Assessments

When Employees Refuse to Be Satisfied or Communicate

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“Some people will never be satisfied with their job or the company they work for. It’s your job as a leader to resolve it or let them go.” Jeannette Seibly

Some employees, paid or volunteer, refuse to be satisfied. They’re never happy, something is always wrong, and they blame others for their frustrations. The key resolve? Acknowledge you cannot fix what they refuse to own or communicate about. And, if necessary, employment law will determine how and when to let them go.

The Real Issue Often Isn’t Obvious

Many employees, contractors, or volunteers avoid conversations because they lack the skills, confidence, or willingness to talk things out. Leaders avoid tough conversations for the same reasons. When both sides avoid the conversations that need to happen, resentment grows, stories get created, reasons multiply, and the situation spirals into a no‑win cycle for everyone involved.

Leadership isn’t about fixing people. It’s about creating the conditions for clarity, accountability, and growth. But beware, your ego may be doing the talking and thinking. Self‑reflection is required.

When employees are not satisfied, it can show up as:

  • Hiding behind emails and texts instead of talking
  • Reacting without facts
  • Responding emotionally to questions
  • Being triggered by small things
  • Being a victim
  • Needing to be right
  • Thinking everyone is against them

When leaders encounter these behaviors, it’s crucial to act, determine the real issue, and whether or not you can resolve it.

Good Intentions Aren’t Enough

Some employees (W2 or 1099) or volunteers genuinely want to do well, but they’re never satisfied. They’re unhappy, allow their skepticism free rein, blame others, and drain the team. Here’s what must be in place before you decide whether to keep them or let them go.

1. Job Fit. According to multiple studies, over 80 percent of people today are in jobs that don’t fit them. When job fit is off, communication breaks down, performance drops, and dissatisfaction skyrockets. Use a qualified job‑fit assessment to determine whether the person is correctly placed in the right role, and identify any coaching you may have overlooked and any adjustments to their job responsibilities.

In the future, when you hire, promote, or transfer someone, use a strategic job‑fit hiring process. When followed, it will reduce dissatisfaction and poor job fit. (Grab your copy of Hire Amazing Employees. Note: An employment attorney bought copies of Hire Amazing Employees for clients struggling with hiring. All but one improved. The one who didn’t? Never read the book.)

For a volunteer, the same principles apply: Ensure they’re in a role that matches their interests, strengths, and available time. Volunteers often say yes out of goodwill, not fit. When the role doesn’t align with who they are, they become frustrated, disengaged, or overly critical, just like an employee in the wrong job.

Have a simple conversation and deep dive into the real reason they volunteered. This conversation will usually clarify whether they’re in the right place, need to be reassigned to a role that better suits them, or it’s time for them to move on.

2. Training. Once you have the right person in place, onboarding and training must begin immediately, preferably before their first day. The right‑fit person appreciates training.

The wrong‑fit person:

  • Takes coaching personally
  • Fears feedback
  • Loathes training
  • Interprets direction as criticism

This should be a sign, not a surprise, when job fit is missing.

3. Communication Skills. Many people today lack strong communication skills. They rely on electronics, emojis, and avoidance. During their primary education years, they never developed the depth and breadth needed to express ideas, resolve upsets, or talk things out. This leads to misunderstandings, assumptions, and unnecessary drama. Provide ongoing training and lead by example.

4. Tough Conversations. Avoiding tough conversations only deepens resentment. Leaders must be willing to talk things out, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Role-play with your executive coach. Prepare. Get grounded. One well‑prepared conversation can shift everything or reveal that nothing will change.

It’s up to you as the leader to initiate and take responsibility for listening and communicating in a manner they can hear. Beware of using manipulation or being manipulated. This is an opportunity for dissatisfaction to decrease or for the person to find other opportunities.

5. Let Them Go. If you’ve had the conversations and it’s still not working, and the issue is not harassment or discrimination, it may be time to let them go.

If harassment or discrimination is involved, you must address it immediately with your attorney or HR and document everything.

Letting someone go isn’t failure. It’s leadership.

Leadership Requires Clarity and Courage

Leadership is about creating the conditions for clarity, accountability, and growth. When someone refuses to communicate, take responsibility, or participate in solutions, it negatively impacts the entire team. Strong leaders recognize when they’ve done their part and when it’s time to make a decisive, responsible choice for the health of their organization.

© Jeannette Seibly 2026 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a Talent Advisor, Leadership Results Coach, and Business Author with over 33 years of experience guiding people to empower themselves, transforming workplaces into places that work, and shaping leaders who truly lead.

Review your team this week to identify where job fit, communication gaps, or unresolved issues are creating friction. Then take one decisive step: have the tough conversation, adjust a role, provide training, or reassign or release someone who is not a match. Leadership requires action. Contact me to address difficult concerns and move your team forward.

