55+ Legacy | SeibCo, LLC

Strategies that Decrease Stress for Type A Results Producers

March 26, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

“Leading a team that shares work and results can reduce stress, especially for Type A results producers.” Jeannette Seibly

Type A leaders rarely name their emotions, allow themselves to be vulnerable, and believe showing authenticity is risky. When your mindset overrides your stress and frustration, burnout follows. Yes, you get things done, often at a high level, but the cost can land on your team, peers, customers, and the company … while costing you your health and well-being.

Achieve Better Results Without Creating Unnecessary Stress

One small action at a time. Stop pushing, controlling, or manipulating outcomes. Smaller steps may feel slower, but they create healthier, more grounded results for you, your team, and the organization. “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” (Navy Seals)

Have tough conversations. Avoidance is a limited mindset. Write out the issue, review it with your executive coach, refine it, practice, and then have the conversation. Leadership requires two-way dialogue for positive results.

Use silence strategically. Not every moment needs noise, talking, or busy-ness. Silence creates space for clarity and better decision-making while reducing your frustrations.

Lead with calm presence. Frenetic energy, especially from a leader, destabilizes people and outcomes. Schedule moments throughout the day to breathe. In the evening, carve out time for yourself and do something you love (watch a movie, read, connect with others).

Rest and nourish your body. A healthy leader creates a healthy culture at work and at home. When you achieve your results — and you will — you’ll be able to enjoy them.

Practice mindfulness. When faced with a difficult challenge, breathe: one technique is to inhale for 10 counts, exhale for 10 counts, and repeat three times. This is a great reset before reacting.

Pause before speaking. This signals respect, helps others feel heard, and keeps you from cutting people off or missing their point of view. Build from others’ ideas and perspectives for stronger results. Listening intentionally reduces your stress, and others too, since they feel heard and valued.

Truly listen. Talking over people, controlling the conversation, or being dismissive erodes trust. Listen fully, build solutions, implement, and check progress frequently to ensure the best outcome.

Self-promotion with balance. Being clear about your accomplishments builds your voice and presence in any room, even when you remain silent. Humble-bragging and over-bragging diminishes credibility.

Acknowledge your people. Praise individuals and the team as you go. “Please” and “thank you” still matter and strengthens relationships.

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 in empowering themselves to lead with clarity and impact.

IMPORTANT NOTE for Type A Leaders: Contact me to get started with the PXT Select® assessment. This state‑of‑the‑art tool delivers clear insight into how you’re perceived in the workplace, and its leadership report pinpoints your strengths, flags potential challenges, and provides targeted coaching strategies you can put into action immediately to elevate your effectiveness.

Feeling the stress and plowing through it anyway, only makes it worse. Slow down, breathe, listen, and include others working on projects or solutions. Reach out to delve deeper into solutions that will work for you and your team.

Boredom Is the Excuse We Use to Avoid What Matters

March 19, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

“When boredom sets in, it’s time to take action to build our careers and pursue our life passions.” Jeannette Seibly

Boredom may feel familiar, but it’s not the root cause of dissatisfaction. It’s the early warning sign that something in your work, career growth, or life direction needs attention. When you ignore it, you repeat the same patterns. When you pay attention, it points to the real issues: poor job fit, stagnation, avoidance of goals, or a lack of meaningful focus. Your legacy is shaped by what you do next: avoid the signal or act on it.

When Boredom Shows Up, It’s Pointing to Something Deeper

Are You in the Right Job? According to multiple studies, over 80 percent of employees are in jobs that don’t fit them. When job fit is off, boredom becomes a symptom, not the cause. Ask yourself whether your boredom is tied to tasks and challenges you don’t care about, or the overall job responsibilities. Work with a career coach or executive coach to get focused on what’s next. Then, take the steps required to move forward.

Do You Take Time to Learn? More than half of the workforce experiences job boredom daily, and one of the biggest contributors is stagnation. Learning, whether through online courses, on-site workshops, self-training, or talking with others about their roles, keeps your brain engaged and your career and life moving forward. Helping others achieve their goals can also reignite your own motivation.

Do You Volunteer? Volunteering is a powerful way to give back to your community or represent your company. It’s also a proven way to develop leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills. When you stretch yourself in new environments, you bring that energy back to your job, often feeling reenergized, more confident, and more capable than before.

Do You Pursue Long-Term Goals? Avoiding your personal goals creates frustration and, yes, boredom. You have the time, use it. Whether it’s writing a book, finishing a certification, or completing a creative project, progress in your personal life often boosts satisfaction at work.

