How to Be a Leader Without the Title

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executive.coach

Note: For those readers with a title, I encourage you to share this article with future leaders.

No one is born a leader. It comes from practice, practice and more practice … until it becomes a natural part of who you are. Developing the right mindset, habits and skills now makes it easier to lead after you’ve received your promotion and title. However, waiting to develop the skills after you become a leader with the title will have you faltering to catch up, if you ever can.

The fastest and easiest way to step up and develop your leadership skills now is to hire a coach to guide you along the way.

8 Important Skills to Develop Now!

1.Listening. This cannot be said often enough! Listen and learn, then listen and learn some more. Fine-tuning this skill will help you hear what others are missing.

2.Decision-Making. Take time to get both sides of an issue–the facts and others’ opinions—before making decisions. Do not rely on tiny fragments of information or base your decisions on your feelings or other biases about the topic or people. Your goal is to develop win-win-win outcomes with those involved.

3.Resilience. Your ability to rally quickly after mistakes and learn from them helps you develop greater confidence. Remember, the key to developing resiliency is to work through the disappointment, embarrassment and other feelings you and your team may experience. Denying these feelings and their impact will come back to haunt you later.

4.Rallying Others. Even without the title, you can learn how to influence others by your actions and attitudes. It starts with supporting the company’s mission, your boss and your team members.

5.Initiatives and Resourcefulness. The mark of a good future leader is stepping up and making things happen, regardless of the budget, or your job title. Become a catalyst for exploring new ideas, creating solutions and understanding financial impacts by working with and through others.

6.Ethics. Be aware of your company’s policies and follow them. If they are not working, rather than ignoring them, recommend changes by communicating with your boss, co-workers and others. Honor your promises, contracts and other agreements, whether they are done verbally or in writing.

7.Developing the Team. To grow into being a savvy future leader, be supportive of others’ efforts. Get involved in the hiring, coaching, managing and training processes!

8.Building on Strengths. We all have inherent business strengths and weaknesses. It helps to clarify them by using qualified assessments and 360-degree feedback tools. The best way to build effective strategic and tactical skills is allowing your coach to be your guide when working on specific challenges.

By developing these skills, you will learn a lot about yourself and what it takes to become a great leader, with or without the title!

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Need a speaker or facilitator to successfully address company issues? As a future leader, are you ready to develop the key skills 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, with or without the title. First, you must step up! Check out her website, or contact Jeannette for a preliminary confidential conversation.

Leading with Courage Is Not for the Timid

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Cocky LederEmployees today expect more from their business leaders than ever before. They require leaders to have the courage to step up and make good, hard decisions. Courageous leaders create an environment and company culture where every employee can excel. Knowing and actually encouraging, respecting and listening to differing points of view will build better ideas.

Being a leader is not for the timid. You can and must step up to develop the courage to lead.

Are you ready to:

Encourage Differing POVs. Differing points of view (POV) can build ideas into better solutions. However, benefiting from them requires strong listening and communication skills, asking the right questions and developing the ability to effectively manage these conversations for win-win-win outcomes.

Believe Employees Are Great. This mindset is one of the secrets to becoming an effective and courageous leader. Believing in the team process and each person’s contributions requires courage, because you can’t control internal communication or work processes. Your trust will transform your team to take the initiative and become resourceful to achieve intended results.

Do It Differently. Breaking out from the constraints of “how it’s always been done” or your creative limitations is required. Years ago an industry group traditionally hosted an education day to learn more about new changes in legislative policies. The problem was, attendance was dismal. When a new group member included a customer service keynote as part of the day, the planning committee expressed huge disapproval, but they still went along with idea. To their surprise, they saw a 40 percent increase in the number of attendees. At that point, they recognized the new group member for having the courage to think bigger and make it happen.

Manage Your Ethics and Integrity. The impact of what you do or don’t do will create a reputation for you and for the company that can last a long time. Make good, hard decisions by working with your executive coach to talk through the options and actions required. An organization was about to give an award to the wrong person. PR had already been released, and it was the night before the big event. Earlier that day the award recipient let them know, “I don’t meet the criteria.”  They made the tough decision and gave the award to the right person while acknowledging the courage it took for the original recipient to step forward.