Executive Sponsorship Is Key to Your Advancement

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“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.

©Jeannette Seibly 2026 All Rights Reserved

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

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.

Leaders, Your Results Suffer When People Feel Excluded

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“The quality of your results are impacted when employees feel excluded.” Jeannette Seibly

Even small acts of exclusion, like taking sides or avoiding one another, can ripple outward, but they are preventable. Years ago, I worked with a manager I admired. Whenever her employees didn’t get along, she’d seat them next to one another. Eventually, they learned how to work well together. This simple tactic prevented people from taking sides and reduced the likelihood of coworkers feeling excluded now and in the future. She understood that effective collaboration mattered to the entire company and its customers.

Today’s leaders face far more complex forms of exclusion, and the impact can be much greater than two people who don’t get along. When employees feel excluded, they become isolated, less able to do their jobs well, and more disengaged.

People knowingly and unknowingly create silos, factions, and cliques that gossip, limit productivity, and make it difficult to achieve quality results because not everyone is invited or included. These groups quietly undermine collaboration, slow down decisions, and create costly barriers.

The costs show up in delayed customer responses, rework caused by withheld information, turnover ripple effects, and even legal exposure when patterns of exclusion go unaddressed (e.g., harassment, discrimination).

When people don’t feel invited to contribute or are prevented from participating, collaboration breaks down, productivity drops, and your best talent quietly disengages.

Leaders unintentionally enable exclusion when they ignore subtle behaviors, reward “insider” groups, or allow cliques to dominate conversations or decisions. Leadership awareness requires noticing these patterns early and addressing them directly.

What Can You Do as a Leader?

Hold Weekly Team Meetings. Address: What’s been working? What do you need help with? Share updates on new issues or concerns. Acknowledge successes. These conversations help people feel included and strengthen teamwork.

Develop Facilitation Skills. Develop strong facilitation skills for on-site, hybrid, and remote meetings to ensure all voices are heard and no one feels sidelined.

Honor Each Person’s Ideas. Some ideas may evoke laughter or scrutiny, but leaders must recognize when reactions create alienation. Acknowledge all ideas and ensure everyone feels psychologically safe to contribute.

Provide Frequent Feedback. Offer insights to people who are causing logjams or difficulties for customers or coworkers. Clear feedback helps prevent behaviors that exclude others from participating fully.

Ask the Employee. When creating a project or event, invite people directly and let them decide yes or no. Too often, leaders assume someone doesn’t want to participate because they’ve declined in the past or because someone else is quietly excluding them.

Counsel Future Leaders About the Cost of Exclusion. Instead of communicating, people of all ages will exclude others as a power play, to show they’re upset, or simply because they don’t like someone. In effective teams and profitable companies, future leaders must work well with anyone, anytime, and anywhere to ensure no one is left out.

Become Aware of the Cost, Legalities, and Psychological Safety. Ignoring people being or feeling excluded is expensive. When good people leave, the time, money, and energy invested in them walk out the door … and they are often followed by other employees and customers.

Building Strong Team Results. Be intentional about team-building activities. Not everyone plays golf, wants to ride a horse, or can climb a wall. These activities naturally exclude people. Instead, focus on communication and getting to know one another as people. Tools like PXT Select® help teams understand strengths and communication styles, making inclusion easier and more natural. Note: PXT Select also improves job fit. Miscommunication and misinformation often come from people who are not fully engaged in their roles.

When leaders address exclusion early, they strengthen trust, improve results, and create workplaces where people want to stay and contribute.

©Jeannette Seibly 2026 All Rights Reserved

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

As a leader, ensuring everyone on your team feels included is essential to serving the company and its clients. Small groups can quietly undermine collaboration, slow down decisions, and create costly barriers. If you’re seeing signs of exclusion and are unsure how to address them, contact me for a confidential conversation so we can identify the blind spots and strengthen your team’s ability to work well together.

NOTE: A new presentation, Psychological Safety: The Leadership Advantage, is one you cannot ignore. Contact me for details on presenting this information to your business leaders, bosses, and managers.

Resolve Lack of Communication Undermines Employees

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“Communication gaps limit company growth, innovation, and employee job satisfaction.” Jeannette Seibly

Employees everywhere are navigating rapid change: new terminology, new protocols for working with others, and rising concerns about psychological safety. Yet many leaders still fall short in communicating expectations, giving practical instructions, and offering the direction employees need to perform well. Leaders unintentionally widen and quietly erode the very employee satisfaction they’re trying to build.

Overcome Lack of Communication to Improved Results

Leaders, the key is awareness! And, the willingness to ask the employee what they need. Yes, it may take more time initially. But saves you lots of time, money, and customers in the long run.

Answer the Request for Help.  When employees ask for help, answer in a manner that supports them to achieve intended results. You may not know the answer yourself. In those cases, refer the employee to team members that may know, or a vendor that knows how the system operates.

