Executive

What Happens When Bosses Fail to Apologize?

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Bosses.Apology.2An employee asked questions of her boss to resolve a critical distribution issue. He didn’t have the answers. She kept pressing him to get her the answers she needed until he left the meeting upset by her persistence. He ignored her requests to meet with him and refused to apologize for coming unprepared for the meeting. Thirty days later he fired her.

Many people fail to apologize for mistakes, misunderstandings, or the words they choose to use (e.g., profanity, mispronouncing someone’s name, using jargon incorrectly, etc.). Their words and actions can hurt relationships and negatively impact results.

Failure to apologize can create:

  • -Resentment
  • -Gossip
  • -Avoidance  behavior
  • -Snarky remarks
  • -Turnover
  • -Profitability
  • -Loss of customers, jobs, promotions, or pay increases
  • -The list is endless!

As a boss, you don’t have the luxury of not apologizing and making things right with employees, co-workers, vendors, customers, or even your boss. It’s your responsibility to set a positive example and create win-win-win outcomes.

Remember, your communication style either energizes or deflates your team. Win-win-win outcomes require learning a very important communication skill…how to genuinely apology.

6 Steps for a Genuine Apology

Always start with honesty, courage, and respect so you can stand up and extend the “olive branch.”

  1. Become present to what you said or the mistake you made. This may require journaling or talking with your coach to uncover the true problem.
  2. Offer “I’m sorry.” or “I apologize.” Both offers create the start of a healthy conversation. This must occur to get the problem resolved in a win-win-win manner.
  3. Listen to their response. If they are angry because you waited too long or you’ve humiliated them, you may not be present to the impact you caused. Listen and learn from their response before again offering an apology.
  4. Don’t defend. The situation happened. Being right or making them wrong won’t get the issue resolved or move the conversation forward. Listen and talk without defending yourself. (Catch yourself before excusing what happened with a, “Yeah, but.”)
  5. Ask what you can do to resolve it. What needs to happen to move forward? Ask for their opinion and input. If you don’t, the resentment will continue.
  6. Forgiveness works magic. Genuine apologies allow for you and them to let go of resentments. Then, true forgiveness is naturally possible.

Remember, all relationships have their upsets. As a boss, learning how to genuinely apologize is an important part of communication.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

Managing people is one of the biggest challenges bosses face daily.  As an executive coach, Jeannette Seibly has been championing people and results for the past 26 years. Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results.

Run more effective meetings by managing this #1 challenge:  http://ow.ly/Maox30oTBr6

 

6 Ways to Effectively Manage Difficult Top Performers

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Manage Difficult Top PerformersAs a boss, managing top performers can be the biggest challenge you will face. While some top performers can be easy to work with, many can be difficult and will push anyone in their way to the edge.

Most of these top performers know they know their stuff. Since they believe others are less knowledgeable and less capable than they are, it taxes them to listen. Even listening to their boss can be a challenge, particularly when they don’t respect him or her!

If you are the boss of difficult top performers, learning how to manage these VIPs is important. It requires you keeping them engaged and growing.

If these difficult top performers are causing you sleepless nights, it’s time for you to improve your management skills. Not, get rid of them. (Remember, we love their results!) If you’re not willing to go the extra mile, consider a different job.