Do You Have Something to Look Forward To? Hiring the right coach to pursue your passions (weight loss, exercise, learning a second language, music, woodworking, or anything else) creates momentum. When you have meaningful activities outside of work, you’re more focused and productive during the day so you can enjoy what matters most to you after hours.

Nearly 50 percent of Americans say they’re bored at work and employees report being bored at work for more than 10 hours per week. Remember, boredom is real, but it’s rarely the root issue of your dissatisfaction. It’s a signal. The question is whether you’ll use boredom as an excuse or as a catalyst to pursue your career and life goals.

Boredom is a signal, not a sentence. This week, choose one area in your life or career to deep-dive, volunteer, or pursue a long‑ignored goal. Take a single step forward. Momentum comes from action, not excuses. Reach out when you’re ready to get clear about what’s next.

Executive Sponsorship Is Key to Your Advancement

March 12, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

“You earn executive sponsorship when you are prepared, take initiative, and show you can be trusted.” Jeannette Seibly

Executive sponsorship is different from mentorship. Executive sponsors advocate for you behind closed doors, put their name on your readiness, and take a risk by elevating you when speaking with others.

Leaders only sponsor people who consistently demonstrate good judgment, maturity, and the ability to represent the company well.

Too many employees are not ready for executive sponsorship. Nearly half of executives (49%) say employees lack the skills required for the company’s strategy, and 46% of employees say they receive little to no career development support from their bosses. This combination creates a significant readiness gap and it’s one of the biggest reasons people stall in their careers before they ever reach leadership roles. (LinkedIn Learning)

This is why they lack executive sponsors to move upward.

But all is not lost. It takes:

Demonstrating consistent results, strong communication, emotional maturity, and the willingness to be coached.
Building trust across teams, showing sound judgment under pressure, and proving that you can represent the company well.
Doing the work, reaching out for support, and showing, through your actions, that you are ready for more.
Critical: Being someone who an executive can trust and is willing to advocate for behind closed doors.

Keys to Being Worthy of Executive Sponsorship

Integrity. This is foundational. If you don’t do what you say you will do, people stop seeing you as someone they can trust or sponsor. Integrity also includes discretion, emotional steadiness, and the ability to be trusted with sensitive information. Work with an executive coach to fine-tune your ability and readiness.

Listen. Communication skills are critical. Most critical is your ability to listen, follow advice where appropriate, and build solutions with your teams. If you are looking for a sponsor, you must demonstrate your ability to listen across departments, build relationships, and influence without authority.

Speaking. While most people hate public speaking, worse than the thought of death, it is a cornerstone for your readiness. Take courses. Get in front of the room. And, most of all, be coachable. While you may think you “nailed a presentation,” the attendees may have a very different view … and their view will count more than your own. Speaking also signals whether you can represent the company externally, a major factor in being sponsored.

Facilitation. Brainstorming, conducting effective meetings, and ensuring everyone is heard and valued are keys to being considered a good team leader. Preparation and bringing forth your A Game is critical. Facilitation also demonstrates emotional intelligence and your ability to stay composed, navigate conflict, and elevate others.

Entrepreneurial Leadership. Being focused on revenues, results, and retention (employees, vendors, and customers) is important. Without these interests, you lack the drive to build and expand the business, develop your people, and increase the company’s revenues. Strategic thinking and understanding how the business is profitable, anticipating risks, and aligning decisions with company priorities is a major readiness marker that executives watch closely to determine who they want to sponsor.

Coachability and Accountability. Work with an executive coach, industry mentor, and company mentor to develop yourself and gain insider knowledge with the ability to use it effectively. Show up on time, do the work, and be accountable for the results you achieve and mistakes you’ve made. These are essential learning moments. Accountability, humility, and the ability to course-correct quickly are often what tip an executive toward sponsoring you.

Self-Development. Develop clarity about yourself by completing a qualified assessment that shows you who you really are instead of how you want to be seen. If you’re trying to be someone else, people lose confidence and trust in you. Also, complete Get Your Brag On! to learn how to sell yourself in a business savvy manner.

Executive sponsorship won’t come from waiting. It comes from preparation, initiative, speaking up, and showing up ready! Invest in your development. Ask for support. Build the relationships that elevate your work. You don’t have to push through the leadership gap alone. Connect with me and let’s build the clarity, confidence, and presence that will move you forward.

Are You Growing Your Career Value Through Skill Stacking?

