What to Do When Life Doesn’t Look How it “Should”

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We all have a vision of how life “should be” and how it “should look”.

But, life is a series of ups and downs and rarely turns out like we believe it “should.”

Susan, a millennial, had a goal of becoming a successful manager in the financial industry. She believed this goal was her key to being successful, making a lot of money, and feeling good about herself.

She visualized the position. She developed the skills and earned certifications required. She worked hard.

You can imagine Susan’s surprise and upset that when she got the job she always believed she wanted, she realized the job wasn’t for her! So, she quit. She is now feeling lost and is grappling with what to do next because life isn’t looking like she thinks it should.

We feel stuck when our lives don’t match what social media posts and motivational speakers tell us. To make matters worse, we believe if we do all the right things and control our mindsets the right way, life will produce a panacea of great results!

The truth is, life is a series of ups and downs for each and every one of us! We cannot control life; but, we can take responsibility for getting the most out of this life.

12 Tips on How to Smooth Out the Bumpy Ride

  1. Take Good Care of Yourself. You are all you have! Your personal energy is a reflection of your health and mindset. Drink plenty of water, eat healthy, exercise, meditate, etc. To improve the quality of your sleep, think positive thoughts before falling asleep.
  2. Do Your Best Each Day. Attempting to operate at 100% every hour of every day isn’t realistic. Pay attention to your most productive times of the day. Schedule your time to reflect your values, priorities, and energy levels. For example, if you’re a morning person or someone who is more productive later in the day, schedule tough tasks and conversations accordingly.
  3. Be Kind. Learn to be kind to yourself (and others) when experiencing a bad time. Instead of saying, “buck it up” or “just get over it,” develop compassion for yourself and others.
  4. Stop Being a Control Fanatic! You cannot control people, situations or the economy! Learn how to be flexible when working with others. Learn how to work within structures before changing work or home rules. Keep your intentions on creating positive win-win-win outcomes.
  5. Learn How to Ride Out Business and Career Cycles. There will be periods of time when you feel on top of the world in business and your career. And, there will be times when you don’t. The challenge? When you’re doing well, it’s critical to understand you will never have it all handled. With every up there is a down and vise-versa. If you want true success, hire an external coach and find an industry mentor to keep moving forward. This minimizes feelings of defeat during the inevitable “down times.”
  6. Take an Honest Inventory Before Making Any Changes. In the above story, Susan had other alternatives rather than quitting. Write out the exercise, “What’s working? and What’s not working?” Use your numbers and be specific to get the most out of this exercise. (See: It’s Time to Brag! Business Edition) The key is to build from where you are…not start over. Also, use the brag exercises to become present and mindful of what you have accomplished. Then, share these accomplishments with others to support you in creating what’s next.
  7. Don’t Make Decisions When Feeling Low. There is no such thing as an inconsequential decision. (Jeannette Seibly) All decisions impact your life. Make your decisions from a position of strength.
  8. Life is a Process Not an Event. Think of the tortoise and the hare fablethe moral of this fable is that you can be more successful by doing things slowly and steadily than by acting quickly and carelessly.
  9. Practice Mindful Breathing. Concentrate on breathing when feeling stressed. It’s easy. Breathe in for a count of 5. Pause. Exhale for a count of 10. Repeat at least twice. (This really works.)
  10. Stay Present and Focused. Remember, our brains are not wired to multi-task. When having any conversation or handling any task, stay present and focus on what you are doing. The quality of your results will improve and the amount of time spent will decrease.
  11. Reward Yourself. Take a 5-minute break and physically move during the workday. Do things you enjoy. Read a fun article, take a walk, or listen to a podcast. Don’t use this time to check emails or make calls.
  12. Do It Now. Makes plans for fun and/or relaxation by doing those things you’ve always wanted to do. Don’t wait! Do it now!

©Jeannette Seibly, 2020

Jeannette Seibly is an award-winning dynamic results coach and keynote speaker. For the past 27 years, she has guided the creation of leaders to excel in achieving results. Are you ready for an unprecedented 2020? Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results. Don’t forget to listen to NEW podcasts on Anchor.FM or YouTube.com.

Firing People May Not Be the Right Answer!

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We have all worked with people we dislike, or, even, hate. There are many reasons. It could be they don’t follow-up or follow-through. They make projects harder than they need to be. Or, they may be having too many personal challenges.

But firing them is rarely the best answer!

