For busy business professionals, stress is unavoidable. It can negatively impact your results, interactions with people, and your ability to make necessary changes in your life. Stress impacts your ability to get things done the right way the first time. (And sometimes, you don’t get a second chance.)

If you are like me (and most people), you have stresses in your life: lack of time, concerns about money, bad habits, difficult situations and circumstances, frustrating employees, bosses, customers and systems. In addition, you might often think: I should have, would have and could have if only I had had the time, money, right employees, nicer customers, etc. (Sound familiar?) Stress can be cyclical, and these seemingly never-ending thoughts only add more stress. To disrupt the stress, you need clarify and take focused action steps to move forward.

11 Ways to De-Stress for Success

Pick one now and do it! It doesn’t matter which one. Just do it!

1.Prioritize. Not everything is a priority. Make a list of everything that you believe needs to be done. Circle the top ten. Now, cut the list down to the top three. Rank them 1, 2, and 3. Do number 1 now. When it’s done, move on to number 2. Now, it’s time for number 3. Celebrate the completion of each task.

2.Let Go. Not everything needs to be done immediately. If you need to file or shred papers, get an oil change for your vehicle, or replace a light bulb, schedule it on your calendar for later in the week. Then, honor that scheduled time.

3.Delegate. Stop being a lone ranger. Yes, your employees will not do things exactly the same way you would. Consider that they might do a better job … if you let them.

4.Do It for 20 minutes. Too often we have dreaded reports or other activities that must be done. Do it for 20 minutes. Then, decide if you wish to spend another 20 minutes or schedule it for later.

5.Excuses Be Gone. Too often, we create excuses about why we haven’t completed something. Stop doing this! This mental energy depletes you. Create a mantra: “I can do this and do it now.” Next, take the first step.

6.Stop Multitasking. Make a commitment to get one thing done at a time. There is satisfaction in fully completing something. While it may seem like multitasking allows you to get more things done, it rarely works that way. For example, attempting to write a report and listen to an employee at the same time only creates more stress … you will miss addressing important points in the report, and your employee will feel unimportant.

7.Walk It Out. Take 10 minutes, three times daily, to simply walk around, go up and down the stairs, or simply move! Remember to breathe!

8.Talk It Out. Turn your internal monologues into dialogues. Get them out of your head. Share your concerns with someone who can actually help you. It may be a good time to find a business coach who can help you stay focused and improve your effectiveness while decreasing your stress.

9.Write It Out. Studies have shown that when people write down their fears, upsets and frustrations, it can be cathartic. Writing helps get bad thoughts out of your head and provides insights. The key is to keep things private and not share your written journal with others. Do not send your upsets in an email or text to your boss, client, employee or co-worker (or post them on social media).

10.Meditate. Take time to simply empty your mind and be silent for several minutes. It can be refreshing. Sit comfortably. Focus on breathing in and out. When thoughts appear—and they will—say, “Noise.” Don’t make these thoughts good or bad. This may be the most effective and most difficult for highly stressed people.

11.Brag. When you learn how to brag, it is a huge confidence booster. Complete your Brag! statements. Keep these up to date and review them anytime stress doesn’t go away or you need a confidence boost.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Jeannette Seibly has been called a catalyst. She is celebrating 25 years as a business coach, advisor and consultant who guides her clients to achieve unprecedented results. Remember, stress can be reduced when it’s managed effectively. Are you ready to de-stress for success? Step up now! Check out her website, or contact Jeannette for a preliminary confidential conversation.

Building effective teams to achieve results is important. It determines the quality of your products and services, employee satisfaction, and ability to meet and exceed customers’ expectations. However, as leaders, there are many times we fail to pay attention to team dynamics. Instead, we often wait around for someone else to do it. When a team loses its effectiveness, it’s important to quickly get the team back on track (think, right now).

7 Tips to Build an Effective Team

1.Training. When was the last time the team received training on how to conduct effective meetings? (I’m surprised by how many people have never been trained.) Many team leaders and team members are not well trained on how to lead and participate in meetings effectively. They’ve read a book or watched a video that focused on the material side of meetings (e.g., scheduling, seating, agendas, etc.), but rarely do books and videos address the human side of meetings. Bring in an outside facilitator to train everyone on conflict resolution, brainstorming, sharing ideas and appreciating each member’s contribution. It’s important to train everyone to be an effective team leader and team member.

2.True Goals. Were the goals created with the team? Even if you said yes to this question, chances are good that a senior person’s idea ends up as the goal. Or, sometimes the team latches onto the first good idea and runs with it. True goals are simple, quantifiable, achievable, agreed upon and provide a deadline for results. And, the team is aligned with the goals. The goal meets the company’s needs. Remember, if the team members don’t feel heard or valued during the goal creation process, they will stop participating.

