Hiring Solutions

Effective leadership requires we balance everyone’s wants and needs. Working with customers (meeting their deadlines, concerns about quality, and sometimes, unrealistic demands), along with the expectations from your team, boss, and board, can create a lot of pressure to make everyone happy. Effective leadership does not need to be stressful when you manage with clarity.

7 Keys to Reduce Stress and Manage with Clarity

One: Create Clear Expectations. Overpromising rarely works when you are unable to deliver … instead it creates unrealistic expectations. To keep customers happy, and employees happy and productive, when you make promises, honor your commitments and keep them.

Two: Brainstorm! This one word can create a new world of clarity and excitement for your team and customers when managed correctly. Take the time to gather all ideas first … then, delve into the details of how to make one or two of them work.

Three: Establish Realistic Deadlines. Nothing is worse for team morale then “hurry-up and wait” or “pulling all-nighters”. This can usually be avoided when true goals are created, focused action plans are managed and the team is committed in fulfilling the outcome.

Four: Encourage the Team Ongoingly. Being a 30,000-foot-high helicopter boss is rarely an effective leadership style, and will create a lot of stress for everyone. “Roll-up your sleeves” and stay in communication with your team on a consistent basis (e.g., weekly or biweekly meetings, individual reviews, weekly updates, etc.). Never stop managing the team, which includes listening to elicit their best and acknowledging each one for their actions — no matter how small.

Five: Develop a Laser-like Coaching Style. Be open to receiving coaching to uncover your blind spots, along with giving specific hands-on coaching to your team members. Use qualified assessment products to ensure that what you are seeing and what they see can move the team forward and keep you on the same page.

Six: Always Be Listening. Remember to ask, “How I can help you?” Then, listen … follow-through … and listen again. Then, repeat.

Seven: Communicate Frequently. It’s easy for your team to lose sight of the purpose or “Why are we doing this?” while handling everyday tasks. Never stop sharing the vision and reminding each and every person (including yourself) of their value and the importance of their contributions. Remember, attention spans are shrinking so keep your messages frequent, short and on-point.

These 7 keys will increase clarity, reduce stress and improve your effective leadership style.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2017

Tired of the same old boring trade association events? Inspiring participants at a trade show can be easy and fun when you have the right presenter. Contact Jeannette.

Selling yourself in less than 20 words builds immediate and important credibility. Without it, it’s like talking to a wall (think, interviewer, buyer, judge of a RFP/RFQ, etc.). Learn the art of bragging because no one can do it as well you can. Master the 5 critical steps and brag with confidence. Get your copy of It’s Time to Brag! Business Edition. 

Jeannette Seibly is laser sharp at identifying the leverage points that will build a team and move it to the next level of performance and success. She has been a business advisor and executive coach for over 24 years; along the way, she’s guided the creation of three millionaires. Check out her website, or contact Jeannette for a confidential no-obligation conversation.

Today’s bosses are getting a bad rap. They are the number one reason employees cite for leaving their employers. The truth is, many people leave due to poor job fit, work ethic and work discipline, along with illusions about how fast they should be advancing in their jobs or careers.

As a boss, you may believe you have the wrong employees. However, it’s critical to your career, now and in the future, to learn about yourself and how you can improve your management skills: performance, people and profit. Usually when you do this, you will be surprised to find you have great employees. If you continue to believe you don’t have great employees, you will eventually discover you are in the wrong job!

Important Note: Being a good person does not mean you are a good boss!

Transform Poor Skills Into Good Ones

-Performance Effectiveness. As a boss, you may falsely believe that if your employees like you, they will perform at higher levels. It’s a myth! The truth is, as a respected boss (not necessarily a well-liked boss), you become fearless about making the right decisions, finding needed resources and encouraging employee initiatives. While you may not be everyone’s favorite boss, your employees can count on you to develop them into great contributors who produce unprecedented results. They will value you as a leader.

-Great Relationships. Belief in yourself, your teams and your management peers is critical, but believing blindly can create problems. Use objective data to guide you in developing and coaching your people with laser-like skills to ensure job fit. Remember to listen more than talk. When you value others, their ideas and efforts, people will respect and like you as a leader.

-Attention to the Bottom Line. Your boss and top management team will provide important industry insights and rely on your technical and people skills to design, plan and execute new business practices. It’s important for you to be able to work with and through your team profitably to achieve the intended results. It will determine your fate as a good boss now and in the future.

Boss Development Is Required Now

Note: You may see yourself or one of your employees as having “bad boss” traits. It’s critical to act now to fix them. The longer bad habits continue, the harder it is to transform them into effective ones.