March 5, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

“Skill stacking improves the value and impact you build today; they become your legacy footprint for tomorrow.” Jeannette Seibly

Are you bored with your job? Lack clarity about how to improve your paycheck? Want a promotion that just isn’t happening? Skill stacking gives you a practical way to grow your value without waiting for someone else to hand you the next step.

What is skill stacking?

Skill stacking is when you build a set of skills that fit well together. These skills help you become more valuable and able to handle different tasks at work. Instead of trying to be the very best at one thing, you strategically and intentionally develop and grow a mix of skills that work together and open the door to new opportunities.

Why is this important?

Every legacy is built one skill, one insight, and one decision at a time. Most people don’t realize that the careers they admire, and the confidence they wish they had, are often the result of something simple and accessible: stacking skills over time.

When Daniel became a team leader, he wasn’t the most experienced person in the room. But he started stacking small skills that made a big difference. He learned how to run an effective meeting. Then he practiced giving feedback that people could actually use. Later, he took a short course on reading financial reports so he could understand how his team’s work affected the company.

None of these skills made him a superstar overnight. But together, they changed how people saw him. His team trusted him more. His decisions improved. Other departments began asking for his input because he understood the bigger picture.

Over time, Daniel’s stacked skills shaped his leadership style, and his legacy. He didn’t become a great leader because of one big moment. He became one by building skills that worked together and made a lasting impact.

Remember, skill stacking is about strategically and intentionally growing your value so your work, your impact, and your future reflect the legacy you want to leave.

4 Ways to Start Stacking Skills That Make You a More Valuable Leader

Learn the basics. Knowing how to place numbers in the right boxes doesn’t mean you know if they’re accurate or how they were created. Learn! Understanding the fundamentals gives you the confidence to ask better questions, catch mistakes, and see patterns others miss.

Expand your current skills beyond what you currently do. You may be able to do your job well, but do you understand what happens next, beyond the catchphrases you were taught to say? Understanding the upstream and downstream impact of your work helps you anticipate needs, solve problems earlier, and communicate more effectively with other departments.

Develop the depth and breadth of job responsibilities. Often, this requires meeting with industry experts and company mentors. The more you learn about your industry and profession, and learn how to use that knowledge well, the more valuable you become. Depth gives you credibility. Breadth gives you adaptability. Together, they shape a professional identity that stands out.

Engage in curiosity and ask open-ended questions. Take time to learn more from customers, coworkers, and others about your job or profession … and theirs too. This information can create new insights into how to do your job so that your company and its clients benefit. Along the way, you become a stronger employee and leader. Curiosity naturally expands your understanding, relationships, and influence.

Skill stacking is one of the simplest ways to grow your value without waiting for permission or a promotion. Each new layer of understanding, mastering the basics, expanding your role, deepening industry knowledge, and asking better questions, builds a stronger, more adaptable you.

As these steps compound, your professional identity stands out, your opportunities expand, and your confidence grows. Skill stacking isn’t about becoming everything to everyone; it’s about strategically and intentionally building strengths that make you unmistakably valuable to employers and clients.

Legacies aren’t built at the finish line; they’re built in the skills you sharpen every day. Stack them with purpose. Strengthen one, stretch another, and stay curious. Ready to grow your impact? Contact me.

What Are You Waiting For? Your Legacy Needs You

February 26, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

“We have way too many excuses for not doing what we desire to do. But those excuses will turn into long-term regrets if not acted on now.” Jeannette Seibly

Many of us who are 55+ are still waiting; and plenty of younger people are waiting too. Waiting for inspiration, motivation, money, freedom, permission, or time. The problem? These excuses will continue hanging around until you get into focused action. And with people living longer, healthier, and more active lives than ever before, waiting only delays the impact you could be making right now.

Activate Your Inner “Can Do” Leader

Clarity. Yes, we all love to wait until we’re “clear” about what we want to do. News flash: you already know. Most people 55+ have ideas that have been tapping them on the shoulder for years; and those of you who are younger also know what you want to do. But, to make something happen, you must develop a better relationship with uncertainty and take small steps forward. Clarity grows through action, not contemplation.

Action Creates Motivation. Waiting and waiting and waiting some more won’t change anything … except maybe your excuses. The key: you already know the general direction you want to go. Writing a book. Creating a time‑saving invention. Designing a new app. Redesigning your home or backyard. Getting promoted. Launching a consulting practice. The list goes on and on. Take action. Neuroscience shows that even tiny steps forward create momentum and confidence.

Create a 10‑Word Goal. Anything longer becomes word soup. It’s meaningless and camouflages what you really want to accomplish. These ten words focus clarity and commitment.