Why? It could be due to legal considerations. They may have expert product knowledge and/or work well with clients. And, in today’s business environment, it can be difficult to replace them.

So, you hang on and hope for a miracle. Or, you seethe, blaming them for any or all of your challenges.

George was having trouble working with Kelly, a good employee who was no longer doing the job she was hired to do. Rather than involving the correct team member, Kelly, like many employees, had taken on tasks that were not in her job description and skill set. Unfortunately, because of this, she was failing!

Understandably, George was upset with Kelly’s performance. However, he wasn’t clear on whether to fire Kelly or find another solution. While her job fit assessment showed a good job fit with the original job responsibilities, it also showed “why” Kelly was currently failing.

My advice was, “You can fire her, or, make her successful.” George decided to make Kelly successful. The key was to have consistent and straight conversations about her job responsibilities, and, address “why” the team was not working together.

It wasn’t easy for either George, Kelly, or the team! But, the time and effort paid off. Kelly is now a successful employee again!

If You Can’t Fire Them, Help Them Succeed!

Clarify “why” the person is failing. Make sure you use a qualified job fit assessment when coaching, managing, and training to determine a person’s true behaviors, thinking style and interests. Also, you can use the same tools in the future when hiring.

Be clear about your needs and expectations. Then, be consistent in your communication. Take the time to clarify what you need now and in the near future from each position. Be able to answer who, what, where, when and why questions. Also, follow a 180-day Success Plan to ensure a person’s success.

Training and coaching will make a difference. Bill Gates said that “everyone needs a coach” and that includes you! Look at how you can have all your employees trained and coached to develop their “soft skills.”

Address ethical issues immediately. Sometimes, people simply don’t know that they don’t know. Or, they are aware but think their actions don’t matter. Educate them now. Review policies with them. Then, coach them on how to better handle sticky situations.

You’re not a counselor, you’re a coach. If an employee is having personal difficulties, send them to HR or to your employee wellness provider. Remember, unless you are a health care provider, you do not have the skills to suggest medical help to anyone!

Be a leader FIRST. Many times, leaders make friends with their employees. This can make performance challenges more difficult to manage. Be clear when working with “friends” that you are their boss during business conversations and when addressing performance issues.

Temper your temper. The issue may be you! Consider it may be time for you to take a sabbatical or leave of absence. If you’ve experienced a difficult situation and haven’t taken time to grieve or process a loss, it can come back to haunt you at an inappropriate time. Be kind to yourself. When you return, you will have a new perspective and the same situations and people will look different.

Develop your emotional intelligence (EI). Yes, developing your EI can help you excel, especially when working with difficult team members! Most issues can be resolved through effective communication. But, you need to develop the ability and patience for these conversations to be effective. Learn how by attending workshops and hiring an executive coach.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2020

Jeannette Seibly is an award-winning dynamic results coach and keynote speaker. For the past 27 years, she has guided the creation of leaders to excel in achieving results. Are you ready for an unprecedented 2020? Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results. Don’t forget to listen to NEW podcasts on Anchor.FM or YouTube.com.

Why You Need to Develop Your Team to Excel

Business team drawing a new complex project on wall
Business team drawing a new complex project on wall

Mediocrity has become a new standard today (The Standard, 2019). But, it’s costing companies time, money, top talent, customers, innovation, and reputation. And, the list continues!

Many leaders feel there is nothing they can do to change a team’s output from mediocre to great.  Some even believe team collaboration and intended results happen by accident.

These leaders believe they are powerless to change the trajectory of the results.

When teams get stuck, and they will, you as the leader need to roll-up-your-sleeves. It’s your responsibility to get the team unstuck, engaged and moving forward!

Leaders Step Up

Leaders step up to improve the quality of their teams’ results. Remember, these results don’t happen by accident. To excel, results start with how you hire, manage, coach, and train your team members.

Scary Stats

  • -10% of teams today excel. These leaders have a strategy in place to train and develop their people to go beyond the norm and out of their comfort zones.
  • -40% of teams are dysfunctional. When leaders give up so do their teams! They lack the training to align and build win-win-win outcomes required to achieve intended results.
  • -50% produce only small incremental improvements. Unfortunately, this is the norm! Many leaders are simply afraid to push their teams to excel.

(Stats taken from How to Improve Team Effectiveness, Skip Prichard, May 2019)

A team shared with me they wanted to build on the previous year’s event since attendance was down. But, the truth was, the leader wasn’t willing to do the work, release control, and brainstorm. All are requirements to excel! The result….attendance went down, even more, the next year.

