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Prevent Poor Results: Proactively Address Bad Behavior

December 2, 2024 by Jeannette Seibly

“Bad behaviors in the workplace need to be addressed before bigger issues are created.” Jeannette Seibly

As a boss/leader, it’s important to address bad behavior before it impacts or hurts results for the company, client, and team.

Waiting and hoping the issue(s) will resolve itself is not a proactive strategy.

This lack of initiative usually backfires and will escalate into a bigger workplace issue that now costs time and money. Even worse, top talent and clients start leaving. Note: This article is focused on a team member, not the entire team. Contact me for help to address bad team behavior.

Proactive Steps to Resolve Bad Behavior

Be Aware: Pay attention to all of your team members’ behaviors, such as being late, dismissive of others’ ideas, and causing conflicts with team members and others. Is this a one-time occurrence? (There may be nothing to do depending on the severity of the behavior.) Or has it happened more than once? (It’s time to address.)

Talk 1:1: Schedule a meeting to discuss your observations and include any feedback you’ve received from others. Be sure that the meeting is confidential (not in your office) and is free from interruptions.

Express Concern: Start the conversation by expressing genuine concern for the well-being of the individual.

o “I’ve noticed some changes in your behavior recently (be specific: arriving late to meetings, argumentative), and I’m concerned about you. Is everything okay?”

Use Open-Ended Questions: This encourages the person to share their concerns and feelings. Be sure not to judge or fall into the “Ain’t it awful” trap.

o “What’s been going on lately that is causing this behavior?”

Listening and Understanding: Actively listen without comments. Silence works wonders if the person doesn’t respond or appear to understand.

Provide Support by Identifying Needs: Never assume you know what needs to be done. Ask the team member for what type of help s/he needs. This could include counseling services, additional training, or adjustments to their workload. If there is an issue with the team leader or another team member, resolve it without embarrassing the person you’re talking with (e.g., hurtful comments, ideas not being heard). If their role on the team or in their job isn’t working, it may be time to use a job fit assessment to determine how to restructure their work responsibilities.

Set Clear Expectations. Use straight talk when outlining the expected behaviors and performance standards. Together with the team member, create an action plan with specific and achievable goals, along with deadlines.

o “Let’s discuss what’s expected in terms of behavior and performance so we can work towards improving the situation together.”

Follow-up and Monitoring. It’s up to you to check in and monitor progress while providing the support required. This is where many bosses/leaders fail to make a positive difference. Use the Sandwich or Direct approach depending on the person … make sure it is constructive. Note: If there are the same excuses each day/week, it’s time for a come-down-to-reality conversation and a revised plan of action.

o I’ve noticed positive changes in your behavior, and I appreciate your effort. Let’s continue working on the remaining areas.” OR
o It’s been several weeks and there hasn’t been notable progress. Let’s review the plan and see what changes we need to make.

Encourage Feedback from Others. Have an open door where team members can share their concerns. But don’t fall into the trap of agreeing with every nuance that occurs (e.g., perceived slights, concern about others sharing off-the-wall ideas) – people are human beings – and are not perfect. Focus on performance and not personalities.

o I’ve found this process to be extremely useful and eye-opening in bringing together a team and overcoming biases and judgments. Use a job fit assessment for all team members and contact me to conduct an effective team debrief. Then, encourage each person to meet with another one to review the results. This process fosters open communication.

Appreciation Works. Remember to express your appreciation to each and every team member … this can make a big difference in modifying people’s behaviors.

o For additional training, use the “Get Your Brag On!” to guide employees to recognize their impact and successes.

Jeannette Seibly is a Talent Advisor/Leadership Results Coach with over 32 years of practical experience guiding leaders and bosses to improve their hiring, coaching, and managing practices and produce amazing results! And yes, achieving business success always starts with having the right people in the right jobs! She has been an Authorized PXT Select® Partner for over 33 years. Contact Jeannette to learn more about these state-of-the-art job-fit assessment tools or how to coach and manage your people to achieve incredible results.

A note from Jeannette: It can be difficult to address bad behavior … most bosses/leaders ignore it and hope it will resolve itself. The problem? It rarely gets better on its own and usually costs lots of time and money. Even worse, you will lose top talent and clients the longer it’s not addressed. This week’s article provides a proactive approach to address the issue now. Contact me with any questions – we can address how to resolve what seems unresolvable.

