Conversations That Create Solutions

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“Many issues can be worked out through effective communication.” Jeannette Seibly

As we move through different seasons of life and leadership, we often notice issues in how systems work, how departments communicate, or how some employees do just enough to get by. We can join the complaining. Or we can choose conversations that create clarity, collaboration, and solutions.

Practical approaches to turning problems into progress:

  1. Have preliminary conversations. Ask trusted people, mentors, or your coach, what they believe the problem is. What others inside the company share is rarely the whole story, so stay curious rather than believing the first explanation as the truth. Also, don’t keep having these types of conversations without forward moving progress.
  2. Ask what they would do to resolve it. When someone says, “It is what it is,” invite them to think outside the box: “Give me three possible solutions.” Then pause. Silence allows people to think. Write the ideas down even if you don’t agree with them. As you build a solution, keep them handy.
  3. Pull together only those involved to build a solution. Avoid calling in an entire team or department when the issue involves one or two people. Meet with the true influencers, title or not, and gather their insights. If it is a department- or team-wide issue, bring everyone together.
  4. Send out an agenda so everyone knows the purpose and discussion points. At the start, ask if anything else needs to be added. Also, ensure effective meeting protocols are followed (e.g., turn off electronic devices, listen, etc.).
  5. Conduct a psychologically safe meeting where every voice is heard and respected. Beware of your own biases or that of other leaders in the room that can shut down sharing and idea-generation.
  6. Identify a solution. If more information is needed, document who will do what by when. Never skip this step. Write it down and include in minutes of the meeting. Send out minutes within 24 to 48 hours.
  7. Follow up and follow through. Accountability and responsibility often solve the very issues that created the problem. Remember, you’re listening for resolution, inclusion of others, and current and future impact.
  8. Send a positive group update and keep your own leader informed.
  9. Start with a “debrief.” To bring teams together, have each person list a one thing that worked and one thing that did not work. Remember, this is sharing, a psychological safe space. Acknowledge everyone. Then share the issue that brought everyone together. You may find the issue resolved through this exercise.
  10. Use a job‑fit assessment with a qualified facilitator. This is a great way to bring team members together that are sniping or disparaging others. Then pair people to discuss differences. The relief and insights gained from the objective data can be remarkable.

©Jeannette Seibly 2026 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a Leadership Results Coach, Talent Advisor, and Business Author with 33 years of experience activating greatness in leaders and companies. She delivers practical coaching and solutions that elevate performance today, build legacies that stand the test of time, and support people empowering themselves to lead with clarity and impact.

For success in 2026, leaders must stop ignoring issues and create viable solutions. Having effective conversations is crucial. Contact me for a confidential conversation.

Why Companies Fail to Hire Top Talent

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“If you don’t know what you are looking for, your hiring process will fail, costing you time, money, and sleepless nights.” Jeannette Seibly

If your job ad has been running for weeks, the problem isn’t the talent pool. It’s your hiring preparation, your lack of clarity, and your poor follow through.

We’ve all seen the posts: “We can’t find the right person.” Yet the same ads run week after week, sometimes month after month, while leaders insist they’ve reviewed hundreds of applicants with no success.

Let’s be honest: the problem isn’t the talent pool. The problem is the company, the hiring boss or leader, and/or lack of a clear selection system.

Top talent hasn’t disappeared. It’s being overlooked, filtered out, or scared away by hiring practices that haven’t evolved since 2020.

Why Does This Really Happen?

  • Lack of objective data. This is the #1 culprit. Too many leaders still trust their “gut” which is just bias wearing a nice suit.
  • Lack of clarity. Job descriptions are skimmed, recycled, or written by committee. If you can’t articulate what success really looks like, you can’t hire for it.
  • Combining jobs to save money. Wanting someone who is both detail obsessed and a big picture innovator? That’s not a unicorn. That’s a fantasy. And fantasies don’t reduce turnover.
  • Not involving the team. Instead of asking the people who actually depend on the right person being hire, leaders guess what the job requires.
  • Failure to onboard. If you can’t clearly explain expectations to a candidate and don’t have a 180‑Day Success Plan, you have wishful thinking.

