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Is Your Team Not Hitting the Results Required?

October 6, 2024September 23, 2024 by Jeannette Seibly

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

While only 10 percent of teams produce the intended results, it doesn’t mean you, and your team needs to be in the 90 percent range!

As an effective boss/leader, you must be able to diagnose team issues and communicate the changes effectively as soon as possible. Allowing problems to linger, or ignoring or denying them will sabotage your results now and in the future.

Secrets to Achieving the Required Results

Ensure the Goal is a Real One. Goals should be ten words or less! If it is longer, the true goal may be camouflaged in vocabulary and sabotaging actions. Shorten the goal to be crystal clear and flat as a pancake without add-ons. Now, review the milestones and actions being taken. Do they support fulfilling the goal?

Manage People for Results, Not Their Personalities. The foundation for successful results is bring the right people onto the team by using objective job fit data and assessments. If they later decide to leave, let them. Focusing on the work that needs to be done and the best people willing to make it happen is critical. Manage team conflict and different personalities to ensure everyone’s opinions are heard, and everyone is valued. Do not allow name-calling or blaming — since those actions are not easily forgotten nor forgiven.

Complete What Worked? / What Didn’t Work? When done correctly, this exercise will provide insights into progress made and what stopped the team/project from moving forward. Have everyone complete this exercise individually since collectively are less likely to skim over critical details that initially seemed meaningless. Now, review all the results together as a team.

Address Miscalculations, Bad Data, or Other Critical Thinking Issues. Ask one or two experts from outside the team for input when this happens. It doesn’t mean you do it the way they recommend, but it does require incorporating their insights appropriately.

Brainstorm. Focus on the top three issues. Address one problem at a time while knowing one can impact other concerns and current non-issues. For example, reworking the budget can impact money already spent. Ask open-ended questions and ensure complete work is being done.

Go Round Robin. Encourage everyone to speak. While this may seem like it takes longer to resolve the issue, it doesn’t. If someone withholds information (e.g., not being asked for their opinion), the person may end up withholding important information delaying a resolution later in the process.

Alignment Not Consensus. Waiting to reach a consensus will limit the speed of moving forward since factions have agendas. Doing complete work upfront makes decision-making easier. Address everyone’s issues and aim for alignment (for the details click the link).

Inspect Results. By reviewing the numbers, did you achieve the intended outcome? What is the impact on others and their thoughts? Address further actions to be taken. Don’t forget to acknowledge each and every team member for their work.

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

A note from Jeannette: Only 10 percent of teams achieve intended results. How do you intervene when your team is failing to achieve the target? Communication is one of the keys to improving results! Need guidance in transforming your team efforts? Contact me.

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

Do You Want to Be a Great Leader? Start the Transition Process Now

August 12, 2024 by Jeannette Seibly

“Great leaders prepare their successors to transition into their new roles ready for the challenge.” Jeannette Seibly

Learning to be a boss/leader is a process, not an event, and requires preparation! So does preparing your successor and preparing them for a smooth transition!

One of the lessons all bosses/leaders need to learn is when to step aside.

Too often, they wait too long. They allow their egos to get in the way and won’t let go. By the time they are experiencing mental health issues, physical disability, or death, it’s too late to have a prepared successor ready to take over.

The other challenge facing today’s leaders is that many potential future leaders are uncertain if they wish to become bosses/leaders. I suggest it’s due to a lack of preparation: training, development, coaching, and being given opportunities now to excel.

What Can You Do to Prepare?

Create Your Own Future. Too often, if you are hanging on too long, you don’t have a “What’s Next” planned. You will continue to talk about it, make excuses, create issues, and not take the focused action required to move on. Hire an executive coach and make a plan. Now, implement the plan.

Assess Who’s Next. When you have a key employee(s) designated to step up, they may not have the skills and talents to do so. Or they have been a great #2 person but are not the right person 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. Ensure they are given the tools, resources, and coaching required to win.