Now is the time to get into focused action! Are there days you dread doing what is needed to manage your people, projects, and team’s financial performance? You’re not alone! Everyone has those days! But continuing to hide behind excuses only hurts you and your future promotability. I have extensive experience and wisdom guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams successfully – this includes getting you out of the way and working with and through people effectively to achieve the results required. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching programs.

The Secret to Overcoming Team Resistance

November 21, 2024 by Jeannette Seibly

“Use a compassionate no-nonsense approach when teams are resistant to change.” Jeannette Seibly

There are many ways to overcome team resistance … but the secret is to strengthen your ability to communicate effectively.

Managing teams that are resistant to change requires patience, empathy, and clear communication. By understanding the root causes of resistance, involving your team in the process, and providing support and resources, you can create the intended results and a process that motivates the team to do more.

Use Effective Communication to Address Resistance Constructively

Use a compassionate no-nonsense approach. This approach blends empathy with clear, direct communication. This style is effective in leadership and interactions as it respects others’ feelings while maintaining focus on results.

• Have empathy (the ability to understand and share the feelings of another – Oxford Dictionary) and be clear by actively listening and engaging with concerns.
• Be direct in your expectations, feedback, and decisions.
• Hold team members accountable by acknowledging feelings.
• Offer support and resources, yet be firm in setting boundaries (e.g., timetable and budget).

When offering new ideas, take responsibility for how you share them. Remember, you’ve been thinking about these changes for a while. It may be the team member’s first-time hearing about them. Hence, resistance. Talk straight in a no-nonsense way. Don’t be cutesy and make jokes to communicate your point … also pay attention to microaggressions you may not be aware of saying. (Talk with your executive coach to distinguish them.) Stick with the issue being addressed and why the change is necessary. Don’t be afraid to hear others’ suggestions, but don’t get bogged down and take the team off-track.

Beware of the “I’m confused” default response. Yes, some employees default to confusion when they resist change or need to step out of their comfort zones. They use this excuse to not be held accountable … why? It works! First, talk with your executive coach to ensure you are clear on how to best present your ideas or suggestions. Use a job fit assessment for objective feedback. If this “confusion” happens frequently, the person may be in a job that isn’t a good fit. For example, if you place a technical person into a customer service role, they may lack the required mindfulness when interacting with people on a frequent basis. (They are actually confused.)

Build trust by being consistent and leading by example. When team members fear playing a bigger game, there will be a lot of resistance! Are you leading by example? Are you willing and able to listen and talk through the concerns without disrespecting the team? Do you allow others’ fears to diminish achieving the goal? (Hint: Goals should be ten words or less and stretch you and your team from where you are now.)

Get back to basics through training … it is critical. Provide ongoing training … one and done does not work when guiding team members to expand their communication, critical thinking, and technical skills (and your communication and leadership skills). Remember, be patient … small steps will always lead to significant gains.

A note from Jeannette: Team resistance to new ideas or ways of doing their work can be challenging as a boss/leader. A compassionate no-nonsense approach works best since it includes empathy and talking straight. Contact me to start a confidential conversation and address how to resolve what seems unresolvable.

How to Acknowledge Fears Due to Uncertainties

November 18, 2024 by Jeannette Seibly

“It’s important to keep moving forward responsibly during the uncertainties being experienced right now.” Jeannette Seibly

While uncertainties are a natural part of life and can be challenging, they also offer opportunities for growth and adaptation.

There are many uncertainties today due to natural disasters, economic and political confusion, and global impacts. These often elicit fears – fear of change and fear of the unknown. As a boss/leader, it’s essential you acknowledge your own fears and manage them first. Your reactions can encourage innovation, business growth, and new systems … or keep you and others stuck in fear.

Fear is contagious! Don’t disregard your own! (Yes, I’m repeating it since many bosses/leaders fail to acknowledge their own fears!)

• Take the time to talk with your executive coach and stay in action moving forward.
• Use a job fit assessment leadership report to uncover your leadership blind spots … during times of uncertainties, people are more sensitive to your words and actions.
• Keep up-to-date on any industry, business, and company changes, no matter how small.
• Focus on moving your team forward and keeping them engaged. Remember, team members will mimic how you handle these challenging moments of uncertainty.
• Do your homework, admit to not having all the answers, and talk straight.