3.Focused Action Plans. Has the team lost its focus or do they feel there are too many distractions? Many times, teams get caught up in the shiny object syndrome and fail to stay focused on the actions required to achieve this current goal. A good team leader will meet with the team frequently, as a group and individually. The team leader keeps everyone focused on the goal and helps uncover resources needed to move forward. While the scoreboard may factually show progress is being made, sole focus on meeting the goal will hide the fact that there are team members who are stuck and have checked out of the process. It’s important to keep everyone in focused action, one step at a time.

4.Communication. Are appropriate communication resources being used? Keeping everyone up to date with what each person has committed to do and showing the progress being made is key. It reminds each member that they are an integral part of the project’s success.

5.Manage the Team. Who is the team facilitator? While teams can be self-managing, usually there is a formally designated leader; otherwise, an informal one will emerge. It’s important to have someone in charge of facilitating the meeting, making sure resources and other needs are available, and coaching everyone involved to achieve the goal.

6.Delegation. Is someone being a lone ranger? Too often, poorly trained or highly controlling team leaders fail to delegate. Stop it! If you want to truly achieve unprecedented results, get everyone involved. If a team member is being a lone ranger, it’s critical to unravel this situation quickly before it goes on too long and the team leader loses the ability to correct the situation.

7.Celebrate. When was the last time everyone was acknowledged and appreciated? Celebrate the small steps, wins and other accomplishments of the group and individual team members. Don’t forget to share brags at each and every meeting.

Review each of these seven tips and make sure they are all implemented to improve the team’s effectiveness and their ability to achieve the intended results.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Jeannette Seibly has been called a catalyst. She is celebrating 25 years as a business coach, advisor and consultant who guides her clients to achieve unprecedented results. Remember, meetings can be effective, fun and rewarding! And, they require everyone to become a team facilitator. Are you ready?

Whenever projects or programs don’t go as planned, we stop. We focus on issues that we believe are in our way. Then, when we don’t uncover those roadblocks, we start blaming ourselves and others. These five often-overlooked areas will help you get back on track to achieve your intended results—and become unstoppable.

5 C’s to Becoming Unstoppable

Commitment. Everyone says they are committed. Yet if you look at their actions, attitudes and behaviors, they rarely hide the truth: They are not committed to results. Commitment starts with being results-oriented and doing the work to get there. Ask yourself: What do I truly want? What does the team want? What’s in the way to fulfill our commitment?

Choice. We often falsely believe that if we had more choices or resources, we could succeed. However, there are many success stories in the news that showcase people who have succeeded without a lot of readily available resources. Set aside your many excuses and get into focused action. Choose to take the initiative. Choose to be resourceful. And, choose to be willing to step outside your comfort zone.

Collaboration. When a project or plan isn’t gaining traction, it might be that team members simply don’t have the interests, skills or willingness to do the work … no matter what they tell you. Actions always speak louder than words. Bring in an outside facilitator to uncover underlying team issues. Use a qualified assessment to help individuals better understand themselves and each other, and what keeps getting in their way.

Communication. Communicating frequently via emails, texts and conference calls is very important.  Without good communication, people will forget their commitment, find distractions to focus on, and attempt to be lone rangers. It’s your job to keep them focused on the project, goal and guidelines, check on progress, and be readily available for questions.

Coaching. How often do you have partner who is 100% committed to your success?  What value do you get from someone who doesn’t allow your doubts and frustrations to get in the way?  When you have a coach, you can share your concerns, come down to reality and get out of your own way. Then, you’ll be unstoppable in achieving unprecedented results.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Are you ready to create a robust Q2? Jeannette will guide you and your team through a set of powerful exercises designed to get everyone back on track. Her clients have gone through this process, uncovered issues that were in the way, and resolved them, achieving their intended results. To learn more, contact Jeannette Seibly at https://seibco.com/contact/. 

Jeannette Seibly is celebrating 25 years as a business coach, advisor and consultant. Do you and your employees need to learn how to work together as a team, conduct effective meetings and develop powerful solutions during 2018? Check out her website, or contact Jeannette for a free confidential conversation.

How do we listen as leaders? We listen through a filter—a filter that supports our feelings, thoughts and opinions about the person talking, the person or situation being gossiped about, or a topic we may or may not have an interest in. The bottom line is that we listen to see if we agree or disagree. As a result, we miss out on a lot of information that could give us insight to create positive and profitable changes. As leaders, we don’t have the luxury of not hearing what others are saying. Failure to listen will negatively impact our businesses, customers, employees and our own careers.

6 Ways to Listen to Understand

1.Quiet the Chatterbox. Everyone has an ongoing internal mental monologue that never stops, except when we sleep. We have become unconscious to it, yet it automatically reengages each time we are awake! Practice silence through meditation and pay attention to what you are thinking about. This will help you take charge of your chatterbox.

2.Be Present. Instead of rehearsing your rebuttal in your head, first listen to understand the other person’s point of view. When you are truly present to what is being said, you will know how to respond. Remember, you don’t need to fill silence with needless chatter as you think out loud. Ask questions to clarify what the other person is trying to convey, and engage in a dialogue. You will be amazed how quickly and easily you can become an active listener—and how rewarding it can be.

