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Coaching Removes the Ways We Self Sabotage

April 21, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Successful leaders and bosses know that having a coach isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. While business professionals believe the do-it-yourself approach works just fine, many learn the hard way it doesn’t work. Doing it yourself is how we self-sabotage our progress, awareness, and ability to move upward.

Many up-and-coming leaders quit, change their goal to reflect what progress they have made, or fall victim to the allure of some shiny object. At that point, the goal of being a leader has been sidelined, dreams diminished, and the vision for success forgotten. This happens more often than leaders realize.

In today’s 2026 workplace—where hybrid teams, AI-driven decisions, rapid change, and increased burnout are the norm—these patterns of self-sabotage are even more costly. Uncovering the ways we self-sabotage is why we need the right coach. Having the right coach allows you to get real about your goals, keeps you focused, and reawakens your commitment to succeed. It’s a critical component to your success as a leader.

11 Self‑Sabotaging Beliefs That Hold Leaders Back

I can do it myself. Unfortunately, many DIYers think they can be their own coach. Listening to yourself is a fool’s game and rarely gets you to where you want to go. In 2026, self-coaching is even harder with constant workplace noise, shifting priorities, and increased pressure to perform.
A good coach needs a certification. Certificate programs can be helpful and provide technical skills. However, the right coach with experience, powerful listening skills, and the ability to customize ideas to your unique situation is far more powerful. That kind of skill can only be learned by a coach with extensive experience.
It’s too expensive. Not necessarily. How much are your career, time, family and financial future worth? Today’s leaders also recognize the cost of burnout, stalled promotions, and poor team relationships—areas where coaching pays for itself.
My company won’t pay for it, so it must not be important. There comes a time when you have to value yourself, your career, and be willing to invest in both to ensure your success. Many companies today expect leaders to take ownership of their own development.
Coaching is only for people who don’t have what it takes. Wrong! Coaching is for anyone and everyone wanting to take the next step up in their career. Every great leader has a coach! Having a confidential sounding board helps you become aware of your blind spots and transform them. Yes, everyone has blind spots … including you!
If you work harder, you will be successful. Working harder is not the answer. Working smarter, not harder, means doing things in a way that is effective and efficient, and gives you the ability to achieve intended results. The right coach will guide you to work smarter—especially important now with AI tools, hybrid teams, and constant change.
I’m doing fine and don’t need a coach to prepare me for the next step. This a very common blind spots for many leaders. Remember, moving up often requires knowing the “unwritten rules and practices.” Today, these rules are even more complex due to remote visibility challenges, shifting alliances, and evolving expectations.
I have friends and family who provide me with lots of advice. Yes, many people do. While they mean well, most friends and family members don’t have the courage to tell you what you really need to hear. And, they lack the experience at your new level. As a result, you miss out on the critical factors required to make better decisions, build stronger teams, and achieve intended results. This is exactly why you need the right coach.
I have too much work to do and cannot take on anything else. If this describes you, coaching should be at the top of your list. Most coaching comes just in time, when you need it and when it can provide the greatest impact. In 2026, leaders who delay getting support often experience burnout or stalled careers and missed opportunities.
I’ve already hit the glass ceiling and no coach can change that. Nonsense! Anyone can be a successful leader with the right coach navigating them forward. Additionally, success today is about more than just technical and financial skills. It requires being forward-thinking, team-oriented, and goal-driven … all areas where the right coach makes a huge difference. Today, relationship intelligence (RQ) and credibility are now essential, in addition to emotional intelligence (EI) and emotional integrity.
My assessment says I’m doing just fine. Most assessments are not focused on job-fit and becoming an effective leader. This is a major form of self‑sabotage. Many leaders rely on personality tests, team‑building tools, or “fun” assessments that have nothing to do with developing leadership. When you use the wrong type of assessment, you get misleading data, overlook real issues, and make decisions based on how people want to be seen rather than how they actually think, behave, and perform on the job. In 2026, with increased complexity, hybrid work, and rapid decision cycles, leaders cannot afford guesswork. Only qualified, validated job‑fit assessments provide the objective data needed to hire, promote, and coach effectively. Only work with coaches that use them.

When you uncover the ways you self‑sabotage, you will see that hiring the right coach is the most critical component for your success. In today’s fast-changing workplace, you cannot afford to rely on outdated beliefs or go it alone. What are you waiting for?

Jeannette Seibly is a Talent Advisor, Leadership Results Coach, and Business Author with over 33 years of experience guiding people to empower themselves, transforming workplaces into places that work, and shaping leaders who truly lead.