How to Acknowledge Fears Responsibly

Acknowledge your fears privately. Acknowledge your fears and treat yourself with compassion. Take time for self-reflection. Answer, “What is keeping me awake at night?” Start a private journal (for your eyes only) to address your actual concerns and possible solutions. Also, write down new insights and opportunities that pop up – no matter how off-the-wall they may seem.

Share your concerns appropriately and responsibly. Recognize situations or thoughts that trigger your reactions. These may be unrecognized biases and fears. Acknowledge that they are natural and normal human responses that everyone experiences. But don’t hang onto them. During team meetings, set aside fears and create a “What if …” time for new ideas to flow. Stay away from “How to do it” – that comes later after the brainstorming phase.

Focus on what you can impact. With your team, develop a plan that will provide a sense of direction using new strategies. Set manageable goals by breaking down milestones into small, achievable steps. These “wins” are essential.

Don’t step over acknowledging others’ contributions. Appreciation can minimize others’ fears of change and uncertainty which cause anxiety and impact performance. Share your own fears and growth appropriately and with brevity.

Practice mindfulness. Be aware of words and attitudes (yours and others) that get in the way of team members and others feeling that they are part of the process. Stay present during conversations and other interactions, especially about any issues or team conflicts. Get them resolved immediately. Remember, breathing practices can help calm the mind, alleviate feelings of fear and indecisiveness, and improve the quality of win-win-win outcomes.

Stick to the facts and use numbers/metrics to de-escalate any upsets. Speak responsibly and factually. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t have an answer at the moment.” This builds trust, credibility, and influence. If you engage in hyperbole, your board, team, or client will stop listening and trusting you. Remember, what you say and do will be repeated and possibly recorded.

Stay connected. Again, don’t attempt to go it alone. When confronted by a problem, talk it out with your executive coach, one or two trusted confidants, and with your management team. (Don’t post on social media!) Also, attend trade, industry, and professional meetings — these can provide insights from shared experiences and give a sense of community, making it easier to cope with uncertainties while pursuing new opportunities.

A note from Jeannette: Fear due to change and uncertainty is contagious! As a boss/leader, it’s essential to take care of yourself and your team dynamics during times of uncertainty. This week’s article addresses considerations to guide you and your team to move forward and address the natural fears that are arising at this time. Contact me to start a confidential conversation and address how to resolve what seems unresolvable.

How Do You Prevent Being Derailed as a Boss or Leader?

November 11, 2024 by Jeannette Seibly

“Be open to knowing you don’t know everything – especially as a boss/leader.” Jeannette Seibly

While studies cite the lack of confidence and accountability as to why many bosses/leaders fail, too often, the culprit is that bosses/leaders are know-it-alls, and this attitude causes poor communication!

As a result, these bosses/leaders talk too much, alienate others due to poor listening skills, and miss hearing important information. How familiar does this sound regarding your experiences with a boss or as a boss?

The challenge is accepting that you don’t know everything and adjusting your attitude when people are talking. It starts with your communication style.

Communication Skills to Prevent Career Derailment

1. Adjust Your Expectations. When a team member, co-worker, or boss talks, listen! Adjust your usual listening from “I’ve heard this before” to “What can I learn?” – even when you’ve heard it before!

2. Be Aware of Your Actual Strengths and Weaknesses. Understanding yourself requires using a qualified job fit assessment. Otherwise, most assessment results will show how you want to be seen – but NOT how others see you (this is critical since people want to work with bosses/leaders they can trust)! Until you have this information, you may communicate in a manner that is not you – alienating others from listening to you. Work with an executive coach to address your communication blind spots.

3. Develop Your Business Acumen. It’s time to discuss numbers, results, and the bottom line. Be sure you’re talking facts by understanding what the numbers, results, and bottom line represent, not how you “feel” about them. Others stop listening if you use the word “I feel” too often.

4. Develop Emotional Intelligence (EI). Manage your emotions and develop compassion as you address people, technical, and financial challenges. You will develop confidence by listening more than talking and focusing on results instead of buying into the “it won’t work” mindset. Encourage everyone to talk through conflicts, difficult conversations, and factions, not avoid them.