6 Ways to Improve Your Management Skills

  1. Address “issues” positively with straight talk. Top performers want to feel heard and valued! Unfortunately, they also create conflicts. Don’t avoid conflicts, bulldoze over them, or tell others “it’s the way it is.” This only creates animosity and more conflict! Instead, set a positive example by talking straight and listening to learn from them. Be open to new ideas since top performers have plenty of them!
  2. Engage these results-producing performers with challenges and new opportunities. Stay away from giving them busywork, which they are quick to spot and resent. A real challenge can look like this: transition a top sales producer to selling in a different market or selling a new product line. First, before transitioning them into a new role, assess the person for job fit with the new challenges and responsibilities. This is critical! A top performer’s skills may not transfer well from the old job to the new one (e.g., success in inside sales does not equate to success in outside sales). Remember, if you move them and they fail, they will leave, taking ideas, results, and other top performers with them.
  3. Expect good people skills. Too often, we overlook top performers’ interpersonal skills since they are top producers. The problem is they often create chaos and are typically lone-rangers. When there are relationship spats (and there will be), don’t step over or attempt to personally resolve them. Instead, expect them to reach a collaborative resolution within a set period of time.
  4. Adhere to systems and policies. Too often, difficult top performers believe they are exempt from following systems and adhering to policies. If you managing this, there will be a negative impact on others. Hold them accountable and responsible.
  5. Focus on developing tangible skills. Don’t manage their personalities. This bears repeating…do not manage their personalities! A qualified 360-degree feedback assessment is an invaluable guide on where to focus. Review the objective data to uncover leadership, communication, and project management skills that need improvement. Only address one or two areas at a time.
  6. Remember, money is not a motivator. While your difficult top performers may demand more and more money, higher salaries will not keep them or make them easier to work with. Find other ways of compensating them based upon results (e.g., perks, vacations, gift certificates, industry recognition, etc.).

©Jeannette Seibly, 2010-2019

Managing difficult top performers can be one of the most difficult challenges bosses face.  As an executive coach, Jeannette Seibly has been championing people and results for the past 26 years. Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results.

 Run more effective meetings by managing this #1 challenge:  http://ow.ly/Maox30oTBr6

 

 

How to Overcome Poor Project Management and Bad Results

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Project management resultsMany of my readers are not PMs for large complex projects (e.g., designing an airplane, IT, or other big projects). Yet, regardless of the size of your project, project management can be difficult for many people. If you want to achieve better outcomes, embrace doing the right things to improve your project results!

Did you know projects fail at an astonishing rate of more than 50% of the time? Many team members lament they’ve been on many projects and never saw a project succeed! (Harvard Business Review)

When you think of the millions wasted, this is a huge problem.

So, what’s missing when projects fail?

Good project management. “90% of teams believe a great project manager is critical to the outcome of a project. “(Oracle)

But, first, to be a great PM, you need to improve your project management skills; otherwise, you will fail to achieve intended results.

9 Signs of a Bad Project Manager

Which of these traits sound familiar?

  1. Procrastination. Missed deadlines, not available to answer questions, allow conflicts to escalate and fail to fulfill promises.
  2. Micromanager. Doesn’t trust the team to do it right and nitpicks how tasks are completed instead of focusing on how well they are completed.
  3. Pollyanna. Overly-optimistic and believes in the power of positivity to the point of ineffectiveness.
  4. Overly Critical. Nothing is ever right or good enough….waiting for something to go wrong…it becomes a self-fulling prophecy.
  5. Know-It-All. When you think no one knows the answers better than you do, you will sabotage even the best teams.
  6. Egotistical. Concerned about looking bad, and focused solely on your own future promotions and bonuses with no consideration for your team.
  7. Fear of Conflict. Doesn’t have the skills and avoids involvement in tough conversations out of fear of being disliked.
  8. Allows the Creep Factor. Overlooks poor project design, unresolved kinks, and fails to manage difficult team members.
  9. Focuses Solely on Scoreboard. Only focuses on the end-results and fails to manage the process of how to achieve intended results.