Oversee Your Projects’ Human Experience. Many times we are focused solely on the technical and financial outcomes of any project or work assignment. We forget that our people make or break any project or task. Create a rewarding process that honors and respects the employee spirit through listening, brainstorming and respecting all ideas while managing the process to achieve intended results.

Express Gratitude to Everyone. Saying please and thank you daily and acknowledging every person for his or her contributions (regardless of how the day goes) builds a positive work environment.

Be a Respected Leader. People’s feelings can be fickle. One moment they like you, and the next they don’t—many times due to circumstances beyond your control. Respected leaders have the courage to make the right decisions, regardless of their career aspirations or need to be well-liked, is why they last longer.

Hire for Job Fit. Answering the “why” behind employee behaviors that baffle many managers is key. It takes courage to use qualified job fit assessments to hire, coach, manage and train employees. But once you experience the amazing results, your courage will be rewarded!

Step up! Be a courageous leader. Hire a seasoned executive coach and business advisor to guide you through making the right decisions, listening and learning from your employees and creating a respectful workplace.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Need a speaker or facilitator to successfully address company issues? As a leader, are you ready to be courageous by fine-tuning your ability to make better decisions, improve your communication skills and create an amazing place to work? 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 become a courageous leader. First, you must step up! Check out her website, or contact Jeannette for a preliminary confidential conversation.

It’s Your Responsibility to Get Me to Listen

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Listen.2Yes, you read that correctly. And, the truth is, it’s everyone’s responsibility to listen to one another!

Many leaders, bosses and employees claim to be too busy to listen. They say it’s other people’s fault when they don’t listen. I would like you to try on this idea: Your busyness is a direct reflection of how well you do or don’t listen! Many of us attempt to hide our poor listening skills by jumping ahead in a conversation, making snide comments, playing with electronic gadgets, entertaining our inner monologue or blaming others when miscommunication occurs. And, this is only a few of the bad habits we’ve developed.

When you take responsibility for listening, you will naturally reduce your busyness. You will hear solutions you previously overlooked. You and your team now have the opportunity to find the right resources, delegate to the right person, focus and build on ideas that can save time and money, and motivate each other to take initiatives. All because you started to listen!

Communication is everything. If you’re unable to listen and hear what others are saying, you and everyone around you loses!

10 Tips to Slow Down and Listen

1.Engage Others. It’s everyone’s responsibility to set an example of how to listen. Ask questions for clarification. Get feedback on agreements to ensure everyone is on the same page (e.g., “I just want to be sure we’re on the same page, could you tell me what we’ve agreed to do? What’s our next step?”)

2.Shorter Is Better. Attention spans today have grown shorter. Put together short agendas for all meetings, whether they’re one-on-one, team or otherwise. Stay on point when sharing your thoughts. When you need to disrupt wandering minds, make a bold statement. This will bring people back to the conversation.

3.Focus on the Topic. One reason people stop listening is that the conversation goes off topic. Every team member is responsible for staying on point. When the conversation goes off-track, restate the purpose for the meeting and summarize the most recent comments. Be aware, however: when you are too strict and don’t allow detours, you may miss the off-the-wall comments that can improve morale, generate new ideas and create possible solutions.

4.Repeat. There are times you’ll need to repeat yourself. While those listening may get annoyed, it’s important for everyone to be on the same page. For example, say, “I am going to repeat what I just said (or have been saying) to make sure we’re all on the same page.”

5.Set Aside Your Fears. Fear of hearing a differing opinion is the No. 1 reason people fail to listen. Instead of being fearful and checking out, listen to find common ground. It’s easier than you think. And, you will learn something new from others.

6.Use Silence. There will be times when others are not listening or are engaging in side conversations. Instead of being frustrated, stop talking and use silence to wait them out.

7.Minimize Distractions. Take responsibility for setting up the room so that everyone is seated at the table and can be easily heard. Have a basket at the door to collect everyone’s electronic gadgets. A University of Michigan study has shown that laptops are also a distraction. Make sure paper and pens are available.