5. Stay Informed and Open to Learning. This is a superpower! You must keep up with industry and professional trends and changes. Listening, reading, and asking questions is the best place to start. Then, have conversations with industry experts — you will make better decisions and speak knowledgeably when addressing competitive issues and leveraging data.

6. Empower Your Team Members. You can empower your team members through your listening and asking open-ended questions. This encourages them to bring solutions when there is a problem instead of relying on you for the answers.

7. Address Issues with your executive coach and industry mentor. Get the facts and do this before making decisions. Learn how to create win-win-win outcomes by listening more than talking and setting aside your ego: “I already know/did this.” Instead, ask, “What am I missing?”

8. Get Your Brag On! When done correctly, bragging builds confidence and the ability to influence others. Remember to develop your ability to use your brags to pitch, negotiate, and sell your ideas.

A note from Jeannette: Many bosses/leaders today are unaware of how their communication style, poor listening habits, and being a know-it-all can hinder their success. Often, it causes career derailment. Need guidance to improve your communication as a boss/leader? Contact me.

How Well Do You Really Listen?

November 4, 2024 by Jeannette Seibly

“It feels great to be heard.” Jeannette Seibly

Communication is a boss/leader’s superpower. It enhances their credibility, influence, and ability to achieve intended results.

Yet, many of you do a poor job of listening for various reasons.

Your excuses or reasons could include:

• “I don’t have time.”
• “I’ve heard this from others or the same person several times.”
• “I don’t care.”
• “If they would just do their job and stop making it more complicated than it is, we wouldn’t keep having these conversations.
• “I expect others to do their work and not make my job more difficult.”

While seeing these excuses in black and white can be off-putting, all bosses/leaders experience these feelings — some more often than others. But as a boss/leader, you don’t have the luxury of not listening! Failing to listen can and will come back to haunt you.

Remember, when employees feel heard, it increases their loyalty and trust in you as their boss/leader!

Let’s Dig Deeper into Why Employees Do Not Feel Heard

Instead of making needed changes, you make excuses. This could have been a great opportunity to build on a new idea by listening to the employee sharing the idea! Sometimes, all it takes is listening and not doing anything. The solution is asking open-ended questions and listening!

Recommendation: Ask them to create a written plan. Now, they feel heard. Review the plan! Offer suggestions for improvement. Then, do what is necessary to make the needed changes. PS: Don’t forget to acknowledge their efforts along the way!

You turn any problem or challenge around and blame the employee. “You need to stay focused on your own job.” (Or some variation of this.) Employees don’t feel heard and valued because you are defensive and take problems personally.
Recommendation: When an employee points out an issue, investigate. While it may not be a big problem, there is a good chance it will become one. What can you do to be proactive? This encourages employees to let you know when things are amiss, saving time, money, and your career.

You’ve not dealt with a recent failure, mistake, or personal setback. Grief is sneaky. It can shade your ability to listen to what an employee (boss or board) is really saying. You may overreact due to unaddressed feelings or denial; the employee feels you aren’t listening and overreacting to what they are saying.

Recommendation: Remember, your feelings come from within you; some conversations may trigger negative responses due to unresolved issues. Talk with your coach about how to handle these challenges. Talk with a grief counselor/therapist now to work through the emotions that will inevitably pop up!

Note from Jeannette: Are you a good listener? Many bosses/leaders would say, “It depends.” It’s important to listen – especially when you don’t want to do so. It will save time, money, and your career! Let’s talk now and address your communication concerns—before it’s too late. Contact me!

It’s Still Crucial to Develop Quality Human Interaction Skills

October 28, 2024 by Jeannette Seibly

“Quality human interaction is a major reason companies succeed along with their newest technology.” Jeannette Seibly

Sadly, companies today are hiding behind their technology instead of training employees in basic customer service and communication skills.

Recently, a woman went to a major pharmacy for her annual vaccines. Although a sign stated, “Try This New Check-In,” she went to the counter to check in since no one else was in line.

Thirty minutes later, the woman is still waiting. The four other people waiting were being served first because they used the “New Check-In” QR Code. They were frustrated because there was a problem with their vaccine orders and told the pharmacist to allow the woman ahead of them to go first. The pharmacist and assistant ignored all of them.