-First, hire an executive coach to work through the challenges and perceptions for an extended period of time. There are no quick fixes! Take a qualified assessment to help you see the connection between your work habits and attitudes and how they conflict with good boss practices. Participate in a qualified 360-degree feedback to better understand the workability of your management style based on objective feedback from your boss, peers and direct reports.

-Second, review the information provided by both assessments with your executive coach and create a strategic plan to develop skills you are not using, acquire skills you do not have and become effective when handling the challenges, conflicts and changes required of any boss. Remember, you can build on strengths. You cannot build on weaknesses.

-Third, implement the strategic plan you just created with your coach and stay focused. Being a good boss is not an easy career path. However, it can be really fun and highly rewarding.While no one expects you to be perfect, it’s important you transform your “bad boss” reputation before it derails you and your career options.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2017-2018

Need a speaker or facilitator to successfully address company issues? As a future leader, are you ready to develop the key skills now? Contact Jeannette Seibly. She will provide confidential, laser-focused coaching that works! 

Jeannette Seibly has been called a catalyst. She is celebrating 25 years as a business coach, advisor and consultant who guides her clients to achieve unprecedented results. Remember, everyone can be a leader, with or without the title. First, you must step up! Check out her website, or contact Jeannette for a preliminary confidential conversation.

In a recent article Are You Ready for Your Next Opportunity?, I wrote about readiness factors — skills that prepare you to be a successful leader. In this article, I’m examining leadership mindsets that often get in our way.

Many leaders believe they are ready to take on spearheading larger projects, groups of people and companies, and think they know how to get the results required. The question is, are you achieving the needed results through force or are you influencing others to be part of the change? Becoming aware of what type of leader you are, will determine your results. Without awareness of how you influence others, your mindset, or paradigms, can and will limit your success as a leader.

Let Go of 5 Limiting Mindsets:

I Already Know Myself. We want to believe that others see us the way we see ourselves. Unfortunately, we will often be incorrect in this assumption, and our lack of awareness limits our ability to influence change. If you really want to know how you are perceived (and real leaders do), get real by using qualified assessment tools that will provide information beyond what you want to see. Use these tools, along with executive coaching, to help you better understand yourself, how others see you and how to work better with everyone. (To learn more about qualified tools, contact me.)

Failure is Not an Option. We were taught to believe there is no such thing as failure! And yet, at times, we have all failed. Being unable to admit mistakes discourages others from wanting to embrace your leadership style. People stop listening to your ideas, thoughts and opinions – limiting your influence and your career. Learn how to share your successes, failures and what you learned in a way that elicits the best from others.

All Change is Good. This is a serious faux paus that many leaders make! Yes, change can be great and is necessary for a company to grow. But, first slow down, build trust and understand the reality of where you are now. Listen and learn, then listen and learn more before you make any changes – no matter how small.

Employees are a Necessary Evil. Get over it! Employees will make or break your success — they are your most powerful asset when you perceive them that way. Stop hiding behind your “busy work” and walk around to learn their names, interests, and why they like or dislike their work. Do NOT micromanage how they do their work. Simply take this opportunity to get to know them and their jobs better.

Asking for Help is a Weakness. It is actually a sign of strength to ask for advice from, and listen to, your business advisor, mentor and/or boss. Remember, everyone needs a helping hand, and only fools make the mistake of relying solely on their own mental monologue about what’s next.

Remember, your mindset can limit what is possible as a leader. Expanding how you think and act is crucial to being a good leader.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2016

Why is it important to learn how to brag? Understanding your successes and failures, and sharing them in a business savvy manner, has others want to follow you as a leader! Get your copy of, It’s Time to Brag! Business Edition today: http://BizSavvyBrag.com.

Jeannette Seibly has been a business advisor and executive coach for 24 years; along the way she’s guided the creation of three millionaires. She is laser sharp at identifying the leverage points that will take a business and its team to the next level of performance and success. Check out her website, http://SeibCo.com, or contact Jeannette for a free, confidential conversation at http://SeibCo.com/contact. Remember to get your copy of her 5^th and newest book, It’s Time to Brag! Business Edition: http://BizSavvyBrag.com

Consider this scenario: Sara left to start her own company after working for you as a customer service rep two years ago. John was a good sales person before jumping to your competitor for a larger commission. Why would you consider rehiring them … ?