Do Your Homework. If you want an investor, a new job, or a promotion, you must learn how to brag about what you’ve already accomplished. Get Your Brag On! will guide you in how to pitch your achievements with confidence and credibility, a skill many 55+ (and younger) professionals underestimate but desperately need.

Build a Team. Yes, you will need a team. They may help once, or they may help you full time. Have conversations and build the support you need. And stop using these excuses as reasons why you cannot start.

Solutions to your excuses. If your excuse is that you need to:

Crunch financial numbers, instead hire a bookkeeper.
Create a website, instead hire a technology expert.
Edit your book, instead hire an editor and coach to guide you.

Hire a teacher for anything you don’t know or don’t understand. DIY is not a badge of honor when the project fails because you were unwilling or unable to ask for help.

Move Past the “I’m Bored” Stage. Every project has a lull. This is the point where many people stop and never return. This is where dreams quietly die, but not entirely. They keep hanging around, tapping you on the shoulder and whispering in your ear until they get tired of waiting. Hire a coach. Do the work. Every step taken moves you closer to achieving your goal.

Celebrate Every Step with a “Yes! I Did it!” Every task, celebrate with a “Yea!” You get the idea: stop being so hard on yourself and celebrate along the way. Celebration reinforces progress and keeps your brain engaged. Read Get Your Brag On! for ideas to keep you in motion moving forward.

Waiting for the “right moment” only creates more waiting. Your ideas don’t disappear. They simply linger, nudge, and whisper until you finally take that first step. Focused action, especially small steps, is what brings your legacy to life.

If you’re ready to stop postponing your dreams and start moving forward with clarity and confidence, contact me. I’ll help you get into focused action now and build the legacy you’ve been wishing for and talking about for far too long.

What Do You Focus on as a Leader?

February 19, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

“Focusing on problems limits solutions. Focusing on new possibilities and ideas multiplies solutions.” Jeannette Seibly

We’ve all heard the saying, “What you focus on expands.” We nod, but are not clear about what that really means.

Most leaders and bosses focus on:

The problem at hand and various ways to fix it in that moment
Something someone said and allow it to be replayed over and over, usually perceived as negative
An upset with a neighbor or family member who is not behaving according to their standards and allow it to take up mental and emotional space

Yet, the problems persist because we continue to focus on them.

You mistakenly believe by continually replaying the problem in your mind, that you’ll find the answer and will uncover something new. But in truth, your awareness is only focused on right v. wrong, and not on solving the issue.

Why do you keep replaying problems?

The issue seems insurmountable and hopeless
You tried once and failed
The other person isn’t listening and is wrong in their point of view
Your boss or team got upset when the issue was mentioned
You consider yourself a firefighter, not a solution provider

These patterns keep you stuck in the problem instead of moving toward solutions.

How to Create Solutions

Recognizing the above listed patterns is the first step, and intentionally shifting your focus toward solutions is the next, with each step building on the others to move you from problem‑fixation to solution‑focused leadership.

Engage in Curiosity. Too often, you fail to look at an issue from someone else’s point of view. You don’t ask open‑ended questions and assume you know the answers.

A team member who continually arrives late causes everyone to start the meeting over. This can be very annoying. But when talking with him, you find out it’s a child‑care issue. If you scheduled the meeting a half hour later, he’d be there when it started. This is what focusing on solutions looks like … asking questions to shift from assumptions to understanding.

Address the Core Issue. Once curiosity opens the door, the next step is addressing what’s really going on. It seems easier to place a band‑aid on everything. You and others claim, “We fixed it.” You may have for the moment, but in the very near future, it’ll only get worse since the core issue wasn’t addressed. This costs the company time, money, and retention of employees and customers.

Customer service had to do double entry when a customer called in. The tech people shrugged their shoulders and said, “It is the way it is.” When talking with a testing company, they said, “Look for this core coding issue.” They did, and were able to solve the problem. Productivity and customer and employee satisfaction rose.

Participate in Brainstorming. Once the core issue is identified, brainstorming opens up new possibilities.

As a leader or boss, too often, the following get in the way of true brainstorming, and limits your ability to focus on broader possibilities:

You have a false belief you must know all the answers. This is nonsense and limits potential solutions.
You’re afraid of the time and energy required to brainstorm, or like most leaders, you lack the skills to be an effective facilitator.
When someone makes off‑the‑wall statements, you roll your eyes and shake your head. You just don’t have the patience to listen to another bad idea. After all, you think, “We should be focused on the problem.”
Your biases limit hearing what’s possible (e.g., the person offering the idea). This keeps you focused on the problem and leaves your team feeling disempowered to solve it.