8.Deal with Ramblers. Be patient when people ramble on. They have been rehearsing their concerns for a while. Asking them questions midpoint will only cause them to start over at the beginning. Instead, gently guide them by asking, “Your point is …?” “How can we help you?” “What do you need from us?”

9.Be Aware of Trigger Points. When you are about to make a statement that others may not want to hear, soften it by saying, “You may not like what I’m about to say, and …” Remember, different people and company cultures will have different triggers.

10.Manage Critical Thinking. Problem- solving processes require talking, listening and using conflict resolution skills. Remember, 90% of the information required to create a solution resides in other people’s heads, not on the Internet! Listen and engage everyone when generating ideas and brainstorming outcomes. Then, and only then, design action plans.

Implementing these 10 tips will make you responsible for getting others to listen. Having everyone follow these tips will create unimaginable results.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Need a speaker or facilitator to successfully address company issues? How many of the 10 tips have you been ignoring? How is that impacting your 2018? 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 has a voice! Listen, engage and build solutions together. Check out her website , or contact Jeannette for a free confidential conversation.

How to Design Your Workplace to Excel!

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Culture 2Designing your workplace to excel goes beyond the physical layout of the work space and its location. While these are very important components to consider, the design and development of the company’s culture are often overlooked. (Yes, everyone has a say.) As the leader, you are responsible for a workplace that values and respects people, and promotes opportunities for everyone to excel.

7 Key Elements to Excel

1.Each and every employee is important. Set aside your biases, and value each employee’s contribution. Playing favorites, offering the best opportunities to only a few and dismissing employees’ ideas will hurt workplace morale and team spirit. Design reward programs for both teams and individuals that acknowledge everyone’s efforts.

2.Focus on Work Skills. First, judging work quality and quantity is important. When problems occur, focus on the job skills required, not on the person’s personality. Provide specifically focused training and development programs designed for each person’s needs.

3.Provide Soft Skills Training. Communication, problem-solving, negotiation, critical thinking and other soft skills training is often overlooked. In addition to offering it, provide internal mentors who can be a sounding board for employees and help them fine-tune these skills. Hire an executive coach to guide the resolution of project management challenges and resolve management and leadership snafus.

4.Follow Company Policies. They were designed for a reason … to establish a strong foundation for everyone’s success. They reflect the company’s values, mission and work rules, so it’s important for you and your team to follow them! Be open to expanding on them as needed, when it’s in the best interest of the company.

5.Be a Positive Example. Your leadership style, communication skills and ability to pull together your team are important. Participate in leadership workshops and continue to improve your skills, expand your perspective and be responsible for how, when and why you make changes in your company.

6.Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan. Changing for the sake of change rarely works, and even worse, it can hinder your workplace’s ability to excel. Provide clarity on work assignments and management expectations. This allows employees to feel confident and competent in handling their daily work activities, sharing ideas and developing their skills.

7.Select the Right Person for the Right Job. Job fit is the No. 1 reason employees will excel or fail in their work activities. When your people have work responsibilities that fit their thinking style, core behaviors and occupational interests, they will communicate better, be a valued member of the team and help customers resolve their issues the first time. Remember, a well-designed strategic selection process that objectively recognizes job fit is critical in determining if a person can and will do the job successfully. Don’t forget to customize onboarding and learning and development opportunities to personally and professionally grow each employee.

Design a workplace where everyone can excel to make it a culturally rewarding place to work!

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Need a speaker or facilitator to successfully address company issues? Which of the seven key elements have you been ignoring that need to be resolved for a successful 2018? 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 has a say when designing a workplace that promotes positive interactions, teamwork and learning and development opportunities. Check out her website , or contact Jeannette for a free confidential conversation.

Your Wall of Resistance Is a Gift!

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WallA man hit a wall of resistance in his professional life. He was earning just enough money to pay his bills. He knew he was a results producer not producing results and blamed his work environment. Although he had hired a coach, the coach wasn’t able to guide him to turn around his results. When someone tapped him on the shoulder to interview for a job, he jumped on it. His comment was, “It must be meant to be.” Look out! When you’ve hit a wall, realize that the grass is rarely greener someplace else! Instead, clarify the beliefs, habits and words that got in your way!

