Entrepreneur

Lying to Job Candidates Is a Very Bad Idea!

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“Lying is rarely a good idea because there are always consequences when the truth is revealed.” Jeannette Seibly

Did you know 40% of hiring managers lie to job candidates? (ERE Daily)

When you consider that many believe lying is acceptable, little white lies, unintended lies, and even whoppers don’t seem like a big deal.

Lies can occur:

  • During the interview when you fail to use a well-designed selection system
  • When relying on outdated job descriptions to describe work responsibilities
  • When making job offers and failing to include promises or deny having made them

Examples include:

  • Plan on a one-hour interview, but it lasts for 2-hours
  • We have a two-week holiday break in December, but the expectation is that you’ll work during that time
  • Remote working is touted, but you need to live within a limited distance from the office
  • Your health insurance starts on day 1, after a waiting period
  • We provide career pathing, failing to mention it’s a goal, but not a priority
  • We’ll decide in one week, but fail to communicate when no decision has been made

Why does lying hurt your company, business, and reputation? You lied!

Applicants today are looking for bosses and companies they can trust!

Yes, I understand 90% of resumes contain inaccuracies, embellishments, and flat-out lies!

But you need to take the high road! Why?

Lies have consequences, even though there is a false belief that lying is acceptable.

The reason? It’s called integrity … and you cannot control integrity or manipulate it. Eventually, somebody will tell the truth or the lie will be discovered. Then, job candidates and employees will leave, costing you customers (current and future), reputation, top talent, and EEO claims of discrimination!

Example (this is based on a true story and fictionalized): Michelle interviewed for a position as a purchasing agent. The interviewer and hiring boss lied, saying they would have a job offer extended to her in two weeks. The two weeks came and went without any word from them, nor did they return Michelle’s calls.

In the meantime, Michelle accepted a job offer to be a Purchasing Manager at another company. 

In her new role, Michelle was responsible for vetting potential suppliers. She informed the company who lied to her about the job offer that her new employer would not be purchasing their products and services. When they asked why? “You lied. How can I trust you to deliver these orders on time and within budget?

How to Stop Lying!

First, create and follow a well-designed strategic selection system for hiring, job transferring, or offering job promotions. Ensure all hiring managers are trained annually on how to use the system and hold them accountable. Using a selection system reduces the need to lie, embellish the truth, or make promises that cannot be fulfilled. You will see your retention increase and your ability to attract top talent!

Talk Straight. When you make promises during the interview, be sure you have the authority to do so. Write them down and store in an electronic file. Include these promises in job offer letters to ensure everyone is on the same page. Promising to think about honoring the promise in the future spells disaster.

Communicate the Truth. Tell the truth about what the job candidates can expect, especially regarding any known or potential changes.

Example: Do NOT hire a manager (or higher-level boss) to clean up a team or department. The new boss may not agree with your assessment, or the company’s, on who to fire or keep! (Some are more concerned about being liked than cleaning up issues.) Make your team and department changes first! Remember, any new boss hired to “clean up a team or department” will not become a long-term employee since other employees will hold it against them.

Transparency is a Good Thing. If there are factions, limited budget dollars, cultural challenges, and/or mediocre quality issues, share them with the job candidate. After all, you want the person you hire to resolve the problems, not make them worse or be complacent.

Respect Starts with You! Yes, many job candidates lie or embellish their credentials. But two wrongs don’t make a right! That’s why you use a strategic job fit system to weed them out! But if you’ve been honest with them about work hours, job expectations, and growth potential, that’s respect!

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom guides clients to achieve intended dynamic results consistently! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about why lying to job candidates is a bad idea: How do you feel when someone lies to you? While you may believe it’s not a big deal, you stop trusting them! The same is true when you lie to job candidates. Please read about overcoming the need to lie during the selection process; this will improve your ability to attract and retain top talent. Contact me for a confidential conversation about becoming an employer of choice! 

The coach is in! Are you ready to build your confidence and success as a boss? A great boss uses an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience and wisdom guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams. Along the way, they achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching programs. Remember, your ability to lead depends on your effectiveness in hiring, coaching, and managing your teams, onsite and remote.