 9 Ways to Become a Results-Producing Project Manager

  1. Owns the Project and Intended Results. Timelines and milestones will be missed if you do not own the project and results. Factually address any “elephants” in the way to avoid having them trample over the team’s results.
  2. Improves Communication Processes. Communication is essential to good project management. Ensure everyone that needs to know has access to all updates.
  3. Shares the Credit. Acknowledge individual and group contributions to build team comradery.
  4. Manages Swoopers. When your boss swoops in to fix and motivate team members, it usually demotivates the team. Keep the boss apprised with a cc: on important items. Consult with the boss 1:1 if there is a major issue or setback.
  5. Develops Team Decision-making Process. Side decisions, 100% consensus or democratic voting will disengage the team. Build alignment through persuasive listening, which requires training. This process may take longer, but, will save you a lot of time and money in the long-run.
  6. Provides Resources. While many projects have kinks, pitfalls, and saboteurs, develop resilience and resourcefulness to work through them. Engage the team in true brainstorming to answer: Who, What, Where, Why, and When… before asking How?
  7. Selects the Right Team. There should be a mix of talent and skills to design the project and executive the plan. Non-core team members should only be included on a short-term basis.
  8. Honors Risk Management. To manage risks, use experts in finance, IT, legal, people, operations, sales, and marketing to get correct and usable information.
  9. Holds the Team Accountable. Manage the plan, budget, timeline, process, and outcomes, not individual personalities! To ensure team accountability, be open and flexible to for positive results.

When you embrace these 9 critical elements to become a results-producing PM, your projects will achieve intended results. During the process, you will also champion new benchmarks for future teams.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

Being a results-producer can be one of the most difficult challenges bosses face. Jeannette Seibly has been an award-winning champion for people for the past 26 years. She has guided bosses and teams to produce unprecedented results. Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results.

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Want to Improve Your Results? Expand Your Vision

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expand your vision.better results.2Bosses and leaders exist to maximize results. This often unwritten job responsibility includes “approaching problems through a lens of opportunity.” (Forbes, 2013)

The ability to expand perspectives and design the right game plan will improve your results. It requires expanding the lens of your vision to create what your results could be. Embracing and engaging in this approach is a career and results changer.

What Gets in the Way?

Many bosses rely on linear thinking. From their POV, they find it easier and less work when they do what they’ve always done. They believe that change can rock the boat and hurt their upward mobility and paycheck. Unfortunately, these narrow points-of-view cause bosses to miss out on new opportunities and promotions! Remember, doing the same old things the same old way will disengage teams, hinder customer satisfaction, and turn the bottom line red.

Don’t miss another opportunity to improve your game plan by sharpening your vision and expanding your results!

6 Ways to Develop an Expanded Vision

Be patient. Developing an expanded vision take years of disciplined practice to master the ability to fine-tune your results. To achieve mastery faster, use the PXTS Leadership Report. It covers the six essential, time-proven leadership traits (Wiley, 2019) needed to achieve intended results.                                        

Commitment. It starts with you. You must practice broadening your awareness and POV. When you have grandiose and unrealistic expectations, it will limit the quality of your results. Once you implement your game plan you will hit snags, and, at times, a concrete wall. Keep your vision focused on the game plan without changing the intended results! This honors your commitment to work past these snafus.

Get to the Root Cause. Linear thinking bosses fail to get to the heart of the issue and continue hoping for the best results. Non-linear thinking bosses also fail by relying (and hoping) on the helicopter approach. But, hope is not a strategy! Use persuasive listening skills and be open to discovering the root cause. Armed with this expanded vision, you can now produce amazing results.

Develop True Brainstorming Processes. Most companies do a horrible job of brainstorming. They rely on the first good idea or succumb to the boss’s vision of how it should be. Write down ALL ideas, no matter what they are, before discussing the pros and cons. Many times we laugh or criticize off-the-wall ideas. Yet, these can ignite team members to create a broader vision and build expanded results.

Get Real. Many goals sound great on paper or in your head. Yet, your observations of what will work may not work inside your company. This is true even if the idea worked for a competitor. To combat this, ask questions and listen to others (e.g., team members, functional areas in the company, and 1 or 2 business advisors). Be select when asking the right people for input and observations. Remember, too many opinions will muddy the perspectives of what to do next.

For example, have you ever seen postings on a social media site asking for help? Usually, they will receive 10+ ideas. Then, inevitably, the people posting the request express being confused, overwhelmed, and not knowing what to do next. Too many opinions will cloud your lens making your vision murky. Doing it alone will not work either.

Avoid Circular Logic. This is the biggest hurdle in achieving your intended results. Instead of straight talk, you hear what you want to hear and muddle your discernment of reality. Clarity is crucial. Use an experienced executive coach to guide you through the inevitable complex issues and confusing situations you will face.

