Business

Many parents believe getting the best post high school education means attending college. According to CBS This Morning (April 11, 2016), over 85% of the estimated three million high school seniors this year are expected to head to college. The reality is, many young people are heading to college to make mom and dad happy, fit in with their friends, or don’t know what else to do for the next four years!

There are Many Other Choices that are Often Overlooked

There are over 5,300 schools, from beauty colleges to Harvard. As parents, it’s important we teach our young adults the lifelong skills necessary to prepare, educate and pursue career and life choices that fit them, since they will have over 7 careers during their lifetime. Currently, low graduation rates, high debt loads and poor placement rates for jobs make it harder for millennials to get on a career path that is right for them, and is also financially rewarding. While financial success is important, remember, today’s financially rewarding careers may not be the same ones tomorrow.

Not everyone needs, or wants, to attend college to get a great education! They simply don’t know what else to do. It’s unfortunate that parents are more likely to spend money to help their kids develop skills in sports (hoping for an all-expense paid scholarship) then ensure their young person gets on a career path that fits them!

It’s important we listen to our kids since we are usually their #1 role model. One young man got a 4-year degree from a prestigious university and received a coveted job offer. His father was so proud — then was equally devastated (and, embarrassed) to learn his son was joining a missionary group for the next two years. The father hadn’t been listening to what his son had been trying to tell him for the past four years.

What can Parents Do?

Put aside your ego. Too often, we unconsciously focus on what would make us happy. We want to live (or relive) that time vicariously through them. We focus on the name of the school, type of degree or major, and other factors (e.g., sororities, fraternities, etc.) that we believe will make us proud. Set aside your ego. Today there are so many post high school choices it’s important to take the time to help your young person take an inventory of what they really really really want to do. This may include visiting different schools and ensuring the one they select will meet their needs. Or, help them get a job. Or, help them pursue other goals. For example, many young people with strong coding/technology skills and interests may wish to work with IoT (Internet of Things) startups. It’s their time to explore what will make them happy with your encouragement.

Education comes in many forms and will provide the opportunity for your young person to develop themselves and clarify what’s next in their career. Remember, life is a process not an event.

Help them set true goals. With 63 to 79 percent of the working population in jobs that don’t fit them, it’s important to use a qualified assessment* as part of their goal setting process. Too often, millennials have rose-colored glasses or tunnel vision when it comes to a particular profession. They base their career options on classes where they got great grades, the illusion of success based on TV idols or roles, projected financial earnings, or other factors that have nothing to do with career fit, job satisfaction or being happy. Help them learn how to set true goals that are authentic for them. Then, teach them how to pursue those goals.

Allow them to succeed and fail. Hovering parents limit young people’s abilities to grow and make their own decisions. As parents, too often we’ve limited their ability to fail because we don’t want them reliving our own hardships or life experiences. Be one of their top supporters in helping them overcome perceived failures and teach them how to take focused action to blast past the mistake or failure to achieve the intended goal.

Be a listener and a resource. Encourage them to talk with people in the industry they wish to pursue. Utilize your professional network and have them setup meetings. (Don’t do this for them or attend the meetings with them.) Help them prepare an agenda of questions to ask. Encourage them to explore new work options. For example, if they want to be an entrepreneur, have them put together a business plan and execute it. Or, if they want to start a not-for-profit, have them work in an established one to learn the nuts and bolts of running one.

The best education we can provide our young people today is the encouragement to pursue their dreams, broaden their life experiences, and be the listener they need to grow and prosper. Remember, it’s their time to explore, investigate and educate themselves on life and career choices for them.

*The Pathway Planner^TM uses the same assessment information (based upon the world’s largest validation and reliability studies) that thousands of companies use to hire. This educational and career planning tool helps young people and people in career transition discover what career possibilities best suit them. In addition, SeibCo provides the book, It’s Time to Brag! Career Edition, (www.Time2Brag.com) to help sell yourself and win the job offer.