When you experience fatigue, loss of energy and/or poor results, you’ve hit the wall of resistance. And, no matter what you say, think or do … nothing changes. When your career is stuck, sales are nonexistent or your ideas fail to produce the intended results, it’s time to get real. Short-term fixes won’t produce long-term results. (Note: According to a Gallup poll, over 70 percent of us are in the wrong job or career.) The good news is you can give yourself the long-term gift of blasting through your wall of resistance.

4 Steps to Blast through Your Wall of Resistance

First, remember: it’s an inside job. Write down:

  • Five beliefs you are holding on to
  • At least three habits that get in your way
  • Ten words you use to describe yourself, others and situations

Second, hire the right coach to review your answers and guide you to the next level. Lone rangers usually experience struggle, strife and frustration because they’re doing it alone. Freedom, clarity and ease are available when you hire the right coach. Remember, every successful person has a coach; ask for referrals based on your challenges.

Third, complete the past year by writing down what worked and what didn’t work. Why? This exercise will bring you awareness of the silent growth you’ve achieved. Then, update and write down your Brag! statements as a reminder of your accomplishments (see It’s Time to Brag! Business Edition for details).

Fourth, complete a qualified job fit assessment to understand why your true thinking style, occupational interests and core behaviors may not fit your job or work responsibilities. Review the results with your coach to uncover your inherent strengths and weaknesses to help you break through your wall. This assessment is an amazing gift you give yourself that will support you for a long time!

Now What? Give yourself a gift and apply these same four steps to the following areas where you might be experiencing your wall of resistance:

Career: Work with the right coach to hold you accountable to achieve your newly created game plan. When new walls appear (and they will), listen to your coach and create customized approaches to blast through them. Also, role-play with your coach before having the difficult conversations you’ve been avoiding; they can hinder your job satisfaction. This will clear up any misunderstandings or issues you are experiencing. The clarity this provides will also help you make better choices for what’s next. If you don’t do this, the same issues will repeat themselves.

Business Owner or Entrepreneur: You’re stymied. Your company is doing OK, but you believe you can do better! You have lots of ideas, but few of them have worked long term. You may have settled for mediocrity or quickly ditched ideas when new ones came along. Impatience is not a virtue. Execution has cost you a lot of time, money and sleepless nights. Stop the insanity! Take the time to objectively work through the pros and cons of each idea with your coach and develop a realistic ROI. One successful entrepreneur I coached created a multimillion-dollar business. “We have hundreds of ideas, however only one or two make it through our vetting process.” Hire a business advisor, select the right team and stay focused on the right action steps to achieve your goals.

Sales Teams: You missed the quarterly sales projection … again. You reassured your boss that the team will do better next quarter. For this to happen, remember: success is an inside job. Who are your salespeople? What are their inherent strengths and weaknesses? What training do they require to succeed? Who might be more successful in a different position? Use qualified sales assessments to get real about your team members. Then, have each person create their own Brag! statements and share them. One woman, who had been struggling to pay her bills, received a $20,000 commission check in 45 days by clarifying her sales strengths and weaknesses, and learning how to brag to sell herself first!

When you are clear about your wall of resistance, this gift will support you in taking the right actions to achieve long-term success.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Need a speaker or facilitator to successfully address company issues? What conflicts have you been ignoring that need to be resolved for a successful 2018? Contact Jeannette Seibly. She is the right executive coach and business advisor to provide confidential, laser-focused advice 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. Are you ready to move forward in 2018? Blast through those walls of resistance? Make the right changes? Make the difficult choices? Check out her website , or contact Jeannette for a free confidential conversation.

Employee Retention Is the New Focus!

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images0VAIFKU3Today’s economy is robust. That’s the good news. The challenge is that most qualified people are employed, so it’s becoming more difficult for companies to attract new, qualified employees.

Although there needs to be a focus on hiring new employees, there is not enough focus on keeping the talent you already have. In this employee-driven market, the focus on employee retention must improve to keep great employees and attract qualified new ones.