For example, your intended results impact employees. Yet, you fail to include them during the design, planning, and implementation stages. Your excuse, “I don’t have time.” This will get you in trouble. You can either take some time now or take a lot of time later. (Think, hours vs. months or years.) Always remember, employees can embrace your game plan or silently thwart your envisioned results!

To expand the lens of possibilities, expand the direction of your envisioned results.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

Being a great boss requires working through complex issues and confusing situations. Jeannette Seibly has been an award-winning champion for people for the past 26 years. Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results.

Has your game plan by thwarted by your team? Want to know why?  http://ow.ly/Maox30oTBr6

6 Simple Ways to Have Productive Conversations

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productive conversations“Take responsibility for shifting unproductive conversations into positive ones.” Jeannette Seibly

Imagine having conversations that prevent others from sabotaging your results.

The one simple way to do this is to stop unproductive conversations.

This saves time, money, energy, and relationships.

Non-productive conversations focus on gossip, ongoing conflicts, and the news. These types of conversations leave you feeling un-energized or drained after a team meeting or 1:1 conversation.

Productive conversations are focused on resolving current issues, addressing how potential solutions impact the future, and creating new possibilities for results.

Take Responsibility for Transforming Your Conversations

  1. Use Basic Meeting Tactics. Have an agenda, create minutes, and set up a communication portal with easy access for all team members. As the facilitator or boss, stay on schedule without sacrificing the need to resolve issues (new and old). Remember, for productive outcomes, you need to manage logistical and people for virtual and group meetings. Attend a workshop or use an executive coach to develop facilitation skills, instead of using trial-and-error.
  2. Have 1:1 Meetings. The fastest way to cause unproductive conversations (e.g., side conversations) is to use the full team meeting to handle issues that only impact a few. Instead, handle these types of issues 1:1 or in small group meetings. Share with the team the results of these meetings, where appropriate. Relationship issues should be kept confidential.
  3. Stop Mind-Reading. No one is a mind-reader. Share your expectations out loud and clearly. Reinforce them by repeating the vision and the goal(s) of the project each meeting. Don’t assume anything.
  4. Train to Handle Conflicts. Disagreements, upsets, and conflicts must be addressed immediately. If they aren’t, they will grow from a molehill into a mountain! Unresolved team conflicts will disrupt the meeting due to sniping, barbs and other unproductive comments.
  5. Embrace Tough Conversations. Yes, I said embrace. These are way too easy to avoid, and will cost you the most time and money! Address the “elephant in the room.” Use the straight-talk approach by starting the conversation with the facts. Allow each person to share his/her thoughts and brainstorm as a team to resolve it. Share your concerns last and make sure everyone is really listening.
  6. Engage in Strategic Conversations. Productive conversations focus more on facts and the creation of strategies for win-win-win outcomes. Be candid about the strengths and weaknesses of ideas after brainstorming has been completed. Align on a plan instead of relying on a consensus. Alignment takes away a lot of the unproductive, manipulative comments and self-focused recommendations during conversations.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

Being an effective communicator as a boss is the #1 key to your success. It can be difficult to know when to stand up and speak up. Jeannette Seibly has been an award-winning champion for people for the past 26 years. She has guided bosses and teams to excel. Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results.

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How Can I Be a Boss When I Hate Managing People?

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Boss.Hate Managing People.SeiblyI have many clients who don’t enjoy and actually hate working with people. After working with me, some have grown so much they now excel at working with people. Others have made job changes that don’t require managing others…and are now successful in their careers. Some became entrepreneurs, believing it would prevent them from having to deal with managing people. Yet, they found that in order to make money, they needed acceptable people skills.

Whether you like managing people or not, good people skills are critical for success.

Managing people can be confusing:

  • -They say one thing and do something different.
  • -They get upset with you for telling them the truth.
  • -They ignore your advice and do it their own way…to the detriment of others.
  • -They lie about how difficult it is to work with you in order to further their own career.