To get started, contact SeibCo today: http://SeibCo.com/contact

©Jeannette L. Seibly, 2016 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is an award-winning and internationally recognized business advisor. For the past 23 years, she has helped thousands of people work smarter, enjoy financial freedom, and realize their dreams now.  She has an uncanny ability to help her clients identify roadblocks, and help them focus to quickly produce unprecedented results.  Each client brings their own unique challenges, and her gift is helping each one create their success in their own unique way. Along the way, with her commitment, she helped guide the creation of three millionaires.

Usually, we ignore it, or invalidate the facts or the person providing the input. Even when it is our board of directors, mentor or coach!

While it is much easier to hear wanted advice, there are times we need to listen to unsolicited or undesirable advice. While business leaders gladly share their opinions, thoughts and feelings on any subject, they rarely take (or make) the time to probe into what the core issues are. So, it is up to you to adjust your mindset and ability to listen — it will determine the value of the advice and how to use it. (Especially if it is our customer!)

By listening, we can resolve issues, take advantage of opportunities, and build team morale. Failure to do so may limit our ability to grow our company.

It’s Important that you Hear what is being Said!

Set Aside your Ego. Your ability to listen to unwelcomed advice displays your emotional intelligence (EQ). EQ is responding appropriately and understanding what the person is saying … whether or not you believe it is valid information. Learn how to respond without being defensive and ask the right questions.

Don’t Allow your Biases to Dictate your Ability to Listen. Too often we allow our biases about the person giving advice to interfere with our ability to hear what they are saying. The advice or information being provided may be very important but not well communicated.  If you simply can’t understand what they are saying, schedule another meeting with the intention of learning from them. In the meantime, do your homework and come prepared with questions.

Pay Attention. Multi-tasking or playing with your computer or phone while the other person is speaking will ensure you miss value-added points. Usually if someone is taking the time to give you feedback or input, it’s important that you listen! Remember, it often takes courageous to share unwanted information. Paying attention usually has a big payoff whether or not you find the news immediately useful.

Stay Out of the ‘Ain’t It Awful Trap’. It’s easy to buy into negativity. Although you may have a bias that this person is always negative, listen empathetically and place a time limit on it. While there are times venting may foster opportunities, it depends upon your ability to manage it. Turn the information into growing the project, resolving the client issue effectively, or helping someone learn from it. These are great opportunities to develop your skills.

Listening to and managing wanted and unwanted advice is critical to growing your business.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2016

Jeannette Seibly has been an international business advisor, executive coach and management consultant for over 23 years. Along the way, she guided the creation of three millionaires. Her trademark is her uncanny ability to help business professionals identify roadblocks and help them blast through those barriers to produce unprecedented results. Contact her for a free, confidential conversation on how to get the results you need: www.SeibCo.com/contact

Truly successful leaders have learned how to get issues addressed and job activities they detest done with minimal stress. They are great at working with and through others to achieve positive results through delegation. They know (sometimes having learned the hard way) failure to delegate will sabotage the successful growth of their company, ability to hire and retain great employees, and profitability.

Delegate the Right Way!

Select the Right Person. Delegating to employees or others that have the interest, skills and business acumen, can create great working relationships with employees and customers, improve sales and profitability, and eliminate many potential legal issues (e.g., the IRS, a judge or plaintiff attorney are not interested in “why” your company didn’t do what needed to be done.) Give the task or project to the best qualified person, without basing the decision solely on longevity, job titles and non-critical factors. Make sure they have the mindset, interests and skills to achieve the needed results. These people will amaze you in the results they produce!

Create Ongoing Learn-forward Culture. While you may believe everyone is too busy, you might be surprised to learn they are good at busy-ness in an attempt to alleviate their boredom. When new opportunities present themselves, instead of saying no because you are not interested, consider delegating them to your employees so they can learn new skills and develop business acumen. In turn, this will improve job satisfaction and overall results. You’ll be surprised by how much time they can devote to something that truly interests them! And, make sure their current job responsibilities are getting done too!

