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Waiting to Choose and Develop Your Successor Can Create Brouhaha

April 17, 2023 by Jeannette Seibly

“Waiting to choose and develop your successors only causes brouhaha.” Jeannette Seibly

There comes a time when you must choose and develop your successors. Usually sooner rather than later! But, too often, leaders and business owners wait until it’s too late and brouhaha ensues!

While you may be a very good leader, the problem is you haven’t taken the time to develop the future leaders or have refused to do so. Instead, you:

Thought you had time
Have done a poor job of hiring for job fit and no one is able to fill your seat
Have narcissistic traits and your ego (male and female) believes you are the only one that can do your job
Have a disability or diminishing mental acuity

Brouhaha will happen without a succession plan. Also, failure to choose successors and develop their management and leadership skills will hurt the company’s future. While many companies, especially family businesses, don’t believe conflict within the company will create a negativity, it does. Just read the social media and other media posts. Yes, it can happen to you too!

What Do You Need to Do and Know to Choose the Right Successor

Start Now by Talking It Out. Whether it’s a family member, favored key employee, or outside hire, have many conversations, starting now. During these conversations, learn about their goals and aspirations. If they are not interested or hedge, move on. Tap into your network. Remember, while some leaders have good leadership skills, it may camouflage a poor managerial style. Develop them now. If they refuse, remove them from the written plan.

Remove the natural urge to find a “mini you.” Businesses grow and change and you need the right person who is flexible and resilient.

Hire or Promote for Job Fit. It’s insane to promote a family member, favored friend or employee, or hire from the outside into a role when the person doesn’t fit the job. For example, taking a top operations or finance vice president and promoting them to a #1 position. This can cause havoc if the person lacks the qualities necessary to lead a large group of people across many difference disciplines. Remember, you cannot coach, train, or manage someone into fitting a job if they are a poor fit with the responsibilities!

Pay Now or Pay Later. There is a science to qualified assessments … they are not created equal. Some are designed for job fit use, while most assessments focus only on training and development. Use the right qualified 360-feedback and job fit assessments. These provide clarity about inherent strengths and weaknesses, leadership blind spots, and emotional intelligence. Read how to select the right one: Chapter 9 in Hire Amazing Employees.

“People are promoted to their level of incompetence!” Peter Drucker (Please, reread … I’ve seen this happen way too often! It is preventable!)

Honor Your Promises. I’ve seen successors hired, but the owner or #1 person refuses to relinquish their role. This can be difficult for many reasons: poor job fit of the newly hired successor, fear of leaving, or unexpected business changes. Have the conversations up front acknowledging changes may happen. Also, provide an exit plan for each of you to avoid any litigation or company brouhaha.

Ensure Coachability. It’s critical the future successor is coachable. Are they willing to learn from you? Are they willing to do the work with an executive coach and develop their mindfulness, decision-making, and interpersonal skills? Remember, while they have been coachable as #2 or #3 in the organization, it is very different being #1. (Too often, #2’s or #3’s success depends on #1 telling the person what to do.)

Can You Get Out of the Way? Letting go of the reins for any reason can be difficult. You’re human and have emotional attachments that get in the way of objectivity, especially when you’ve grown or developed a great business. Be coachable and let go of the reins while you can still enjoy watching and smiling at the next generation’s progress! Getting out of the way requires soul-searching of whether or not you’re ready.

Conduct Internal and External References. While this can be part of the qualified 360-feedback process, beware! Some employees give bosses and leaders high marks because of their likeability. But that does not equate to having the qualities required to be the right leader. Listen and learn by asking employees (current and past), vendors, and customers for their input.

Start Now and Update Every Two Years. Put the plan in writing and update! Share with the key leaders. Remember, people’s goals and company focus will change. Even a slight shift can cause a big disruption if the wrong leader takes the helm. So, don’t be afraid of modifying as appropriate.

REMINDER! Use this article as a wakeup call if you’re still on the fence. Call me for a confidential conversation. You would hate to have people shaking their fists in anger or stomping on your grave because of your refusal to get real. You have a moral responsibility to honor your employees, vendors, and customers to ensure they are well taken care of. Create your succession plan now and develop those successors today!

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. With over 30 years as an award-winning international executive coach, speaker, and business author, Jeannette’s clients effectively work through sticky situations and challenging relationships to become positive influencers. Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion. PS: She’s also a three-time Amazon Best-Selling Author!

A note from Jeannette about developing your successor: Too often leaders hang on too long. Then, life happens and there is not a successor(s) to continue and move the company forward. Waiting is not the answer! Get into action now! Contact me for a confidential conversation about what is in your way of moving forward.