Improve How You Speak to Create Better Results

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“Your manner of speaking will create followers or detractors.” Jeannette Seibly
  • Have you ever attended a meeting where the F-bomb was used too often?
  • Do you or others use too much jargon or innuendos, leaving people annoyed?
  • Do you stop listening to people who talk for the sake of talking?
  • Have you been uncomfortable when sexist or racial comments are made?
  • Do you need to let everyone know when you are frustrated or upset?

When we’re honest with ourselves, we can all answer “yes” to the above questions.

The truth is that communicating with others can be exhausting when poor speaking habits are used. As a current or future boss, leader, and influencer, improving your way of speaking will create better results for your team, customers, and business.

How to Transform Your Speaking Style to Achieve Positive Results

Start your comments with the end in mind! This will keep your words on point, making you less likely to ramble. When sharing, focus on moving the conversation forward, not rehashing what’s already been said. It keeps your listeners listening!

Stick with common words. Use simple words. For example, use ‘generous’ instead of ‘magnanimous.’ Using common words gets everyone on the same page faster and keeps everyone’s attention. Remember, when writing (emails, memos, manuals, articles, or books), people do not look up the big words and will stop reading if you use more than one.

Stop talking to talk. Many people talk too much and too long. Then, they use inappropriate words, jargon, or innuendos to bring back the team’s attention. Instead, learn to share a personal experience or story. Keep it smart and simple! Really, really, really smart and simple! (Hint: Stay away from the details!)

Define jargon. Use the actual words when using jargon. Example: A/R, A/P, and ROI use Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Return on Investment). It keeps the audience listening to you! Remember, while those listening will say they understand, they are embarrassed to admit they don’t. It also prevents miscommunication when the audience relies on their interpretation.

Refrain from innuendos and gossip. It hurts your credibility since 99 percent of the time, you don’t have the facts. Get the facts and share them with the person who can make a difference (e.g., theft – talk with security or HR; not doing their share – talk directly with the person; poor job of hiring the right people – talk with the hiring boss, HR, and your CFO/Controller).

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom guides clients to achieve intended dynamic results consistently! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about improving how you speak and the results you achieve: Do you want to improve your results and those of your team? Improve how you speak, your choice of words, and pay attention to your audience. Contact me for a confidential conversation about becoming a great communicator! 

The coach is in! Are you ready to build your confidence and success as a boss? A great boss works with an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience and wisdom guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams. Along the way, they achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching programs. Remember, your effectiveness, influence, and confidence will accelerate when you have a coach.

You Need These 5 Confidence Builders to Achieve Amazing Results

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“Building confidence that never fails requires ongoing and consistent attention.” Jeannette Seibly

Building your confidence is essential for you to do each and every day, especially when dealing with daily demands on your time, attention, and energy. Remember to be aware of saboteurs (e.g., your team, boss, customers, and co-workers). Paying conscious attention will help you achieve outcomes faster while continually building your confidence and competence.

Here are ideas to develop and build your inner power and confidence!

  1. Believe in Yourself. It’s difficult when you experience a failure, mistake, or rejection. Breathe. Learn for the experience. Now, get back into the conversation for focused action!
  1. Be Present. Allowing your internal mental chatter to get in the way limits results and relationships! When having conversations and attending meetings or events, give 100% attention to the speaker. You’ll be amazed by what you can learn, even if you believe you already know it all! 
  1. Be a Results Producer. Going through the motions without a conscious intention to improve the quality isn’t taking focused action!
  • Get honest about the actions you are taking by hiring a coach.
  • Have the tough and needed conversations.
  • Don’t overlook quality. And focus on performance challenges, not personality differences.
  • Now, you can achieve the goals you used to dream about.
  1. Be Coachable. You don’t have all the answers, and frequently, you do things the hard way with limited results. Hire the right coach and watch your confidence grow with clarity and calmness.
  1. Get Your Brag On! Pay attention to your daily activities and wins by keeping a written log of your achievements. When it’s time for a job promotion, job interview, board meeting, sales presentation, or pitch for your book or product, you’re ready! Your brags make a big difference in building your confidence. They also build your reputation and ability to influence others!

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom guides clients to achieve intended dynamic results consistently! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about building your confidence each and every day: Consciously building your confidence each day requires recognizing when it is being sabotaged! Contact me for a confidential conversation about identifying and eradicating saboteurs!  