Mentoring and Coaching is the Company Norm. Too often we wait until there is a problem before providing necessary mentoring or coaching for our employees. This creates a negative perspective of asking for and allowing for help. Encourage cross-training, participation in projects, and team leadership opportunities to broaden your employees’ bandwidth. It can also boost their morale and build their confidence to try new things. Great experiences will normally produce unprecedented results!

Delegating the right way will promote positive results and you will create a more effective team.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2016

Jeannette Seibly has been an international business advisor, executive coach and management consultant for over 23 years. Along the way, she guided the creation of three millionaires. Her trademark is her uncanny ability to help business professionals identify roadblocks and help them blast through those barriers to produce unprecedented results. Contact her for a free, confidential conversation on how to get the results you need: http://SeibCo.com/contact

Many opportunities are often disguised as challenges. Brave and audacious leaders know when challenges occur that’s when new opportunities appear. To take advantage of these, leaders make the commitment to clarify the facts of the challenge, get everyone on the same page, and take focused action. They know change is never an easy process. Their courage to take on challenges, make the right changes, and turn them into rewarding opportunities is their trademark for being great leaders. Many faint-hearted counterparts miss out on these new possibilities to stay competitive, customer-centric and the employer of choice.

Courage is the trademark of bold leaders. They embrace the following:

Encourage change. There is a misperception that change means something is wrong or something needs to be fixed. The truth is change happens every day. Understanding and accepting change is a precursor to the transformative process in any company. Dauntless leaders encourage conversations designed to develop new and broader perspectives.  To help employees understand the opportunities change can bring, have them do one thing different each day.  Then, share about the positive effects.  For example: encourage them to drive to work a different way, talk with different types of potential customers, brainstorm the impact of one company goal, etc.

Talk it out responsibly.  Determined leaders are responsible for what is shared with whom. When sharing their challenges with close confidants and key employees, they are open and coachable to hear what they don’t want to hear. Thus, they are able to create new possibilities. In turn, they help their employees stay committed to pursuing the new and tactically building on what has been working.

Move forward. Not every opportunity takes the right step in the right direction. It takes tough leaders to get to the heart of new opportunities to determine their viability for the company. Using a sense of urgency, fearless leaders ask the right questions to uncover the truth and probe to hear what others may be afraid to say. By doing so, their efforts are rewarded by uncovering new systems, products and services that work for them and their customers.

Take focused action. Many times an issue or situation has been festering for a while regardless of the actions taken. Resolute leaders know it’s time to “breathe new life into resolving it” by employing outside-the-box thinking. They work with their business advisors to effectively build needed business strategies on current practices – ensuring smooth transitions.

Express thanks. Everyone loves to be appreciated, and when shared authentically can help everyone grow. Trust your employees and the process to ensure anticipated changes bring about the transformation needed to achieve success and financial rewards by acknowledging what they are doing well.

Seeking out challenges can provide the right opportunities for transforming the company when handled courageously and with aplomb.

Get started now turning your challenges into rewarding opportunities! Contact your business advisor today! http://SeibCo.com/contact

©Jeannette Seibly, 2016

Jeannette Seibly has been an international business advisor and executive coach for hundreds of leaders for over 23 years. She has an uncanny ability to help leaders resolve challenges and breathe new life into new opportunities. What are you waiting for? Contact Jeannette today for a no obligation discussion: http://SeibCo.com/contact

Successful leaders understand their success starts from within and is built on genuine confidence, competence and compassion — not false bravado. They know that leaders are not born as leaders, and they must do the work to earn their successes. They work smart and are respected by others, and many times (but not always) are liked by others too! Thus, they develop an inner leadership style that works for their employees, Board and customers, while effectively handling the outer actions required too.

As part of their commitment to being the best leader they can be, leaders hire an executive coach to help them achieve results and a mentor from within the industry to recognize new opportunities. These confidants help them recognize and fine-tune their blind spots and build their natural effectiveness. By inviting inside and outside perspectives, they build on their business experiences and improve their ability to make the right decisions for win-win-win outcomes.