Facilitation tips:

Consider creating five reasons why any idea could work.
Ask open‑ended questions to get people thinking outside the norm.
Don’t be afraid of silence. This will force people to offer ideas that they’re afraid to say.

A department was struggling with missed deadlines. During a brainstorming session, one team member suggested eliminating two long‑standing reports. The leader almost dismissed the idea as “ridiculous” since those reports had been required for years. But after asking for five reasons the idea could work, the team discovered no one actually used the reports anymore. Eliminating them freed up hours each week, reduced errors, and improved turnaround time. What looked like a “ridiculous idea” became the breakthrough solution.

Take Action Now. Brainstorming only works when followed by action. Now that you have a proposed solution, assign tasks and get into action. Thinking about or talking more about it only keeps the problem around longer. Yes, there will be fine‑tuning required and needed conversations that were previously overlooked (e.g., getting input from employees who are directly impacted).

As you move forward, be flexible while focused on the solution.

When a large company made a major change to their technology platform, they forgot to ask the users for their input fearing it would take too much time. The results were horrendous and expensive. It was the main reason it took years before another company would buy out their assets.

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.

Ready to shift your focus from problems to solutions? When you take this simple but not easy step, your solutions expand and so does your impact as a leader. It may feel unclear at first, especially when old habits keep pulling your attention back to what’s wrong. Don’t let that stall your progress. Contact me to get into focused action and start now.

You’re Too Young to Be Complacent About Your Dreams and Ideas

February 12, 2026February 12, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

“We all have ideas bouncing around in our heads. The time to unleash and release them is now, or forever regret it.” Jeannette Seibly

You’re too young, at any age, to be complacent about your dreams and ideas. Complacency is not your friend, especially when goals, desires, and unfinished projects are still waiting to be started or shared. Regrets don’t come from ideas pursued; they come from doing nothing with them. And those regrets last a lifetime.

We like to believe we have time to create and leave our legacy. But tomorrow, next year, or “someday” is not guaranteed. Five people in my life recently passed away, still young, still full of dreams. Time doesn’t wait.

So, what are you waiting for?

Many of us are waiting for:

Permission from people who are not going to give it
Signs from the universe that you’ve already missed, if they existed at all
Money or inheritance from a fictional ancestor
Motivation to get started

Now is the time to get into action by taking small steps forward.

Tips to Move Forward Now

Get it out of your head. We all have ideas and goals that have lived in our heads for a while. But dreams die if we don’t take action. Giving your idea or dreams to someone else may be the answer, but they won’t fulfill on them the same way you would, won’t have the same vision, or may not do anything at all since the idea wasn’t theirs.

Write it down, draw it, or code it. Do NOT edit or review while unloading your thoughts. Make notes about research to be done, but do NOT conduct the research yet.

Write that first terrible draft for a book or article. Don’t beat yourself up. It won’t be perfect or publishable. If you’re comparing yourself to published authors, remember: you’re looking at their finished book while you’re still on Chapter 1. They took the time to write, rewrite, and get help.
Draw the first schematic or outline the initial system for any technology or mechanical initiative.
Have conversations about the program, nonprofit, or project. Some people won’t agree or may want to take it in a different direction. Don’t overlook their input. When working with a group, it’s important to build alignment. Bigger and better ideas are often the result.

Walk away (1 hour or 1 day), then review. Conduct research. Rewrite or reconfigure. Also, check viability.

Here’s why:

When writing historical fiction, it’s easier to see the time period may not match the situation at hand.
When I sought funding for a 501(c)3, I was told it would take two years. Even though I got it done in three months without investors, it took conversations and openness to others’ input.

Beware of the “Boring Arena.” This is where many people give up and quit. It’s time to do the real work that produces results. Before you can launch an idea, the work or prototype must be completed. This is the real work.

During this time, new ideas will pop up. Put them in a file.
Shiny Object Syndrome will activate. Thank it for sharing. STAY FOCUSED.
It can be tedious writing a set number of words per day, redrafting to meet specs, finding more issues than solutions. STAY WITH IT.
Consider: Can you delegate or ask for help? Is there part of the process someone can take over? NOW, ASK.
Problems will seem insurmountable. Remember: every problem is an opportunity in disguise. But only if you look. Many times, these opportunities create “eureka moments!” TALK WITH YOUR COACH.