The coach is in! Are you ready to build your confidence and success as a boss? A great boss works with an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience and wisdom guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams. Along the way, they achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching programs. Remember, being coached accelerates building your effectiveness, influence, and confidence.

What Do You Do When Your Team Is Hurting Results?

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“When a team fails to achieve intended results, bosses and leaders need to look in the mirror first for answers!” Jeannette Seibly

No one likes to think their team is hurting results. But dismissing the issue, believing it’s unimportant, and failing to take responsibility for the systems and outcomes is a no-win for teams, bosses, customers, and leaders! Remember, finding new customers and talent costs a lot of money. And it overlooks the necessity to improve quality and your team’s reputation!

Tips to Discover and Improve Results

Get into Action. Ask questions to get to the core of the issue. Use an objective process: “What Worked? / What Didn’t Work?” Debrief as a team. This exercise will end the usual finger-pointing or the blame game. During this process, use acknowledgment for the “good things that did happen.” Appreciation encourages viable solutions!

Be in Communication. Keep your team and co-workers apprised when there is an issue. Ask questions after conducting your team debrief to see what else may be missing. Do this immediately, BEFORE talking with the customer or other people affected. Keep everyone up-to-date while valuing their input! Promise to resolve the issue(s). (Very Important Hint: Don’t drop the ball … people have long memories when promises are not kept! These memories can stifle your co-workers and team from working with you in the future.)

“Excuses don’t help make things better. They only offer a rationale to avoid trying.”

Simon Sinek

Bring in Outside Expertise. Everyone wants to hide that they failed to achieve the intended results, fearing embarrassment and humiliation. Consider that bringing in outside help takes the pressure off you to have all the answers. (Hint: You don’t; others may not value your opinions right now.) Work with these experts to diagnose the actual issue. Listen. Make appropriate changes. Don’t forget that ongoing and consistent training is crucial when developing new habits!

Use a Qualified Job Fit Assessment. When teams and team members fit their job, it diminishes miscommunication, factionalism, and other mischief! Often, issues can be resolved by using people’s strengths and placing them in the right jobs! First, refine job descriptions and job responsibilities. Second, develop the skills that impact the quality of the results: communication, critical thinking, and team management.

Top-Down Challenge. When results fail, many bosses and leaders focus on the bottom-up (employees v. management). Consider the issue may be you! While many bosses and leaders believe they are above reproach, their rigid perspectives and do-as-I-say mindset get in the way. Remember, it’s not business as usual anymore! Bring in an executive coach/consultant to improve the management team’s coachability and ability to coach others for results. Then, empower each boss and leader and provide the tools to make the necessary team changes.

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom guides clients to achieve intended dynamic results consistently! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about when your team hurts intended results: Set aside the normal finger-pointing! Now, create conversations and solutions to create win-win-win outcomes. Contact me for a confidential conversation about how to have conversations that produce intended results.

The coach is in! Are you ready to build your confidence and success as a boss? Great bosses work with an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience and wisdom in guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams. Along the way, they achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching program. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to achieve intended results for you and your teams!

How to Improve Your Ability to Communicate with Anyone Everywhere

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“Your ability to communicate effectively with anyone everywhere builds your career and promotability.” Jeannette Seibly

Working with a demanding boss or team member, or co-worker is something we all avoid whenever possible. The problem? It hurts your work results and relationships and limits your ability to be promoted.

You may believe you are good at hiding your true feelings about others. The truth? They know you don’t like them and find them difficult to talk with. And if they don’t see it, others will let them know! (Hint: You can count on that!)

How to Improve Your Communication Skills and Stop Avoiding People

Know Yourself. Use qualified job fit and confidential 360-degree feedback assessments. When you do these, you can now objectively clarify your strengths and weaknesses when working and interacting with others. Debrief with your coach, boss, and team members. Allow them to provide additional insights that build your effectiveness in work and communication with others.

Develop Compassion. You’ve not walked in their shoes, and they’ve not walked in yours. Have compassion for others’ difficulties. Ask them about their personal and business experiences, life, and goals. Genuinely listen. Everyone has an interesting back story that you can identify with and appreciate. Take the time to do this … the results will be amazing.