Your leadership and legacy depend on the decisions you make now. If you’re ready to elevate your influence, strengthen key relationships, and accelerate your career in today’s fast‑moving environment, it’s time to get the support that gets results. Let’s start the conversation today.

Are You Ignoring Your Dreams? Activate Your Inner Power

April 9, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Let’s start with the truth—your truth.

You have goals, dreams, and a purpose that won’t leave you alone. They show up in the shower, on your commute, while paying bills, and especially when life feels too small. And yet…

You have ideas but no money or time.
You hope “someday” life will change.
You have ambition, but lack clarity.
You’re waiting for a pathway to appear.
Your ego whispers, “If I fail, I’ll look foolish.”

Here’s the reality: every idea, goal, dream, and purpose has the potential to fulfill your human spirit.

You are powerful. You can create your life when you choose to do so.

But life happens. Crisis hits. Responsibilities pile up. And while life shifts, your dreams often don’t. They become a quiet longing you postpone until:

the kids are grown
you retire
you have more money
you feel ready
someone gives you permission

Or your dream grows louder—but you still don’t pursue it.

Why? Because you’re waiting for the perfect moment, partner, bank account, or sign. But perfection never shows up. Opportunities rarely arrive at the “right” time. And distractions make it easy to miss what’s right in front of you.

Life opens doors when you are in focused action—not when you’re waiting.

The #1 Reason You’re Stuck

If you’re listening to the chatter in your head … those buzzing mental mosquitos:

“I don’t have time or money.”
“I’m not ready.”
“What if I fail?”
“What will people think?”
“What if I choose wrong?”

These thoughts don’t disappear on their own. Transform them through taking small steps, the antidote to fear, procrastination, and self-sabotage.

When Is the Right Time?

Now.
Not later.
Not when you feel motivated.
Not when the stars align.

Motivation is created by action not the other way around.

Why You Keep Sabotaging Yourself

Because you’re following feelings, emotions, and intuition without clarity or structure.

Your gut is a tool—not a strategy.
Your emotions are signals—not instructions.
Your intuition is a nudge—not a plan.

When your inner voice says, “Get into action,” you keep waiting, suffering, and hoping. But hope without action becomes disappointment.

The truth is simple: You keep dreaming your dream instead of taking small steps necessary to achieve it.

I Know This Pattern Because I’ve Lived It

I’ve achieved many results and I’ve also resisted, delayed, doubted, and sabotaged myself. Yet every time I took action, even imperfect action, I survived. I learned. I grew.

Dream fulfilled:

I moved from Michigan to Colorado with very little money.
I started a 501(c)(3) with no funding and was profitable the first year.
I published 11 books—four became Amazon Best Sellers.
I became a professional speaker and won “People’s Choice Award for Best Speaker.”
I started my own company when being a woman consultant triggered outright resistance, and guided the creation of three millionaires and hundreds of six‑figure professionals.

You may be thinking, “Good for you, but I’m not capable of that.”

Yes, you are!

You are powerful.
But inner power unused becomes pain.
Power ignored becomes regret.
Power suppressed becomes self-doubt.

How to Activate Your Inner Power

Take One Small Step Today. Not tomorrow. Today. Write it down. Do it now.
Build a Team One at a Time. No one succeeds alone. Who do you know that can support you moving forward? Have a conversation with them.
Immerse Yourself. Be curious. Learn. Explore. Read. Listen to Videos. Journal.
Feel the Fear and Move Forward Anyway. Fear means you’re expanding. Acknowledge it.
Use the Power of Balance. Ask: Does this energize me or drain me? Listen. Adapt.
Handle Your Life. Clear the clutter—mental and physical. Start with a clean desk, kitchen, inbox.
Hire the Right Coach. A real coach brings clarity, accountability, and momentum. Hire one today.

Your Inner Power Is Calling Now

Take one step.
Build your team one person at a time.
Say “Yes!” to the dream that refuses to leave you alone.

Your life is waiting. Activate your inner power and step into it now.

Jeannette Seibly is a Leadership Results Coach, Talent Advisor, and Business Author with 33 years of experience activating greatness in leaders and companies. She delivers practical coaching and solutions that elevate performance today, build legacies that stand the test of time, and support people in empowering themselves to lead with clarity and impact.

Activate your inner power by taking the next step. If 55+ and ready, I’m here to guide you in moving forward. Contact me and get started today.