When an employee asked his manager for instructions on how to proceed with a project, the boss replied, “Just do it. Ask as you go along.” The employee was confused; he had never done the work before and didn’t know where to begin. He simply needed written instructions, or at least verbal guidance. But the boss didn’t know the process either and expected others to compensate for his lack of clarity. The employee eventually created instructions for himself and others, but those instructions disappeared when he and other team members quit. Lack of communication caused a spike in turnover because no one had the direction they needed to succeed.

Learn How to Listen for …

When leaders fail to listen for how they can help employees excel, they unintentionally widen communication gaps. Many leaders don’t listen for, or genuinely invest in, their employees’ career development. They stay focused on getting the job done with as little stress or disruption to themselves as possible. The real key is to care. Provide career‑development opportunities and encourage employees to apply what they learn, because strong communication and genuine support are what support performance.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Never assume you, as the leader, have all the answers. Shutting down an employee who is having difficulty explaining what they want only creates more work in the long run. Take the time to ask open-ended questions, look for examples (e.g., pictures, graphs, or flowcharts) to ensure you are aligned, and remain open to others probing and asking questions too.

Never Assume Employees Should Know

When leaders assume employees should already know what resources and company benefits are available, they unintentionally widen communication gaps. Many employees don’t know what to ask for or even realize which benefits exist.

For example, when employee assistance programs (EAP) aren’t clearly communicated, people miss out on support at the very moment they may need it. Sharing information about free tax advice and other available resources builds trust, reduces stress, and strengthens a positive team culture.

All of this is achieved through full and clearer communication.

When employees can count on leaders to communicate clearly about expectations, opportunities, and the resources available to them, trust deepens and great results become the norm.

© Jeannette Seibly 2026 All Rights Reserved

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

If you and team not delivering the results you want, consider your lack of communication is the barrier. Contact me for a confidential conversation to identify the gaps and strengthen your impact as a leader.

Do You Allow Self-Doubt to Sabotage Your Results?

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“Self-doubt can be a saboteur and cause us to miss out on achieving intended results.” Jeannette Seibly

Self‑doubt is far more common among leaders than most people admit. It shows up when coaching team members, navigating project snafus, or learning new skills. The good news is that everyone experiences self‑doubt, including the most effective leaders.

The bad news is that self‑doubt often convinces leaders to stop doing the work needed to move forward, avoid needed conversations, or allow fear to take over the driver’s wheel. That’s precisely when self-doubt wins and you stop, which is the wrong move.

Self‑doubt may feel like a stop sign, but more often it’s a green light. It signals that you’re entering unfamiliar territory, a place where growth, innovation, and new results become possible. The real challenge is not the doubt itself, but the lack of clarity, skills, or perspective needed to move forward. That’s where mentors, coaches, and collaborators make all the difference.

Using Self-Doubt as Leverage

Take Time for Reflection: What Worked / What Didn’t Work

This simple exercise, grounded in objective data, reveals what needs attention: conversations, work assignments, your expectations, or structural changes to the project or how you leverage an opportunity. Without data, self‑doubt fills in the blanks with fear instead of facts.

Have the Tough Conversations

These conversations aren’t easy, but they don’t have to be painful. Preparation matters. Use your reflection data, stay open to feedback, and be willing to hear what you may have missed.

Plan to Listen for:

  • signals where you’re on the right track
  • where you went off-track
  • gaps in conversations or financial projections
  • team members doing the bare minimum
  • quiet changes that could derail the project

Ask Open‑Ended Questions

Listening is your competitive advantage. There may be unseen dynamics slowing progress: political, relational, or operational. A mentor, executive coach, or industry expert can help you interpret what you’re hearing. Always ask: “What would you do?”

Be Coachable

Admitting there’s a problem is uncomfortable. Hearing someone else point it out can be even harder. But coachability is a leadership multiplier. Stay more committed to results than to ego. If doubt persists, talk with one or two additional mentors (not five or ten) to uncover what’s really driving your hesitation.

A company owner frustrated with poor hiring results blamed candidates, recruiters, and the economy. The real issue? He wasn’t using valid, legal, and scientifically sound selection tools to understand a candidate’s thinking style, behavioral traits, and occupational interests. His biases were not objective data. But he used them to drive decisions. Retention dropped. Customers left.

To achieve true job fit (and keep customers), use objective, replicable data to transform hiring quality and your long‑term results.

Ask Yourself: “What Can I Learn?”

This is one of the most important questions. Self‑doubt always carries a message. Ask: “What is this teaching me?” Listen for the answer in silence, not in the noise of others’ opinions. Then turn insight into action by talking with your coach, taking a course (or teaching one), and having the conversation(s) you’ve been avoiding.