NOTE: It can be difficult making the right decisions and the right changes. I love coaching and supporting current and future leaders during critical and strategic situations. Contact me if you want an in-depth, one-on-one hour over 13 weeks. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to trust yourself. This, in turn, influences your team for unprecedented results that others applaud.

How’s your leadership development progressing? Are you moving forward … or a tad stuck? Do you need a “nudge” or “kick-in-the-butt?” Want to accelerate and soar your results? Get into action by contacting me for a confidential conversation.

Producing Effective Results Requires Trusting Yourself

April 7, 2023 by Jeannette Seibly

“Trusting yourself requires experience, resilience, and the willingness to learn from your mistakes.” Jeannette Seibly

Wanting to be a leader, boss, team member, and good citizen requires trusting yourself to take the right actions and asking for help on what to do to create effective results. What you do or do not do impacts others’ ability to trust you to make win-win-win decisions.

How often have you decided and second-guessed yourself because you didn’t trust yourself? Too often, we realize that if you’d asked the right questions or knew what you now know, you’d have made a better decision. But we didn’t trust ourselves, and every leader has been there.

So, how do we learn to trust ourselves?

Important Traits Required to Trust Yourself

Tell the Truth! We love to rationalize, justify, and lie to ourselves and others that we’re doing our best. Trusting yourself is built by asking for help when you don’t know what to do.

Example: What are you doing to make it difficult for your team members to trust you to achieve intended results or to ask you for help (e.g., gossiping, withholding resources, blaming others, etc.)?

Honor Your Word. This can be difficult for many people, including leaders. But, remember, while you may not believe your word impacts yourself or others, it does … and builds or diminishes trust.

Example: Pick up the phone and talk directly with the right person to solve a team conflict or other brewing issue (e.g., HR, boss, or coach). Then, follow through!

Stop Relying Solely on Intuition or Gut Feelings. Too many people rely on feelings, social media rants, and other lousy information and cite these as intuitive or gut reactions. While scientific studies indicate intuition and gut reactions are important, we can’t rely solely on them when making decisions.

Example: Too many hiring bosses rely on intuition and incorrectly use job fit assessments when selecting the right person for the job. This creates losses in retention, revenues, and results.

Learn the Rules. Many people today flaunt or ignore the rules; they are there for a reason. While they may need changing, complaining about them or signing a petition doesn’t make a difference. Building trust in yourself means being accountable for what you say and do with others.

Example: Are you working within your company’s policies and standard operating procedures? Or do you hope no one notices you aren’t? Learning the rules prevents you from planning your excuses if there is a huge and costly mistake.

Learn to Apologize for Mistakes. Instead of relying on your excuses when you make a mistake, genuinely use these words, “I’m sorry.” “I apologize.” By trusting yourself to apologize for your mistakes, you will build trust with others so they know you take responsibility for your actions.

Example: A woman failed to show up twice in meetings she’d requested, set up with the same person, and then refused to apologize for being a no-show. This is what it looks like when you don’t trust yourself; it encourages others not to trust you.

Be Coachable! The fastest way to learn to trust yourself and encourage others to trust you is to be coachable. While no one can know what to do in every situation, trust yourself to seek the right person to coach you through the best way to resolve issues. Listen and follow the advice of your coach and boss.

A note from Jeannette about trusting yourself: Many leaders like to think they trust themselves. Yet, they don’t. How do you know? Watch their actions, which speak louder than words. Contact me to assess how to trust yourself more for better results.

NOTE: Learning to trust yourself requires making the right choices and the right changes. I love coaching and supporting current and future leaders during critical and strategic situations. Contact me if you want an in-depth, one-on-one hour over 13 weeks. Remember, coaching accelerates your ability to trust yourself. This, in turn, influences your team for unprecedented results that others applaud.

How’s your leadership development progressing? Are you moving forward … or a tad stuck? Do you need a “nudge” and “clarification?” Want to accelerate and soar your results? Contact me for a confidential conversation.

How Do You Quietly Hire Employees?

March 13, 2023 by Jeannette Seibly

Quiet hiring is a way to develop talent without hiring new employees or moving current employees to work when you cannot hire the right people. It was declared a new trend by Gartner, a technological research and consulting firm: Quiet hiring will open up new doors for retaining talent without the cost of a lengthy recruitment process.

While “quiet hiring” is new, the strategy is not. Wise companies have used “internal mobility or upskilling” to keep top talent for many years.

But before you jump on this “newest trend,” here are the issues to address before considering this strategy.