Gordon is a manager in a technology company and has 10 team members that report to him. When there is a problem, he uses the ostrich approach and only gets involved when it’s absolutely unavoidable. He pits team members against one another by not filtering his comments. He says he detests chaos, but, actually thrives in it because he can swoop in to save the project and client.

After hearing many complaints, Gordon’s boss mandated he works with a coach. At first, he tried to manipulate the coach into believing he had the wrong team members. After all, it wasn’t his fault people were difficult to work with. But, the coach had a lot of coaching experience and started the process with a qualified job fit assessment on Gordon.

The assessment results showed Gordon he didn’t like managing people. He remarked, “True, but, there is no other way of making more money and landing a better position in the company.”

Over the next several months, he listened, became coachable, and used the advice the coach gave him to handle specific situations. He enrolled (and actively participated) in “soft skill” workshops. These built his confidence and competence. He still did not enjoy managing people, but, he learned how to effectively work with them and through them to achieve the intended results. A year later, he was promoted to the director level.

What Can You Do When You Hate Managing People?

  1. Clarify. Do you actually dislike working with people OR do you lack the training and experience to do so? To gain a realistic POV, use a qualified job-fit assessment. Using objective data will help you understand why you feel the way you do. It can also help you understand your team members and gain insight into how to improve your working relationships.
  2. Resolve Past Circumstances. When past issues have not been resolved (work, personal, and family), they’ve not been forgotten, even if you don’t consciously remember them. Take the time to talk out concerns (e.g., trust) and gain a healthier perspective by working with a therapist.
  3. Take Part in Soft Skills Training. Participate in workshops that focus on experiential processes, not concepts or theories. These will provide breakthroughs in how to work effectively with and manage people like a boss. Areas to focus on include: conflict resolution, active listening, building alignment, creating win-win-win outcomes, etc. As the boss, you probably will not love managing people, but, you will develop an effective management style over time.
  4. Hire an Executive Coach. And, find an industry mentor. Each can help you work through confusing situations and political relationships. As the boss, the keys are to listen and be coachable.
  5. Focus on the Project and Results. Focus on empowering your team. As the boss, provide clear goals, budgets, milestones, and expectations for projects. Manage according to milestones and provide needed resources for the team. Don’t manage people’s personalities. When conflicts occur due to team members being difficult, personally resolve it or bring in a facilitator. Remember, it does not mean you’ve failed when you bring in an outside executive coach to resolve a major issue. It actually makes you look successful.

 ©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

Being a great boss requires working through complex issues and confusing situations. Jeannette Seibly has been an award-winning champion for people for the past 26 years. Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results.

Is your team over budget and missing their milestones? Do you know why? http://ow.ly/Maox30oTBr6

 

Why Do I Make the Same Costly Mistakes?

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Avoid Costly Mistakes“Mistakes will continue to happen if you don’t learn from them.” Jeannette Seibly

As a coach, I’m asked great questions.

Recently, one of the best was, “Why do people continue to make the same mistakes?”

There is no one right answer to this question.

Here’s a story of someone that didn’t learn from her costly mistakes.

Shelby spent $12,000 to publish her first book. The process was not easy, despite her book coach, Bert, telling her it wouldn’t be hard. The first mistake was when Bert assigned Nolan to do the layout of Shelby’s book before the manuscript was professionally edited. Costs mounted due to lots of changes, frustrating everyone involved. Shelby’s second mistake was expecting the sales of her book to occur without any marketing. Bert had failed to outline a marketing plan with her. A year later, when she published the second book, Shelby repeated the same mistakes leaving her frustrated and broke.

Understand Why Mistakes Repeat

Ego trumps objectivity. We want easy and immediate answers, believing if we’ve been burnt once we way too smart to be burnt again!

Intuition isn’t always right. Mistakes repeat when you confuse intuition with emotional feelings about someone or something.