How To Improve Your Team’s Results Now

Select the Right Team Members. This is the first and least expensive place to improve your team results. Job fit is the #1 reason (Harvard Business Review) teams succeed or fail! As a leader, it’s up to you to objectively look beyond the technical skills and assess the “soft skill” qualities. Use qualified assessments to select the right team members based on job fit: thinking style, core behaviors, and occupational interests.

Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, once said, “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” (Forbes, February 2015)

Develop and Train Team Members. Don’t assume you know to conduct productive meetings. It’s up to you to ensure all team members and you are energized and receive training. Skills development must include how to conduct effective meetings, resolve conflicts, and execute projects. To get the most out of these training and coaching sessions, use real-life challenges and engage in developing real solutions.

Build Trust And Engage Your Team. Under your leadership, teamwork happens or it doesn’t! Real teamwork requires you to be available and engage your team in brainstorming true solutions. This can be a slippery slope since often, too many times everyone latches onto the first good idea. This will shut down further conversation and the development of better ideas. Continue brainstorming until you have built team alignment on the best solution.

Acknowledge Team Members. Don’t forget to acknowledge each team member before, during and after any process.

Get Real about Solutions. As the leader, you must be unafraid to challenge your teams to excel. But, it’s not easy. There is always a difference of opinions and resistance to doing something new. But, and this is a BIG but, innovation needs encouragement and commitment from you. Remember, resilience and flexibility are required since there will be challenges along the way.

Improve Coaching & Mentoring Opportunities. Successful leaders have coaches and mentors who are company and industry savvy. Mentors often focus on working through company politics and guide you to connect with the right people. Executive coaches are external to the organization and confidentially guide you through complex situations and how to proactively avoid them.

Effective leaders don’t accept mediocrity. The ones that do, damage their careers, businesses, and financial bottom lines. It’s up to you to be the type of leader that has their teams excel and achieve dynamic results!

©Jeannette Seibly, 2020

Jeannette Seibly is an award-winning dynamic results coach and keynote speaker. For the past 27 years, she has guided the creation of leaders to excel in achieving results. Are you ready for an unprecedented 2020? Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results. Don’t forget to listen to NEW podcasts on Anchor.FM or YouTube.com.

How to Bridge the Generation Gap by Being a True Leader

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A survey of nearly 1,000 leaders by Carey Nieuwhof reveals there are deep mistrust and discouragement between younger and older leaders about how they feel towards one another.  Younger leaders feel older counterparts are stubborn and inflexible in decision-making and accepting change, while older leaders believe younger people are entitled, don’t work hard and think they have all the answers.

“Ok, Boomer!” Younger leaders often express this sarcastically about older leaders, believing their POV is “old school.”

Conversely, older leaders often complain about younger leaders “not getting it” and “wanting to move too fast without all the facts.”

The tension between these two groups of leaders can hurt companies, bottom lines, results, and the ability to attract great talent (of all ages).

No generation has all the answers!

Bridging this generation gap now is important. Otherwise, it will become too wide and too deep.

According to a study done by Carey Nieuwhof, here are the 5 key issues:

  1. They’re not open to change. Younger leaders feel older leaders are stuck in the past or fearful of rocking the boat.
  2. Older leaders are inflexible. The traditional power style and attitude from the past don’t work today.
  3. They think they know everything. Everyone believes their POV is right!
  4. Too many rules. Younger leaders dislike rules, and will ignore them, until it’s too late.
  5. Too slow. Embracing change takes time and impacts decisions being made.

As a Leader, How Do You Bridge the Generation Gap?