Level Up Your Listening. We all have automatic ways of listening to people. And we rely on our justifications about why. Instead, set aside your own biases and inflexibilities (aka insecurities). Listen with an open mind. It’s amazing what you can learn … and you’ll find others will suddenly become easier to work with. (Yes! It’s true.)

Build Your Confidence. Use your “brags” to build your confidence. Then, you’ll feel less fearful when talking with others and working with them to resolve issues and create solutions. Confidence can transform a relationship; they will now have your back and value your opinions.

Take Communication Programs. Take several … not just one! Too many business professionals, bosses, and leaders today have poor communication skills. (Yes, it’s hard to believe!) Take a Toastmasters, Landmark, or other program that focuses on communicating with others, building positive relationships, and making presentations. These skills are invaluable and can be used anytime and everywhere!

Now, these difficult and sometimes evil people you feel forced to work with are not so bad! And others will recognize your ability to work with anyone anywhere and at any time. It’s how you will positively influence others and enjoy those job promotions and accolades!

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom guides clients to achieve intended dynamic results on a consistent basis! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about your ability to communicate with anyone everywhere: Working with a difficult boss or team member, or co-worker is something we all avoid whenever possible. The problem? It hurts your work results and relationships and limits your ability to be promoted. Contact me for a confidential conversation about how to work well with anyone, anywhere, and at any time.

The coach is in! Are you ready to build your confidence and success as a boss? Great bosses work with an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience and wisdom in guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams. Along the way, they achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching program. Remember, coaching accelerates your communication effectiveness and influence.

Factionalism Hurts Retention, Revenues, and Results in Any Company

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“Eliminating factionalism positively impacts your company’s revenues, results, and retention.” Jeannette Seibly

Factionalism is: A condition in which a team or company is split into two or more smaller groups with differing and often opposing opinions or interests. (Dictionary.com)

We expect teams and departments within any company to work well together all the time. This expectation can be unrealistic. In reality, every company will have conflicts here and there. It’s when those disagreements don’t go away that factionalism erupts. It creates dysfunctional workplace cultures and hurts employee satisfaction, customer retention, and the bottom line.

What Causes Factionalism?

When leaders cannot satisfactorily resolve animosity, competition, indifference, and ongoing disputes, teams, co-workers, and bosses often take on bad attitudes, take sides, or blame others.

Factionalism erupts due to:

  • Negative attitudes by bosses and leaders toward each other or a small group of people
  • Hiring, promoting, or job transferring people that don’t fit the job responsibilities
  • Pitting departments or groups of employees against one another for competing needs
  • Adversarial mindsets (e.g., sales reps blame customer service or operations when a customer is lost)
  • Allowing egos to get in the way (e.g., “we” v. “I” OR “us” v. “them”)
  • Forgetting about the importance of the mission and vision of the company
  • Withholding important information
  • Not holding remote and hybrid workers to performance and company standards
  • Blaming the customer or group of employees for mistakes or problems

How to Be the Solution to Factionalism and Not the Contributor to the Problem

Communication, Communication, Communication. There are many bosses and employees who are not good or great communicators. Poor communication causes people to take sides with “he said this” v. “no, she said that” v. “I thought it meant this.” As the boss or leader, ask questions to uncover the true intention and facilitate win-win-win outcomes. Remember, factionalism often begins as a small solvable concern before it erupts into an impenetrable mountain.

Solve Conflicts Immediately. When someone deliberately and consistently impedes progress creating confusion or chaos, s/he needs to be coached or removed from the job or team, or conflict will escalate.

Examples include:

  • Withholding information and resources
  • Ignoring emails or advice
  • Making the solutions more complicated than necessary
  • Blocking issues from being fixed
  • Hostility towards others’ ideas
  • Refusal to take advice that can make a difference
  • Failure to admit mistakes
  • Unwillingness to resolve team conflict

The truth is that when your team members (or you) lack the communication, project management, and people skills required, change is necessary. Hire an executive coach and use a performance improvement plan to ensure they are making progress.

Get Real. Gossip, myths, and lack of critical thinking impede the truth. Also, the lack of top-down or down-up conversations (communication) hinders addressing the real issues. You must realize that when customers and top talent leave, it’s important to tell yourself and co-workers the truth about resources, company and people changes, and customer requirements.