Hire an Executive Coach Now. Hire an executive coach to guide the future successor. Using an outside coach ensures any growth and development issues that might limit the future leader remain confidential. Remember, we all have our challenges. These should not restrict their 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.

Select an Internal Mentor Now. The mentor’s role is to guide the future leader through industry, company, and professional changes. Many mentors don’t make great coaches due to the time required. The other consideration is confidentiality. Having a mentor as a coach can limit job transition or promotion opportunities due to the future leader 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 them attend programs to develop their interpersonal, emotional intelligence, managerial, and leadership skills. Ensure, along with their coach and mentor, these new skills and awareness are being used appropriately and effectively. Remember, as mentioned at the beginning of this article, learning to be a leader is a process, not an event – it takes time, being held 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. Remember, while you know you can do it faster (and better), you may have forgotten that it’s due to your long-time experience. Allow your successor to develop those experiences while you can provide the benefits of your knowledge and guidance.

What Do You Do When the Person Changes Their Mind? This is a great question that is often ignored. Have a conversation to learn why. Do not spend a lot of time attempting to talk the person into changing their mind. This rarely works out well for anyone.

A note from Jeannette: As a boss/leader, do you have a successor? Great bosses/leaders spend time ensuring a smooth transition for when they are ready to move on due to promotion, job transition, or retirement. What is the best way to prepare a successor? How can you ensure a potential successor is ready? Why is it essential to create “What’s Next?” for yourself? Contact me for a confidential conversation!

Are you using your talents and abilities effectively? Many of us are not! Click Here for a Free Download on how to use your talents and enjoy a rewarding career!

It’s Essential to Learn How to Coach Your Employees and Teams

July 29, 2024 by Jeannette Seibly

“Learning and using effective coaching skills improves team results.” Jeannette Seibly

Today, more than ever, coaching is an essential skill for bosses and leaders.

Why? The effectiveness of coaching is reflected in employee and customer retention, employee job satisfaction, and team results.

The challenge? Many bosses/leaders don’t understand what coaching is or how to do it. Or, they’ve tried it, and it didn’t work, leaving employees and teams deflated.

The good news is that bosses and leaders can become good coaches. But like any new skill, it takes consistent practice to improve and become effective.

How to Improve Your Ability to Coach Effectively

First, Let’s Define Coaching. Coaching is not telling employees what to do. That is what supervisors or managers do. Coaching involves guiding, empowering, and helping each employee and team grow by listening, making suggestions for improvements, and allowing the employee and team to stretch – which sometimes means they’ll make mistakes and experience failures.

Let’s Get Started

Create a Learning Environment. When learning, employees increase their natural curiosity and innovative spirits. Ensure you invest in each employee and team and work with them to use the new skills effectively.

Be Specific in Your Praise. Celebrate individual achievements, successes, and wins with specific acknowledgment. Learning how to brag appropriately is also important to build confidence.

Build a Win-Win-Win Decision-Making Model. Involve your team in decision-making processes to build trust and ownership. Remember, this involves true brainstorming, resolving team conflict, and encouraging respectful conversations — each person speaks up and feels comfortable doing so.

Learn from Failure. Everyone has an opportunity to learn from their mistakes and failures – in fact, it’s the best way to learn. This is not the time for “I told you so’s” or other disparaging comments. Instead, use the “What Worked/What Didn’t Work?” and review with the employee or team. Focus on lessons learned and what’s next.

Leverage Strengths. Identify and capitalize on each team member’s strengths using an objective job fit assessment. These objective insights help you, your employees, and your team members grow and develop. With the information provided, you will be able to provide laser-like coaching rather than the hated trial-and-error process which leaves employees disempowered.

Practice Emotional Awareness. Understand and manage your own emotions and those of your team. Use compassion, respect, and a sandwich approach when offering feedback to your team members without being critical or condescending.