Fine-tuning Your Inner Leader:

-Take responsibility for yourself and your decisions.

-Trust your inner voice to guide your words and actions, and realize the need to review ideas, thoughts, opinions and feelings with your coach and mentor for clarity. This helps you stay on the right path required to achieve your results.

-Value your ideas and others’ ideas too. Continue developing the fine art of working with and through others to build solutions.

-Respect yourself and others by listening without blame, judgment or criticism to elicit the best in others.

-Be comfortable with yourself, and ensure others are confident to follow your lead. Take the time to check in to ensure others are truly on the same page with you, not just parroting what you want to hear.

-Set aside your ego by sharing the credit and celebrating the successes of others.

-Create positive learning opportunities using the inevitable failures and mistakes often made. Teach by setting the right examples.

The strength of your leadership is a reflection of the authentic confidence, competence and compassion you have developed. Remember, it’s a lifelong process not a one-time event to become the leader you’ve always dreamed of being.

 “Successful leadership requires preparation and learning from any failures along the way!” Jeannette Seibly http://ow.ly/Kp34R

Jeannette Seibly has been an international business advisor and executive coach for over 23 years. She has guided the creation of countless leaders. Are you the next one? http://SeibCo.com/contact

©Jeannette Seibly, 2014-2016

Making the decision to solve problems requires a conscious effort. Too often job demands get in the way, and you work around challenges rather than face them head on. This can cost you a lot of time, money and energy.

7 tips to facilitate strategically workable and financially rewarding solutions

Have the Right Mindset. If you and your team members don’t believe you can resolve the issue, you won’t. Make a commitment to create a win-win-win solution (for the company, customer, employee, community, vendor, etc.).  As the facilitator, you are in the best position to lead your team to create solutions that are easier and more customer- and employee-friendly.

Create the Best Team. Keep the team small and only select team members who are committed to the process and believe there is a solution. Many times, if you have selected team members that are not committed to this process, the team will go off track and put a band-aid on an issue to make an individual or small group happy. This doesn’t resolve the real problem. To keep the team focused and committed, it will require you to stay on top of the team’s progress, ask on-point questions and stay positive.

Brainstorm for Success. By being a strong facilitator, you can bring out everyone’s thoughts and opinions. Remember, they have the solutions. Stay focused during this process on the current issue. Ask for and include everyone’s input on a chart and do not edit their comments. During brainstorming, there is no such thing as a bad idea. Include everything! Often times, ideas that initially sounded the worse turn out to be the best ones.

Review and Fine-tune. Be responsible and don’t latch onto the first idea presented. Conversely, don’t allow the team to fall into the trap of overthinking; it can be paralyzing. Narrow down the ideas and align them by taking into consideration current policies and procedures, company mission, and business agreements. Before making any changes, talk with others (e.g., vendor rep or human resource manager). Assign individual team members to have these conversations and report back about what may be missing from the solution. Incorporate their findings before making any proposals.

Get Approval. This is where many teams fail. Without the decision-maker’s approval, nothing will happen. Design the plan, budget and timetable in a written format and don’t forget to include pictures, charts and/or metrics. Make sure your proposal is simple: state what the problem is, how to fix the issue, and include supporting documentation. Be prepared to answer the decision-maker’s questions and devise an implementation process that is simple and easy.

Implement and Celebrate! Remember to include a communication and training plan for all employees involved in the new solution. Don’t forget to acknowledge yourself and your team.

You’re not done yet! All new solutions require ongoing follow-ups and tweaks. Include a plan to ensure these are being done until the new solution is no longer new.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2016

Jeannette Seibly is laser sharp at identifying the leverage points that will take a business and its team to the next level of performance and success. She has guided the creation of three millionaires and countless million-dollar results for companies and not-for-profits. Contact her @ http://SeibCo.com/contact