… Because circumstances change. Great talent is in high demand and difficult to find. Former employees who want to work for you again show that your company can be a great place to work. Former employees bring a broader work experience that can be invaluable to attracting and keeping customers, building new systems, and updating policies. But even though rehiring employees may sound like an automatic win-win-win situation, clarity is crucial. Remember, they had a reason for leaving.  It’s important for you to follow the same selection procedures for new hires to uncover those reasons, or the same or similar upsets could arise again.

Clarity Is Crucial

Memories are Not Reliable. The biggest challenge is learning about who your former employees are today — their interests, goals and mindsets may have changed. Part of the interview process should include discussing why they left in the first place and any cultural, procedural and customer changes that have occurred since then. What are the biggest challenges your company is facing today? How would they be an asset?  Drill down for clarity to ensure both of you understand what it will take to execute the solutions required.

Truthfulness is Key. Use qualified assessments to clarify core values, like honesty and loyalty, and job fit. Include skill testing to determine the quality of the candidate’s technical abilities. Remember, they left for a reason – often they were not a good fit with all of the job requirements.  Review changes in work processes and job expectations to ensure they understand how important these are.

Onboarding is Important. Companies change. Although former employees may be able to hit the ground running with less training – it’s important to have them slow down to develop new relationships with other employees and customers. Remind them they need to prove themselves again and not rely on “the way things used to be.” Have them participate in an onboarding program as if they are a brand-new employee and suggest that they listen and behave as if they are hearing things for the first time.

Recruit Proactively. Initially, reach out to former employees by buying them a cup of coffee or a quick lunch. It’s a great way to gauge their career aspirations, now and in the near future. Share with them the mission of the company and your goals. Ask about their recent work experiences, and what their goals are. Give a brief overview of requirements (work schedule, job responsibilities, etc.) to test their interest.  If there is mutual interest, tell them how the selection process works. If they do not follow through, let them go. Clearly, there was a lack of willingness on their part, regardless of what they told you.

Hiring costs time and money. In the end, it may be easier to train a new person than to rehire an employee who cannot adapt to change. However, hiring former employees can be a win-win-win solution if there is clarity and willingness.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2016

Jeannette Seibly has been a business advisor and facilitator for over 23 years; she guides the creation of new solutions for business challenges and is the author of Hire Amazing Employees http://BizSavvyHire.com. Check out her website, http://SeibCo.com, or contact Jeannette for a free, confidential conversation at http://SeibCo.com/contact .

People are unpredictable and so are the employees we hire! Most business owners and executives would readily agree! It can be hard to accurately predict what people will or won’t do. The biggest challenge is, hiring the right employees when they look the part, say the right things and tell you they have beaucoup experience. Yet, within a very short period of time on the job, the person who is showing up on the job isn’t the person who you interviewed. The problem isn’t that the person has changed, the problem is your hiring process didn’t work. Why?

Infuse Predictability into Your Hiring System

Use qualified assessments for hiring and promotion. Too often, we rely on non-qualified assessments or no assessments at all. These non-qualified assessments, commonly referred to as social indicators, offer face validity — this means they show the results of how job candidates want to be seen and how the interviewer wants to see them. This is rarely a reflection of how the candidate will actually think and behave, or their true work interest on the job. Most of these same tools don’t provide predictive validity or reliability, which are both required by the Department of Labor (DOL) guidelines for pre-employment assessments. For better results, you need better, objective information by using predictable assessment tools! They help you reduce costs, save time, improve retention and sleep better at night!

Stop Relying Solely on Your Intuition

Whenever you are hiring or promoting, you typically rely on your interviewing skills or having worked with the person. This is where the unpredictability of people can cost you a lot of money, time and stress.

While the costs of hiring mistakes are well documented, often overlooked is the biggest unrealized expense: taking a good employee and promoting or moving them into a job function that doesn’t fit. They take the position for many reasons … many take the opportunity for a pay increase, more flexibility (if working remotely), increased credibility with co-workers, or for a variety of other personal and professional motives. The challenge is, when they don’t work out, they usually leave, often taking your good customers with them. What could you have done differently?

Set Up Predictable Systems

There are over 3,000 assessment tools on the market today. Very few are in compliance with the DOL for hiring and promoting purposes. It’s why we lack predictability when hiring, training and coaching employees to be great in their current and future roles within the company. It pays to take the time to select the right assessment so you hire and promote the right employees. Doing so helps you retain and attract great customers, while increasing profitability and performance!