Listen. Listen actively and ask open-ended questions. Sometimes, all you need to do is listen and facilitate the conversation. By being a sounding board, it allows the team member to work out the solution and have the confidence to implement it. Don’t forget to ask “By When” it will be done and mark it on your calendar. (An important coaching strategy.)

It’s critical to remember that developing practical coaching skills is an ongoing process and not a one-time event. Don’t forget to hire your own executive coach to guide you through those sticky situations and political working relationships. This helps you coach others!

A note from Jeannette: Today’s bosses and leaders must become effective coaches. Coaching is not the same as managing and telling people what to do. Do you need help developing an effective coaching style as a boss/leader without defaulting to the hated trial-and-error approach? Contact me!

Are you using your talents and abilities effectively? Many of us are not! Click Here for a Free Download on how to use your talents and enjoy a rewarding career!

What Gets in the Way of Achieving Amazing Results? It’s Probably You!

May 6, 2024 by Jeannette Seibly

“Getting in the way of results is human; blasting through these challenges requires leadership.” Jeannette Seibly

Achieving intended results can be fun and rewarding as a boss and leader. Yet, too often, we get in the way when things don’t look like we believe they should! (Yes, that “s” word gets in the way too often!)

But there are times (sometimes too often) when you get in the way! This hurts team productivity, client satisfaction, and the bottom line.

Remember, intended results don’t happen by accident. They happen because you pay attention to the process, are a resource, and most importantly, you trust and value your team members to do their work effectively. This empowerment is key to achieving amazing results while staying out of the way!

6 Keys to Ensure Amazing Results

Be Present and Hear What Is Said. It’s not just about being physically present, but about actively listening and understanding. Too often, you believe you’re listening. Instead, you’re multitasking (a myth), and it significantly reduces your effectiveness. The truth is that your brain can only handle one thing at a time. So, you lose effectiveness, miss out on essential cues (80% of communication is nonverbal), and make poor decisions. Your team members, stop being engaged and stop talking! (Not a good sign!)

Ask Open-Ended Questions. Then, repeat what you heard to their satisfaction before building on their ideas and comments. Use this approach when offering feedback, if the team is stuck, or if you need more clarity about actual progress. Value these types of discussions, and they’ll positively change the results!

Be Flexible without Sacrificing Results. Only delve into how the work is being done if it’s clear the person is off in the weeds or stuck. Clarity and communication of the milestones keep everyone (including you) on track. Be prepared to talk big picture, and be able to get into the details, when necessary, by bringing in an expert (e.g., if someone is tasked with setting up a dashboard and it’s not done – chances are good they lack the experience, shy about asking questions, and/or need someone to guide them through the process). Now, manage accordingly.

Make the Tough Decisions Quickly. This can be hard but necessary when someone hurts the team’s ability to work together due to unmanaged conflict, differing opinions, and false accusations. If you wait, the issue will get worse.

Jane requested a meeting with a team member, Mimi, to discuss the legality of a new idea. Mimi sent Jane the conference link to the meeting, but when Jane clicked on the link, it didn’t work.

Three minutes past the scheduled time, Mimi emailed Jane to inform her that she’d been waiting for 10 minutes and that it was rude to keep her waiting. When Jane emailed back that the link wasn’t working, Mimi accused her of lying, lacking integrity to tell the truth, and made other accusations.

When Jane shared this with Mitch, her boss, he immediately removed Mimi from the team. To Mitch’s surprise, the team applauded when he shared the change. They had also experienced challenges working with Mimi and her aggressive behaviors when she was frustrated or upset.

Set Aside Your Ego, and Don’t Let the Project’s Success Be About You. This can be hard if your job, bonus, or next promotion depends on the intended results. But remember that you must be an effective project manager to build credibility and promotability; this includes managing the technical and people sides of the project. When you find yourself about to blame others or the situation, stop. Learn diplomacy, ask questions for clarity, and build resolutions. Remember, technology does have glitches, and it’s not always user error! Work with an executive coach as a sounding board to make a positive difference.