Let’s Get Real in 2026

  • Follow a well-designed strategic job‑fit hiring plan. One client had over 100% turnover. They said, after implementing a structured hiring system and holding managers accountable, turnover dropped below ten percent. (SEE Chapter 2, Hire Amazing Employees for guidance to develop a practical system.)
  • Use qualified assessments. Valid, reliable honesty‑integrity and job‑fit assessments reveal who the candidate really is not who they pretend to be in an interview. (SEE Chapter 9, Hire Amazing Employees)
  • Use a structured interview format. Feelings and intuition derail good decisions. Ask every candidate the same job‑related questions and use the Rule of 3 to dig deeper. (SEE Chapters 4 and 10, Hire Amazing Employees for practical guides to get started. One employment attorney said the questions alone are worth the price of the book.)
  • Stop delaying decisions. Strong candidates won’t wait while you “think about it.” If they meet or exceed requirements, complete your due diligence and make the offer. (SEE Chapter 19, Hire Amazing Employees)
  • Onboard with intention. Culture, expectations, and weekly follow‑up matter. When top talent leaves, others follow. Onboarding is retention. (SEE Chapter 20, Hire Amazing Employees)

The Truth Leaders Need to Hear

  • Companies don’t have a talent shortage—they have a clarity shortage.
  • If you’re still hiring the way you did five years ago, you’re already behind.
  • Top talent isn’t rejecting you because they’re picky. They’re rejecting you because they can tell you’re not ready for them.
  • Hiring is not a scavenger hunt. It’s a strategic discipline.
  • If your hiring process depends on luck, you’re not hiring, you’re gambling.

If you want to win the talent game in 2026, stop treating hiring as a side job. Top performers can instantly tell whether a company is prepared or improvising. The companies that rise will be the ones willing to do the unglamorous work of preparation and follow‑through. Good hiring isn’t luck.

©Jeannette Seibly 2026 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a Leadership Results Coach, Talent Advisor, and Business Author with 33 years of experience guiding leaders and executives to achieve exceptional results. She delivers practical coaching and innovative solutions for hiring, leadership development, and performance success. Successful leaders have coaches—connect with Jeannette to elevate your results and impact in 2026.

Need help discerning what is working and not working in your hiring plan? Contact me for a confidential conversation to ensure you’re ready to hire top talent.

Your Inner Leadership Skills Determine the Quality of Your Results

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“Inner leadership is the compass you rely on during your most meaningful years.” Jeannette Seibly

Are you rethinking what legacy truly means? It’s no longer just about career accomplishments or financial milestones. It’s about how you show up, the impact you make in your relationships and community, and the meaning you create in this next chapter of life. Yet too often, the focus remains on external roles, what you’ve done, who you’ve led, or the responsibilities you’ve carried.

What’s missing? To create a meaningful and fulfilling legacy, you must strengthen the inner leadership skills that guide how you think, respond, and influence others. These inner skills, often referred to as soft skills, include:

  • Self-awareness
  • Responsibility and accountability
  • Trust and integrity
  • Resilience and resourcefulness
  • Mindfulness and presence

Without developing these, your future legacy including your experiences, relationships, and contributions may feel incomplete or less satisfying than you hoped.

Here are the recommendations to develop before it’s too late.

Note: Life transitions, health changes, family dynamics, and unexpected opportunities can appear quickly. If you have not strengthened your inner leadership skills, you will often feel unprepared, overwhelmed, or unsure of your next steps. By the time these moments arrive, it’s too late to build the foundation you need in those moments.

Self-awareness. As you navigate building your legacy for the next chapter of your life, this is the most essential inner skill. Understanding your strengths, blind spots, triggers, and motivations helps you make choices that align with your values and desired legacy. Self-aware people build stronger relationships and experience greater peace and fulfillment. 