When an older man arrived for his vaccines 40 minutes later, he went to the counter to check-in. The assistant insisted he sign in using the QR code. The problem was he had to return to his car to get his phone, causing an unnecessary inconvenience. This was poor customer service.

At this point, the woman spoke with the store manager. When the store manager apologized, the woman responded, “The biggest issue wasn’t the wait; it was the disrespect and lack of human interaction that was so frustrating. While technology is important, it should never overshadow the value of human interaction.”

Did you know that people will drive further to buy and pay more for identical or similar items when they can talk with a human rather than AI?

As bosses, you must develop all your team members to be responsible for good customer interactions and responsiveness.

Great Customer Service Requires Ongoing Training

Train for Basic Communication Skills. Too often, team members train their people in technology, finance, and mechanical operations. Unfortunately, they fail to include essential interpersonal (verbal and non-verbal communication), respect, and emotional intelligence skills. This has become a big issue since companies opt for technology-based customer interaction to save money. But does it really?

Many people today “talk” via “texts,” “emojis,” and other “social media posts.” They are at a loss to respond to people when situations require human interaction. Instead, they choose to say nothing or make inappropriate comments or gestures, worsening the problem and increasing the possibility of the customer never returning. Provide workshops, podcasts, and other training opportunities. Hold bosses and leaders accountable for using these skills, too.

Quality Work Means Doing Complete Work. Hiding behind emails and texts and failing to do the quality of work required (e.g., minimum work, being late, and doing sloppy work) will have your customers looking at your competition! Apologizing for poor quality, promises not kept, and long wait times are essential. But relying on apologies instead of improving quality issues and time delivery problems is a critical mistake! Have weekly (or daily) meetings to keep your team updated with any changes. Expect them to work collaboratively and respond appropriately to different customer(s) situations.

Address Issues in Real Time. When a person is responsible for customer service and using technology, it can feel challenging to do their best job when someone is waiting, especially an impatient person. Team members will default to their natural way of talking with others (which can be problematic). This needs to be addressed immediately before others follow suit. One company lost a major national contract when allowing their service reps to make wildly inappropriate comments.

As bosses, we must train all our employees to be customer service-focused and ask, “How can I help you? Then, follow through.”

Update Training and Make It Ongoing. While training should include routine procedures, it must also address those exceptions that will pop up. Expecting everyone to learn and remember after one or several training sessions isn’t being responsible for ongoing training! People will forget about 50 percent after each session, especially if the boss and co-workers fail to use the skills appropriately. Poor training creates a poor reputation for the company. Provide certificates and other acknowledgments to reinforce the importance of good customer service results.

Remind team members that their customer service attitude will determine the quality of their day and enjoyment of their job.

Jeannette Seibly is a Talent Advisor/Leadership Results Coach with over 31 years of practical experience guiding leaders and bosses to improve their hiring, coaching, and managing practices and produce amazing results! And yes, achieving business success always starts with having the right people in the right jobs! She has been an Authorized PXT Select® Partner for over 32 years. Contact Jeannette to learn more about these state-of-the-art job-fit assessment tools or how to coach and manage your people to achieve incredible results.

A note from Jeannette: Bosses, when you rely on AI and other technology to handle customer concerns, you’ll lose customers! Quality human interaction is still required, and so is developing all your employees to use these critical communication skills. You never know when an off-handed comment or gesture can cause a customer to fire you. Contact me.

Now is the time to get into focused action! Are there days you dread doing what is needed to manage your people, projects, and team’s financial performance? You’re not alone! Everyone has those days! But continuing to hide behind excuses only hurts you and your future promotability. I have extensive experience and wisdom guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams successfully – this includes getting you out of the way and working with and through people effectively to achieve the results required. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching programs.

Get Your Brag On! (International Amazon Best-Seller)

Why is it important to self-promote and share your successes?

Listen to this 15-minute interview and learn why.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0B8voYqwPCooIA95zHmwSp?si=rfnEN6pjRa2ZWzttCpiTDA

YouTube: https://youtu.be/hoF1Obii7RQ

To grab the book, go to: https://SeibCo.com/books/

Want to Improve Your Hiring Decisions?