  1. Communication is Everything! Yes, this can be difficult for both sides to hear! “If only they would see it my way, there wouldn’t be a communication issue.” Everyone needs to slow down and learn how to listen and communicate in a respectful way so that others can hear you. I promise, you will find commonalities within your disagreements. These commonalities can be used to bridge generation gaps and build win-win-win outcomes. But, only if you’re willing to take the time.
  2. Build Win-Win-Win Outcomes. Many times, we believe our judgments and biases are right. We hurt relationships and sideline our careers because we haven’t learned how to create win-win-win outcomes. Take workshops (yes, more than one) on how to understand where your judgments and biases come from. With this new awareness, you can positively impact your decisions, communication, and ability to work well with others!
  3. Appreciate and Understand Others. Use a qualified assessment tool to do this. This will help you better understand yourself and others. You will learn not everyone thinks or behaves as you do! They have their own interests. Appreciating differences and learning how to value them will bridge widening generational gaps.
  4. Critical Thinking. Many people rely on information posted on the internet and sound bites offered by thought leaders. They believe these statements are the truth! These leaders (both young and old) fail to engage in a healthy sense of skepticism and question the validity of what they are reading or hearing. Take the time to get to the truth. It will save your company customers, time, money … and even your career.
  5. Be Open to Learning. Too often we are not open to learning what we don’t know. Mostly because we don’t know what we don’t know! (Yes, reread that one!) Attend workshops and training programs with an open mind. Be a sponge. Then, learn from your coach, mentor, and other leaders how to use these insights to bridge the generation gap.

©Jeannette Seibly 2020

Jeannette Seibly is an award-winning dynamic results coach and keynote speaker. For the past 27 years, she has guided the creation of leaders to excel in achieving results. Are you ready for an unprecedented 2020? Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results. Don’t forget to listen to NEW podcasts on Anchor.FM or YouTube.com.

Knowing How to Lead Virtual Team Members Is a Required Skill

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One company decided to set up a remote office for one of their sales reps who had done well in the home office. The employee wanted to move back to his hometown in another state. The relocation expenses were costly, but, the company believed they would recoup their costs within a year.

But, after a year, no new sales had occurred and the sales manager was at a loss. She didn’t know how to manage a remote sales rep. Finally, a business advisor clarified the problem. When the sales rep worked in the home office, he was available for inside sales calls. That’s how he developed a good sales portfolio. Now, he needed to prospect and generate interest for new sales where he lived. However, he didn’t have the skills or interest to do so. After a year, the sales rep left to work as an inside sales rep for a local company.

Currently, over 66% of companies allow remote or virtual work, and 16% are fully remote (Remote.co).  Because of the reduced cost and commuting times for employees, along with other benefits, this trend is skyrocketing.

This is why it’s important for leaders to learn how to manage virtual team members. Remember, leading remote teams present unique challenges that are very different than leading a team that works in your office.

What is a Virtual Team?

virtual team (also known as a geographically dispersed team, distributed team, or remote team) usually refers to a group of individuals who work together from different geographic locations and rely on communication technology such as email, FAX, and video or voice conferencing services in order to collaborate. Wikipedia

Benefits

  • 80% of employees would be more loyal if they had flexible and work-from-home options (FlexJobs’ 2019 Super Survey)
  • Easier to hire the best no matter where they live and keep good team members that are relocating
  • Less expensive due to reduced overhead
  • 36% of employees would choose to work from home over a pay raise (Global Workplace Analytics study)
  • Encourages healthier lifestyles since remote workers can incorporate physical exercise into their day, instead of commuting

6 Tips for Leading Virtual Teams

Hire for Job Fit. When hiring or promoting, always use a qualified assessment tool to assess job fit. This assessment provides objective insights into how the person will handle working remotely. Required skills include good communication, high emotional intelligence, an ability to work independently, and the resilience to recover from the snafus that inevitably arise. (Harvard Business Review, 2014)

Build and Maintain Relationships.  Fostering trust is crucial. To achieve this, engage virtual team members 1:1 via conferencing at a minimum of at least once a month. And, be available via text, email and cell so you can be easily reached when necessary. During these monthly calls, spend time reviewing what’s been working and what’s not been working. Don’t forget to ask them about their career goals and other projects they want to participate in. Then, ensure these opportunities happen.

Set Clear Standards and Accountability. Many employees, particularly younger ones without office experience, look at working from home as an extension of their current life. If there are young children, unruly pets, smoking or drugs, or other distractions, it can be difficult for them to operate at the same professional level as expected in the office. Remind them how to handle distractions that get in the way. Also, hold them accountable for meeting product and service standards, along with adhering to company policies. If you want to learn more about how to listen for these concerns, contact Jeannette Seibly.

Frequent Communication is a MUST! Communicate expectations frequently, especially during interviews and onboarding processes. During meetings, you will need to be present and listen at a new level to proactively catch issues. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and deep dive into any concerns. Always be available to guide them through client challenges.

Team Building. Host a required-attendance team conference meeting monthly and quarterly to learn about each person’s accomplishments. Acknowledge them individually on these calls. This creates comradery and has each team member feel valued and part of a team.