Want to Be a Great Leader? Create Your Successor Now

April 7, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Being a great leader requires preparing your success for a smooth transition, now! Not later.

However, many leaders fear stepping aside.

They wait too long.
They allow egos to get in the way.
They wait until it’s too late due to mental health issues, physical disability, or death.

In fact, many times they leave the job or company, or bide their time hoping no one will notice there is no successor in place.

The other excuse many current leaders face when selecting a successor, is that many potential future leaders are uncertain if they wish to become future leaders. Often, this is due to lack of preparation: training, development, coaching, and being given opportunities now to learn from mistakes and failures, and successes too.

To effectively prepare your successor requires objective insights, accountability for real behavior changes, and a confidential space to work through real issues.

What Can You Do to Prepare Your Potential Successors?

Create Your Own Future. Too often, if you are hanging on too long, you don’t have a “What’s Next?” planned for yourself. But the truth is, you won’t be in your current position forever. So instead of continuing to talk about your future, make excuses, create issues, and ignore the focused action required to move on, hire an executive coach and make a legacy plan. Now, implement the plan.

Assess Who’s Next. When you have a key employee designated to step up, they may not have the skills and talents to do so at this time. Or, they are a great #2 person but do not have the ability or desire to become the #1 leader to move a business or team forward. While they may say they are interested, now’s the time to discover the truth.

Create an individualized succession plan and use an objective job fit and leadership assessment. This is critical in determining job fit in the new role. Use the assessment to guide your conversations and listen for consistency in their responses. Review their results to see where the gaps are, then provide the tools, resources, and coaching required to win. Objective, external insight is essential for successful successor plans, since internal relationships and politics often prevent honest conversations about readiness.

Hire an Executive Coach Now. Hire an executive coach to guide the future successor(s). Using an executive coach from outside the company ensures any growth and development issues that might occur and limit the future leader remain confidential. An external coach also provides the accountability required to ensure new behaviors stick, something internal leaders often struggle to enforce without damaging relationships that are often overlooked by the boss, HR, and other insiders.

We all have our challenges. These should not restrict any future leader’s ability to move forward if the person has done the work, is ready, and there are no ethical or other integrity issues in the way. If there are issues, address them now, or move on to another person.

Remember, future leaders need a confidential space to work through fears, mistakes, and real challenges — something they cannot safely do with their mentor, boss, peers, or HR.

Select an Internal Mentor Now. The mentor’s role is to guide the future leader through industry, company, and professional changes, and provide executive sponsorship. Many mentors don’t make great coaches due to time limitations, and lack of effective coaching experience. The other consideration is confidentiality. Having a mentor as a coach can limit job transition or promotion opportunities if the future leader is going through a challenging work situation or difficult period in life. Again, if the person does the work, is ready, and has no ethical or other integrity issues, continue to move forward!

Invest in Training and Development. Have your potential successor attend leadership workshops to develop their interpersonal, emotional intelligence, managerial, and leadership effectiveness. Ensure, along with their coach and mentor, these new skills and awareness are being used appropriately and effectively. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, learning to be a leader is a process, not an event. It takes time, and requires holding them accountable and practicing the right skills.

Provide the Opportunities. Now is an excellent time to get them involved in company teams, critical client challenges, trade and professional associations, and other leadership opportunities. Hold them accountable for results, communication efforts, decisions, and the ability to work well with anyone, anywhere and at any time. While you know you can do it faster (and possibly better), you may have forgotten it’s because of your long-time experience. Allow your successor to develop their own experiences (and stories) while you can provide the benefits of your knowledge and guidance.

What Do You Do When the Person Changes Their Mind? This important question is often ignored. Have a conversation to learn why – it may take more than one. The purpose is to determine where you have made the process too difficult, or the person just isn’t the right one. But do not spend time attempting to talk the person into changing their mind — this rarely works out well for anyone. Move on to another person since you should always have more than one key employee who could become a successor.

Your legacy depends on more than training your successor. It requires preparing them with the insight, accountability, and support they need for success. If you’re ready to build the kind of future required for both yourself and your successor(s), contact me and we’ll talk through your next steps.

Strategies that Decrease Stress for Type A Results Producers

March 26, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Type A leaders rarely name their emotions, allow themselves to be vulnerable, and believe showing authenticity is risky. When your mindset overrides your stress and frustration, burnout follows. Yes, you get things done, often at a high level, but the cost can land on your team, peers, customers, and the company … while costing you your health and well-being.