Celebrate Each Milestone and Success – individually and as a team. Appreciation, acknowledgment, and applause work wonders to keep team members engaged and working above the norm. Be sure it’s frequent and genuine.

A note from Jeannette: Achieving results can be fun and rewarding as a boss and leader. Yet, too often, we get in the way when things don’t look like we believe they should! (Yes, that “s” word gets in the way too often!) You’re not alone if you’re frustrated about a project, team member, or working relationship! Let’s talk and use my 31+ years of resolving leadership and management issues before it’s too late. Contact me now!

This book (“Hire Amazing Employees“) by Nancy Schick, NY Employment Attorney and Mediator, can help you improve your hiring process. I met Jeannette Seibly a few months ago In this Together Round Table, where I also learned about her book, Hire Amazing Employees. Since my clients frequently struggle with this task, I bought myself a copy and gave several as gifts. The book contains many helpful tips for avoiding the impact of hiring errors. Read the full testimonial here.

Shameless Self-Promotion is Key to Achieving Results

April 8, 2024 by Jeannette Seibly

“If you cannot self-promote your achievements, you cannot sell your ideas, products, or services…or be taken seriously.” Jeannette Seibly

Many women and men today downplay their value, success, and awesomeness! Why? It’s not socially acceptable to share what you’ve accomplished. However, the good news is that this is quickly changing!

“Although self-promotion (communicating one’s past accomplishments and positive characteristics) is important for obtaining career and educational opportunities, women feel uncomfortable when doing it, which limits their self-promotion success.” (Sage Journals, 2019)

In my many years of delivering the award-winning “Get Your Brag On!” presentation, many men have also shared that they lack the skills to promote themselves effectively.

The misconception that you can rely on others to promote your achievements has proven to be a costly mistake for many. It’s led to missed job opportunities, lost sales, and overlooked awards, all because they didn’t take the initiative to showcase their own worth!

Stop Downplaying Your Accomplishments!

Why? We’ve been taught since we were very young that it’s wrong to brag! Baby Boomers and GenXs were often shamed by their parents, teachers, and others when they promoted themselves. Millennials and GenZs have peer group pressure to maintain the “We,” excluding the individual “I” from recognition.

Today, self-promotion in interviews, sales presentations, and award nominations is critical. Using “I accomplished” is also important. Yet, many deserving people shy away from doing so and, as a result, are not offered the job or contract or win recognition. Often, less qualified people achieve these results because they brag in a business-savvy manner.

Fill the Confidence Gap. In my experience, both women and men fear sharing their accomplishments. (I continue to emphasize both genders since many articles only focus on women.) While there are gender biases (e.g., men need to talk powerfully, but when women speak powerfully, they are seen as bossy), shameless self-promotion does build natural inner confidence when done in a business-savvy manner.

Inner power and mindful awareness naturally communicate confidence; most people want to work with winners!

I didn’t say it was easy … or that others would readily acknowledge your successes. I’m saying stand up and speak up about your accomplishments. It makes a significant difference in getting pay increases, job promotions, and closing sales.

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. Let go of your fears. If someone doesn’t like you, bragging won’t change their opinion. If others are jealous of your success, they won’t suddenly want you on their team. Get over trying to win others’ positive opinions.

Remember, do you only want to be liked and make friends in business? Or do you want to make money and achieve needed results? The irony is that when you build your true inner confidence, people are more likely to like you and do business with you!

Get Guidance on How to Share Your Successes with Others. One reason potentially successful people fail to brag is that they don’t seek out an industry mentor or hire an executive coach to help them learn the art of self-promotion. And it is an art! The other challenge is that many overlook the need to know their numbers, metrics, and other accomplishments. Instead, they take the latest saying or blurb and attempt to fit their accomplishments into it. The problem? It lacks authenticity and truth!

