannette’s clients effectively work through sticky situations and challenging relationships to become positive influencers. Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion. PS: She’s also a three-time Amazon Best-Selling Author!

A note from Jeannette about developing your successor: Too often leaders hang on too long. Then, life happens and there is not a successor(s) to continue and move the company forward. Waiting is not the answer! Get into action now! Contact me for a confidential conversation about what is in your way of moving forward.

NOTE: It can be difficult making the right decisions and the right changes. I love coaching and supporting current and future leaders during critical and strategic situations. Contact me if you want an in-depth, one-on-one hour over 13 weeks. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to trust yourself. This, in turn, influences your team for unprecedented results that others applaud.

How’s your leadership development progressing? Are you moving forward … or a tad stuck? Do you need a “nudge” or “kick-in-the-butt?” Want to accelerate and soar your results? Get into action by contacting me for a confidential conversation.

Honor Your Grief Now

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Honoring your grief can be difficult as a leader and normally strong person. Throughout our careers, we’re taught to be stoic, mentally tough, and strong in the face of adversity. Unfortunately, these traits and others fail to support us during life’s unalterable challenges.

When my cat, Gracee, passed away suddenly two weeks ago, I was devastated. My counselor said, “No more work for the next two days.” This was despite my excuses. She added, “Do not make life decisions at this point either. You need time to honor your grief.” I followed her advice and can see (and feel) the difference.

The death of a spouse, parent, child, sibling, family member, or pet can be devastating, even when we believe we are ready for it. A professional woman denied that people needed to feel and deal with their grief. She thought she was completely prepared and too strong to experience grief … until her mother died. Then, she understood that grief happens to all of us regardless of our opinions about it.

The following are some other ways you may experience grief due to fear and not feeling safe in today’s world (the list is not intended to be inclusive):

  • Divorce and loss of home
  • Job loss or working in a job you hate
  • Natural weather disasters
  • Health issues
  • Loss of money
  • Failure at work
  • Outside factors (e.g., pandemic, school shootings, political rhetoric, and economic uncertainty)

Here are ideas to help you honor your grief:

  1. Talk with a therapist or grief counselor. They are skilled (and licensed) to guide you through the five common stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These stages can happen all at once. Having an experienced counselor to talk through your challenges can help you avoid making decisions that are not in your best interest.
  2. Take Time … Grief Is Not a Quick and Easy Process. You may need to take time beyond your company’s bereavement policy. If it is a job loss, work with a career counselor after taking time to process your anger and cry. Talk with a business advisor if it is due to a business loss. The key is to honor, and not ignore, the grief while taking the actions required to move forward.
  3. Journal for your eyes only. A University of Michigan study has shown that writing can engage the brain differently. This allows you to dig deeper to find peace. Remember, do not send out your letters. To repeat, these are for your eyes only. For me, it helped me realize Gracee was now well and at peace and to be grateful for our time together.
  4. It’s OK to Cry. Yes, tears do help and can erupt at any time. Allow them to do so now to avoid additional stress in your body. For example, if you are in a meeting, excuse yourself. Cry. Then return to your meeting if you can and be present. I stopped wearing mascara for three days.
  5. Set Up a Tribute or Memorial. There are so many ways of doing this. Social media makes it easier. Be sure to talk with other family members first. In last week’s newsletter, I included “In Memory of the COO in my life” and included a cute cat picture of Gracee. It really helped.
  6. Health Wise. Self-care is essential during this time. Exercise, rest, and eat appropriately. Yes, it may be challenging to do so … but not doing so can hurt your health and well-being.
  7. Stay in Communication. Reach out. If you’re unable to talk, simply listen. Work with your therapist or let a friend know if you need to vent. Be responsible for not making judgments or burning bridges that could hurt your job or career in the future.

Something to consider: An executive refused to grieve after surviving a natural weather disaster where she lived. Months later, she experienced an executive meltdown and lost her job. This might not have happened if she had taken the time to honor her grief.

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. With over 30 years as an award-winning international executive coach, speaker, and business author, Jeannette’s clients effectively work through sticky situations and challenging relationships to become positive influencers. Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion. PS: She’s also a three-time Amazon Best-Selling Author!