Responsibility and accountability. At age 55+, owning your choices and outcomes becomes even more important. It allows you to resolve unfinished business, strengthen relationships, and move forward with clarity and confidence.

Trust and integrity. Trusting yourself and honoring your word shapes how others remember you. Integrity is a cornerstone of your legacy: how you treat people, how you follow through, and how consistently you live your values.

Resilience and resourcefulness. Life after 55 brings transitions, some expected, some not. Resilience helps you navigate change with composure, while resourcefulness helps you adapt, find solutions, and work with the people and use the tools around you effectively. Talking things through with an executive coach can help you gain clarity and determine your next best step. 

Mindfulness and presence. Being fully present improves your relationships, your decision-making, and your sense of well-being. It helps you stay grounded, listen deeply, and remember what you’ve promised yourself and others.

Developing these skills requires reflection, coaching, and practices like journaling, meditation, or structured conversations that help you gain clarity, confidence, and commitment.

For 2026, make a promise to yourself, and honor that promise: Strengthen your inner leadership skills and create the legacy you truly want.

© Jeannette Seibly 2026 All Rights Reserved 

Jeannette Seibly is a Leadership Results Coach, Talent Advisor, and Business Author with 33 years of experience guiding leaders and people 55+ to create meaningful, purpose-driven next chapters. She delivers practical coaching and innovative solutions for personal leadership, life transitions, and legacy development. Successful people have coaches. Connect with Jeannette to elevate your next chapter in 2026. 

What is your 55+ chapter calling you to do? If you want a more meaningful legacy and a more fulfilling season of life, it starts with strengthening your inner leadership skills. Don’t wait. Contact me to begin shaping the future you want now.

Developing Inner Leadership Skills Are Required to Achieve Amazing Results

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“Developing inner leadership skills create readiness to achieve amazing results with your team and clients.” Jeannette Seibly

Many business leaders and thought leaders are talking about the importance of “leadership skills” as companies move forward during 2026. However, too often the focus is on external skills: how others react to you, how quickly you make decisions, and whether you use well‑developed communication skills as reflected in employee and customer satisfaction and retention surveys.

In order to develop leadership effectiveness that positively impacts results, you must strengthen the inner leadership skills that define who you are as a leader. These inner skills, often referred to as soft skills, include:

  • Self-awareness
  • Responsibility and accountability
  • Trust and integrity
  • Resilience and resourcefulness
  • Mindfulness and presence

Waiting to develop these when you have time is not the mindset for 2026. These are developed over time. They are not a one-time, read a book or watch a video or watch a master influencer type of learning experience.

Why are inner leadership skills important? When you fail to develop inner leadership skills, you will react poorly, make avoidable mistakes, and lose credibility. Another challenge is when new opportunities arise, team challenges escalate, or client expectations shift and you’re not ready. You default to relying on external skills that often lack depth and authenticity and invite controversy. Unfortunately, many will not get a second chance to redeem the snafu. 

This year, let’s be ready! 

Self-awareness. This is the most critical skill since lack of awareness impacts your ability to develop the other skills. It’s important to recognize your strengths, blind spots, triggers, and motivations. Leaders who cultivate self-awareness can influence others, develop respect, and not be worried about like-ability (that fluctuates depending on your team, client, or other situations beyond your control). 

Responsibility and accountability. When making choices and determining outcomes, especially when circumstances are difficult, are you owning the results (e.g., the good, the failures, the so-so results)?  Strong leaders take responsibility for all successes, failures, and missteps. They follow through on commitments, and address issues directly rather than deflecting or blaming others. 