Hold Team Retreats and Inter-Team/Department Discussions. Training in communication, team building, team meetings, and confidence building are just a few examples that help everyone keep the lines of communication open to reduce factionalism. When your employees or teams get territorial about their work and systems, it’s usually because they do minimal work to get by (e.g., quiet quitting) or fear asking for help. Hire an outside facilitator to create insightful group discussions, ensure everyone is heard, and keep everyone engaged.

Use Job Fit Assessments to Understand Differences Objectively. When you or your team blame others for not thinking and working like you do, it’s time to understand “why objectively.”

In my experience, using a qualified job fit tool can reduce factionalism. It helps everyone understand and appreciate differences objectively; productive conversations and communication open up too. Job fit assessments have the highest scientific validation and reliability and provide more accurate data. They can eliminate miscommunication, blaming or nitpicking, or other disrespectful behaviors and attitudes that create factionalism.

Fulfilling Expectations. When you expect others to get along AND make your own effort to get along with others, you will reduce factionalism. Enforce policies and procedures, set clear guidelines on ‘no-tolerance policies’ (e.g., choice of words, favoritism), and refuse to allow your team to bypass others, citing the need for expediency. (Hint: It’ll actually take longer to resolve when the detour is discovered!)

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? With Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom, she guides clients through sticky situations and challenging relationships for dynamic results! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about factionalism in your workplace culture: As bosses and leaders, it starts with you! You set the example and the tone within your teams of how to get along and work well with others. Get involved. Listen to concerns. Have conversations for win-win-win outcomes. Contact me for a confidential discussion about how to reduce and eliminate factionalism.

The coach is in! Are you ready to build your confidence and success as a boss? Great bosses work with an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience and wisdom in guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams to achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching program. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to manage, lead, and influence others.

Bosses impact everyone’s ability to love their jobs, enjoy learning new skills, and work well with others. To accelerate your team’s results, use the PXT Select to see the “whole person.”

Tough Times Require Resilient Bosses to Achieve Results

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“Bosses … resiliency during tough times is the key to achieve amazing results and future career opportunities.” Jeannette Seibly

Today’s workplaces are undergoing tough changes and need resilient bosses! But, instead, many bosses allow their frustrations and inability to transform relationships and situations to get in the way.

Do you:

  • Believe hiring for job fit is nonsense and takes too much time?
  • Believe your team should get their jobs done faster by doing it your way (aka micromanaging)?
  • Feel your customers demand too much from you? Your team?
  • Hate your team constantly bringing you problems and making your job more difficult?
  • Believe it takes too much time to get others’ input, especially when you won’t use it anyway?

If you are being truthful, you will answer yes to at least one of these questions.

As a boss, it’s usually easier to achieve intended results during the good times. But it’s during the tough and uncertain times that team members will either value and follow you for your resiliency and “can-do” attitude, or post negative ratings!

How to Build Your Resilience to Achieve Results

Develop Your Inner Power. Your self-esteem is important. It’s a reflection of your inner power and resiliency when mistakes occur and problems arise. Take the time to work with an executive coach. Also, consider talk therapy with a licensed therapist. Take part in workshops focused on developing your confidence and communication skills, while upgrading your project and people management talents.

Ask for Help and Feedback. Now, more than ever, you cannot go it alone, especially during tough times. Learn how to ask for help and ask for feedback from your team, co-workers, boss, and others when making decisions. Make sure you’re really listening! Be open to expanding your point-of-view … remember, it’s not business as usual. Example: When a customer is unhappy, ask for specific feedback of what didn’t work! Now, get the team in focused action to create and implement solutions, not excuses!

Hire for Job Fit. Job fit is why teams excel! But too many hiring bosses believe anyone can do any job successfully. The problem is, if the person doesn’t have the interest, thinking style, or core behaviors, they will fail to achieve intended results. Poor job fit often results in miscommunication, conflict, and other mischief (aka a lot of extra problems, work, and sleepless nights)!

Coach and Manage for Quality Results. Stop settling for mediocrity and accepting excuses, especially when you can make a huge impact during uncertain times. (Think, your competition has already given up.) Learn to ask good business questions designed to get your team thinking outside the box, and critically thinking about how to fulfill customer demands. Learn to brainstorm and do not dismiss off-the-wall ideas! (Hint: They are usually the best ones!)