Achieve Better Results Without Creating Unnecessary Stress

One small action at a time. Stop pushing, controlling, or manipulating outcomes. Smaller steps may feel slower, but they create healthier, more grounded results for you, your team, and the organization. “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” (Navy Seals)

Have tough conversations. Avoidance is a limited mindset. Write out the issue, review it with your executive coach, refine it, practice, and then have the conversation. Leadership requires two-way dialogue for positive results.

Use silence strategically. Not every moment needs noise, talking, or busy-ness. Silence creates space for clarity and better decision-making while reducing your frustrations.

Lead with calm presence. Frenetic energy, especially from a leader, destabilizes people and outcomes. Schedule moments throughout the day to breathe. In the evening, carve out time for yourself and do something you love (watch a movie, read, connect with others).

Rest and nourish your body. A healthy leader creates a healthy culture at work and at home. When you achieve your results — and you will — you’ll be able to enjoy them.

Practice mindfulness. When faced with a difficult challenge, breathe: one technique is to inhale for 10 counts, exhale for 10 counts, and repeat three times. This is a great reset before reacting.

Pause before speaking. This signals respect, helps others feel heard, and keeps you from cutting people off or missing their point of view. Build from others’ ideas and perspectives for stronger results. Listening intentionally reduces your stress, and others too, since they feel heard and valued.

Truly listen. Talking over people, controlling the conversation, or being dismissive erodes trust. Listen fully, build solutions, implement, and check progress frequently to ensure the best outcome.

Self-promotion with balance. Being clear about your accomplishments builds your voice and presence in any room, even when you remain silent. Humble-bragging and over-bragging diminishes credibility.

Acknowledge your people. Praise individuals and the team as you go. “Please” and “thank you” still matter and strengthens relationships.

IMPORTANT NOTE for Type A Leaders: Contact me to get started with the PXT Select® assessment. This state‑of‑the‑art tool delivers clear insight into how you’re perceived in the workplace, and its leadership report pinpoints your strengths, flags potential challenges, and provides targeted coaching strategies you can put into action immediately to elevate your effectiveness.

Feeling the stress and plowing through it anyway, only makes it worse. Slow down, breathe, listen, and include others working on projects or solutions. Reach out to delve deeper into solutions that will work for you and your team.

Boredom Is the Excuse We Use to Avoid What Matters

March 19, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Boredom may feel familiar, but it’s not the root cause of dissatisfaction. It’s the early warning sign that something in your work, career growth, or life direction needs attention. When you ignore it, you repeat the same patterns. When you pay attention, it points to the real issues: poor job fit, stagnation, avoidance of goals, or a lack of meaningful focus. Your legacy is shaped by what you do next: avoid the signal or act on it.

When Boredom Shows Up, It’s Pointing to Something Deeper

Are You in the Right Job? According to multiple studies, over 80 percent of employees are in jobs that don’t fit them. When job fit is off, boredom becomes a symptom, not the cause. Ask yourself whether your boredom is tied to tasks and challenges you don’t care about, or the overall job responsibilities. Work with a career coach or executive coach to get focused on what’s next. Then, take the steps required to move forward.

Do You Take Time to Learn? More than half of the workforce experiences job boredom daily, and one of the biggest contributors is stagnation. Learning, whether through online courses, on-site workshops, self-training, or talking with others about their roles, keeps your brain engaged and your career and life moving forward. Helping others achieve their goals can also reignite your own motivation.

Do You Volunteer? Volunteering is a powerful way to give back to your community or represent your company. It’s also a proven way to develop leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills. When you stretch yourself in new environments, you bring that energy back to your job, often feeling reenergized, more confident, and more capable than before.

Do You Pursue Long-Term Goals? Avoiding your personal goals creates frustration and, yes, boredom. You have the time, use it. Whether it’s writing a book, finishing a certification, or completing a creative project, progress in your personal life often boosts satisfaction at work.

Do You Have Something to Look Forward To? Hiring the right coach to pursue your passions (weight loss, exercise, learning a second language, music, woodworking, or anything else) creates momentum. When you have meaningful activities outside of work, you’re more focused and productive during the day so you can enjoy what matters most to you after hours.

Nearly 50 percent of Americans say they’re bored at work and employees report being bored at work for more than 10 hours per week. Remember, boredom is real, but it’s rarely the root issue of your dissatisfaction. It’s a signal. The question is whether you’ll use boredom as an excuse or as a catalyst to pursue your career and life goals.