How to Develop and Keep Great Employees

Training Is Critical:

  • Include Everyone. Provide learning and growth opportunities for each and every employee, manager and executive.
  • Budget Is Not an Excuse. The reality is, you can’t afford not to promote, coach, manage and train current employees. Budget for, rather than cut, the actual dollar amount available per employee for training, education reimbursement or other internal and external learning opportunities.
  • Focus on Soft Skills. While technical skills are important, many times communication, managing people, critical thinking, project management and other soft skills are overlooked. These skills have become more important as younger people take on management roles. To get the most out of the advanced training you provide, make sure employees are ready to for promotion and leadership roles to use it.
  • Offer Variety. Digital learning, group interactions and one-on-one sessions are equally important. Include opportunities to role-play…this will reinforce and fine-tune new concepts.
  • Library of Resources. When a problem arises (and it will), have a library of online resources and books readily available. Also, provide mentors and coaches to help guide practical applications.
  • Include “Why.” Employees today want to know why something is important for them to learn. Don’t skip this step.
  • Public Workshops. When it’s not reinforced, new training will only impact people for a day or a week. Debrief and focus on three key points they should develop. While new ideas and methods can make a positive difference, if they’re not effectively introduced, they have the potential of turning a team upside down.
  • Cross-training. Employees will develop a broader awareness of how their job impacts their company and customers when they have the experience of working in different departments.

Use Qualified Assessments. This is the best way to broaden employees’ perspectives on how to better communicate, work with team members and manage their work so it doesn’t hinder others’ efforts. It also provides a reality check about why some employees excel at certain work activities but others don’t.

Just-in-Time Coaching. We all have blind spots. A coach can help us uncover them. While internal mentors and coaches can be helpful, an experienced coach from outside the company often provides a broader perspective and customized approach to resolve persistent issues.

Be the Right Boss. A bad boss is cited as the No.1 reason employees leave. Today’s bosses need to be effective people managers.  While they tell everyone they like working with people, it would be detrimental to their future career opportunities to admit they don’t like managing them. Create different career ladders that include management and non-management roles, along with a commensurate pay scale.

Flexibility Is Important. Most employees value a flexible work schedule, opportunities to work from home and other work/life balance options. These are often more important than a pay increase or a new job title. Some would actually take a small reduction in pay if they could work fewer hours and be able to travel, participate in humanitarian work or spend time on their side gig or with family.

Appreciation. Take time daily to acknowledge and thank employees for their work efforts. It shows you value their contribution, and it goes a long way toward employee retention.

Focus on developing and keeping great employees. It will improve the company’s culture, increase employee retention and attract new, qualified talent.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Need a speaker or facilitator to successfully address company issues? What conflicts have you been ignoring that need to be resolved for a successful 2018? 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. Are you ready to focus on employee retention? Are you willing to make simple and effective changes? Check out her website , or contact Jeannette for a free confidential conversation.

Momentum Is the Key to Achieving BIG Goals

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goals.4Many of us create goals to either check off a box for our bosses or to make a positive difference for ourselves and others. Yet regardless of why we have created the goal, it requires:

  • -Commitment
  • -A vision BIG enough to get everyone on board
  • -Focused action to create and sustain momentum

Momentum is not like gravity, always there regardless of what we do, say or think about it. While momentum is readily available, it requires commitment to achieve BIG goals and taking focused actions steps over time. It’s not about waiting for the right moment, right team or right amount of money.

The reason momentum can be hard to create is that many people are risk averse. Yes, they want to achieve their goals financially, personally and professionally. But they are fearful of stepping outside their proverbial comfort zone. After their goals have been created, many times their initial excitement and momentum wanes, and so do they. Get into focused action early. Do not wait.

Create Momentum Now

(Note: This article assumes that you have created true goals that are BIG, with a focused action plan and the right team committed to getting outside their comfort zones. If not, I would recommend hiring an experienced facilitator to get you on the right path now, before the struggle irrevocably hinders fulfillment of the goal.)