Training and Development. Whenever possible, have remote team members attend on-site workshops and training programs. During these visits, schedule face-to-face and 1:1 or small group meetings to improve working relationships and build a stronger team.

© Jeannette Seibly 2020

Jeannette Seibly is an award-winning dynamic results coach. For the past 27 years, she has guided the creation of leaders to excel in achieving results. Are you ready for an unprecedented 2020? Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results. Don’t forget to listen to NEW podcasts on Anchor.FM or YouTube.com.

How to Develop Yourself as a Competent Leader by Jeannette Seibly

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Generally speaking, leaders don’t believe they are incompetent.

The challenge is …

According to Gallup; only one-in-five (18%) leaders demonstrate a high-level of attitude for leadership. This means 82% of the time incompetent leaders are hired. BizShifts-Trends, 2017

Have you ever worked with someone who:

  • -Made decisions that negatively impacted the company and its people?
  • -Cut corners on getting a project completed on time and within budget?
  • -Lacked the communication skills required to engage their team and get intended results?

You are not alone!

How Does This Happen? 

Incompetence is defined as inadequate to or unsuitable for a particular purpose or lacking the qualities needed for effective action. (Merriam-Webster)

Because people tend to be promoted into leadership positions based on their technical competencies, their people management interests or abilities are ignored.

While many will attend required workshops and pass written tests to be certified leaders, they fail to improve their decisions, engage others, create viable solutions, resolve conflicts, or admit their mistakes.

Are you ready to become a competent leader?

Most will say, “YES!” Remember, competent leaders continuously improve their decision-making, communication, management, and self-management skills.

If you’re ready, keep reading…

5 Tips to Improve Your Leadership Competency Qualities

Fit the Job. Poor job fit is the #1 reason for incompetence. It’s a very costly problem for companies and for you personally. So, don’t be afraid to decline a promotion when the job responsibilities don’t fit your thinking style, core behaviors, and/or occupational interests. Use a qualified assessment tool to clarify your strengths and weaknesses before taking a promotion or making a job change.

Develop people management skills. Typically, incompetent leaders are self-absorbed or manage by intimidation. As you know, these behaviors don’t work. Take the time and make the effort to develop the “soft skills” of a competent leader.  According to the Center for Creative Leadership, there are four timeless core leadership skills that you need as a leader: Self-Awareness, Communication, Influence, and Learning Agility. Again, use a qualified assessment tool to guide you in creating an intentional leadership performance improvement plan with your boss. Then, for faster results, hire an external executive coach and find an industry mentor to help you develop these competencies.

Determine the expectations and outcomes required for your success. Every company and industry has its own requirements for success. These requirements determine a leader’s competency for the job. Work with your boss, executive coach, and mentor to understand these expectations. Then, be coachable when working through complex situations, murky results, and political relationships. Your success depends on it.

Develop emotional intelligence.  Being mindful and asking for help are requirements for being a competent leader. Make sure you have someone to be accountable to for your results. (Added bonus: set up this practice for your team members too.)

Breakthrough the fear of not being liked. It’s a must! Don’t fall into the trap of making decisions based on being popular or well-liked. Making hard decisions is not easy…and…each decision will either develop or detract from your competency as a leader. Competent leaders know and accept that not everyone is going to agree with them. But, they honor their commitment to creating win-win-win outcomes for the company, team, and customers.

(c)Jeannette Seibly, 2020

Jeannette Seibly is an award-winning dynamic results coach. For the past 27 years, she has guided the creation of leaders to excel in achieving results. Are you ready for an unprecedented 2020? Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results. Don’t forget to listen to NEW podcasts on Anchor.FM or YouTube.com.

Being Too Nice is a Big Problem for Leaders

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A new project leader asked her boss, “What will it take to be successful in this position?” The boss’s response was, “It’s important to be really nice in order to attract new customers, which is what top management is focused on.”

So, the new project leader went overboard to be nice to new customers at the expense of her team members and current customers. When a new customer called, they were given priority. When a new customer complained about a team member, she sided with the new customers’ POV. Employees felt blamed and became disengaged. Interestingly, all customers questioned why they were not getting the intended results promised.

After the company lost two customers, the new project leader was sidelined. No one told her why. She became a disgruntled employee and left.

Clearly, her boss’s coaching to be really nice was not effective.

Many new leaders find themselves defaulting on the spectrum of being too nice to being too rigid. These extremes do not engage employees OR keep customers OR achieve intended results OR prevent career derailment.