Boredom is a signal, not a sentence. This week, choose one area in your life or career to deep-dive, volunteer, or pursue a long‑ignored goal. Take a single step forward. Momentum comes from action, not excuses. Reach out when you’re ready to get clear about what’s next.

When Employees Refuse to Be Satisfied or Communicate

March 16, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Some employees, paid or volunteer, refuse to be satisfied. They’re never happy, something is always wrong, and they blame others for their frustrations. The key resolve? Acknowledge you cannot fix what they refuse to own or communicate about. And, if necessary, employment law will determine how and when to let them go.

The Real Issue Often Isn’t Obvious

Many employees, contractors, or volunteers avoid conversations because they lack the skills, confidence, or willingness to talk things out. Leaders avoid tough conversations for the same reasons. When both sides avoid the conversations that need to happen, resentment grows, stories get created, reasons multiply, and the situation spirals into a no‑win cycle for everyone involved.

Leadership isn’t about fixing people. It’s about creating the conditions for clarity, accountability, and growth. But beware, your ego may be doing the talking and thinking. Self‑reflection is required.

When employees are not satisfied, it can show up as:

Hiding behind emails and texts instead of talking
Reacting without facts
Responding emotionally to questions
Being triggered by small things
Being a victim
Needing to be right
Thinking everyone is against them

When leaders encounter these behaviors, it’s crucial to act, determine the real issue, and whether or not you can resolve it.

Good Intentions Aren’t Enough

Some employees (W2 or 1099) or volunteers genuinely want to do well, but they’re never satisfied. They’re unhappy, allow their skepticism free rein, blame others, and drain the team. Here’s what must be in place before you decide whether to keep them or let them go.

1. Job Fit. According to multiple studies, over 80 percent of people today are in jobs that don’t fit them. When job fit is off, communication breaks down, performance drops, and dissatisfaction skyrockets. Use a qualified job‑fit assessment to determine whether the person is correctly placed in the right role, and identify any coaching you may have overlooked and any adjustments to their job responsibilities.

In the future, when you hire, promote, or transfer someone, use a strategic job‑fit hiring process. When followed, it will reduce dissatisfaction and poor job fit. (Grab your copy of Hire Amazing Employees. Note: An employment attorney bought copies of Hire Amazing Employees for clients struggling with hiring. All but one improved. The one who didn’t? Never read the book.)

For a volunteer, the same principles apply: Ensure they’re in a role that matches their interests, strengths, and available time. Volunteers often say yes out of goodwill, not fit. When the role doesn’t align with who they are, they become frustrated, disengaged, or overly critical, just like an employee in the wrong job.

Have a simple conversation and deep dive into the real reason they volunteered. This conversation will usually clarify whether they’re in the right place, need to be reassigned to a role that better suits them, or it’s time for them to move on.

2. Training. Once you have the right person in place, onboarding and training must begin immediately, preferably before their first day. The right‑fit person appreciates training.

The wrong‑fit person:

Takes coaching personally
Fears feedback
Loathes training
Interprets direction as criticism

This should be a sign, not a surprise, when job fit is missing.

3. Communication Skills. Many people today lack strong communication skills. They rely on electronics, emojis, and avoidance. During their primary education years, they never developed the depth and breadth needed to express ideas, resolve upsets, or talk things out. This leads to misunderstandings, assumptions, and unnecessary drama. Provide ongoing training and lead by example.

4. Tough Conversations. Avoiding tough conversations only deepens resentment. Leaders must be willing to talk things out, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Role-play with your executive coach. Prepare. Get grounded. One well‑prepared conversation can shift everything or reveal that nothing will change.

It’s up to you as the leader to initiate and take responsibility for listening and communicating in a manner they can hear. Beware of using manipulation or being manipulated. This is an opportunity for dissatisfaction to decrease or for the person to find other opportunities.

5. Let Them Go. If you’ve had the conversations and it’s still not working, and the issue is not harassment or discrimination, it may be time to let them go.

If harassment or discrimination is involved, you must address it immediately with your attorney or HR and document everything.

Letting someone go isn’t failure. It’s leadership.

Leadership Requires Clarity and Courage

Leadership is about creating the conditions for clarity, accountability, and growth. When someone refuses to communicate, take responsibility, or participate in solutions, it negatively impacts the entire team. Strong leaders recognize when they’ve done their part and when it’s time to make a decisive, responsible choice for the health of their organization.