Example: I had many ideas and new characters show up while writing my first historical novel, The Old Wooden Rocker, The Illusion of Family: Book 1. But I stayed focused. Now Books 2 through 5 of The Illusion of Family series are being written.

Remember, not everyone, especially you, will be excited about this phase of the process. But the work must be done after the initial excitement has died.

Stay focused and honor your commitment. Results will happen!

Recently, my neighbor and I conducted a drive for items to donate to a homeless pets’ nonprofit. We didn’t belabor the idea. We agreed, got outside support, and made it happen (flyers, boxes, reminders). Then came the boring part: waiting. Some days, no one added anything to the boxes. Yet, when the drive ended, we had a lot of items to deliver.

Let others have the critical eye. When you’ve done what you can, share appropriately. Editors, bosses, or customers will have questions. Be prepared. If you don’t know the answer, say, “I don’t know yet. What are your thoughts?” Write them down. Conduct research.

Unless your project or book is only for friends and family, do NOT overlook getting outside help. Many books fail due to DIY poor editing, cover design, and formatting. They forget the book or project is for readers and recipients. Many book and projects get tabled because they don’t stand out from everything else on the market.

Other often-overlooked complacency considerations:

Use copyrights on all creative endeavors. Google “copyright” for more information. (Remember: unless otherwise agreed, any work done on company time is owned by the company.)
At one point, you will be uncomfortable. Your excuses will get louder. Ask yourself, “Am I more committed to my excuses or my commitment?” I ask myself when complacency sets in, “If I only had six months to live, would this be important?” If yes, I get busy.
You may give in to thinking this is not meant to be. Yes, publishing a book takes time and money. No, you likely won’t get a big-name publisher offering big bucks. Become resourceful. There are many ways to get a project, book, or idea funded. Talk with investors, objective people with nothing to gain, and your boss or team members.
When sharing an idea outside your employer (and sometimes inside), have an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) signed. I once told an inventor to get an NDA. He didn’t. The company he pitched to, violated their verbal promise and went to market faster than he could … they had the money, he lost out.

Your dreams, projects, and ideas are counting on you. Honor them. Start now. When complacency kicks in, take the next small step and keep going until the work is done.

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.

Complacency happens frequently for many people with great ideas. Don’t let it get in the way of you achieving your dreams, goals, and purpose. Contact me to get into focused action and start now.

Communication Has Always Been Hard

February 5, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Quote: “When we fail to take the time to learn the skills required to be effective, we make communication hard.” Jeannette Seibly

What’s hard about communication is that it requires courage, clarity, and care. It takes time, intention, and experience to teach us that communication is not just a skill, it is a responsibility. Legacy‑minded leaders understand that how they communicate today shapes the trust, stability, and direction others carry forward tomorrow.

Leaders who succeed take responsibility for both sides of communication. They ensure they are heard, and they take responsibility for how others hear them. They treat communication as a two‑way process, not a one‑way act. This is the mark of a leader who understands long‑term influence and impact.

The Communication Crisis

Today’s environment makes communication even more challenging:

AI, messaging systems, and lower reading levels have weakened clear expression.
Emotional reactivity makes people easily offended, afraid of the blow-back, or hesitant to tell the truth.
Social media distortions cause people to trust posts over people, even when the post is wrong.

After discovering an obvious online error, one employee asked, “Why would they write something that wasn’t true?” Errors happen for many reasons: multitasking, poor attention to detail, lack of verification, and failure to consider impact. Yet people still believe what fits their comfort zone.

This is why leaders must stay alert. If you weren’t there, you don’t know the facts. And yet people talk as if they do. Legacy‑minded leaders pause, verify, and respond with steadiness.

Common Communication Challenges and Solutions

The myth of “I’ve got it handled.” Effective communication is a lifelong process. If you think you’ve mastered it, you’re already behind. Everyone listens through filters and those filters shift with world changes. Remember, you don’t have it handled.

Leaders who rely on ego fail. “It’s up to them to understand me.” Leaders who continually improve their communication style succeed. Legacy leaders know mastery is never final; it is sustained through humility and practice.

Know your audience. People learn and process information differently. Your job is to keep it simple.

Use words that match the listener’s ability to understand
Avoid insider language (jargon)
Don’t speak to show your education; speak to create clarity
Use open‑ended questions to engage others

When leaders talk too much, offer no context, or make everything about themselves, people tune out.

Getting everyone on the same page takes responsibility and patience.
As one leader said during a listening exercise, “This listening stuff is too hard.” (It may be why he closed his company’s doors.)
Legacy leaders know listening is fundamental.