3.Put Away Distractions. This very bad habit gets in our way every time, particularly as leaders. Not only is multitasking a no-no, we lie to ourselves (and others) that we are really listening each time we glance at our electronic gadgets. When you get distracted from the person speaking, they assume you are not listening. Why? Because you’re not listening … you’ve allowed your mind to wander! Put away gadgets, papers and other distractions to keep you focused and in the conversation.

4.Build Win-Win Outcomes. Building agreement through conversation is not a lost art. It’s simply one that few practice. As a result, people become upset when others disagree with them. When conflicts erupt, employees will head for the cover of their cubicle, work, electronic gadgets, or they’ll check out of the conversation while sitting in the meeting. Instead, listen and build the habit of hearing what others are saying. You will find points of agreement. Acknowledge them and build on them.

5.Release Emotional Attachments. Remember, emotions take over common sense. Adding facts will help the conversation. However, when black-and-white data is not forwarding a conversation, share your thoughts and feelings by owning them (“I believe …” “I feel …” “In my opinion …”). Don’t be afraid to remind people that you are speaking from your own beliefs. If you’re open to releasing emotional attachments, you will expand your ability to see both sides of the topic being discussed.

6.Engage in Real Brainstorming. This lost art is truly lost when people grasp on to the first good idea or check out when a person in a position of power declares an idea to be the right one. It’s important to stay in the conversation and continue to toss out additional ideas. If not, you may be supporting a project or plan you (and others) don’t agree with. Use persuasive listening, facilitation and strong emotional intelligence skills to share your ideas and open up the conversation to create win-win-win results.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Need a speaker or facilitator to successfully address company issues? As a leader, it’s very important to listen to understand. While this may seem like a difficult skill to acquire, contact Jeannette Seibly to refine your ability to be an effective communicator. She will provide confidential, laser-focused coaching that works! 

Jeannette Seibly has been called a catalyst. She is celebrating 25 years as a business coach, advisor and consultant who guides her clients to achieve unprecedented results. Remember, listening to understand and utilizing persuasive listening skills are required to be a powerful leader. Are you ready? First, you must step up! Check out her website, or contact Jeannette for a preliminary confidential conversation.

Many leaders and employees today have become overly sensitized to how they talk and respond to others. Due to the fear of saying the wrong things or responding the wrong way, they feel like they are walking on eggshells. This hurts everyone’s ability to speak up and be heard.

To create positive change, people need to responsibly say what needs to be said, address the proverbial elephant in the room and effectively work through differing opinions to reach better solutions.

Communication is, and will continue to be, our number one way of working with and through others to create positive change. It requires everyone to step up, speak up, listen and become a responsible communicator.

8 Secrets to Become a Responsible Communicator

1.Don’t Confuse Fearlessness with Rudeness. It’s rude to bulldoze others by talking over them and failing to listen. Instead, be fearless and responsible for saying what needs to be said in a manner that elicits the best from others.

2.Be Open to Building. Allow others to speak up and be heard. It gives you the opportunity to build on their ideas and encourage them to support the change you are advocating. Remember, you don’t have all the answers.  Ninety percent of the world’s information is in other people’s heads.

3.Words Matter. Remember, your choice of words and phrases reflects your true thoughts, opinions and feelings about an issue. Using words like “can’t,” ”should,” “try” or ”won’t” limits what is possible. Choose your words responsibly.

4.Patience Is Required. Hear what others are saying, regardless of how busy you are. It can eliminate a lot of time resolving hurt feelings or issues that could have been prevented.  Remember, people can be poor communicators, so ask them to show you the problem or draw a picture if you don’t understand their concerns.

5.Willingness Is the Key. When facing challenges or when you are stuck, it’s surprising how your willingness to truly listen can create synergy for positive change.

6.Advocate for Something. While activism will rally people, it usually has little lasting impact when it is against something. Instead, work with your coach to learn the communication skills required to bring people together to advocate for positive outcomes.

7.Handle Trigger Points. It’s important to develop a thick skin that doesn’t make you upset or deter you when others make negative comments. Being and staying offended makes it difficult to bring together the right people and resources.  Also, to avoid triggering others, let them know that what you are about to say may be controversial. That will encourage them to openly listen to your point of view.

8.Embrace Integrity. People have a difficult time listening to you when you are not walking your talk and being transparent. Work with your coach now to embrace these skills. Being aware of how to appropriately handle ethical, fiduciary and legal issues in a responsible manner can allow you to spearhead change.

Positive change requires speaking up and being heard. It starts with being a responsible communicator.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Need a speaker or facilitator to successfully address company issues? As a future leader, it’s important to develop being a positive communicator who creates positive change now. Contact Jeannette Seibly. She will provide confidential, laser-focused coaching that works! 

Jeannette Seibly has been called a catalyst. She is celebrating 25 years as a business coach, advisor and consultant who guides her clients to achieve unprecedented results. Remember, everyone can be a leader … it requires you to communicate in a manner that elicits the best from others. First, you must step up! Check out her website, or contact Jeannette for a preliminary confidential conversation.