Here is a partial list of guidelines taken from Hire Amazing Employees (www.BizSavvyHire.com) to help you select the right assessment tool for hiring and promoting purposes:

• Technical Manual: get the manual — do not rely solely on a letter from a law firm.
• Reliability and Validity: does it meet the minimum requirements with the Department of Labor guidelines for employment selection purposes?
• Predictive Validity: what is the window for predicting future behaviors: hours, weeks, or years?
• Measures Thinking Style, Core Behaviors and Occupational Interests: interestingly, thinking style is found to be a very important measure.
• Types of Reports Available and Cost for Each One: selection, coaching, leadership, sales, supervisory, team, career fit, succession planning, and workforce planning.
• Distortion Factor: is the person being forthright in answering the questions?

While it can be hard to accurately predict what people will or won’t do, it’s important to infuse your hiring and selection practices with predictability. The best way to do this is to use qualified assessment tools as part of your selection process.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2016

For a complete list of how to improve your hiring practices, contact me or get a copy of Hire Amazing Employees @ www.BizSavvyHire.com

Jeannette Seibly has been a business advisor and facilitator for over 23 years; she is laser sharp at identifying the leverage points that will take a business and its team to the next level of performance and success. Check out her website: www.SeibCo.com or contact Jeannette for a free, confidential conversation at www.SeibCo.com/contact.

A business owner wanted to grow his business. He loved inventing grandiose ideas, but failed to create sustainable infrastructures to support them. For example, he wanted to hire great customer service people and staff up his technical support team. The problem was, he was unable to setup and unwilling to follow a sustainable (and legal) selection system to find people and vet them. Instead, he would entice people from larger employers to come and work for his much smaller company, falsely believing if the person worked for that big company they would naturally succeed in his growing business. Even though he was cautioned about job fit and culture fit when hiring those people, he wouldn’t listen. He even used non-qualified assessments because they were free and supported his decisions! Six months later the people left and started their own company, taking several important clients with them.

4 Ways to Acquire Better Information to Make Better Decisions

Whether you are hiring or making other business decisions, it’s important you take the time to use the right tools, listen to others and build decisions that will positively impact your business today, and tomorrow! The easy fixes do not usually produce the best sustainable results.

Stop Overthinking. There is an old adage, talking to yourself is talking to a fool. While no one wants to think of him- or herself as a fool, the challenge is, relying on your own thoughts does not provide new and valid information. And, latching onto a new idea, without talking through the pros and cons of how it would or could work in your organization, will not produce the best results either.

Take time to learn the art of brainstorming … it will save time, money and sleepless nights! Instead of pondering an issue or problem to death in your head, brainstorm possible solutions with your team, and, at this point, don’t get stopped by any of the details. Later in the decision-making process, include those off-the-wall ideas that may have more merit when looked at closer.

Slow Down the Decision Process. We live in a world where people love to make decisions in a nano-second. Unfortunately, relying on the tiniest fragments of information is not a valid or sustainable process when making decisions. Many times people that make decisions too quickly, also change their minds just as quickly, creating chaos within their business.

Take time to talk through the pros and cons of your brainstorming session(s). Pick at least five reasons something will work before disregarding it. Investigate the legalities, financial, people, current policies and procedures, and operational impacts before making any final decisions. Yes, it will take more time upfront, but usually saves beaucoup bucks. You will have more time for fun and enjoy restful nights!

Listen to Others with Differing Opinions Before Making Final Decisions. Listening to information you may not wish to hear, or feeling it requires too much effort to learn the truth, only limits your results. Whenever poor decisions are made, the underlying issue(s) never go away!

Putting frosting on mud pie and calling it a cake doesn’t change it from a mud pie!

For example, people love using non-qualified assessment tools to hire people. These tools have great face validity but do not comply with the Department of Labor regs for pre-employment use. This means they show the results of how job candidates want to be seen and how the interviewer wants to see them. This is rarely a reflection of how the candidate will really behave, think or do their work, causing a lot of mischief once they are on the payroll.

Listen as if your business’s success depends upon your doing so … because it does!

Communicate the Outcome so that Everyone Wins. Once you’ve made the final decision, it’s important to communicate the outcome, but beware of spinning it. This will only cause the underlying issue(s) to perpetuate within your company culture — slowly but surely. Next time the same or similar issue will cost more time, more money and maybe your job or company!

You want your employees, customers, vendors and business associates to authentically feel the decisions you make are fair and you’ve followed your own company values, policies and procedures, and other important data. Doing so will build good, sustainable results so that everyone wins.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2016

Jeannette Seibly has been a business advisor and facilitator for over 23 years; she is laser sharp at identifying the leverage points that will take a business and its team to the next level of performance and success. Check out her website: http://SeibCo.com or contact Jeannette for a free, confidential conversation at http://SeibCo.com/contact.