A note from Jeannette about honoring your grief: Many leaders and other normally strong people don’t take the time to grieve. They believe it hurts their credibility and can create a loss of respect. But failing to honor your grief will come out at some time and somewhere if you don’t honor it now. Contact me for a confidential conversation when you’re ready to move forward. (I’m not a licensed therapist.)

NOTE: Life has a way of throwing you challenges that move you into unknown situations at work and in life. I love coaching and supporting current and future leaders during these transitions. Contact me if you want an in-depth, one-on-one hour over 13 weeks. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to develop the confidence, competence, and clarity required to be a great leader.

Your managers need your help! They are being held accountable for results and people, and many don’t have the skills to do it well! Therefore, they fail to achieve the intended results! It’s time to provide an Effective Manager and Director Workshop and ongoing coaching. The company’s increase in retention, revenues, and results will thank you! Contact me for a confidential conversation.

Producing Effective Results Requires Trusting Yourself

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“Trusting yourself requires experience, resilience, and the willingness to learn from your mistakes.” Jeannette Seibly

Wanting to be a leader, boss, team member, and good citizen requires trusting yourself to take the right actions and asking for help on what to do to create effective results. What you do or do not do impacts others’ ability to trust you to make win-win-win decisions.

How often have you decided and second-guessed yourself because you didn’t trust yourself? Too often, we realize that if you’d asked the right questions or knew what you now know, you’d have made a better decision. But we didn’t trust ourselves, and every leader has been there.

So, how do we learn to trust ourselves?

Important Traits Required to Trust Yourself

Tell the Truth! We love to rationalize, justify, and lie to ourselves and others that we’re doing our best. Trusting yourself is built by asking for help when you don’t know what to do.

Example: What are you doing to make it difficult for your team members to trust you to achieve intended results or to ask you for help (e.g., gossiping, withholding resources, blaming others, etc.)?

Honor Your Word. This can be difficult for many people, including leaders. But, remember, while you may not believe your word impacts yourself or others, it does … and builds or diminishes trust.

Example: Pick up the phone and talk directly with the right person to solve a team conflict or other brewing issue (e.g., HR, boss, or coach). Then, follow through!

Stop Relying Solely on Intuition or Gut Feelings. Too many people rely on feelings, social media rants, and other lousy information and cite these as intuitive or gut reactions. While scientific studies indicate intuition and gut reactions are important, we can’t rely solely on them when making decisions.

Example: Too many hiring bosses rely on intuition and incorrectly use job fit assessments when selecting the right person for the job. This creates losses in retention, revenues, and results.

Learn the Rules. Many people today flaunt or ignore the rules; they are there for a reason. While they may need changing, complaining about them or signing a petition doesn’t make a difference. Building trust in yourself means being accountable for what you say and do with others.

Example: Are you working within your company’s policies and standard operating procedures? Or do you hope no one notices you aren’t? Learning the rules prevents you from planning your excuses if there is a huge and costly mistake.

Learn to Apologize for Mistakes. Instead of relying on your excuses when you make a mistake, genuinely use these words, “I’m sorry.” “I apologize.”  By trusting yourself to apologize for your mistakes, you will build trust with others so they know you take responsibility for your actions.

Example: A woman failed to show up twice in meetings she’d requested, set up with the same person, and then refused to apologize for being a no-show. This is what it looks like when you don’t trust yourself; it encourages others not to trust you.

Be Coachable! The fastest way to learn to trust yourself and encourage others to trust you is to be coachable. While no one can know what to do in every situation, trust yourself to seek the right person to coach you through the best way to resolve issues. Listen and follow the advice of your coach and boss.

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. With over 30 years as an award-winning international executive coach, speaker, and business author, Jeannette’s clients effectively work through sticky situations and challenging relationships to become positive influencers. Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion. PS: She’s also a three-time Amazon Best-Selling Author!

A note from Jeannette about trusting yourself: Many leaders like to think they trust themselves. Yet, they don’t. How do you know? Watch their actions, which speak louder than words. Contact me to assess how to trust yourself more for better results.