The Challenge of Being Too Nice

If you’re too nice you risk being a pushover; you might keep an employee beyond their expiration date; you might see deadlines come and go; you might become too close with your employees at the expense of being able to give them tough feedback. (Forbes, 2018)

So why do many new leaders default to being too nice? They lack training! They lack confidence in fulfilling their new responsibilities. They want to be accepted and receive the highest ratings from their teams. Unfortunately, their passivity (being too nice) creates a lot of problems that could be avoided.

…leaders are also expected to make the tough decisions that serve the company or the team’s best interests. Being too nice can be lazy, inefficient, irresponsible, and harmful to individuals and the organization. (Harvard Business Review, 2014)

No one is born a leader. Developing leadership requires work, effort, and tears to be effective. It’s an ongoing process of coaching, training, and development to learn to make hard decisions.

5 Tips to Overcome “Being Too Nice” as a Leader

  1. Start training to be a great leader as soon as possible, even before you receive the title of manager or team leader. There are many podcasts and training programs available that can help you become honest, polite, and assertive (but, not too nice). Since most successful leaders have a coach, it’s important to select the best coach for you. While companies should invest in their future and current leaders, don’t be afraid to pay for it yourself…you’re worth it!
  2. Shadow a leader you respect. Select a mentor and design a mutual agreement for you to shadow the mentor in meetings or projects. This will help develop your awareness of good leadership skills.
  3. Develop emotional intelligence. Success is an inside job. Your biases, habits, and fears of not being liked will get in the way of your effectiveness and results. Develop your emotional intelligence (EI). Take programs focused on developing awareness of your feelings and mindfulness of how you impact others. This will help you naturally develop compassion and an ability to relate well with others, which are required today to become a great leader.
  4. Have patience…becoming a great leader is a process. Developing the “soft skills” and the ability to “talk straight” takes time. Be patient with yourself since developing effective leadership skills will not happen overnight. And, know there will be times it feels easier to be too nice. Don’t fall into that trap. When murky situations or complex relationships threaten to derail you (and, they will), work with your coach to move through them now. Don’t let the moment or challenge sabotage your growth of becoming an effective leader.
  5. Understand uncertainty is part of being a leader. You will encounter a lot of curves and sharp points since there is no straight line upward in work and life. Develop resilience, resourcefulness, and flexibility. These three skills will serve you well in 2020 and beyond. Be coachable and avoid becoming derailed by the inevitable (and avoidable) problems caused by being too nice.

 ©Jeannette Seibly, 2020

Jeannette Seibly is an award-winning advocate for creating leaders and results. For the past 27 years, she has guided leaders and teams to excel. Are you ready for an unprecedented 2020? Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results.

New Podcast! What Does Money Have to Do with Success?

Focus, Plan, Act are three keys to having a financially successful 2020…listen to my interview with Pat Williams (a recovering CPA).

http://ow.ly/Lcus30q7T55 (Anchor.FM)

https://youtu.be/gZCvo9IAtz4  (YouTube)

Why the Busyness Trap Sabotages You and How to Change It

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The best advice I can provide you for this new decade is to stop worshiping “busyness.”

Recently, I was talking with another coach. She was exclaiming about how busy she was and mentioned I was not talking about my busyness. Instead, I shared about launching my podcasts and the challenges and successes I’ve had. As she kept talking about her busyness, I could understand how she was sabotaging her ability to find new clients. She practiced busyness.

Many people believe being busy makes them sound more important or effective. Rather, it has the opposite effect. Do you know every time you say, “I’m so busy…,” people stop listening to you?

Why do you feel the need to create “busyness?” “People need a purpose in life.” (Stop Worrying About How Much You Matter, Harvard Business Review)

Today, people pride themselves on being busy, hoping to feel fulfilled and purposeful in life. But, instead, in this digital age, busyness has evolved into an excuse to not focus on the critical key actions for success.

One of the primary reasons we love to talk about how crazy busy we are, is we’re trying to feel something and not feel numb! (Crazy Busy: The Ultimate Numbing Strategy, Inc.)

For example, when we share our “busyness” with others, it’s not engaging them. We’re subtly telling them we don’t have time for them. (Think potential customers, family, friends, etc.)

For a successful 2020, you need to let go of “busyness” and create more effective habits.