How to Use Quiet Hiring

Quiet hiring is how employers fill positions with current employees and leverage current talent. Normally, it’s done on a temporary basis, or you risk employment law issues.

For example:

If your company is a bank and needs someone at the teller window for several hours a day, it’s an excellent opportunity for a loan officer to learn more about the bank and its customers’ needs.
If your insurance company needs help in the claims department for a month, you may have one of your underwriters work there temporarily.
If your company is in any industry and needs help auditing for a quarter, you may place one of your IT people in that role.

What Are Three Criteria to Implement Quiet Hiring?

It would be best if you had buy-in from your employees. Remember, any change can be scary to them. Be sure to communicate the intention, what is expected, and the benefits to everyone, not just those being “quietly hired” into new roles. Remember, it’s a temporary change and will not affect their benefits and compensation plans.
How to Start the Conversation. You may say, “We/I value your contribution and would like to temporarily use you in a different role (or to take on additional responsibilities). Are you willing to do so?”
Stay Connected. If there are problems before or after the transition, it’s essential to address them immediately. Remember that different teams have different work styles, and bosses have different work expectations (e.g., remote v. onsite, punctuality v. lateness).

How You Use Quiet Hiring to Improve Your Employees’ Skills

Provides Skill Development. It’s a great way to help broaden an employee’s knowledge of the company. It allows them to experience how their normal position impacts the temporary one. Acquiring these new skills prepares them for promotions, new work teams, and other future opportunities.
Reduces the Need for Layoffs and Terminations. It’s a great way to keep good employees by temporarily moving them into different roles or departments.
Helps Them Understand the Impact of Work Quality and Decisions. The added benefit of quiet hiring is that they can learn about the impact they create when making changes in how they do their work or when making decisions. For example: Moving a sales rep into customer service is a great way to experience the aftermath of how the company’s products and services work with customers. (Also known as cross-training.)
Training is Critical! Like anything new, it’s essential that you provide a training program and on-the-job training coach to ensure consistency in how work is done. Remember, they are transitioned to the new position temporar If they make any changes, it can inadvertently impact the entire company and its customers.
Participate in Job Rotation or Job Sharing. These are more formal ways that “quiet hiring” top talent can develop the skills required for future opportunities.

Beware of “Quiet Hiring” Pitfalls

Job Fit Issues. Placing a good employee in a position that does not fit their capabilities means you will lose a good employee. Use a qualified job fit assessment to reduce these types of issues. Remind them it’s temporary. However, if there are consistent problems, you must move them back to where they were doing well.
Unwillingness to Move to New Position. If the move requires the person to be onsite or the person has other concerns such as commute and flex time, address them upfront. It costs time, money, and energy to train people in positions they usually don’t work in; since it’s only temporary, it may not be worth the effort or upset.
Keep the Same Benefits and Comp. If you don’t, you will risk employment law concerns. Contact your HR or employment attorney to determine local, state, and federal impacts — also the same for international employees.

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She has over 30 years of award-winning international experience as an executive consultant, speaker, and business author. Her clients surpass the norm by working through sticky situations and challenging relationships to become positive influencers. Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about Quiet Hiring: This old employment practice of moving people temporarily into different positions now has a new name: Quiet Hiring! Before you jump on this latest trend, understand the legal, practical, and employee impacts before using! Then, contact me to talk through your hiring and selection challenges!

NOTE: Do you want to win? All leaders who are winners have coaches! I love coaching leaders and have for over 30 years! Contact me if you want an in-depth, one-on-one hour over 13 weeks. Having a coach speeds up your ability to influence others, hire the right people, and coach your team for unprecedented results.

Announcing New Workshop! Traditional leadership (e.g., formal, metrics-driven) is being replaced with human leadership (e.g., focus on the human dynamics that impact results). For example, “That’s how it’s always been done.” vs. “Great idea. How do you recommend we implement it?” However, your managers and directors are being overlooked regarding the training required to be an effective boss and leader. Read about my newest workshop: Are Your Managers and Directors Effective Leaders?

What Do You Need to Do for Your Team to Trust You?

February 20, 2023February 20, 2023 by Jeannette Seibly

“Trust only happens when you say what you mean and mean what you say.” Jeannette Seibly

Only 40% of leaders and human resources experts say their company had high-quality leaders — a 17% drop from last year — with less than half saying they have confidence in their immediate supervisor, according to DDI’s recently released 2023 Global Leadership Forecast. (Forbes)

Being a leader with the right title does not make you trustworthy. On the contrary, trust is earned over and over, day after day.