Jeannette Seibly is a Talent Advisor, Leadership Results Coach, and Business Author with over 33 years of experience guiding people to empower themselves, transforming workplaces into places that work, and shaping leaders who truly lead.

Review your team this week to identify where job fit, communication gaps, or unresolved issues are creating friction. Then take one decisive step: have the tough conversation, adjust a role, provide training, or reassign or release someone who is not a match. Leadership requires action. Contact me to address difficult concerns and move your team forward.

Executive Sponsorship Is Key to Your Advancement

March 12, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Executive sponsorship is different from mentorship. Executive sponsors advocate for you behind closed doors, put their name on your readiness, and take a risk by elevating you when speaking with others.

Leaders only sponsor people who consistently demonstrate good judgment, maturity, and the ability to represent the company well.

Too many employees are not ready for executive sponsorship. Nearly half of executives (49%) say employees lack the skills required for the company’s strategy, and 46% of employees say they receive little to no career development support from their bosses. This combination creates a significant readiness gap and it’s one of the biggest reasons people stall in their careers before they ever reach leadership roles. (LinkedIn Learning)

This is why they lack executive sponsors to move upward.

But all is not lost. It takes:

Demonstrating consistent results, strong communication, emotional maturity, and the willingness to be coached.
Building trust across teams, showing sound judgment under pressure, and proving that you can represent the company well.
Doing the work, reaching out for support, and showing, through your actions, that you are ready for more.
Critical: Being someone who an executive can trust and is willing to advocate for behind closed doors.

Keys to Being Worthy of Executive Sponsorship

Integrity. This is foundational. If you don’t do what you say you will do, people stop seeing you as someone they can trust or sponsor. Integrity also includes discretion, emotional steadiness, and the ability to be trusted with sensitive information. Work with an executive coach to fine-tune your ability and readiness.

Listen. Communication skills are critical. Most critical is your ability to listen, follow advice where appropriate, and build solutions with your teams. If you are looking for a sponsor, you must demonstrate your ability to listen across departments, build relationships, and influence without authority.

Speaking. While most people hate public speaking, worse than the thought of death, it is a cornerstone for your readiness. Take courses. Get in front of the room. And, most of all, be coachable. While you may think you “nailed a presentation,” the attendees may have a very different view … and their view will count more than your own. Speaking also signals whether you can represent the company externally, a major factor in being sponsored.

Facilitation. Brainstorming, conducting effective meetings, and ensuring everyone is heard and valued are keys to being considered a good team leader. Preparation and bringing forth your A Game is critical. Facilitation also demonstrates emotional intelligence and your ability to stay composed, navigate conflict, and elevate others.

Entrepreneurial Leadership. Being focused on revenues, results, and retention (employees, vendors, and customers) is important. Without these interests, you lack the drive to build and expand the business, develop your people, and increase the company’s revenues. Strategic thinking and understanding how the business is profitable, anticipating risks, and aligning decisions with company priorities is a major readiness marker that executives watch closely to determine who they want to sponsor.

Coachability and Accountability. Work with an executive coach, industry mentor, and company mentor to develop yourself and gain insider knowledge with the ability to use it effectively. Show up on time, do the work, and be accountable for the results you achieve and mistakes you’ve made. These are essential learning moments. Accountability, humility, and the ability to course-correct quickly are often what tip an executive toward sponsoring you.

Self-Development. Develop clarity about yourself by completing a qualified assessment that shows you who you really are instead of how you want to be seen. If you’re trying to be someone else, people lose confidence and trust in you. Also, complete Get Your Brag On! to learn how to sell yourself in a business savvy manner.

Executive sponsorship won’t come from waiting. It comes from preparation, initiative, speaking up, and showing up ready! Invest in your development. Ask for support. Build the relationships that elevate your work. You don’t have to push through the leadership gap alone. Connect with me and let’s build the clarity, confidence, and presence that will move you forward.

Leaders, Your Results Suffer When People Feel Excluded

March 2, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Even small acts of exclusion, like taking sides or avoiding one another, can ripple outward, but they are preventable. Years ago, I worked with a manager I admired. Whenever her employees didn’t get along, she’d seat them next to one another. Eventually, they learned how to work well together. This simple tactic prevented people from taking sides and reduced the likelihood of coworkers feeling excluded now and in the future. She understood that effective collaboration mattered to the entire company and its customers.

Today’s leaders face far more complex forms of exclusion, and the impact can be much greater than two people who don’t get along. When employees feel excluded, they become isolated, less able to do their jobs well, and more disengaged.