Trust and integrity. If you trust yourself and honor your word, you can become a good leader. Trust and integrity require consistency, doing what you say you will do, making ethical decisions, and being transparent, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Resilience and resourcefulness. Navigating uncertainty, setbacks, and change requires composure. Mistakes and failures will happen. Your ability to adapt, find workable solutions, and work with and through people, while using the tools around you effectively, create positive influence. Resourceful leaders look for options instead of obstacles, ask open-ended questions, and take the opportunity to talk it out with their executive coach and mentors to gain clarity and determine their next best step. 

Mindfulness and presence. Emotional intelligence and emotional integrity are key components to mindfulness and being present. To adjust appropriately in conversations, and to understand the external impact on others, you must be mindful. Being present is important because it improves your listening and decision‑making skills, while also having you remember what you said and promised.

Leaders who neglect or ignore developing their inner skills often plateau despite strong external skills. Developing them requires intentional reflection, being coachable, and consistent practices like journaling, meditation, or structured feedback loops.

For 2026, make a promise to yourself, and honor that promise. Hire a coach and develop these inner leadership skills today.

© Jeannette Seibly 2026 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a Leadership Results Coach, Talent Advisor, and Business Author with 33 years of experience guiding leaders and executives to achieve exceptional results. She delivers practical coaching and innovative solutions for hiring, leadership development, and performance success. Successful leaders have coaches—connect with Jeannette to elevate your results and impact in 2026.

What is your game plan for 2026? If being a successful leader is part of that plan, it pays to have the right coach. Waiting and thinking about it only creates excuses and limits your effectiveness while delaying the results you want. Contact me to get started.

Are You Ready to Deliver Real Results that Contribute to Your Legacy?

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“If you want to deliver lasting results, focus on consistent and productive practices to get unstuck and move forward.” Jeannette Seibly

2026 is right around the corner. As you review your 2025 results, ask yourself: are you energized by progress, weighed down by fear, or clinging to excuses and hope?

Now is the moment to examine whether your practices are consistent, productive, and truly driving impact. Because by this time next year, you don’t just want to meet commitments, you want to exceed them and leave a legacy that endures.

Remember: supporting your vision is just as vital as achieving it.

7 Tips to Build a Legacy That Endures

  1. Invest in the Right People. Your legacy is built through others. Choose team members who align with your values and mission.
  1. Coach with Purpose. Go beyond performance fixes by asking open-ended questions that spark thinking. Help people grow into leaders who carry forward your vision. And don’t forget to hire your own coach, someone who keeps you out of the weeds and in action. 
  1. Use Technology Wisely. Technology is a powerful support tool, but it cannot create legacy on its own. Tools like AI can amplify your efforts, streamline processes, and provide valuable insights. Yet a lasting legacy is always built on engaging with people and building a positive culture first. When you prioritize relationships, values, and leadership practices, technology shifts from being a crutch to becoming a true multiplier of your impact.
  1. Engage Your Community Regularly. Your legacy thrives when you stay connected. Quarterly conversations with stakeholders ensure relevance and build trust. Sometimes it may feel like you’re repeating yourself, and that’s okay. People have selective hearing and may not catch your message the first few times.
  1. Create Daily Rituals. A personal morning structure matters (whether journaling, listening to a favorite influencer, or sitting in stillness). At work, quick huddles or intentional check-ins build consistency, accountability, and shared ownership of your vision.
  1. Teach the Stories and Details. Legacy lives in the stories we tell. Train your team to understand the why behind the work you do, not just the what.
  1. Celebrate Progress. Recognition sustains momentum. Acknowledge contributions, share wins, and reinforce the values you want carried forward. (Yes—get your brag on!)

© Jeannette Seibly, 2019–2025 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is an award-winning Talent Advisor, Leadership Results Coach, and Business Author. For over 33 years, she has guided executives and leaders to achieve remarkable success. Her specialty is helping organizations design legacies of excellence, accountability, and impact.

Want objective practices to strengthen your legacy? Contact me today to make a lasting difference.