For example, you’re driving down I25 in Colorado from Denver to Castle Rock and are about to pass the Castle Pines exit. Suddenly, a little voice says, “Exit Here!” Your ego chimes in saying, “I’m in a hurry and can’t be late by taking the scenic route.”  Several miles later you find yourself stuck in traffic due to a major accident that closed the highway. That’s intuition. There often is no immediate logic when intuition speaks.

Rely on others’ experiences. Others’ experiences are not yours! Someone else’s career path or life choices worked for them, but, won’t necessarily work for you.

Duped by charlatans. Yes, they exist! If you believe you cannot be duped, check social media posts and feeds!  It’s very common.

8 Tips to Avoid Repeating the Same Mistakes

  1. Clarify, “What’s the end result I need or desire?” This is a critical and often overlooked step. Create three non-negotiables to avoid mistakes. For example, what are three must-haves to accept this job offer (e.g., health insurance, pay, job title, job responsibilities, etc.)?
  2. Self-Talk. Negative talk about yourself will diminish inner confidence and increase the likelihood of mistakes re-occurring. Learn self-promotion to gain true confidence from your past accomplishments. This creates a positive foundation to avoid repeating mistakes.
  3. Awareness. In other words, we make a difference. Become emotionally and socially present when interacting with others and watch the difference you will make.
  4. Trust Yourself. Seek objective information and stop relying on your biased mental chatter. Talk with no more than one or two confidants. Asking for more than three opinions will normally leave you confused and stuck.
  5. Work with Your Executive Coach. Confidentially talk out complex issues or confusing situations with your coach. This support will objectively uncover your blind spot(s). Then, take immediate actions without over-analyzing them! (If you are over-analyzing, it’s just your ego in overdrive.)
  6. Read Biographies. Many successful people (yes, Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King, Michael Jordan – to mention a few well-known and successful people) have failed and made mistakes. You’re not alone! Learn from them.
  7. Become Friends with Your Calculator. Many people profess to hate math…yet, numbers can help you make better decisions. Take a refresher financial and/or math class. To avoid mistakes, work with a financial business consultant to double check your numbers and logic.
  8. Create New Habits. Ask questions and deep dive to collect objective data about products or services. Don’t forget to have a real attorney read any contracts before you sign them!

A couple of questions to get you started:

-How are your services/products different?

-How much money is expected up front? When is the balance due? (Hint: pay by credit card for faster refunds.)

-What have been your successes?

-What is your biggest mistake? Why? What did you learn?

By using the 8 tips above, you will learn to avoid repeating the same costly mistakes over and over again.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

Being a great boss requires working through complex issues or confusing situations to avoid costly mistakes. Jeannette Seibly has been an award-winning champion for people for the past 26 years. Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results.

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How to Rock the Boat for Better Results

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Success.Failure

Making a commitment to stand up and speak up can rock the boat with any team. It requires courage and an ability to take have the right, sometimes, tough conversations to produce better results.

The challenge is not everyone will agree with you; and, not everyone will support you, even if you are correct.

So, it begs the question, “Why bother?”

Ask yourself, “if I’m not willing to rock the boat, who will?”

The underlying problem is fear and it creates the ostrich approach.

Some excuses are:

  • “I’m uncomfortable saying anything.”
  • “No one will like me or listen to me if I say anything.”
  • “If it doesn’t bother me, it shouldn’t bother you.”

Taking the ostrich approach ignores obvious matters and pretends they don’t exist. But, when problems do exist, avoidance doesn’t support the intended results.

Successful teams know that being clear of the costs of poor outcomes and making the commitment to rock the boat will produce better results.

It Takes Courage

Ignoring an issue until it can no longer be avoided is not a good practice. Provide training on how to conduct effective meetings (group and virtual). Use an executive coach to get the team unstuck and guide the creation of viable solutions. Encourage each and every team member to stand up and speak up. These will build communication, trust, accountability, and amazing results.

