Articles

4 Important Reasons to Stop Hiring with Your Gut

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hiring costsAs busy bosses, we often rely on our gut to determine who to hire and why. We falsely believe our intuitive abilities make us foolproof. Yet we are often wrong and our results suffer, clients stray, miscommunication becomes the norm and team conflicts erupt. And, even more sadly, our key employees often leave!

All of this is preventable.

The truth is, objective data will improve hiring decisions!

Facts will always matter!

Why Do You Often Ignore Facts?

  • You’re busy putting out fires and rely solely on resumes to select who to interview. (By the way, 70 percent contain inaccuracies, and we spend less than 6 seconds reviewing each resume.)
  • Statistically, 86 percent of the time you’re unable to discern the lies offered by job candidates.
  • You believe candidates when they say they want to work for you.
  • You believe it’s too expensive to incorporate objective data into your decision-making process.
  • You rely mostly on feelings (your gut) about how the candidate looks, talks and interacts. (Remember, the right person will be trainable.)

4 Often-Overlooked Reasons Why Facts Will Always Matter

Your lack of objectivity will cause stress for everyone. In today’s job market, every employee has other alternatives … they can leave.

1.Job Seekers. They are savvier today than ever before, and unemployment is at an all-time low. It’s harder than ever to attract qualified candidates. It costs a lot of time, money and energy to interview people who are not well-suited for the position, or who do not have a real interest in the job or company. Remember, the right job candidate is out there, waiting to be found. Also, job candidates will decline job offers when they don’t trust interviewers to hire the right way. (They think, Where else is this potential boss cutting corners?)

A job candidate is impressed by:

2.Employees. They are tired of training new people who leave through a revolving door, and of attempting to clean up messes that could have been prevented. So, instead, they update their resumes and reach out to others in their networks. They leave you still hiring the way you’ve always done … by how you feel. They leave you sitting at your desk, frustrated at losing another good person, wishing there had been more money in the budget to keep them. Hint: The No. 1 reason employees leave today is because of their boss, not their paycheck!

3.Customers. They are also tired of training new hires or employees who transferred into positions they don’t fit. I remember calling a company, needing to have a question answered. After I repeated my request a couple of times, I asked the receptionist what else she was doing. I could hear tapping in the background. Her reply: “I’m multi-tasking and typing up a report for my boss.” Needless to say, I did not feel like a valued customer and didn’t get my question answered. I became another lost customer.

4.Vendors. They can be great allies in helping build your company. However, their job and paycheck are dependent on helping as many customers as they can, not training yet another new person who doesn’t have the interest or willingness to do the job. The wrong employee can also hurt long-time vendor relationships by making uninformed decisions about the products and services and by changing agreements, causing chaos throughout the company and hurting customer relationships.

Obtaining objective data is easy. It can also save your own career! Remember, everyone affiliated with your company is depending on you to objectively hire employees based on facts, not on your gut.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Jeannette Seibly is celebrating 25 years as a business coach, advisor and consultant. Are you ignoring facts? Are you aware of how much this is costing your company? Are you willing to make simple and effective changes in your hiring process? First, you have to step up! Check out her website , or contact Jeannette for a free confidential conversation.

How to Turn Around Management Team Conflicts

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Millennials Lead.2We all want to believe that key employees, leaders and executives get along with one another. However, when issues arise, so do people’s egos. Information silos, inappropriate comments and an inability to resolve differences often get in the way of supporting the company’s success. These conflicts can hurt the profitability, performance and productivity of any company.

While differing opinions and managed discussions can create better decisions, they require using high-level emotional intelligence, listening to understand and employing good business practices. And, when you put the collective success of the company’s management team first, great results can be achieved.

The Only Thing That Matters Is Being Responsible for the Team’s Success

There is no magic formula, and there are no quick answers. Get real and be responsible for your team’s success.

Hire a business advisor. Using the same thinking that created the problem will not provide the solution. I’ve seen companies rely on books, a team member’s strong personality and other non-contributing factors, and still they fail to resolve the true underlying issues. Hoping and waiting for everything to work out is a default strategy that rarely makes a positive difference. Instead, hire a business advisor who can uncover the real issues (not the surface issues) and guide team members to get everyone on the same page by making the required, and sometimes difficult, changes.

Use Qualified Assessments. When attempting to make positive changes, you cannot transform a team without first addressing the truth in a respectful manner. Objective data about the team’s personality can provide insight into how to move everyone forward together.  For example: If you have a team that primarily relies on their feelings to make decisions, interjecting factual information will help everyone move forward.

Listen to Understand.  I remember years ago a business owner stating, “This listening takes too much work.” He’s right. It can when you haven’t developed the necessary communication skills. Always remember when you are feeling impatient that if you take the time to address concerns now, you’ll save a lot of time, money and energy later.

Manage Conflict. Differing opinions, thoughts and feelings can make for better decisions. To make it easier for others to hear you, state your opinions, thoughts and feelings as your own:  “I believe …” “In my opinion …” When listening to others, repeat what you heard them say first and clarify before offering your opinion. You will be amazed at the results. When you see that you agree on some points and agree to disagree on others, you can build better win-win decisions.

Talk Straight When Apologizing. Instead of further upsetting the situation with excuses about why you said what you said, simply say, “I’m sorry.” Then, be quiet! While it’s important that leaders develop a thicker skin, it’s also important to be responsible for what you say and do.

Encourage Team Members to Work It Out Now. Another benefit to using a qualified assessment is that the results can be a starting point for difficult conversations. First, have team members review each other’s results, one-on-one. Second, talk about where you are similar and where there are differences. (Remember: Results are not good or bad, right or wrong). When two strong-willed executives started making negative comments about one another, their coach told them to sit down and work it out now. They used the assessment as their starting point. They learned why they were frustrated with each other’s different work and communication styles. They now have an amicable work relationship that they value.

Stop It Now! If you sense a problem brewing, don’t wait. It’s easier to understand the crux of the problem at its infancy then if you wait until it has become a full-blown problem and everyone has taken an inflexible position.

When the Problem Is You. Each person on a management team is responsible for its success. If you and others are not good facilitators, get the team trained now! Learn how to listen to one another’s points of view, value each person’s input, build on others’ ideas and acknowledge each and every person’s contributions. This will build a strong, successful team and company.

If you truly want to master turning around management team conflicts, use these tools for taking responsibility. When every team member takes responsibility, you will be able to build a successful company.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

Need a speaker or facilitator to successfully address company issues? As a leader, it’s very important for you to know how to facilitate a group, even if you are not the one leading it. 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, meetings can be effective, fun and rewarding! And, they require everyone to become a meeting facilitator. Are you ready? Step up now! Check out her website, or contact Jeannette for a preliminary confidential conversation.

Listening to Understand Will Make You a Powerful Leader

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

6 Ways to Listen to Understand

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

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

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

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

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

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

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

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

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

 

Secrets for Positive Change: Speak Up and Be Heard

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Listen.2Many leaders and employees today have become overly sensitized to how they talk and respond to others. Due to the fear of saying the wrong things or responding the wrong way, they feel like they are walking on eggshells. This hurts everyone’s ability to speak up and be heard.

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

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

8 Secrets to Become a Responsible Communicator

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

©Jeannette Seibly, 2018

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

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

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.