Yet, today, we continue to see too many leaders in the media focused on themselves. They are unable to treat customers and employees as VIPs and dismiss important issues as not their problem.

“Team members that work for trusted leaders are far more innovative and achieve top-notch results.” Jeannette Seibly

How to Build Trust and Be an Effective Leader

Know Your Blind Spots. A blind spot is an area of weakness or limitation in an individual’s perspective or behavior that they are not aware of. When you are unaware of your blind spots, you’ll continue making the same mistakes and poor decisions. Teams and team members will stop trusting you, especially if you rely on using the same old excuses. Stop the vicious circle! Hire an executive coach and use a qualified job fit assessment to get real about why you do what you do! Make the necessary changes now.

Trust Your Team. First, you must trust your team members. It doesn’t mean you overlook half-truths, missed deadlines, or poor quality. It means if someone says they cannot get a task done by a specific time, listen and ask, “What do you need from me?” Teams that trust and feel supported by their leader are more likely to go beyond the norm to get the intended results.

Learn from Mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, including you! Yelling or expressing frustration at team members is not the way to build trust! Instead, together, conduct an objective review of “what worked/what didn’t work?” Acknowledge things they did well. Specifically, focus on two things to improve. Then, take what you learned, develop a game plan, and manage for results.

Allow Them to Resolve Issues through Your Listening. Poor listening skills interfere with effective communication and relationships. They lead to misunderstandings and conflict, which diminishes trust. When you develop an ear to listen, your natural curiosity and good questions guide you on what to say. Allow your team member or team to get to the source of the problem through your listening! It builds trust that they can count on you because you are there for them.

Embrace Tough Conversations. If you’d rather avoid them, hoping and praying the issue (aka team member or customer) will disappear, your team stops trusting you! Your job is to make the workplace a safe and comfortable place to excel.

Be Known for Straight Talk. Say what you mean and mean what you say. (Yes, I’m repeating this … that’s how important it is.) This makes THE difference between your team trusting you to look out for them or feeling manipulated by you to get the job done. When making a promise, follow up and follow through. When a project has not met the customer’s needs, tell the truth about why. Stop the practice of making yourself look good at the expense of others. It’s the fastest way to lose trust!

Brag about Your Team! Sharing the successes of each and every team member makes a positive difference. This requires being aware of each team member’s contribution … no matter how small. By paying attention, you will build trust and strengthen their willingness to work with you!

A note from Jeannette about building trust as a leader: Being a leader today is more challenging than ever! The biggest detractor is your team’s ability to trust you! Too many leaders focus on themselves. They are unable to treat customers and employees as VIPs and dismiss issues as not their problem. Contact me to discuss trust issues you have with your team and what they have with you!

This week’s PODCAST: Listen to “Best Practices When Working Remotely” with my guest, Ronald Beach, Ph.D., on The Entrepreneurial Leader.

How to Test Your Hiring Process to Eliminate Costly Problems

February 9, 2023 by Jeannette Seibly

“To hire the best, you must consistently use best hiring practices!” Jeannette Seibly

Many job seekers love to share their stories about their horrible experiences when applying for jobs. Or, thankfully, share about losing out on a job due to the hiring boss’s poor interviewing behavior.

Stories hiring bosses love to share include nixing a person because they didn’t carry a pen to not hiring candidates that failed to answer non-job-related questions with responses they wanted to hear (e.g., most recent books read or movies seen).

As a hiring boss, you may not be aware of your biases. But they exist, many times unconsciously. And cost you time, money, and sleepless nights. (Example: Making your decision in 4 to 15 minutes of meeting people whether or not to hire them.)

Here’s a great way to determine if your company’s hiring and selection process needs help: use secret job seekers. (Similar to retailers using secret shoppers.)

How to do it: Secretly, without letting hiring bosses know, have friends, trusted employees, and business associates apply for open positions. Have them change their names on their resumes; use fictitious company names, job titles, and educational degrees; and provide pay-as-you-talk cell phones.

Most likely flaws you’ll uncover:

Difficulties using your ATS (applicant tracking system)
Inconsistencies of questions asked during interviews
Not using qualified job fit assessments (Note: Not all assessments are created equal and most do not comply with Department of Labor guidelines for pre-employment use).

The surprises (or maybe not … but now you have factual data required to make needed changes): you will discover the costly mischief about your company’s hiring practices and what is causing the company’s bad reputation.