October 17, 2024 by Jeannette Seibly

“If predicting job success were easy, or quick, we wouldn’t see expensive early hiring failures!” John W. Howard PhD

As you know, hiring and investing in your people costs money. Too often, mistakes are made despite all the interviews and other pre-employment rituals. Your retention, revenues, and results suffer.

The problem occurs when you hire, transfer, or promote people into jobs that don’t fit them. This often results in the person leaving your company and taking other top talent with them. For example, taking your top salesperson and promoting them to the manager role is a frequent misstep.

Current Problems Most Companies are Experiencing

Relying on:

Intuitive Hiring. Yes, it’s easy to rely on our “intuition/gut” to tell you if the person is the right one. The problem is two-fold. #1: There is no objective data, which often results in the collection of false information and hiring mistakes. #2: Your retention, reputation, revenues, and results suffer.

The Resume. Over 80 percent of resumes contain inaccuracies, embellishments, or lies. Many resumes today are created using AI, online templates, or professional resume writers. The question is, “How valid is the information?” Remember, you need objective and reliable data to improve your hiring decisions. The resume alone will never give you that.

Any Assessment. Over 95 percent of assessments today are not validated for pre-employment or job selection use. It’s time to learn about the science and legality of using objective job fit assessments. (See Chapter 9 in Hire Amazing Employees)

Overcoming These Challenges Requires Using Real Systems

Use the interview, assessments, and due diligence equally in hiring decisions. Do not rely solely on the interview; stop asking questions that are not job-related. (SEE Chapter 1 in Hire Amazing Employees)

Select a job fit assessment with the validity, reliability, and predictive validity that comply with the Department Labor Guidelines for pre-employment and selection use. (Most hiring bosses don’t do this.) The proper assessment will guide you to hire the right people with your eyes open to any challenges you may encounter. Remember, no one is perfect, but you cannot teach a cat to become a dog.

Train your hiring bosses. Use an intracompany system that provides all the tools and resources required. This will save you and them from hiring mistakes, costly turnover of current employees and clients, and legal challenges. (See Chapter 3 in Hire Amazing Employees)

Don’t Overlook Hidden Talent: Many talented people are already employed in your company. You overlook them based on biases and other subjective factors and seek top talent from outside the company.

A note from Jeannette: Is the way you hire people working for you? Are you happy with your hiring results? Improving your retention, revenues, and results creates a positive reputation for you and the company. Contact me for a free, confidential conversation on how to improve your selection process and hiring decisions.

Career Success Requires You to Keep Moving Forward

October 14, 2024 by Jeannette Seibly

“We look externally for reasons why we are unsuccessful or unhappy in our jobs. Instead, look inside ourselves, get into forward action, and play a bigger game.” Jeannette Seibly

Too often today, many people (including bosses and leaders) lament wanting to do something bigger, different, and more meaningful than they are currently doing. “I hate my job,” “I’d be happier if I made more money,” or “I’m destined for something greater” are common excuses.

They play small games to keep them on the payroll. They struggle to determine why they are dissatisfied with their job or career. They spend time gazing into a false future (“if only it wasn’t this way”), ignoring getting assignments done on time, doing sloppy work, or blowing off customer promises as unimportant.

Being resistant or resentful will keep you stuck because the same issues reappear as life lessons – even if you move on to the next job, career, or job opportunity. Remember, wherever you go, there you are (“The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension” 1984)

When you want to shuck it all (and there are times everyone does), stop. The same amount of time you spend hoping for different results would be better spent taking focused actions that move you forward to play a bigger game (e.g., upskilling, resolving failures and mistakes, and working out differences with difficult people).

And remember, hope is not a strategy.

Career Success Requires You to Stop Playing Small

Get your brag on! When you experience feelings of being unworthy, lack confidence, or are overlooked for a well-deserved promotion, take the time to complete the five simple exercises in “Get Your Brag On!” This will build your self-confidence and provide guidance. Now — move forward by talking with your boss or the hiring manager who told you “No.” Playing a bigger game requires listening and then taking focused forward action by upskilling those technical, communication, and people skills.

Know thyself. You may believe you know yourself yet are unaware (or in denial) of your blind spots. Being inauthentic makes it difficult for others to work with you. You cannot transform a lie. Work with an experienced executive coach and use a job fit assessment to clarify who you are, not how you want to be seen. Playing a bigger game requires the process of getting real and using these newfound strengths appropriately.