People knowingly and unknowingly create silos, factions, and cliques that gossip, limit productivity, and make it difficult to achieve quality results because not everyone is invited or included. These groups quietly undermine collaboration, slow down decisions, and create costly barriers.

The costs show up in delayed customer responses, rework caused by withheld information, turnover ripple effects, and even legal exposure when patterns of exclusion go unaddressed (e.g., harassment, discrimination).

When people don’t feel invited to contribute or are prevented from participating, collaboration breaks down, productivity drops, and your best talent quietly disengages.

Leaders unintentionally enable exclusion when they ignore subtle behaviors, reward “insider” groups, or allow cliques to dominate conversations or decisions. Leadership awareness requires noticing these patterns early and addressing them directly.

What Can You Do as a Leader?

Hold Weekly Team Meetings. Address: What’s been working? What do you need help with? Share updates on new issues or concerns. Acknowledge successes. These conversations help people feel included and strengthen teamwork.

Develop Facilitation Skills. Develop strong facilitation skills for on-site, hybrid, and remote meetings to ensure all voices are heard and no one feels sidelined.

Honor Each Person’s Ideas. Some ideas may evoke laughter or scrutiny, but leaders must recognize when reactions create alienation. Acknowledge all ideas and ensure everyone feels psychologically safe to contribute.

Provide Frequent Feedback. Offer insights to people who are causing logjams or difficulties for customers or coworkers. Clear feedback helps prevent behaviors that exclude others from participating fully.

Ask the Employee. When creating a project or event, invite people directly and let them decide yes or no. Too often, leaders assume someone doesn’t want to participate because they’ve declined in the past or because someone else is quietly excluding them.

Counsel Future Leaders About the Cost of Exclusion. Instead of communicating, people of all ages will exclude others as a power play, to show they’re upset, or simply because they don’t like someone. In effective teams and profitable companies, future leaders must work well with anyone, anytime, and anywhere to ensure no one is left out.

Become Aware of the Cost, Legalities, and Psychological Safety. Ignoring people being or feeling excluded is expensive. When good people leave, the time, money, and energy invested in them walk out the door … and they are often followed by other employees and customers.

Building Strong Team Results. Be intentional about team-building activities. Not everyone plays golf, wants to ride a horse, or can climb a wall. These activities naturally exclude people. Instead, focus on communication and getting to know one another as people. Tools like PXT Select® help teams understand strengths and communication styles, making inclusion easier and more natural. Note: PXT Select also improves job fit. Miscommunication and misinformation often come from people who are not fully engaged in their roles.

When leaders address exclusion early, they strengthen trust, improve results, and create workplaces where people want to stay and contribute.

Jeannette Seibly is a Leadership Results Coach, Talent Advisor, and Business Author with 33 years of experience guiding leaders and executives to achieve exceptional results. She delivers practical coaching and innovative solutions for hiring, leadership development, and performance success. Successful leaders have coaches—connect with Jeannette to elevate your results and impact in 2026.

As a leader, ensuring everyone on your team feels included is essential to serving the company and its clients. Small groups can quietly undermine collaboration, slow down decisions, and create costly barriers. If you’re seeing signs of exclusion and are unsure how to address them, contact me for a confidential conversation so we can identify the blind spots and strengthen your team’s ability to work well together.

NOTE: A new presentation, Psychological Safety: The Leadership Advantage, is one you cannot ignore. Contact me for details on presenting this information to your business leaders, bosses, and managers.

Resolve Lack of Communication Undermines Employees

January 26, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Employees everywhere are navigating rapid change: new terminology, new protocols for working with others, and rising concerns about psychological safety. Yet many leaders still fall short in communicating expectations, giving practical instructions, and offering the direction employees need to perform well. Leaders unintentionally widen and quietly erode the very employee satisfaction they’re trying to build.

Overcome Lack of Communication to Improved Results

Leaders, the key is awareness! And, the willingness to ask the employee what they need. Yes, it may take more time initially. But saves you lots of time, money, and customers in the long run.

Answer the Request for Help. When employees ask for help, answer in a manner that supports them to achieve intended results. You may not know the answer yourself. In those cases, refer the employee to team members that may know, or a vendor that knows how the system operates.

When an employee asked his manager for instructions on how to proceed with a project, the boss replied, “Just do it. Ask as you go along.” The employee was confused; he had never done the work before and didn’t know where to begin. He simply needed written instructions, or at least verbal guidance. But the boss didn’t know the process either and expected others to compensate for his lack of clarity. The employee eventually created instructions for himself and others, but those instructions disappeared when he and other team members quit. Lack of communication caused a spike in turnover because no one had the direction they needed to succeed.