NOTE: Learning to trust yourself requires making the right choices and the right changes. I love coaching and supporting current and future leaders during critical and strategic situations. Contact me if you want an in-depth, one-on-one hour over 13 weeks. Remember, coaching accelerates your ability to trust yourself. This, in turn, influences your team for unprecedented results that others applaud.

How’s your leadership development progressing? Are you moving forward … or a tad stuck? Do you need a “nudge” and “clarification?” Want to accelerate and soar your results? Contact me for a confidential conversation.

Overlooked Human Leadership Skills Required for Success

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“Transforming traditional leadership into human leadership requires building skills that improve communication, team development, and results.” Jeannette Seibly

There is a change occurring! Team members are leaving traditional and metrics-driven leadership. They are seeking leadership that focuses on the human dynamics that impact results. For example, “That’s how it’s always been done.” vs. “Great idea. How do you recommend we put it in place?”

During the past several years, leaders have fallen back into relying on their own opinions and feelings about how to address customers’ projects, solve issues, and execute programs. They feel it’s faster and easier since they lack human interaction and communication skills. The impact? Only 10% of teams actually achieve the intended results!

Develop Your Human Leadership Skills to Stop Team Members from Leaving You

It Starts with You:

Ask for Help. Leaders must learn to ask for help in sticky situations and office conflicts. Doing that provides a marked difference between traditional v. human leadership. Remember, the thought process that created the brouhaha will not solve it! It starts with talking and listening to your coach, boss, co-workers, and team members.

Hire a Coach. Yes, I mention this often. Why? There is a significant difference between coachable leaders and those struggling to become good leaders. It’s why you need an executive coach that has extensive business experience. The guidance is priceless. It opens your perspective when resolving complex situations and decisions while developing your human leadership skills!

Listen … Yes, Really Listen! I know I write about this often too. But the quality of listening is the cornerstone for a leader’s success or failure. An excellent way to determine if you need help improving your listening skills is by pretending you’re a fly on the wall at meetings.

Check for:

  • Do you dominate the conversation?
  • Are your biases getting in the way of new ideas?
  • Are you a naysayer?
  • Are you encouraging ideas or judging them as good or bad?
  • Do you ask questions to clarify?
  • Do you summarize (using the person’s specific words) to ensure you and others are on the same page?

Next, Develop the Team:

Build Team’s Critical Thinking Skills. You don’t have all the answers! (Seriously, you don’t.) Instead of relying solely on your intuition or gut reactions, develop your team’s critical thinking skills. This will expand your and the team’s “knowledge” and “know-how” and disrupt the traditional way of doing things. It also builds confidence and competence to produce the intended results.

Hold Team Members Accountable for Results. When a team member wants help, a human leadership approach doesn’t give them the solution. Instead, ask open-ended questions that encourage team members to consider the pros and cons of their dilemma or problem. Then, ask what they are going to do. Next, have them provide in writing an outline of what will be done. Finally, manage the project progress by asking, “How have you done? What’s in the way? How can I help?”

Guide the Creation of Win-Win-Win Results. Remember, a successful human leader focuses on everyone winning, not just the customer, team, or team member. So ensure everyone speaks well of each other, supports a good work ethic, and focuses on building a healthy team and customer dynamics.

Using good human leadership skills isn’t necessarily easy. If you want to become part of the 10% that achieve intended results, hire a coach and get in action to adopt human leadership skills!

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She has over 30 years of award-winning international experience as an executive consultant, speaker, and business author. Her clients surpass the norm by working through sticky situations and challenging relationships to become positive influencers. Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about Developing Human Leadership Skills: Regardless of what you’ve read, traditional leadership still prevails in many companies. As a result, companies are losing team members, quality results, and paying customers! It’s time to develop your human leadership skills mindfully. Contact me for a confidential conversation on how to do it!

NOTE: Do you want to succeed? Then, get a coach. All successful leaders have coaches! I love coaching leaders and have for over 30 years! Contact me if you want an in-depth, one-on-one hour over 13 weeks. Having a coach speeds up your ability to influence others, broaden your human leadership skills, and coach your team for unprecedented results.