Assemble the Right Team. Assembling the right team is critical to achieving a BIG goal. It requires going beyond what people agree to do now. Ask if they have the interest and long-term willingness to support the project to the end. This is often a question people will say yes to but fail to fulfill. Use a qualified assessment to take the mystery out of whether or not they can and will contribute to the BIG goal.

Manage and Coach for Solutions. A common mistake leaders make is micromanaging individual efforts when team members become stuck. Instead, encourage them to talk out issues with other team members to resolve the problem, not create a conspiracy as to why the project won’t work.

Take Focused Actions. The No. 1 saboteur in any project is when busyness is used as an excuse for giving up. Here’s a secret: Taking the right focused action steps will create new skills and confidence … not the feeling of more work! When obstacles occur (and they will), true brainstorming, resourcefulness and initiative are required. Then, immediately take focused action steps. (This is not the time to change the BIG goal!)

Delegate to the Best Person. Stop attempting to do everything yourself. Trust your team members. Delegate a task or portion of the project to the right person (e.g., give the financial analysis portion of the project to the person who has the skills and interests to get it done). Utilize qualified assessments to understand each person’s best role on the team.

Stay in Communication. Stay in weekly communication. Face-to-face conversations and electronic updates keep the momentum moving forward. It’s harder to hide out on a team call when you’re specifically asked for updates. When problems or excuses arise, have a couple of team members or a vetted, qualified outside resource work together to resolve it (it’s best not to use the whole team – it slows the momentum).

Get Objective Outside Feedback. Talk about the components of the action plan with a small, select group of mentors and your business coach. (Don’t forget to use a nondisclosure agreement [NDA] for people outside the company.)  Listen respectfully to alternatives or points missed. Remember, you asked for their input, and often, seasoned experts offer the greatest insights.

Manage Self-Talk. Your internal mental chatter and word choices when talking about others make a significant impact on fulfilling the BIG goal. Remember, each and every person’s contribution is important. To keep everyone aware of what they have provided and what others have accomplished, use “It’s Time to Brag! Business Edition” to create and share Brag! statements.

You will fulfill the BIG goal if you take the right focused action steps to create and sustain momentum.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

What conflicts are you blind to that need to be resolved for a successful 2018? Hire Jeannette Seibly as a speaker or facilitator to successfully address company issues. She will provide confidential, laser-focused coaching that gets results! 

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. Are you ready to challenge your status quo? Are you willing to make simple and effective changes? Check out her website , or contact Jeannette for a free confidential conversation.

Speak Up! It’s Good for Your Career Success!

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speak upI’ve seen, too often, employees in group meetings speak up and lose their jobs, credibility and opportunities for pay increases. And, there are times I’ve heard people speak up and save the company money, time and top talent.

What gets in the way?

When we hear a perception that’s different from our own, our egos can get in the way of listening and conflicts can escalate. Communicating persuasively, listening and building solutions are thrown out the window when we feel attacked, ignored or overruled. When you don’t own your point of view while respecting others’, you will miss the opportunity to share and build win-win-win solutions.

Today’s bosses are encouraging employees to speak up. They are breaking through long-standing barriers and fears for both women and men. However, the challenge still remains: many of us encourage coworkers, bosses and leaders to speak up—until they challenge the status quo. Then, often, our fears kick in and we silence what is being said. We become resigned about making any changes.  Yet, we applaud those that have the courage to speak up and wish we could be more like them.

How to Own Your Point of View

Owning your point of view makes it easier for others to listen and hear you! Otherwise, telling others that your point of view is “the truth” will shut down your contribution to the conversation, project and team—potentially sidelining your career success.

Take Responsibility. Never forget that the thoughts, opinions and feelings you are sharing are yours. When you are pointing out a violation of company policy, safety or ethics, take responsibility for sharing the policy, sticking to the facts about the violation, and talking directly with the people who can make the difference.

Expand Your Perspective. We are all limited by our perceptions and life experiences. Don’t become emotionally attached to them. Instead, be willing to expand your awareness by listening to and honoring differences. Participate in a training program, read social media stories about others’ challenges and successes, and hire a coach to help expand your thinking. For bosses, I have found that qualified assessments successfully expand points of view about how to hire, coach, manage and train their teams.