Mindfulness and EI are Still Important. Your emotional intelligence (EI) and ability to be present during conversations are the marks of a good boss. Life and business are never easy all the time. Example: It requires continually developing your resilience and willingness to say, “I/we made a mistake … this is how I/we plan to fix it.” Then, get it resolved immediately!

Don’t Shy Away from Tough Conversations. Remember, your voice matters! Stop going into meetings believing your ideas won’t matter! Instead of being defensive in these meetings, state your commitment and concerns first. Second, ask questions to discover and uncover others’ true hesitations or differing opinions. Listen. There will be areas of agreement that you can build on. Be a parrot when necessary, and don’t become emotionally attached to the outcome. Remember, the goal is win-win-win.

Keep Developing You, Your Individual Team Members, and Your Team as a Whole. Guard your budget dollars to ensure ongoing training and development. Now is not the time to dismiss developing everyone’s skills because you cannot afford it! If there’s a will, there’s way (think, taking initiative and being resourceful). Remember, tough times don’t last, but tough bosses do!

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? With Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom, she guides clients through sticky situations and challenging relationships for dynamic results! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about being a resilient boss during tough times: Remember, tough times don’t last, but tough bosses do! Do you know how to be resilient when you want to pull the covers up over your head and call-in to take a personal day? This week, discover and put into action at least one tip to develop your resiliency. Contact me for a confidential conversation about hiring, coaching, and managing for profitable success during tough times.

The coach is in! Are you ready to build your confidence and success as a boss? Great bosses work with an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience and wisdom in guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams to achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching program. Remember, coaching increases your resiliency and has you succeed during tough times!

Bosses impact retention, revenues, and results each and every day by how they engage employees. To improve your bottom line, use the PXT Select to see the “whole person.”

Bosses Engage Their Employees to Build Profitable Companies

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“The right bosses are the keys to your company’s profitability and employee success!” Jeannette Seibly

According to Workplace by Gallup®, economic growth has slowed and created low employee engagement. Loss of customers and profits. And poor management of people, resources, and revenues.

Building a profitable company requires bosses that engage their employees!

As a management executive, did you know:

  • 82% of the time, bosses are chosen for the wrong reasons (e.g., technical ability, length of employment, likeability)
  • Employees feel being unemployed is better than hating their jobs, and their bad bosses
  • More than 75% of employees are quietly quitting (not engaged) or loudly quitting (actively disengaged), hurting profitability and customer retention
  • More than 50% are not engaged and put in minimal effort to get by, blaming their bosses

“Employee engagement has an even stronger connection to performance outcomes during tough economic times.” (Workplace, Gallup®)

It’s why you need to hire, promote, and job transfer the right people into “boss” positions.

It’s Essential Bosses Improve Engagement, Productivity, and Profits

#1 Start with how you hire, promote, and job transfer people into “boss positions.”

Many employees want to be bosses since it means a bigger paycheck, perks, and title/status (and sometimes they want the power). The problem is that many people may know their jobs well but make poor bosses in your workplace environment for various reasons. Remember, not everyone is cut out for a boss/leadership position, so it’s important to provide alternative career paths to keep top talent. The question to ask: How can they continue to grow and be positive contributors to your business?

Example: A great salesperson was transferred into a boss position. It didn’t take long for employees to complain about her poor “boss style.” Instead of giving her back her former job, they fired her! She left and took several large clients with her!

Job fit is key! There are over 3,000 assessments published today. Yet, only a few provide valid, reliable, and predictive data. You and your company must see people for who they really are, not how they want to be seen. Clarity about the “whole person” is a crucial factor in your ability to develop great bosses. Otherwise, your training, coaching, and management efforts will be thwarted!

Here are questions to ask yourself about how you decide whom to hire, promote, or job transfer into boss positions:

  • What objective criteria are being used to determine who will be a good boss?
  • What predictive analytics are being used that provide objective, valid, and reliable data?
  • Do they want to be a boss or have different career goals to pursue? (Hint: Ask them and listen to their response!)
  • As a boss, are they open to developing better communication skills? (Hint: As a boss, communication skills become more critical.)
  • Are they coachable? (Hint: A requirement for them to succeed.)