Common issues will include:

Promises made during interviews and not kept when making job offers
Having too many interviewers or having team interviews with people not on the same page
Job descriptions are too long and uninspiring
Job postings are boring
Links and QR Codes don’t work
Inconsistencies when hiring managers conduct interviews (e.g., asking inappropriate questions or not asking the same structured questions of candidates for the same job)
Poor due diligence practices due to not thoroughly checking the backgrounds of all candidates

The key to fixing these issues is to design a strategic job fit selection process and use the best tools (e.g., ATS, structured interview formats, qualified job fit and core value assessments, and consistent due diligence practices). Note: Guidance on how to select the best tools can be found in Hire Amazing Employees: How to Increase Retention, Revenues, and Results.

This is critical and often overlooked! Conduct training programs for all hiring bosses, and provide intra-company access to all required tools and procedures to ensure consistent hiring practices. Also, have a key executive hold all hiring bosses accountable for following all the policies and procedures in the spirit of hiring the right person for the right job the first time!

Training will reduce costly hiring problems and ensure the best hiring practices.

The results? When you implement this secret job seeker program, you will attract and hire better candidates that stop ghosting you! As a result, your company will thrive by increasing retention, revenues, and results. And you may become the best employer in 2023.

A note from Jeannette about testing your hiring practices to eliminate costly (and avoidable) issues: It makes good business sense to ensure your company uses consistent, reliable, and valid hiring practices. Contact me to talk through hiring challenges and how to overcome them. It’ll save you time, money, and your customers!

This week’s PODCAST: Listen to Grow your side hustle into a full-time job with my guest, Bobby Crew on The Entrepreneurial Leader.

NOTE: Do you want to win? All leaders who are winners have coaches! I love coaching leaders and have for over 30 years! Contact me if you want an in-depth, one-on-one hour over 13 weeks. When you have a coach, it’ll speeds up your ability to influence others, hire the right people, and coach your team for unprecedented results.

How Do You Bridge Communication Gaps and Create Positive Results?

January 30, 2023 by Jeannette Seibly

Leaders often wait for a miracle to get the team on the same page. Yet, unfortunately, it rarely happens without the directed effort of the leader.

In my recent article, Are Your Relationships Working? I mentioned “Bridge Communication Gaps” as one of the essential tips for building good and effective working relationships.

Yet, many leaders are perplexed about how to do this in today’s workplace due to diversity, remote work options, and differences of opinion.

5 Essential Ways to Bridge Communication Gaps between Teams and Results

Appreciate Differences … Where Do I Start? You start by using a qualified job fit assessment that provides objective information (not the type of assessment that shows how people want to be seen). For many years, I’ve used the granddaddy of objective job-fit assessment products: PXT Select. Example: When team members (and business partners, boss/employee) are in conflict, I use it to provide an objective review of what’s working and where the communication problems exist. Everyone thinks they know the answers. But 99% of the time, there are surprises. This process and the knowledge you gain build comradery and resolve misperceptions.

Get Everyone on the Same Page. Share the goal, budget, and deadline with the team and allow them to contribute their ideas, thoughts, and opinions. Yes, this often requires training for you and the team on developing and using the skills necessary to communicate, create strategies, and execute results.

Include Everyone’s Ideas. It doesn’t mean all of their ideas are viable and will be used. But when everyone’s ideas are heard and acknowledged, they feel respected and valued. This closes many communication gaps while building positive working relationships.

Brainstorm for Solutions. The same mindset that created the problem will not solve the issue. It requires listening outside the norm and allowing new, off-the-wall ideas to take hold. It will require setting aside egos and judging what is or is not a good idea. Encourage everyone to construct the solution by asking questions for clarification.

Celebrate the Wins and Learn from the Failures. This is critical and often overlooked. Conduct a What Worked?/What Didn’t Work? for each and every project. This review is also a great way to get unstuck in a project, acknowledge the team, and fully appreciate their efforts.

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She’s celebrating 30 years as an award-winning international executive consultant, speaker, and business author. Her clients value the listening and positive difference she brings to any conversation. As a result, they can work through sticky situations and challenging relationships to become positive influencers. Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion. PS: She’s also a three-time Amazon Best-Selling Author!

A note from Jeannette about bridging communication gaps: For many leaders, this can be scary. They either don’t know how, are afraid to ask for help, or are unwilling to admit there is a problem. However, failure to bridge communication gaps will derail your ability to create good working relationships. It will also negatively impact your retention, revenues, and results. Contact me if you know you should but don’t want to. Don’t worry. You’ll glean at least one idea you can implement immediately.

This week’s PODCAST: Listen to How the pandemic led a professional copywriter, speaker and author to become an accidental artist with my guest, Debra Jason, on The Entrepreneurial Leader.