Announcing New Workshop! Ready or not! A change is occurring … traditional leadership is replaced with leadership focusing on the human dynamics that impact results. For example, “That’s how it’s always been done.” vs. “Great idea. How do you recommend we put it in place?” But your managers and directors are being overlooked and not provided the training to be effective bosses and leaders. After reading about my newest workshop, contact me to discuss: Are Your Managers and Directors Effective Leaders?

How Do You Reclaim Your Ambition?

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“It requires a healthy ambition to be a successful leader.” Jeannette Seibly

Many leaders are experiencing a loss of ambition. They do not feel inspired by their job or lifestyle because of the pandemic, economic uncertainty, and other external factors.

Without ambition, you may feel your leadership and life are falling apart and don’t understand why. While we all experience ups and downs in life, we need to learn how to ride these roller coasters without causing more stress to stay healthy and on top of our careers. But, if you’re like me, you don’t like roller coaster rides!

It’s time to get your ambition back … but on your own terms. Feeling inspired to live an extraordinary life, including your career, doesn’t happen by accident. It requires taking charge of what you can directly impact on making it happen.

Definition of Ambition

  • a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work
  • desire and determination to achieve success

(Taken from Oxford Languages)

Tips to Reclaim Your Ambition

  1. Get Clear. Clarity is the foundation for reclaiming your ambition. Unfortunately, too many current and future leaders work jobs that don’t fit them. It sabotages their ambition because they hang on due to the paycheck, job title, and/or benefits. Instead, use a qualified job fit assessment to discover your core thinking style, behaviors, and occupational interests. It makes a positive difference when developing your leadership savvy and future ambitions. (SEE my newest workshop: Are Your Managers and Directors Effective Leaders?)
  2. Hire the Right Coach. An experienced coach is essential when managing team conflict, handling a demanding boss or board, and enjoying your current job or lifestyle. Job satisfaction does depend on job fit (see #1 above!) and the ambition to excel.
  3. Work with a Therapist. Improving your mental health is a process that many successful leaders undertake with credentialed therapists. Talking it out is therapeutic. But … I cannot stress this enough … if the therapist has you write a letter to a person(s) you believe has done you wrong, do NOT send it. It’s a great way to derail your career and any future ambitions.
  4. Doing Small Things Matter. In the first chapter of Michelle Obama’s book, The Light We Carry, she writes about knitting. I was skeptical about how knitting could make a difference. Yet, I learned that working with your hands, such as knitting or woodworking, simple and soothing tasks can bring a sense of accomplishment. “Yes, I can do it.” It also allows ideas to get created. My “knitting” is completing jigsaw puzzles. What’s yours?
  5. Remember, a journal is for your eyes only. Focus on successes, brags, and other ways to feel good about your accomplishments. Don’t forget to write about, explore, and plan your dreams, goals, and other ambitions.
  6. Reading encourages ambition, whether it is non-fiction or fiction. It enlightens and stretches your point of view. For me, I love historical fiction that depicts a different time, showing how far we’ve come as people. It feeds my ambition.
  7. Relax and Rejuvenate. It’s hard to be ambitious when you cannot plan time for yourself and honor it—also, plan time with your kids, significant other, family member and friends. Having healthy relationships facilitates ambition.

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She has over 30 years of award-winning international experience as an executive consultant, speaker, and business author. Her clients surpass the norm by working through sticky situations and challenging relationships to become positive influencers. Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about reclaiming your ambition: Many of us are experiencing a lack of ambition due to external factors outside of our control. Yet, there are many ways we can reclaim our ambition and live a great life and enjoy our careers. Contact me to talk through your ambitious challenges!

NOTE: Are you ambitious? All ambitious leaders have coaches! I love coaching leaders and have for over 30 years! Contact me if you want an in-depth, one-on-one hour over 13 weeks. Having a coach will speed up your ability to influence others, hire the right people, and coach your team for unprecedented results.

Announcing New Workshop! Many employees and teams today complain about their managers and directors. The reason? Often the middle management team is overlooked for management and leadership training, or companies provide a cookie-cutter approach that doesn’t make a difference. Learn how SeibCo can offer a personalized approach that makes a positive difference: Are Your Managers and Directors Effective Leaders?