#2 Profitability requires accountability for how bosses build employee engagement.

Developing your company’s bosses needs a committed team of management executives, external executive coaches, and internal company mentors. Together they can ensure all bosses engage their employees daily. Failure to “check-in” will negatively impact retention, revenues, and results!

Do they:

Develop their team members? To engage employees, it’s important that your bosses ask for and listen to their team’s ideas before making decisions. Also, ensure bosses offer all employees challenging assignments that support their career goals.

Have tough conversations using compassion and experience? Too many bosses focus on likeability. It’s why they fear having tough conversations. While a damaging discussion with a boss can disengage the employee quickly, tough conversations done right ensure retention (e.g., eliminating bullies), revenues (e.g., meeting budgets and timelines), and results (e.g., resourcefulness and resilience).

Focus on results, not personalities? Each team member has natural strengths. Are your bosses building on these strengths? Also, ensure your bosses are not trying to fix a person’s personality (e.g., talks too much, dominates conversations). Instead, they need to provide all employees with appropriate skills training.

Acknowledge team members? This is crucial! Ensure your bosses are specific when praising their teams and acknowledging each and every team member’s contribution. (Hint: Listen to how they talk about their team members with you. It’s a reflection of how they communicate with their employees.)

Have 1:1 meetings weekly with each employee. Every employee needs the boss’s undivided attention. For best results, remind your bosses to turn off their gadgets, listen, and focus on one strength the employee can build on. Multi-tasking disengages employees!

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? With Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom, she guides clients through sticky situations and challenging relationships for dynamic results! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about ensuring your bosses engage all employees: Did you know that 82% of the time, bosses are chosen for the wrong reasons (e.g., technical ability, length of employment, likeability)? In today’s workplace, hiring and developing bosses is crucial to ensure a profitable company with engaged employees. Contact me for a confidential conversation about hiring, coaching, and managing for profitable success.

The coach is in! Are you ready to build your confidence and success as a boss? Great bosses work with an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience and wisdom in guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams to achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching program. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to manage as a great boss!

Bosses impact retention, revenues, and results each and every day by how they engage employees. To improve your bottom line, use the PXT Select to see the “whole person.”

 

 

How to Have Conversations for Positive Results (Part 2)

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“Our ability to communicate effectively requires being aware of how our interactions impact others.” Jeannette Seibly

This is Part 2 of a two-part article:

When having conversations, it can be difficult today to know what to share, and when and if to share it.

In last week’s article (Part 1), I wrote about why conversations sharing too much information – too soon (TMI-TS) can hurt your credibility, sales, and building solutions for positive results.

This week, I will go deeper into how to overcome sharing TMI-TS and offer strategies for creating positive results through great conversations.

How to Overcome Sharing TMI – TS (Too Much Information – Too Soon)

Invest in developing an effective communication style since it is the key to your career and business success!