NOTE: I love coaching current and future leaders to support them in leading, managing, and hiring their teams. Contact me if you want an in-depth, one-on-one hour over 13 weeks. It will accelerate your ability to influence others, hire the right people, and coach your team for unprecedented results. SeibCo.com/contact/

Are Your Relationships Working?

January 10, 2023 by Jeannette Seibly

Photo Credit Oko_SwanOmurphy from Canva — “We all have relationships that work and those that do not. The common denominator is you. What can you do to improve them?” Jeannette Seibly

All leaders know that the quality of their leadership depends on the quality of their relationships. Yet, many lack clarity on maintaining and improving these valuable sources of information, comradery, and partnerships. Leaders know good working relationships produce better results, more fun, and increased job satisfaction. (Yes, even for the introverts reading this.)

But in professional relationships, we all have blind spots. Yet few of us take advantage of learning what they are and how to overcome them because we think we already know what they are. Do you see the irony? So let me help you: You have no idea what your blind spots are. That’s why they are called blind spots … they are blind to you. But they get in the way of others having a good working relationship with you!

7 Essential Tips to Improve Your Relationships

Be Present. This is one of the most important yet overlooked ways to improve relationships. When in conversation, be present. Set aside distractions and mental chatter. It tells others, “They matter.”
Listen. Just listening without responding makes a significant difference in people feeling comfortable talking with you. However, believing it’s not worth your time to listen causes future problems. Remember, failure to listen to a team member takes a mushroom-size issue and makes it an immovable mountain! After listening, be curious and ask questions (e.g., “Tell me more.” “Why is this important?” “How can I help?”)
Apologize. Yes, this is a difficult one for many leaders (think, ego.) When you’ve upset someone or failed to honor your word (think, excuses), it’s time to apologize. All you need to say is, “I apologize.” Then, change the bad habit or forgetfulness that caused the issue.
Stop Being Annoyed. Yes, this is a hard one. But the following exercise does work. (I know because I’ve used it!) First, write down three to five things that annoy you. Now, stop allowing yourself to be annoyed when these happen!
Forgive Others. Holding onto grudges and being offended only hurts you! Talk it out with one trusted ally to gain perspective. Then, forgive yourself for being human and know that not everyone will like you as their leader. But, as the leader, you are responsible for creating a workable relationship with each and every team member. (Not the other way around. So, get to it!)
Hire a Coach. Yes, the right coach can help you work through those “sticky-stuck” situations and politically charged relationships. So hire the right coach today and get the year off to a great start!
Bridge the Communication Gap. I’ve found this an easy way to get people on the same page and talking with one another. First, use a qualified job fit assessment tool that provides objective information (not the type of assessment that shows how you want to be seen). For many years, I’ve used the granddaddy of objective job-fit assessment products: PXT Select. Example: I received a letter from two clients that needed to bridge a growing communication gap. They said, “I thought I knew the person. Yet, I discovered the other person wasn’t who I thought he was.” Remember, these assumptions and trying to be someone you’re not will always get in the way of building solid and effective relationships.

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She’s celebrating 30 years as an award-winning international executive consultant, speaker, and coach. Her clients value the listening and positive difference she brings to any conversation. Feel stuck in a sticky situation or a challenging relationship? Want straightforward counsel to blast through it? Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion. PS: She’s also a three-time Amazon Best-Selling Author!

A note from Jeannette about relationships that work: I observed a situation where a team member let another team member ‘have it.’ A third team member, watching the interaction, leaned over and whispered to me, “This is why I like doing things on my own and not being part of a group of people.” I’m sure this has happened to you. And maybe you’ve expressed the same sentiment. But the truth is, as a leader, you must work with and through others to build strong relationships. So address that complicated relationship now. Contact me to resolve it now before it gets worse because they usually do.

Listen to the Building Relationships in Your Business with my guest, Marsha Haygood, on The Entrepreneurial Leader.

Creating Your 2023 Success Starts Today

January 3, 2023 by Jeannette Seibly

“We all have what it takes to succeed. But many of us do not want to do the work required.” Jeannette Seibly

It’s that time of the year when everyone is busy creating goals. The problem? In about 30 days, all those good intentions for success will be for naught! Many of you will have forgotten, become disillusioned, or didn’t realize how much work was involved. But there is an easier way … so get started today to create your 2023 success.