2026 Is Right Around the Corner! Are You Ready to Achieve Real Sales Results?

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“If you want to improve your results, focus on objective data to get you unstuck and moving forward.” Jeannette Seibly

As 2025 winds down, every company is asking the same question: are we truly on track for a profitable finish? Some will succeed. Many won’t. And whether you’re ready or not, 2026 is around the corner.

Beyond sales and profitability numbers, objective data is scarce. Too often, we lean on excuses: Why someone couldn’t follow through, or stories like, “our top customer has been out of the country for six months.” We downplay lackluster results and cling to hope. But hope is not a strategy.

In 2026, let’s replace hope with hard data. Let’s turn numbers into strategies, and strategies into results so by year’s end, you don’t just meet your projections, you surpass them.

7 Tips to Achieve Real Results

1. Hire the Right People. Not everyone can sell your products or services, no matter what they’ve sold before. As the old saying goes, “Just because they can sell Cadillacs in Boston doesn’t mean they can sell Lincolns in Denver.” The key is to get real about who you hire and get real data about their natural ability to prospect, persist, and close. Use a qualified job-fit sales assessment that provides consistent, objective data.

  • Low assertiveness: A candidate who is “too nice” may build rapport but struggle to ask for the sale.
  • Team-dependent: Someone who thrives only in group settings may falter when left to hunt alone.
  • Mismatch of style: A polished corporate seller may not adapt well to scrappy startup environments.

2. Coach with Laser-Focused Accuracy. The right job fit assessment also sharpens your coaching. (SEE Chapter 9, Hire Amazing Employees) Address the real “why” behind a salesperson’s struggles. For instance, telling a rep to meet more people when they already have plenty of contacts won’t help. Instead, coach them on how to engage those contacts and uncover buying interest.

3. Stop Relying on Technology to Fix Sales Performance. A new CRM or AI tool won’t magically improve results. These are tools, not producers. Without the right salespeople, technology only makes things worse. Low performers hide behind learning systems, while high performers resent being slowed down from meeting prospects and closing deals.

4. Engage Customers Every Quarter. Quarterly engagement keeps customers loyal and more likely to refer you. Use a scorecard to focus conversations on quality, service, and pricing, and how you can help them in the future. Training is essential to make these discussions effective.

5. Hold Daily Sales Team Huddles. If you’re not already doing this, start now. A 10- to 20-minute STAND-UP HUDDLE each morning keeps everyone accountable. Standing shortens the meetings and makes it harder for low performers to hide. Focus on progress and needed adjustments. Don’t let excuses derail creativity and sales results.

6. Train for the Details. Years ago, a sales expert told me: successful salespeople know the details of their products and services. That wisdom made a huge difference in my own results. Provide weekly training, updates, and stories. And remember, repetition works.

7. Acknowledge Results. Recognition works wonders. Acknowledge individuals and your team by sharing brags. Use a dashboard to show weekly results. This builds support when someone is stuck and motivates everyone to do more of what’s working.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019-2025

Jeannette Seibly, an award-winning Talent Advisor, Leadership Results Coach, and Business Author, has guided thousands of executives and business leaders to achieve remarkable success over the past 33 years. Her specialty is delivering innovative solutions for hiring, coaching, and leadership challenges—with excellence and accountability at the core.

Want objective, real-world data on your sales team? Contact me today to find out how.

How Do You Listen Effectively?

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“If you’re listening to respond, cut people off, or have a ready answer, you’re not listening!” Jeannette Seibly

In creating our legacy and shaping our future, we must learn how to listen effectively. How you listen honors your legacy and the legacy of others. This is critical as you move forward in creating and fulfilling projects, supporting communities that are important to you, and supporting neighbors and family who enjoy being with you.

However, too often we listen through our own filters:

  • Biases, judgments, or assumptions about whether someone’s story “fits” what we already believe.
  • Listening to reply, not to understand.
  • Thinking of the next thing we want to say.
  • Making a quick decision that the person isn’t worth listening to.