© Jeannette Seibly 2026 All Rights Reserved

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

Overcoming self-doubt when faced with a challenge can be difficult. That’s why having an executive coach to guide you through the process is important. Contact me for a confidential conversation to discover where you are sabotaging your results.

Why Companies Fail to Hire Top Talent

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

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

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

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

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

Why Does This Really Happen?

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

Let’s Get Real in 2026

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

The Truth Leaders Need to Hear

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

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

©Jeannette Seibly 2026 All Rights Reserved

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7 Tips to Achieve Real Results

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019-2025

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

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

What to “Listen For” During Job Interviews

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

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

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

Skills you may already be listening for:

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

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

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

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

Additional Behaviors Worth “Listening For”

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

Practical “Listening For” Habits for You

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

©Jeannette Seibly 2025 All Rights Reserved

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

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

Do You Want Your Leadership to Make a Positive Difference?

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

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

The Challenge

Even the most accomplished leaders can find themselves at crossroads:

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

The Opportunity

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

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

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

Practical Pathways Forward

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

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

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

© Jeannette Seibly 2020–2025 All Rights Reserved

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

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

Supporting Gen Z to be Effective Leaders

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“Leadership is not about being the smartest person in the room; it’s about collaborating effectively.” Jeannette Seibly

At a recent business meeting, I encountered a young woman whose leadership energy was undeniable. She radiated confidence, spoke with conviction, and clearly had the drive to influence and inspire. Yet, as the conversation progressed, her potential was overshadowed by two challenges: she believed she was the smartest person in the room, and her emotions often erupted unchecked. These behaviors, if not addressed, sabotage leadership and future opportunities. (Note: Gen Z was born between 1997 and 2012.)

The Promise Gen Z Leaders Bring

Gen Z is reshaping the leadership landscape. They are:

  • Innovative thinkers who embrace technology and fresh ideas.
  • Fearless voices willing to challenge norms and disrupt traditional hierarchies.
  • Authentic leaders who want their work to align with values and purpose.

This generation’s leadership spirit is a powerful force. But like any force, it requires balance.

The Leadership Growth Required

In this meeting, the young woman’s expertise was undermined by behaviors that eroded her credibility:

  • Intellectual arrogance: She dismissed others’ perspectives, assuming her ideas were superior.
  • Emotional outbursts: She interrupted peers, grew visibly angry at senior leaders, and failed to regulate her reactions.
  • Damaged trust: These actions created tension, making collaboration difficult, and diminishing her professional presence.

Several of the leaders in the room questioned whether the young woman had the professional ability (and maturity) to be in the business conversation they had been having.

Lessons for Emerging Leaders

As bosses and leaders, Gen Z’s leadership drive must be paired with emotional maturity.

Key lessons include:

  • Humility as strength: Listening actively and respecting others’ contributions builds influence.
  • Emotional intelligence: Patience, empathy, and composure are essential for leadership.
  • Client and team relationships: Influence comes from guiding, not dictating. People respond to partnership, not control.
  • Professional presence: Credibility grows when passion is expressed with respect and balance. Using appropriate brag metrics provides influence.
  • Develop a win-win-win mindset: Learning how to create bridges instead of burning them is critical, especially for Gen Zs. They have a long career ahead of them. They will never know when the person they dissed or company leader they offended is in a position to hire or promote them, or do business with their company. While they may say they “don’t care,” someday, they will.

Guidance for Mentors and Coaches

Seasoned professionals play a vital role in shaping Gen Z leaders now and in the future:

  • Offer constructive feedback that redirects energy without diminishing confidence.
  • Model calm collaboration so younger leaders can see composure in action.
  • Create safe learning spaces where mistakes become opportunities for growth rather than career‑ending missteps.
  • Offer workshops and other training (e.g., videos) where the person can learn how to offer ideas without dominating the conversation or alienating others. Providing a job fit assessment leadership report can also provide important insights.

A leadership spirit is a gift. But without humility and emotional intelligence, it will cause self‑sabotage. The young woman I met has the raw talent to succeed, but her journey will depend on whether she learns to balance confidence with respect, and passion with patience.

For Gen Z leaders, the challenge is not just to step forward boldly, but to grow wise enough to make your leadership sustainable and be coachable.

Very Important Note: Having coached and mentored a number of people who are now older and more experienced, many-faced similar challenges early in their careers, including being fired. I strongly encourage bosses and leaders to provide counsel that helps these individuals strengthen their people, communication, and facilitation skills. Doing so ensures you won’t lose their drive, innovative ideas, and fearless voices, and in turn, these individuals will continue to grow, contribute, and thrive.

©Jeannette Seibly 2025 All Rights Reserved

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

Do you have employees that need help with their leadership, communication, and decision-making skills, including Gen Z? It’s time to contact me and develop a program that supports everyone’s success.