Rock the Boat Responsibly

  1. Voice your concerns in a positive tone. Remember, some team members will be unwilling to listen and consider there is a problem. Be prepared to review the objective facts before addressing less-factual concerns. Be respectful when addressing differing POVs.
  2. Brainstorm solutions with the team. Focus on creating win-win-win outcomes by brainstorming solutions with the team, not relying on one person for the answers. Don’t jump on selecting the first idea that resonates with the team. Explore ideas by taking the time to ask the right questions and deep dive into who, what, when, where, why, before addressing how. Use persuasive listening techniques to build alignment before revising the plan or project.
  3. Implement changes immediately. After alignment has occurred, it’s time to implement the change immediately. Remember, change can be difficult for some people and waiting will have people get cold feet. Make sure the person responsible for implementing the change has the interest and ability to do so. If there is a problem, immediately set up a meeting to talk with them. Before offering solutions, address: What has been done? What do they view as the next step? What, if anything, has stopped them from taking the new action?

©Jeannette Seibly, 2017-2019

Being proactive as a boss is one of the most difficult challenges you will face. It’s difficult to know when to stand up and speak up. Jeannette Seibly has been an award-winning champion for people for the past 26 years. She has guided bosses and teams to excel. Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results.

Is your team over budget and missing their milestones? Why? Get your answers: http://ow.ly/Maox30oTBr6

How to Be a Proactive Boss and Stop Fire-Fighting

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boss.fire fighting.proactiveEverywhere, exhausted bosses hate having to put out “fires.” The sad truth is, many of these “hot issues” are preventable by being proactive.

I remember reminiscing with a former coaching client last year. We laughed at the many stories we had addressed when he was the director of a technology company.

One of the most powerful stories was, he never seemed to worry about anything. His normal response, “I understand that maybe I should be worried … and I am concerned … but, I don’t see how running around will change anything.”

His new version: “If there is a fire in the building, I need to get involved instead of sitting and roasting marshmallows.”

He was right. Over-reacting is just as bad as not-reacting. It’s why our coaching calls focused on becoming a proactive boss that prevented “fires” from occurring.

Get Into Action Now

Stop Waiting for “The Perfect Time.” It’s a myth! Waiting until the situation or issue is “really hot” makes it more difficult to “put out the fire.” Attempting to drench it with a fire hose only has team members drown in chaos. In the chaos, the real core issue is camouflaged by smoke and mirrors. Listen up! Be open to hearing what you don’t want to hear. It’s the only way to be proactive and put the fire out now.

Two co-team facilitators sniped at each other during team meetings. Many team members stopped attending and blamed each other for the conflicts. When the boss heard about it, she simply stated, “People will be people.” It wasn’t until her top employee left that she decided she better listen! He blamed her for his need to leave. Perplexed, the boss asked why he felt that way. He replied, “All you had to do was care enough to be proactive, instead of waiting for the inevitable fires.”

Uncover “Why” There Are Upsets and Frustrations. Have you been hearing gossip and sparks of dissension?  If there are complaints, it’s past time to get involved! First, address what you have been afraid of hearing. Then, listen and ask questions to get to the heart of the matter. Don’t fall victim to the popular blame-game often used by others to deflect their responsibility. Straight talk and openness are required to create solutions. Note: If the fire is serious enough, before plunging in and making matters worse, dowse it by hiring an executive coach.

Badgering or Micromanaging Will Not Fix the Issue. Many times bosses feel helpless to resolve a current fire or a spark about ready to ignite. They default to nitpicking, playing the blame game, or steamrolling to get the results. These traits do not build high-performing teams, nor resolve the heart of the issue! When asking good business questions listen to your team members. Remember, you can fix the process, but, you cannot fix personalities.

Everyone Needs Training. Most fires are preventable with proactive actions. It starts with training everyone in how to conduct effective meetings, in-person and virtually. Remember, proactive training is ongoing. Focus on listening, conflict resolution, building trust, and holding each person accountable for the results.

Acknowledgement Work Wonders. It’s the boss’s job to let each and every team member know they are valued for their efforts. This can prevent fire-fighting. Why? When team members feel they matter, they are more likely to proactively prevent sparks from turning into out-of-control fires.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

Being proactive as a boss is one of the most difficult challenges you will face. It’s difficult to know when to step in and when to simply advise. Jeannette Seibly has been an award-winning champion for people for the past 26 years. She has guided bosses and teams to excel. Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results.