The Key Ingredients to Get You and Keep You in Focused-Action

Set your goals. Before setting your 2023 goals, complete 2022! Take time to review What worked?/What Didn’t Work? Acknowledge your successes and lessons learned. Then, create no more than 3 BIG goals for personal and professional success. Yes, they need to be big enough to stretch from where you are now to where you want to be later this year. For example, if you’re already slated to be a team leader, creating that as a goal is not a stretch! Yet achieving the intended metrics and results with the team would be a stretch for any team leader. It’s inspiring too.
Hire the right coach. Nobody achieves their goals alone. And asking for help is a good thing to do! But not every coach is the right one to guide you to success. So, select the right one and hire the person now.
Address your inherent challenges and clarify your blind spots. Use qualified job fit and 360-degree feedback assessments. Why? These validated tools help you discover your core strengths to build on. For example, a maple tree’s roots are the core of it growing into a strong maple tree. But its strength would be diminished if it tried to be a palm tree. It’s the same with you. Build on your strengths! Using qualified assessments will show you who you are (aka your “core”) and not how you want to be seen. Work with your coach to review these valuable reports, stay focused, and willingly receive feedback from others.
Put together the right team. Some people call them accountability partners. Pick one or two people with BIG goals that need your support. Have an upfront agreement to keep you and them in action and not let excuses get in the way!
Schedule time to journal and meditate. These actions keep you focused on moving forward. It’ll also unveil whom you need to talk to and work with while using your strengths to stay in action. Make sure to use an easy system that works for you, even if it’s only 5 minutes per day.
Have fun and celebrate. Every achievement, no matter how small, should be acknowledged. These brags build confidence. They also keep you in action when you want to quit (and you will), especially after you’ve made a mistake or find yourself in a difficult situation.

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She’s celebrating 30 years as an award-winning international executive consultant, speaker, and coach. Her clients value the listening and positive difference she brings to any conversation. Feel stuck in a sticky situation or in challenging relationships? Want straightforward counsel to blast through it? Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion. PS: She’s also a three-time Amazon Best-Selling Author!

A note from Jeannette about creating your 2023 success today: We all have the best of intentions when we make our goals. However, those intentions will go by the way-side over 90% of the time without using the 6 key ingredients to get you and keep you in focused action now. Need help getting started? Want to stop before you even get started? (Yes, this happens frequently.) Contact me.

To learn more about goals, listen to my podcast, The Entrepreneurial Leader, with guest Deb Eckerling.

How Do You Improve Being Coachable, Especially When You Don’t Want To?

December 27, 2022 by Jeannette Seibly

Note: This is a reprint of the #1 article for 2022.

We’ve all been coachable and uncoachable. It’s part of being human.

Being coachable: You listen for feedback from people regardless of your feelings about them.

Being uncoachable and challenging to work with: You refuse to listen to others even when they are great results-producers.

Why are you uncoachable? It could be your:

Readiness to hear feedback or advice
Humiliation of what occurred (e.g., poorly done presentation)
Low self-esteem or ego
Workplace environment views coaching negatively
Need to do it your way or on your own

Regardless of your reasoning, developing your listening skills and being coachable is critical.

The bottom line is that every successful leader, boss, and high-performance person has a coach! Think of the NBA, business leaders, and sales teams with excellent sales results. They know that while the advice and feedback may not be delivered flawlessly to their liking, it’s important to be coachable. Setting aside their ego avoids costly errors, team conflict, and poor customer results.

How Do You Improve Being Coachable and Achieve the Success You Really Want?

Be Present and Make the Time. “Is it an appropriate time to talk?” For example, bosses may call you when your kids demand your attention, or you’re in a department store. When this happens, ask, “Can I call you back in ½ hour when I can hear you?” Then, make the call in ½ an hour! Why? When distracted, you cannot present what is being said and will overlook critical feedback details.

Listen to Feedback About You. Listen carefully when the feedback originates from a team member, customer, or executive. There is an important lesson to learn here. To be coachable, listen without defending your actions, words, or thoughts about the person who complained. Instead, a couple of questions to ask: “Can you be more specific?” and “What would you recommend that I do?”

Transform Your Mindset When You Make Mistakes. There will be days you don’t do your best, create team conflict, or say the wrong thing. When someone complains, your ego will feel the need to defend your actions and blame others for the results. Breathe! Apologize! Stick with the facts, not your feelings about the person, situation, or other factors. Instead, ask, “What can I specifically do to change the outcome?” Remember, your future career options require taking responsibility and being coachable!

Review All Project Results Before, During, and After. Too often, you’re open and ready to hear feedback when a project is working. But when a project has or is about to fail, you become defensive, stop listening, and turn it into a debate. Remember, there is always room for improvement. In preparation for these crucial conversations, complete this exercise: “What Worked?/What Didn’t Work?”