Use tools that help people understand. Legacy leaders use tools to illuminate, not impress. When someone struggles to understand you:

Use graphs
Use flowcharts
Use physical examples
And above all, keep it simple

Communication is more than words. Words are only a fraction of communication (research has shown only 7 percent). Over 90 percent relies on tone, gestures, impatience, and emotional expressions that can destroy your message. Legacy leaders understand that self‑awareness is a responsibility, not a luxury.

Brainstorming. Legacy leaders know great ideas often come from unexpected places so they create the conditions for those ideas to surface. Brainstorming generates ideas, solves problems, and elevates people’s sense of value. But it requires strong facilitation.

Use Round Robin input (go around more than once)
Value each person’s input, even when you disagree
Keep examples on point
Don’t dismiss off‑the‑wall ideas; they may hold insight
Use open‑ended questions to keep people talking and listening

Avoid communicating “I don’t value you.” Good leaders avoid behaviors that send the wrong message.

“I’m too busy.”
Multitasking (the brain cannot do two things at once)
Talking over someone
Having a ready answer before they finish talking
Unexamined biases, judgments, and attitudes
Dismissing or joking about others’ ideas or questions

Make the commitment to improve your communication style. It starts by hiring the right coach. Communication is often a leadership blind spot and is fixable. Legacy leaders develop and strengthen communication skills because they understand the long‑term negative impact of ignoring them.

Effective communication has always been hard and requires courage, clarity, and care. Also, it requires awareness, emotional intelligence, and the willingness to take responsibility for what you say and how you say it. Legacy leadership demands nothing less.

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.

Leaders must stay alert. You have what it takes to make a difference. It starts with your ability to communicate effectively. Contact me to learn how.

Are You Feeling Restless and Not Clear About What You Need to Do?

January 29, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

“If you’re feeling restless and have decreased job satisfaction, consider you don’t know what you really want to do.” Jeannette Seibly

There are many reasons you could be feeling restless in your career or job, and unsure what to do about it (pick one or two that resonate with you):

Poor job fit (you have the skills, but not the interest)
Plateau in career (hit a ceiling and need a new direction)
Doing the minimum work (lack of initiative)
Unable or unwilling to move forward (self-doubt)
Need more variety (boredom – your daily tasks or responsibilities haven’t evolved)
Time to expand (not clear how or what to do)
You’ve outgrown your current role or professional identity (your skills and capacity have expanded, but your job hasn’t)

Many times, when restlessness appears, there is a sense your current role isn’t matching your capacity or values. Or, another way of saying it, you may not be in the right job anymore. Yes, you have the skills, but the work doesn’t awaken your inner leader, or as others call it, your inner dharma or purpose.

Sometimes restlessness shows up when your professional identity has grown, but your current role hasn’t evolved to match it.

You may be bored because your boss fails to give you new projects, or because you fail to take initiative to ask for more or get involved in other opportunities.

You may have outgrown an old definition of yourself and your external world hasn’t caught up.

You blame your boss, company, or other external factors.

But … let’s look internally.

Here’s a quick self-check (a suggestion from AI):

“If I took a week away from work, would the restlessness disappear or still be there?”

If it disappears → it’s job fit or role design.
If it stays → it’s career direction or professional identity.
If it intensifies → you’re ready for a bigger role or new chapter.

What Can You Do?

Hire an Executive Coach. This is a smart step to ensure you’re clear about what you’ve done, what you want to do, and whether your current role is a true fit. Too many people stay in jobs that don’t fit them or try to mimic others’ careers and successes. This rarely works out well. Take the time. Get the coaching. Take the actions that actually move you forward.

An executive woman who had built her identity around being “a finance person” moved through several financial roles and clung tightly to that professional narrative. When a coach encouraged her to consider operations, which would have expanded her depth and breadth of career opportunities, she rejected the idea outright because it didn’t align with the vision she tightly held for herself. A couple of years later, she found herself once again searching for another finance position, illustrating how staying narrowly defined can limit growth rather than protect it.

This reflects how strongly people can resist paths that challenge their self‑concept, even when those paths might expand their long‑term opportunities and career fulfillment.

Complete a Qualified Job Fit Assessment. Again, job fit is key. Yes, I keep repeating this because so many people settle for a paycheck while doing work that either stresses them or bores them. Make sure you use a qualified job fit tool that focuses on interests, thinking style, and core behavioral traits. Most employers use assessments incorrectly, so it’s wise to work with an executive coach who uses the right tools.