The above are examples of not truly listening. In fact, if you have a response ready before the person finishes speaking, you’re not really listening!

Why Listening Matters for Your Legacy

Listening is more than a skill. It’s a way of honoring stories, discerning values, and building meaningful connections. For adults 55+, listening deeply allows us to:

  • Capture wisdom that might otherwise be lost.
  • Strengthen relationships by truly hearing what matters.
  • Shape our legacy by aligning words, actions, and values.
  • Create communities where every voice is valued, and every story has impact.

Other Considerations for Listening in Everyday Life 

  • Attention to detail: Do you notice the pauses, memories, and details that reveal care and intention?
  • Reactionary or calm: Do they respond with patience, or with quick judgment? A calm tone reveals resilience. A reactionary tone indicates they are still dealing with their anger and the unfairness of the situation.
  • Community spirit: Are they positively contributing to family, friendships, or community events?
  • Openness to growth: Even later in life, are they willing to learn, adapt, or grow?

Listening Beyond Words 

  • Consistency between words and actions: Do their stories match how they live? Listen for three examples or themes that reveal true values.
  • Ownership of mistakes and failures: Can they admit missteps and explain what they learned? That’s wisdom worth passing on.
  • Curiosity and initiative: Do they ask questions about others, the world, or legacy? Genuine curiosity signals engagement.
  • Values alignment: Notice whether their personal values resonate with the community you want to build. Do themes like autonomy, service, or sustainability keep surfacing?
  • Communication clarity: Can they share complex life lessons in ways others can understand and carry forward?

 Practical Listening Habits to Build Your Legacy

  • Pause before responding. Silence often reveals more than a rushed answer.
  • Listen for patterns, not isolated statements. One polished story doesn’t equal consistency in how one lives life.
  • Note emotional tone. Calm confidence differs from rehearsed charm.
  • Separate impression from evidence. Write down what you heard versus what you felt. Then, compare. If it’s not consistent, ask yourself: Are they truly sharing, or just talking to talk? Or, do I need to “level up” my listening?

Remember, what you do to honor your legacy and the legacy of others begins and ends with the way you listen.

©Jeannette Seibly 2025 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a legacy-driven Talent Advisor, Leadership Results Coach, and Amazon Best-Selling Business Author. For over 33 years, she has empowered thousands of executives and business leaders to achieve sustainable success through strategic hiring, values-based coaching, and intentional leadership development. Her work blends clarity, accountability, and soulful impact—activating performance and purpose at every level.

Do you want to improve your listening? Do you journal? Contact me, and I’ll send you a complimentary copy of Journaling Prompts: Practicing Deep Listening.

What to “Listen For” During Job Interviews

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“During interviews, what we ‘listen for’ shapes the quality of the interaction, and ultimately determines whether we hire the right person for the right job.” Jeannette Seibly

As hiring managers, recruiters, and interviewers, too often we listen through our biases and judgments to determine whether a person can do the job or not.

  • We’re listening to respond, which is not true listening.
  • Or, we’re just not really listening for anything and just waiting to ask the next question.
  • Or, we’re contemplating if we’ve already made the right decision about hiring the person (not based on objective data).
  • Hint: If you have a response before the person finishes speaking, you’re not listening!

Skills you may already be listening for:

  • Attention to detail: Do they dot the I’s and cross the T’s?
  • Ability to stay calm under pressure: Do they react impulsively or remain steady when challenged?
  • Be a team player: Do they work well with others, or are they know-it-alls or do-it-yourselfers?
  • Coachability: Ability and willingness to accept feedback and learn from their mistakes and failures.
  • Communication: How well are they listening to you?

How Using Job-Fit Assessments Clarifies What to “Listen For”

Using a qualified and objective job-fit assessment (e.g., PXT Select®) provides “Listen for …” cues in the Selection Reports. These reports outline how a candidate’s thinking style, behavioral traits, and occupational interests align with the role. When you combine these insights with the interview questions in the PXT Select® report, you gain objective evidence of whether the person can do the job, will do the job, and can do the job here.