  1. Who Is Your Audience? Share from your own human story your lesson learned (yes, only one) to overcome your mistake or performance challenge. Remember, keep it short and on point — people have short attention spans!
  2. Be Aware of Your True Intention. Our minds are great at circular logic or rationalization. While you may believe you’re being forthright, it may come across as manipulative, falsely believing you’re being authentic. Talk with your coach to ensure your conversations attract and engage others, not repel them by sharing TMI-TS.
  3. Honor Today’s Business Expectations. Using four-letter words, jargon, and other off-putting communication styles may seem trendy. The truth is that it conveys a poor communication style that hurts your credibility when someone doesn’t know you. Develop stronger relationships first before letting your vocabulary loose!
  4. Apply for a Job. TMI-TS is telling your personal story, labeling yourself, or announcing must-haves in the first job interview. While you may believe it’ll avoid a problem boss or employer, it hurts your chances of a job offer. While the interviewer may not be biased, it is often not a true representation of the workplace culture.
  1. Listen as a Hiring Boss. Stick with job-related questions. Don’t interact with a job candidate about being gay, divorced, or bored (ADHD) (to name a few examples!). It’s why the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has a huge backlog of allegations claiming discrimination (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, medical) when the claimant wasn’t offered the position or promotion. 
  1. Share Your Story. While sharing stories can build good working relationships, consider the impact and timing first. Practice in front of a mirror to ensure you feel comfortable telling it! Remember: Keep It Short and On-Point!
  • In a public presentation, sharing a personal experience can engage the audience. (Examples: “Why this helped me succeed.” OR “What I’ve done to change a bad habit.”)
  • In an inner-company meeting, share only your personal experiences, not someone else’s. Be sure to tell the story within the context of the conversation.
  • In network meetings or trade shows, talk about products and services. To get the conversation started, brag about an achievement. (Example: “I am a Leadership Results Coach and have guided 100s of bosses to improve their hiring, coaching, and managing results.” Jeannette Seibly)
  1. Acceptance Takes Time. “I’m concerned about others accepting me,” a businessman lamented. Then, he countered, “I don’t want to spend time developing a relationship with a client who won’t accept me as a Republican (Jewish, gay, or ???).” Acceptance takes time. This fear thwarts a commitment to your purpose, business vision, and mission in conversations. 
  • Instead, share your “brags” about who you are and why you’re good at what you do. While business is changing, TMI-TS doesn’t work. The good news is that many business relationships today overlook lifestyle choices when you are respectful and trustworthy, depending on how you communicate them. 
  1. Addressing Poor Job Performance. Too often, when you rely on a personal story to discuss why you failed … it can be heard as an excuse and may limit your credibility and influence. 
  • Instead, hire an executive coach to get real about your poor job performance since many bosses are not good coaches. This is often due to poor job fit. For example, expecting good attorneys also to be good rainmakers (sales).

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? With Jeannette’s extensive experience and wisdom, she guides clients through sticky situations and challenging relationships for dynamic results! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about how to have conversations for positive results: Sharing too much information too soon (TMI -TS) hurts your credibility, others’ willingness to listen, and your results! Contact me for a confidential conversation about how to communicate for positive results!

Build your confidence and success as a boss! Great bosses work with an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams to achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching program. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to communicate like a great boss!

Want to know why your team has poor communication skills? Use the PXT Select to ensure job fit for hiring, coaching, and managing success.

 

How to Have Conversations for Positive Results (Part 1)

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“Our ability to communicate effectively requires being aware of how our interactions impact others.” Jeannette Seibly

This is Part 1 of a two-part article: 

Many professionals today like to tell it like it is for them.

Topics include:

  • Talking about their bad boss or team
  • Inner fears or childhood experiences
  • Lifestyle choices (gender, politics, religion)
  • Other experiences (e.g., natural disaster victim, ADHD, mental health)

They believe it’s important to share everything early and that being authentic saves them from experiencing personal hurt feelings and bad experiences later.

But sharing too much information – too soon (TMI-TS) can have negative impacts. It can hurt your ability to have real conversations for positive results (e.g., resolve conflict, develop solutions for a client, or close a sale). The truth is, it might not have become or been an issue if you had waited.

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • How much do you share when you meet someone?
  • Are you an open book about your personal, family, or business concerns?
  • Do you share your lifestyle choices too soon?

Why Is This Important?

Remember, ALL good relationships, business and otherwise, take time and patience!

When you share TMI-TS, it unconsciously draws a line of demarcation that others won’t cross. It’s not that they have a bias; they feel their personal boundaries have been disrupted. They believe that no matter what they say or do in response, it’ll be wrong. Then they leave the conversation, even when continuing to stand next to you.

To be an effective communicator, consider the following before oversharing:

  • Pay attention to who your audience is
  • Learn how to “brag” humbly to share your credibility
  • Have conversations designed to build win-win-win results
  • Build a good working relationship regardless of your personal experiences or lifestyles
  • Develop strong inner power, self-esteem, and confidence from all of your life and work experiences

My next article will go deeper into how to overcome sharing too much information – too soon and offer strategies for creating positive results through great conversations.

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? With Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom, she guides clients through sticky situations and challenging relationships for dynamic results! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about how to have conversations for positive results: Sharing too much information too soon (TMI -TS) hurts our credibility, others’ willingness to listen, and our results! Contact me for a confidential conversation about how to communicate for positive results!

Build your confidence and success as a boss! Great bosses work with an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams to achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching program. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to communicate like a great boss!

You’ll excel as a boss and leader when you can appreciate others’ communication and learning abilities. Use the PXT Select to ensure job fit for hiring, coaching, and managing success.