Envision Your Career Future. Explore what exists beyond other people’s expectations, especially because many of us don’t actually know what we want. It’s easy to fall into imitation, apathy, or well‑meant advice that doesn’t match what we’re truly seeking. Unfortunately, it’s easier to stay in jobs that don’t fit simply because we like the people even while the work drains us.

Clarity becomes essential. If you’re not ready to branch into a more fulfilling role, you can still honor your interests by weaving them into your personal life. Whether that means taking a painting class, repairing bikes, or finding any outlet that reconnects you with what energizes you. This kind of personal expansion can then naturally morph into other areas of your life, including your job and career, opening doors you couldn’t see before.

Honor Yourself. It’s easy to give up and tell yourself that being stuck is for “the best.” Instead, take one small action step forward. Then, another. Keep steps small. For example, block one hour each week to explore roles, projects, or responsibilities that energize you now, not the ones you accepted years ago. Along the way, you will create clarity about what to pursue. Remember, talking about making changes over and over will NOT create a positive difference. Your actions create your motivation for what’s next.

Remember, restlessness is often the first sign that your career is ready for its next chapter.

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.

Remember, restlessness is often the first sign that your career is ready for its next chapter. It doesn’t disappear by waiting. Contact me for a confidential conversation today to explore what’s next.

Use Self-Doubt to Build Self Confidence

January 22, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

“Self-doubt can be an indicator you are moving into something new. This is not the time to doubt yourself.” Jeannette Seibly

Self-doubt shows up in everyone’s career. Often it sounds like a “little voice in your head” insisting you’re not ready, not capable, or not enough. But that voice isn’t a stop sign. It’s a signal you’re stepping into growth. When you learn to use self-doubt instead of fighting it, you turn hesitation into confidence and momentum.

Have you ever heard the “little voice in your head” say:

“NO!”
“You’ll fail.”
“You can’t.”
“You’re not smart enough.”
“You’re too old.”
“You don’t have what it takes to succeed.”

You’re not alone. Everyone experiences self-doubt. It shows up when fear or uncertainty creeps in. It’s normal for anyone moving forward in their career or life. But don’t let it derail your goals, career choices, legacy, or leadership. Use it to build confidence by stepping into those moments of discomfort, uncertainty, and mental chatter.

Confidence is an inside job. It’s trusting yourself and recognizing that self-doubt often signals progress.

7 Ways to Use Self-Doubt to Build Confidence

Self-Talk with Your Brags. Internal chatter can derail you, especially when trying something new. Complete the Brag! exercises in Get Your Brag On! Focus on what you’ve already achieved because you’ve achieved a lot and doing so turns self-doubt into confidence.
Replace Fear. Repeat “I am enough!” at least 50 times in the mirror. (I know this sounds like too much but it works.) Many people experience Imposter Syndrome, especially women, because they don’t feel like they are enough or have enough … regardless of credentials or awards. When self-doubt appears, talk it out with your executive coach. Identify the real source of the fear (e.g., seeking approval, working with a difficult team member, making the right hiring decisions).
Learn Something New. Everyone started their career not knowing something. Return to the basics and learn from the ground up. It builds confidence and influence because you understand how things work and where to adjust. When you set aside your ego, you learn faster and are more effective in achieving results.
Perfection Isn’t Perfect. Perfectionism creates stress, conflict, and missed milestones. Even when we do a good job, there will be mistakes made along the way. Relax, trust the process, and ask for help when needed. More importantly, learn from your mistakes.
Make the Best Decision You Can. Identify three must‑haves for your project, new vehicle, or next job. Then get three quotes or proposals. When selecting a book editor, I reviewed three viable candidates and chose the one that met my criteria. The cheapest or most expensive isn’t always the best.
Accept All Feedback Graciously. When receiving negative feedback, don’t let self-doubt take over. Get specifics. Be open to hearing what’s being said. It’s how you improve. Ask, “What is your most specific concern, and why is it important to you?” Listen, learn, and incorporate what’s appropriate. If you refuse to learn from feedback, self-doubt wins.
Trust and Believe in Yourself. Everyone fails at times. If you’re unwilling to work past your self-doubt and take focused action, you rarely achieve intended results. Work with your executive coach to explore options. For example, if you dislike selling, becoming a financial planner won’t be a successful career choice today.

Use your self-doubt as a guide, not a barrier. Lean into the discomfort, apply these seven practices, and take the next step forward … no matter how small. Confidence grows through action, reflection, and consistency. Start today.

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 use their self-doubt to learn about themselves and how to be unstoppable. Contact me to learn how.