9 Important Tips to Stop the Craziness of Busyness! Start now!

  1. Find Work that is Important to You. Almost 70% of employees today are in jobs that don’t fit them (What Engaged Employees Do Differently, Gallup). As a result, many people feel job satisfaction is a myth. Use a qualified job fit assessment to objectively clarify why you (and your team members) are not engaged. Then, create the right job responsibilities and develop the skills needed. Job satisfaction occurs when you and your employees are engaged, inspired and productive.
  2. Limit Social Media. Spending too much time on social media and comparing your life with others is a no-win exercise and time-waster. Most of these posts are only quick snapshots that don’t show how people are really feeling. Instead, get involved in something you enjoy. Volunteer for a cause. Help a neighbor or friend. Take a fun class or go get a certification. Do something that builds your inner self-worth.
  3. Get Out in Nature. Many times taking a 20-minute walk can rejuvenate you! Don’t listen to podcasts or talk on your cell. Simply walk. Breathe. Stop the inner mental chatter. Enjoy the sights.
  4. There are many ways to have fun while creating something new. You don’t have to be highly creative to paint a picture. Take photos. Build or rebuild a clock. Create code for a new online product. Cut out pictures and create a collage. The process rejuvenates your mind, body, and soul.
  5. Learn to Truly Listen. Truly listening to others stops the distracting internal mental chatter. Nothing is more rewarding than the feeling of being truly heard! When you listen to others, they will listen to you…together you can create new opportunities in life and business!
  6. Enjoy Silence. Instead of running off to the next meeting or task, set aside a few minutes to enjoy the silence. This helps re-energize and destress you!
  7. Handle Uncertainty. Often, we clutter our minds and calendars so we feel worthy and in control of our lives. However, there is no certainty or guarantee in life. Instead, take charge of what you can by making a list of what you need to handle now. Cut the list down to the top 5 must-be-done tasks. Rank them in order of importance. Now, yes, now, start on #1!
  8. Be Present Instead of Multi-Tasking. Believing multi-tasking is effective is a trap. The same can be said of busyness. Our brains are not designed to focus on more than one thing at a time. Doing so creates stress, miscommunication, and the need to procrastinate. Be present and focus on what you are doing and who you are talking with. Being present will add a rich and positive dimension to your life.
  9. Simplify Projects and Follow Your Dreams. Many times we love to make the process too difficult (and at times, impossible), sabotaging our ability to accomplish our dreams. Instead, hire a coach. Get unstuck. Take focused-action steps. There is always a breakthrough ready to occur when you are in focused-action.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2020

Jeannette Seibly is an award-winning advocate for creating leaders and results. For the past 27 years, she has guided leaders and teams to excel. Are you ready for an unprecedented 2020? Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results.

Improve Your Expectations to Encourage Better Results

expectations.boss

Many of us as bosses or team leaders have had to read our bosses’ minds and hope we read their expectations correctly. We are often afraid to ask too many questions out of fear of looking stupid. Yet, the problem is, we’re not mind readers!

Now, as bosses, we’re doing the same thing to our teams. Instead of sharing expectations simplistically and consistently, we expect them to just know. We even expect them to let us know if they are off track. The problem is, because they are not mind-readers, how are they going to know if they are off-track?

When you fail to share your expectations in a clear and consistent manner and expect your team to read your mind, there will be missed deadlines, miscommunication, and missed opportunities that cost you and your company millions of dollars.

6 Tips to Improve Expectations for Better Results

  1. Be realistic! This is #1. Engaging your team to achieve intended results requires your expectations to be in alignment with company and customer expectations. Be clear and ask questions to ensure you’re on the same page with your boss and customer before sharing your expectations with your team.
  2. Let Go of “Shoulds.” Stop focusing on how things “should” look and how the process “should” go. Results never occur in a straight upward line. Instead of insisting on only your way, ask your team for their ideas. Brainstorming gets everyone on the same page and your expectations in alignment with them while encouraging innovation.
  3. Communication is Key. Practice sharing your expectations out loud in front of the mirror. Keep them simple to understand. Then, like everything in life, communicate…communicate…communicate by being consistent and realistic.
  4. Be Responsible and Accountable. When your team members go awry, and they will, their results often won’t support your customer’s needs. This is on you.