Create real goals. Real goals are simple and not camouflaged in a lot of words. (Remember, words matter.) Questions to ask yourself: “What lights me up?” and “What do I really really really want to achieve?” Remember, your goals are personal – stop trying to be someone other than who you are. Start today by taking focused actions to move forward. Playing a bigger game can be scary at first, but it gets easier the further forward you go.

Take consistent action. Yes, practice does create mastery. Take consistent actions daily by making the time instead of waiting until the time feels right. Playing to win requires creating new habits that work for you and your team.

Engage in critical thinking. CBS Sunday Morning (9/29/2024) featured students in Finland learning how to separate fake news (aka fiction) from facts. Remember, opinions do not equal facts! Critical thinking begins by telling the truth about the facts before deep diving into the core issue. Creating a bigger game requires working with the team to brainstorm solutions and discern what will work within budget, team, and people constraints.

Pull together a great team. Stop the do-it-yourself modality, “I can do it better,” and “I don’t have the time.” Your ego keeps you playing small. Hiring the right team members can and will make a big difference – often, they will do it better than you can while achieving the intended results. When you play a bigger game, you cannot do it yourself.

Develop good communication skills. You may believe you have good interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence. When you criticize others, blame them, or ignore their ideas, understand these are indicators you need help! Spend time hiring the right coach and finding the right mentor to ensure your communication skills and any blind spots (e.g., microaggressions, misinterpretations, and lack of honesty) are addressed in real time. Playing a bigger game requires improved communication and interpersonal skills.

Practice acknowledgment. It takes courage to move forward – remember, you can do it! Acknowledge your successes and appreciate your team members each and every day! This is critical when playing a bigger game and producing intended results.

A note from Jeannette: We all experience times when we want to run away from our careers and falsely believe doing so will erase any unhappiness or job dissatisfaction. When you are unhappy, it’s a signal you are on track but need to play a bigger game (e.g., upskill your awareness, communication, and goals) to move forward. Yes, it takes courage to move forward – remember, you can do it! Need guidance? Contact me.

Need a speaker for a company retreat or workshop? Want your audience to be energized and participating? Contact me!

Want to Be a Great Leader? Stop Focusing on Your Weaknesses

October 7, 2024 by Jeannette Seibly

“We can all be good-to-great leaders if we’re willing to focus on our true strengths.” Jeannette Seibly

Many leaders can be their own worst critic and give reasons as to why (e.g., bad boss, wrong employees, unreasonable customers, etc. etc.)!

But focusing on weaknesses only makes the weakness more of a problem!

It doesn’t serve you, your employees, or your customers!

Being a good-to-great boss/leader requires getting real about who you are and getting the coaching necessary to develop you and your team members.

How to Focus on Improving Your Leadership

Know Thyself … Not by how you want to be seen because people can see through a fake. Instead, use a leadership report from a qualified job fit assessment to clarify traits that are strengths and how those same strengths can also be considered weaknesses. For example, a sales manager who loves meeting people may have poor listening skills.

Knowing yourself is critical to developing the real skills required to be a great boss/leader.

Hire an Executive Coach. Ninety-nine percent of good-to-great bosses/leaders have an executive coach. The right coach provides a sounding board and someone to guide you through sticky situations and political factions at work.

Complete What Worked? / What Didn’t Work? Use this exercise when you are experiencing a project or team failure. Or, as a way to complete the day/week/month. Don’t forget to include the human side of your job and projects, too.

Stay focused on your strengths and what matters most in building your company, employees, and customers.

Get Frequent Feedback. Use an objective 360-degree feedback assessment — using formal ones provide needed confidentiality and compare you with the working population. Too often, internally developed feedback assessments nitpick at things that don’t matter and reflect the opinions of a few employees. It doesn’t mean you overlook these types of concerns. However, the results from the formal assessment provide objective insight that is needed before having conversations individually with team members and making any adjustments to your leadership style.

Network to Stay in Touch. Reach out on a consistent basis to a select few leaders to talk through company or industry issues.

Develop People Leadership Skills. This is key to being a great leader! While you may have charisma or technical/financial skills, you may lack good interpersonal and emotional intelligence skills. Take workshops every year to develop your emotional intelligence, communication, diversity awareness, and team development skills.