This clarity helps you know where to probe further, using the Rule of 3 from Hire Amazing Employees, and keeps you emotionally detached from the candidate’s charm or a false impression that can cloud judgment.

Additional Behaviors Worth “Listening For”

  • Consistency between words and actions: Do their examples align with how they describe themselves? Use the Rule of 3 (Hire Amazing Employees) to deep dive into someone’s true ability — not just to complete the skill or task, but to think through the pros and cons of what they are doing.
  • Ownership of mistakes: Candidates who can admit missteps and explain what they learned often bring resilience to the job. Interviewer question: “Tell me about the last mistake you made and what you did to fix it. Who did you talk with?”
  • Curiosity and initiative: Listen for questions they ask about the role, team, or company. Genuine curiosity signals engagement. If they have no questions or it’s clear they didn’t do any prep work on the company, position, or interviewer, you may need to move on.
  • Values alignment: Beyond skills, listen for whether their personal values resonate with the culture you’re building. What common themes do they describe, perhaps without realizing it? For example, if they struggled in the past with a micromanaging boss, how did they handle it? What type of autonomy do they need in this job to be successful?
  • Communication clarity: Are they able to simplify complex ideas, or do they get lost in jargon? Can they explain what they are saying in words others would easily understand?

Practical “Listening For” Habits for You

  • Pause before responding. Give space for silence. It often reveals more than a rushed answer.
  • Notice patterns, not isolated statements. One polished story doesn’t equal consistency.
  • Note emotional tone. Calm confidence differs from rehearsed charm.
  • Separate impression from evidence. Write down what you heard versus what you felt. Then, compare. If it’s not consistent, deep dive into whether they truly want the position or are simply checking a box that they had an interview. Note: If you’re using structured interview processes (questions found in Hire Amazing Employees), it is easier to compare candidates.
  • Document evidence immediately after the interview. Memory fades quickly, and written notes prevent bias and false memories from creeping in later.

©Jeannette Seibly 2025 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly, an award-winning Talent Advisor, Leadership Results Coach, and Business Author, has guided thousands of executives and business leaders to achieve remarkable success over the past 33 years. Her specialty is delivering innovative solutions for hiring, coaching, and leadership challenges—with excellence and accountability at the core.

Remember during interviews, what you “listen for” can make or break an interview. Come prepared, listen, and ask good follow-up questions to transform a good interview into a great one. Contact me to get the highest value out of your interviews.

The Three Main Saboteurs that Prevent Achieving Results

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“Your results will be sabotaged by doubt, fear, and negative talk. Transform them now before it’s too late.” Jeannette Seibly

While there can be many deterrents to achieving your goals or legacy, the biggest saboteurs are: Doubt, Fear, and Negative Talk.

Definitions:

  • Doubt: Questioning your ability or the possibility of success.
  • Fear: Anticipating negative outcomes that prevent action.
  • Negative Talk: Criticizing yourself or others, especially with self‑talk.

Examples:

  • “I doubt it will work.”
  • “I doubt I can get the funding or approval.”
  • “I’m afraid to talk with my boss, she is a naysayer.”
  • “I’m afraid to spend the money to invest in myself. What if I need the money later?”
  • “I’m a loser, a failure. Nobody likes me.”
  • “She’ll never succeed; why bother?”

Several years ago, Magda wanted to launch her own consulting practice. She had the skills, the network, and even a few clients waiting. But Magda kept saying, “I doubt I can make it work. What if I fail?” Fear stopped her from investing in a website, and negative self-talk convinced her she wasn’t “good enough.” Six months later, Magda watched Dina start a similar business and succeed with the very idea Magda had shelved. Magda had allowed her “saboteurs” to win.