      Ask yourself:

  • -“What did you fail to communicate?”
  • -“How can you get the team back on track?”
  • -“What does the team need from you to regroup and refocus?”
  1. Get Unstuck Quickly. Otherwise, the team’s motivation will be sabotaged. Remember, when you don’t share your expectations and managed accordingly, team frustration will set in and grow exponentially. If you keep sending mixed signals, you will get mixed results.
  2. Encourage Feedback to Avoid Surprises. At every meeting, ask for feedback on the project. Ask: What’s working? What’s not working? Then, “What do you need from me?” This will let you know if your expectations are on track, off track, or too unrealistic. It’s easier to fix things now rather than wait until the team has been stuck and is afraid to let you know. (Hint: with that level of frustration, they are circulating their resumes.)

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

Jeannette Seibly is an award-winning champion for people and results. For the past 27 years, she has guided bosses and teams to excel. Want to improve your results and communications with your team?  Contact Jeannette now for straight talk with dynamic results.

 

New! Podcast! How to Humanize Your Story for Success

Today’s guest is Don Cardona. As a former NBC and ESPN Sports Producer, he understands the power and importance of humanizing your story for success.

http://ow.ly/clfl30q3783  

https://youtu.be/Tr501DBbBlw  (YouTube)

It’s Time to Focus on What Will Improve Your Sales Results

Sales.business.time.focus.get real

It’s that time of year when everyone is looking at their sales numbers and making projections for next year. Yet, too often we fixate on the wrong things to improve our sales results and numbers. It’s time to get real and focus on the right things.

7 Tips to Ensure Your Sales Team is Delivering Real Results

  1. Hire the Right People. This is the #1 requirement to achieve sales results! Why? People that fit their job have a natural interest in achieving real results. It’s always important to go beyond the interview where they tell you what you want to hear! Use a qualified sales assessment to positively impact your results and bottom line. The right assessment provides you with interview questions and addresses the critical factors necessary for sales results (e.g., compensation, prospecting, closing, building relationships, resourcefulness, etc.). For example, if a person is unwilling to work in a sales commission job, hiring them doesn’t make a positive difference for anyone.
  2. Coach with Laser-Focused Accuracy. The right assessment tool also provides you laser-like coaching When you address the true issue with low performing salespeople, it’s easier to get real about how they can improve their sales skills. For example, telling someone they need to meet more people when they are already making a lot of contacts won’t make a difference. Instead, focus on coaching steps of how to engage people to determine potential buying interest.
  3. Focusing on Technology Doesn’t Fix Sales Results. How many times have you believed a new CRM or other technology-based sales system will improve sales results? This is a big, huge illusion. If you don’t have the right salespeople, technology will only make things worse. Your low producers will hide out behind learning the system as an excuse for not initiating the right conversations. The high performers will be annoyed they have to learn another new system.
  4. Customer Engagement Requires a Process. Are you engaging your customers on a quarterly basis? If yes, they are less likely to stray! Also, when you are top of mind, your customers are more likely to refer you to others. When meeting with the customer, use a scorecard to get real about what you are delivering versus what they need. Design these conversations to uncover new current problems and growth challenges. Provide qualified resources for your salespeople to become valued and trusted advisors. Remember, training is crucial for these conversations to be effective!
  5. Sales Team Huddles are a Must. If you’re not already doing this…start now! Have a standup huddle each morning for all salespeople. (Yes, stand up…if you sit during the meeting will go too long.) It is harder for so-so salespeople to hideout. It only takes 10 to 20 minutes. During the sharing, focus on progress actually being made and where to focus your attention for better results.
  6. It’s All about the Fundamentals. Train for the Details. I remember years ago a sales expert told me that you need to learn the details of your products and services to be a successful salesperson. This has made a positive difference for me when closing sales! Learn and teach your systems. Provide weekly training, updates, and stories. You can use the daily stand-up huddle for this too. Remember, successful selling is a lifelong process of learning with consistent reinforcement.
  7. Acknowledgment Works Wonders. Acknowledge your team, each team member, and your customers often. Share brags with others. Have an up-to-date dashboard showing results readily available. This encourages team support when someone is stuck.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

Jeannette Seibly is an award-winning champion for people and results. For the past 27 years, she has guided bosses and teams to excel. Want a stellar 2020? Improve hiring and coaching your sales team. Now is the time to contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results.

 

New! Podcast! How to Create Values for Balance and Success 

Interview with Katy Piotrowski…how to live an authentic, peaceful life based on creating your values for balance and success.

http://ow.ly/yZoq30q11ai (Anchor.FM)

https://youtu.be/9nt2rHoR4pE  (YouTube)