A note from Jeannette: You can become the leader you’ve always wanted to be and visualize yourself to be. First, you need to be honest about your strengths and weaknesses, then do the work to improve on your strengths on a consistent daily basis. Need guidance on developing your leadership from good to great? Contact me.

The Secret to Creating Goals that ARE Achievable

October 6, 2024September 30, 2024 by Jeannette Seibly

“Teamwork requires working together to achieve better results while not ignoring issues.” Jeannette Seibly

We all have goals, dreams, and wishes for our careers and life. But too often, we fail to achieve them. We blame the economy, our bosses, and our family. We wait (and keep on waiting) until it’s no longer a viable goal.

What’s missing? Taking responsibility for how we create our goals. We allow our thoughts, ideas, and feelings to camouflage what we really really really want to accomplish.

7 Strategies for Achieving Your Real Goals

1. Ensure the Goal is Real. There are many guidelines for writing goals. Google them – Achievable, Measurable, Realistic, and With a By-When Date. Use this information to get you started.

2. Here’s the hard part: Goals should be ten words or less! I know, it seems impossible, but it isn’t. When you use too many words, the true goal will be camouflaged in vocabulary and will sabotage taking real actions. Shorten the goal to 10 words or less to be crystal clear and flat as a pancake.

3. Keep It Simple. When you become too wordy, you make the goal, dream, wish, or intention impossible to accomplish. We were all trained to be wordy (think of school when stating the simple fact wasn’t good enough … we had to write a paragraph or one-pager to get a good grade). Ask yourself, “What do I really really really want to accomplish?” For example, I want to get a job making six figures. However, the job must be remote, cannot require working more than 30 hours a week, and provide three weeks of vacation. This is no longer an actual goal.

Instead, ask yourself what do you really really really want? The new goal: “Get a job making $125,000 annually by 12-31-2024.” This has become simple and doable.

4. Clarity and Discernment. Ensure your idea will work as designed by reviewing the numbers realistically. Will you break even, operate at a loss, or be profitable? It requires more than “feeling it” and “believing it.” For example, flipping homes involves knowledge about buying the home, the cost of repairs and labor, closing costs, and the length of time it’ll take to sell (aka flip). Goal: Sell a home for a 30 percent profit in 6 months.

5. Listen to Feedback! Before launching your idea, talk with a knowledgeable person. Ask open-ended questions. You are listening for: What is missing in my plan or idea? When ideas are not working, sometimes, it only takes a simple tweak, and they will work.

The biggest challenge? Your emotional attachment to your way of doing something can get in the way. Especially if you’ve been thinking and rethinking and overthinking the idea. Feedback will guide you through it if you listen.

6. Then, Review the Goal. Fine-tune. While you don’t want naysayers to upend your goal, reviewing and considering their input before moving forward is important. Example: I had someone tell me it would take 2 years before I could get the funding required to launch a program. I listened, asked questions, and made slight adjustments to my plan. Then, moved forward. I launched the program in 13 weeks, and it was profitable. Here was my goal: Launch a regional event for career advisors by xxx.

7. Remember, when you’ve hit a wall, or someone is blocking you, it’s time to hire a coach. We all have blind spots that get in the way. By working with an executive coach and taking a qualified job fit assessment, you can obtain real insight into what is getting in your way. (Note: qualified job fit assessments have incredibly high accuracy and reflect who we are – they are not focused on how we want to be seen – which often gets in the way of achieving our goals).

Examples:

Wanting to be a salesperson without the willingness and ability to close a sale on a consistent basis will limit your tenure as a sales rep. Instead, if you want to be in sales and be successful, get honest about your abilities – get the training required – now seek a job in sales that fits you!

OR,

You want to be a boss. But on truthful reflection, the real goal is making more money. Since you are unwilling to do the actual work required to be an effective boss/leader, find a position that accomplishes your financial desires.

A note from Jeannette: We all have goals, desires, and dreams we wish to accomplish. What gets in our way is that we camouflage our goals with too many words to describe them. This makes it impossible to achieve them. This week’s article focuses on simplifying and clarifying your goal to achieve the intended results. Want help discovering and fine-tuning your actual goal? Contact me.