Be Kind. Life does not discriminate against anyone. However, our biases or “truths” often do, and we negatively judge and assess others. Instead, speak well of everyone. Share and build on ideas, and don’t engage in gossip.

Share Appropriately. Indiscriminately sharing your feelings about how awful your job, boss or company is will sabotage your career. Instead, speak up privately and directly to the person or people who can make a difference. Then, take focused action. For example, complaining about a system issue that has always been that way will not change anything. Instead, talk with your boss, propose solutions and offer to lead the project to make the changes. Then, do it. This will actually boost your career success.

Do Your Homework. Frequently, people take the tiniest fragments of information (often found on the Internet or as company gossip) and talk about it as if they know it’s the truth. Our conclusions are rarely true. It’s like reading the back cover of a book and falsely believing you understand the plots and twists in the story. Get the facts! Then, share them. Be open to learning from others’ experiences beyond what you read on the Internet or hear during coffee breaks.

Speak up! Learn how to own and share your point of view appropriately … it’s good for your career growth and success.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Need a speaker or facilitator to successfully address company issues? What conflicts have you been ignoring that need to be resolved for a successful 2018? 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. Are you ready to challenge your status quo? Are you willing to make simple and effective changes? Check out her website , or contact Jeannette for a free confidential conversation.

Stop Entertaining Excuses and Get into Focused Action

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imagesRPBZWUCVIt’s only the second week of the new year, and many people are already starting to entertain excuses and negative beliefs about achieving their 2018 goals.

Why?

They may have failed to:

  • Complete what happened during 2017
  • Create true goals (that are specific and measurable)
  • Take focused action steps
  • Put aside their feelings of entitlement
  • Get out of their own way

It’s time to exorcise these excuses and set aside the doubt and beliefs that have prevented you from taking focused action steps. Remember, December 31, 2018 will be here in 356 days, and you will want to say, “I did it!”

Excuses Be Gone!

Have You Completed 2017? Completion of 2017 is critical to support achieving your 2018 goals. Write down specifically what worked and what didn’t work last year. While some may fear looking backwards, I promise you, there are wonderful lessons to be learned if you are willing to take the time now. (Remember, you are only getting complete with the past, not pitching a tent there!) Next, acknowledge yourself for every accomplishment in 2017. This creates a strong foundation for overcoming the inevitable excuses and staying in action during 2018.

Are Your Goals Specific and Measurable? Expecting to make a million dollars in three months without a viable system in place is unrealistic and wishful thinking. Create true goals before putting together a focused action plan – goals you will recommit to daily, regardless of how you are feeling. Remember, achieving your goals will take concentrated actions throughout the entire year.

Focused Action Is Required. Creating a million-dollar result may require new clients and/or successfully providing additional services. Creating effective lead generation programs, attending specifically focused networking meetings and conducting laser-like presentations require you to step outside your comfort zone. Hire a coach, and stop believing you have it all handled! (Note: This type of thinking will get in your way!)

Feeling Entitled Stops You from Taking Focused Action. Entitlement is not just a stereotype for millennials – it applies to everyone with a similar outlook. It usually occurs when people expect to succeed quickly, fail to achieve intended results or don’t believe they need to improve their skills! (These attitudes usually signify the person is in the wrong job or career. If you find yourself thinking this way often, now is a great time to review your career choices.) Successful people without an entitlement mentality always take the time to learn the basics about their company’s products and services. Plus, they develop their competencies through diligent practice and mastery.

We All Have Fears. Fear of failure or fear of success won’t move you forward. These pesky fears seem all too real, but they are only your outdated beliefs about yourself getting in the way. To quickly overcome them, create or update your Brag! statements. Now, share them. With this new level of clarity and confidence, you can develop your competencies and attract new opportunities for success.

Now is the time to let go of excuses and get into focused action!

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Are you ready to create a robust 2018? Jeannette will guide you through a powerful exercise designed to complete 2017 and prepare you to design a robust 2018! One new client created an amazing business of her dreams by completing 2017, allowing her to uncover the negative beliefs that got in her way … now she’s ready for a successful 2018. To learn more, contact Jeannette Seibly @ http://SeibCo.com/contact. 