Can you see yourself in this story? Many can, if you’re being honest. What are your usual saboteurs when mistakes threaten failure, or things are not working out as you believe they should?

Unfortunately, it’s easy to fall into these limiting traps whether it be family, work, or pursuing personal goals. It’s why you fail to achieve what you really, really, really want in life. You’ve allowed your saboteurs to determine the outcome of your results.

The good news is that these saboteurs don’t have to define you or your results. With simple shifts in perspectives and practices, you will improve your results.

How to Turn Saboteurs into Stepping Stones for Success

To overcome these saboteurs, practice three powerful shifts:

  • Reframe: Change the story. “Yes, I failed to achieve my goal last month, and that doesn’t mean I will fail this month. In fact, I just received a call from a prospective client.” Another phrase to consider while taking action, “I can do this and I do it.”
  • Own: Accept responsibility and learn. Ask, “What did I learn?” Use the exercise, “What Worked? / What Didn’t Work?” to uncover insights. Identify the weakness, mistake, or failure in planning and make the positive change. Don’t blame yourself or others!
  • Brag: Celebrate your wins, and the wins of your team. Completing your brags builds self‑confidence and reminds you of your competence. In the book Get Your Brag On! you’ll find several exercises to quickly turn doubt, fear, and negative talk into positives.

©Jeannette Seibly 2025 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a legacy-driven Talent Advisor, Leadership Results Coach, and Amazon Best-Selling Business Author. For over 33 years, she has empowered thousands of executives and business leaders to achieve sustainable success through strategic hiring, values-based coaching, and intentional leadership development. Her work blends clarity, accountability, and soulful impact—activating performance and purpose at every level.

Have you been ambushed by the three saboteurs? It’s time to talk about how to shift those saboteurs and achieve your intended results.

Do You Want Your Leadership to Make a Positive Difference?

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“Your leadership style builds your influence, reputation, and legacy.” Jeannette Seibly

Influence, reputation, and legacy are not built by title alone. They are sustained by the people-centered skills that leaders should practice every day. For many leaders, experience and expertise are invaluable, but the ability to connect, facilitate, communicate, and make sound decisions often determines whether their leadership style makes a positive difference.

The Challenge

Even the most accomplished leaders can find themselves at crossroads:

  • People skills may need refreshing to engage diverse generations.
  • Facilitation skills must evolve to foster collaboration rather than control.
  • Communication skills require clarity, empathy, and adaptability in a noisy world.
  • Decision-making skills demand balance between wisdom and openness to new perspectives.

The Opportunity

By fine-tuning these people-centered skills, you can:

  • Amplify your impact by guiding teams with generosity and positive acknowledgement.
  • Model intentional leadership that blends honesty, responsibility, and accountability.
  • Create pathways for others to grow without losing their own expertise.
  • Develop your emotional intelligence and emotional integrity—intelligence helps you understand emotions, while integrity ensures you act with consistency and values.

And most importantly, these practices connect directly to your leadership style and legacy: the imprint you leave on people, organizations, and communities long after your role has changed.

Practical Pathways Forward

Level Up Your Skills by measuring your progress. Use engagement scores, retention data, or feedback loops to track whether your leadership style is truly making a positive difference. Examples include:

These tools provide both internal and external perspectives, helping you align your leadership practices with the legacy you intend to leave.

Very Important Note: Many leaders do not feel ready to read (current and future). I have coached and mentored many professionals who faced challenges early in their careers. And advised them to provide pathways that help future leaders and bosses grow, contribute, and thrive.

© Jeannette Seibly 2020–2025 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly, an award-winning Talent Advisor, Leadership Results Coach, and Business Author, has guided thousands of executives and business leaders to achieve remarkable success over the past 33 years. Her specialty is delivering innovative solutions for hiring, coaching, and leadership challenges—with excellence and accountability at the core.

Contact me to see my “Fine-Tuning Leadership Skills Guide.” Start today to build a strong leadership style and make a positive difference.