Hope is not a strategy to get your team unstuck! Learn 10 ways to do it now.

How to Be a Great Boss and NOT Steamroll Your Team

by

Steamroller.Boss

  • -Do you fail to listen and interrupt your team members constantly?
  • -Do you ignore others’ opinions when trying to brainstorm solutions?
  • -Do you fail to coordinate with others and consider your impact on them?
  • -Do you fail to build alignment to get everyone on the same page?

If you answered yes, you probably consider yourself a results producer and expect others to overlook your steamroller approach. Consider this story.

Joelle was looking forward to working with her new boss, Jake. During the interview, Jake asked all the right questions and said all the right things. When Joelle asked good basic questions, he appeared to listen to her by nodding his head.  She was excited to accept the job offer. However, Joelle had failed to deep dive into Jake’s expectations and management style.  

At the very first team meeting, Joelle experienced Jake’s true style as a boss…a steamroller.  During the two hour meeting, he ignored others’ ideas. When he allowed others to speak, he vetoed them or talked over them or talked as if they hadn’t spoken. He acted like he knew the right way to do everything.

 After the meeting finally ended, Joelle was exhausted. She asked one of her new team members, Jon if Jake was having a bad day. Jon shrugged his shoulders and said, “Its Jake’s normal style. At least he wasn’t yelling and blaming us for the current challenges we’re facing.”

Joelle immediately texted the recruiter and told him to find her another job pronto! She wasn’t going to work for a steamroller.

Steamrollers are considered results producers who know how to get the job done. However, they also are considered pushy people who go to great lengths to get what they want when they want it. They have the need to prove they are right about everything.

The real challenge for a steamroller boss is to learn how to reduce team frustration caused by their steamroller approach.

Managing Your Steamrolling Style

Know Thyself. If you’re a steamroller, it’s important to know why. Use objective data from scientifically validated job fit assessments. This tool allows you to discover your natural style and why teams react towards you the way they do. As a company president once stated, “There will always be breakdowns with team members. Knowing ahead of time what can happen and how to address it allows me to sleep better at night.”

Art of Talking It Out. Not listening and being a “know-it-all” hinder your teams from being top results-producers. When talking with others, it’s important for you to ask questions and listen to their responses. Build on these ideas and deep dive to ensure you understand the meaning of their comments. Be fearless when addressing conflicts and get them resolved for win-win-win outcomes.

Fix Your Own Problems. Too often steamrollers create havoc. They expect others to clean up the messes they make, particularly in relationships. It’s important YOU make the effort to learn from your mistakes. It starts by apologizing (without any excuses) and making amends.

Be Proactive, Not Highly Reactive. Steamrollers are always pushing the panic buttons because they don’t believe their teams are operating the right way. STOP! Your constant badgering and micromanaging are getting in the way. It hurts innovation and team camaraderie. Plan your work and trust others to contribute to the plan. Don’t forget to acknowledge each and every team member for their efforts.

Develop Awareness. The good news is a steamroller can produce intended results. The bad news their process can be fraught with upsets and frustrations. Steamrolling discourages team members from wanting to work with you and for you. Hire an executive coach and use a qualified 360-degree feedback tool. These will provide insights and clarity. Ask your coach: “How do I stop being a steamrolling boss and still produce intended results?” Then, listen, consider what has been said, and take corrective actions.

Be a Straight Talker. Remember, just because you have a frank and direct way of speaking does not make you a steamroller. People today feel comfortable with fluff and indirect conversations. However, these types of conversations can be time-consuming and produce limited results. Become the type of boss that talks straight without steamrolling. Remember to let your team know before you make comments they don’t or won’t want to hear.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

Developing your team is one of the most frustrating and difficult roles as a boss. Jeannette Seibly has been an award-winning champion for bosses for the past 26 years and has guided teams to succeed. Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results.

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