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

It’s That Time of Year to Set Your Goals!

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goals.3Yes, it’s that time of year for you and your company to set new goals. However, if you are like a lot of people, you may be avoiding it. Some people are even afraid to set goals. Why? The possibility of failure. In today’s culture, we read a lot about successful people who created BIG goals and achieved them. What they often don’t share are the many failures they experienced before the big win!

The truth is, when designed correctly, goals can help you grow professionally, financially and personally. They provide opportunities to learn new skills, become resourceful and resilient when faced with limitations, and build on “soft skills” you didn’t even know you had or needed.

Stop! There Is One Step to Complete First!

Don’t start the new year operating on what happened during 2017 – whether it was good, bad or so-so. (Use an experienced facilitator to create a powerful foundation to build 2018.)

  • –Write down objective data regarding what worked and what didn’t in 2017. (See It’s Time to Brag! Business Edition, Chapter 14.)
  • –Review the data with your coach and/or your team. As you are sharing, quantify and add often-overlooked items (e.g., what you learned, new and unexpected opportunities, improved relationships, etc.)
  • –Acknowledgment is important. Have your coach acknowledge you. Then, individually recognize each team member, no matter how small their contributions may seem. This will strengthen each and every person’s desire to move forward together or to be stronger if someone is leaving.
  • –After you’ve completed the above steps, create your goals for 2018!

5 Ways to Create and Pursue Powerful Goals

1.Envision Specific Goals before Turning Them into Written Ones. Envision what is desired or required by company mandate before brainstorming. Create and fine-tune the goals without worrying about how you and the team will achieve them. Many people will rise to a new level of skills when they’re required to do so. Then, as a group, align on written goals and focused actions that will achieve the intended results. Remember, true goals include a deadline, are simple and realistic, and achieve numerically declared results. For example, by 12-31-2018, the launch of a new CRM program will result in 1,000 new clients and 100% customer satisfaction scores.

2.Schedule Focused Action Steps to Make a Positive Difference. Design realistic daily, weekly and monthly action plans that will keep you focused on intended results. Remember, in your excitement, you and your team will initially want to achieve everything very quickly. However, real, sustainable goals take much longer. For example, achieving a million-dollar sales goal in the first three months of 2018 may not be possible for a small company. However, specifically creating a 12-month plan to effectively hire, coach, train and manage your sales team during 2018 will get you there!

3.Tracking Progress Is Critical. Create a simple tracking system to remind the team that they are making positive strides forward. Share numeric results on a consistent and frequent basis. Remember to schedule celebrating the milestones along the way. For example, set up an intranet system that shows the sales results and customer satisfaction scores on a daily basis. This will reinforce the goals and remind everyone to stay focused on the right things.

4.Watch for Things That Don’t Look Right. Here’s what is normal: people miss deadlines, social media venues change algorithms, mistakes and failures occur at key moments, and progress doesn’t happen fast enough for most people (including your boss). Unfortunately, these normal unplanned circumstances often create the no-win blame game! To counter this, on a consistent basis, objectively review what worked and learn from what didn’t work. (See It’s Time to Brag! Business Edition, Chapter 14.) This will strengthen and recommit your team, uncover cover-ups and incorporate overlooked items required to get back on track. (Note: Whatever you do, do NOT change the goal!)

5.Hire a Coach. While you may strongly believe in yourself and your team, this view will only take you so far. The right coach can quickly help you and your team uncover blind spots and get back to reality while holding each and every one accountable for taking focused action steps and achieving intended goals.

Are you ready? Now is the time to complete this year’s goals and create 2018 goals.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2017-2018

Are you ready to create a powerful 2018? Jeannette will guide you through a powerful exercise designed to complete 2017 and prepare you to design a powerful 2018! One new client created an amazing business of her dreams by completing 2017, allowing her to uncover the negative beliefs that got in her way…she’s now ready for a successful 2018. To learn more, contact Jeannette Seibly @ http://SeibCo.com/contact. 

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