Learn How to Listen for …

When leaders fail to listen for how they can help employees excel, they unintentionally widen communication gaps. Many leaders don’t listen for, or genuinely invest in, their employees’ career development. They stay focused on getting the job done with as little stress or disruption to themselves as possible. The real key is to care. Provide career‑development opportunities and encourage employees to apply what they learn, because strong communication and genuine support are what support performance.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Never assume you, as the leader, have all the answers. Shutting down an employee who is having difficulty explaining what they want only creates more work in the long run. Take the time to ask open-ended questions, look for examples (e.g., pictures, graphs, or flowcharts) to ensure you are aligned, and remain open to others probing and asking questions too.

Never Assume Employees Should Know

When leaders assume employees should already know what resources and company benefits are available, they unintentionally widen communication gaps. Many employees don’t know what to ask for or even realize which benefits exist.

For example, when employee assistance programs (EAP) aren’t clearly communicated, people miss out on support at the very moment they may need it. Sharing information about free tax advice and other available resources builds trust, reduces stress, and strengthens a positive team culture.

All of this is achieved through full and clearer communication.

When employees can count on leaders to communicate clearly about expectations, opportunities, and the resources available to them, trust deepens and great results become the norm.

If you and team not delivering the results you want, consider your lack of communication is the barrier. Contact me for a confidential conversation to identify the gaps and strengthen your impact as a leader.

Do You Allow Self-Doubt to Sabotage Your Results?

January 19, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Self‑doubt is far more common among leaders than most people admit. It shows up when coaching team members, navigating project snafus, or learning new skills. The good news is that everyone experiences self‑doubt, including the most effective leaders.

The bad news is that self‑doubt often convinces leaders to stop doing the work needed to move forward, avoid needed conversations, or allow fear to take over the driver’s wheel. That’s precisely when self-doubt wins and you stop, which is the wrong move.

Self‑doubt may feel like a stop sign, but more often it’s a green light. It signals that you’re entering unfamiliar territory, a place where growth, innovation, and new results become possible. The real challenge is not the doubt itself, but the lack of clarity, skills, or perspective needed to move forward. That’s where mentors, coaches, and collaborators make all the difference.

Using Self-Doubt as Leverage

Take Time for Reflection: What Worked / What Didn’t Work

This simple exercise, grounded in objective data, reveals what needs attention: conversations, work assignments, your expectations, or structural changes to the project or how you leverage an opportunity. Without data, self‑doubt fills in the blanks with fear instead of facts.

Have the Tough Conversations

These conversations aren’t easy, but they don’t have to be painful. Preparation matters. Use your reflection data, stay open to feedback, and be willing to hear what you may have missed.

Plan to Listen for:

signals where you’re on the right track
where you went off-track
gaps in conversations or financial projections
team members doing the bare minimum
quiet changes that could derail the project

Ask Open‑Ended Questions

Listening is your competitive advantage. There may be unseen dynamics slowing progress: political, relational, or operational. A mentor, executive coach, or industry expert can help you interpret what you’re hearing. Always ask: “What would you do?”

Be Coachable

Admitting there’s a problem is uncomfortable. Hearing someone else point it out can be even harder. But coachability is a leadership multiplier. Stay more committed to results than to ego. If doubt persists, talk with one or two additional mentors (not five or ten) to uncover what’s really driving your hesitation.

A company owner frustrated with poor hiring results blamed candidates, recruiters, and the economy. The real issue? He wasn’t using valid, legal, and scientifically sound selection tools to understand a candidate’s thinking style, behavioral traits, and occupational interests. His biases were not objective data. But he used them to drive decisions. Retention dropped. Customers left.

To achieve true job fit (and keep customers), use objective, replicable data to transform hiring quality and your long‑term results.

Ask Yourself: “What Can I Learn?”

This is one of the most important questions. Self‑doubt always carries a message. Ask: “What is this teaching me?” Listen for the answer in silence, not in the noise of others’ opinions. Then turn insight into action by talking with your coach, taking a course (or teaching one), and having the conversation(s) you’ve been avoiding.

Overcoming self-doubt when faced with a challenge can be difficult. That’s why having an executive coach to guide you through the process is important. Contact me for a confidential conversation to discover where you are sabotaging your results.