Seek Out Coaching When You Need Clarity. There is a myth that you need to know the answer before asking for help. It’s not true! Instead, be open to listening to the feedback and be coachable. For example, ask, “Do you have 5 minutes? I’m unclear on what I need to do to make this project work?” Share the specifics about the goal and actions taken. Always say, “Thank you.” Even when you don’t like their answers be coachable. It could make the difference between successful results and failure.

Listen for the Gold … especially when the little voice in your head is chirping, “I don’t want or need to hear it.” It takes practice to master the skill of being coachable. In turn, you will accelerate your leadership development, relationships, and business results.

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She’s celebrating 30 years as an award-winning international executive consultant, speaker, and coach. Her clients value the listening and positive difference she brings to any conversation. Feel stuck in a sticky situation or in challenging relationships? Want straightforward counsel to blast through it? Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion. PS: She’s also a three-time Amazon Best-Selling Author!

A Note from Jeannette about being coachable: Successful leaders have coaches. Being coachable isn’t hard if you’re open to feedback and asking for help. Start with your coach to resolve a challenging situation or relationship today. These issues rarely disappear on their own! Do you feel stuck? Not clear what the real problem is? You’re not alone. Contact me for a confidential conversation.

When was the last time you got honest about your leadership issues? Many employees today do not trust their bosses and leaders. Many leaders believe they already understand their blind spots. But they fail to get objective data to help them do the right things correctly. It’s essential to get actual objective data to improve your leadership. Click here for details.

Leaders, You Need to Regain Trust Now

December 13, 2022December 13, 2022 by Jeannette Seibly

Photo credit Vaniatos from Canva — “Trust is the foundation in any relationship, especially when you are the leader.” Jeannette Seibly

Which leader are you? Which leader would you want to work for?

A leader was well-known by his employees for spending money on his own personal interests. As a result, there were no pay increases, and bonuses were infrequent and minor. Finally, when the leader sold the business and stayed, the employees demanded that he be fired. “We couldn’t trust him as our leader, and we don’t trust him as a team member.”
Another leader led his employees without allowing his ego to get in the way. He also pursued self-interests, but not at the expense of his employees. He hired right and made sure they had the tools and resources needed. He made himself available to guide them through making decisions, resolving conflicts, and handling sticky situations. His employees trusted him.

During these past several years, employees have stopped trusting their leaders to do the right things the right way. While many people like to blame the economy, pandemic, and other outside factors, the truth is that these leaders do not talk straight, renege on promises, and hire and promote people that don’t fit their jobs.

As a leader, you must regain your employees’ trust NOW. The longer you wait, the harder it will become; eventually, trust can never be regained.

Here Are Three Ways to Regain Trust

Talk Straight. Instead of talking around an issue or subject, tell the truth.

Talk directly with the employee to provide performance feedback and coaching.
Expect resolutions to conflicts and be proactive in getting them resolved.
Value relationships by talking straight while being kind and compassionate.
Straight talk does not mean unleashing your anger or upset on another person.
Stop waffling around decisions. Make them fact-based, and include relevant human factors that are consistent with company values. This includes win-win-win outcomes for the customer, employee, and company.

Make Promises and Keep Them. Level up your ability to listen and listen to yourself when speaking. Too many leaders don’t listen well (or at all) or remember their promises. When making an agreement, write it down! Send an email … This is my understanding … Be open to negotiations within reason. Remember, respect, valuing others, and integrity are non-negotiable.

Hire and Promote for Job Fit. One of the most significant and often unrecognized issues that cause employees to stop trusting their leaders. When leaders hire using the instinctive/intuitive/gut approach, it doesn’t work (and never did). Many exhausted employees hate the constant turnover of new employees that cannot and will not do the job. Then, having their leader/boss manipulate them to “keep at it” and “make it work” upsets them and no longer works. You cannot force a square peg into a round hole! Instead, design a well-thought-out strategic selection process. Use qualified assessments that ensure job fit and tools to safeguard safety and well-being.

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She’s celebrating 30 years as an award-winning international executive consultant, speaker, and coach. Her clients value the listening and positive difference she brings to any conversation. Feel stuck in a sticky situation or in challenging relationships? Want straightforward counsel to blast through it? Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion. PS: She’s also a three-time Amazon Best-Selling Author!

A note from Jeannette about regaining trust as a leader: During these past several years, employees have stopped trusting their leaders to do the right things the right way. Now is the time to transform this belief before another year goes by. Are you uncertain about what to do? Do you need to talk it out? Contact me for a confidential conversation.