Start by completing the 5 simple exercises in the book “It’s Time to Brag!” Then, work with a good marketing or executive coach to fine-tune. Remember, the key is to differentiate yourself so that others readily understand what you’re saying and who you really are.

Saying, “I’m a coach.” It does not differentiate you since there are 1,000s of coaches.
“I’m a coach that inspires business professionals to succeed and win.” It uses words that are overused and fails to differentiate who you are.
Saying, “I’m a Leadership Results Coach and, along the way, guided the creation of 3 millionaires.” It brags! Focuses. Differentiates. Attracts clients.

Be Authentic, and Don’t Exaggerate. Recently, I presented “Get Your Brag On!” A woman in the audience was livid and stated emphatically, “Everyone lies and cannot tell the truth about their accomplishments! They over-exaggerate!” In my experience, I find that most people struggle to be authentic and tell the truth about what they’ve accomplished. The lesson? Be honest – if someone finds out you lied, it will hurt your credibility now and in the future.

While many people are taught to tone down their achievements (or dumb them down), doing so is usually at their own expense. You want to keep your self-promotion and smart without using words that most people don’t readily understand (e.g., generous v. magnanimous). Plus, use accurate numbers, metrics, and estimates that reflect your successes.

Remember your goal — acknowledge your greatness, then share your self-promotion effectively.

Grab my book, “It’s Time to Brag! Business Edition,” and start bragging and self-promoting today!

A note from Jeannette: Learning to self-promote or brag about your accomplishments is critical to winning the opportunity, job, sales contract, or well-deserved award. But too many people downplay and hide their achievements at their own expense. If you’re stuck (and most people are), contact me now for 1:1 coaching (after doing the exercises in the book “It’s Time to Brag!”) or to schedule me for the award-winning presentation Get Your Brag On!

It’s time to talk it out! Are there days you dread managing people, projects, and your team’s financial performance? You’re not alone! Everyone has their blind spots! NOW is the time to get the guidance you need to make the right changes during 2024. I have extensive experience and wisdom guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams successfully. The bonus is that they achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching programs.

This Book (“Hire Amazing Employees”) Can Help You Improve Your Hiring Process, by Nancy Schick, NY Employment Attorney and Mediator. I met Jeannette Seibly a few months ago In this Together Round Table, where I also learned about her book, Hire Amazing Employees. Since my clients frequently struggle with this task, I bought myself a copy and gave several as gifts. The book contains many helpful tips for avoiding the impact of hiring errors. Read the full testimonial here.

Why Are So Many Leaders Struggling Today? They Are Uncoachable!

March 6, 2023March 6, 2023 by Jeannette Seibly

Photo credit ismagilov from Canva — “Can you imagine wanting to win and ignoring the coach? Yet, many leaders refuse to be coachable.” Jeannette Seibly

Why is coaching essential today? The workplace has changed, and so have the unwritten rules. Trying to stay on top of people, projects, and performance while paying attention to profitability can be difficult. It’s why leaders must learn to be coachable but often are not due to ego, peer pressure, and fear of the unknown.

Why Being Coachable Causes Leaders to Win

Accelerate Self-Awareness. Being coachable helps leaders become mindful of what they do and say. As a result, they develop a deeper understanding of themselves and their motivations, leading to greater mindfulness, self-awareness, and personal fulfillment.

Develop Personal and Professional Growth. Being coachable allows leaders to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, identify areas for improvement, and discover their blind spots. This process helps them grow and excel; two critical traits required to win.

Increase Effectiveness. Being coachable guides leaders to clarify their goals, create action plans, and be held accountable for their progress. This results in improved performance and increased effectiveness in their roles.

Improve Communication Skills. Being coachable also improves leaders’ abilities to develop their communication, listening, and speaking skills. These are critical to success in any role. Leaders and their teams win when they can articulate their vision, build consensus through team conflict, and negotiate more effectively!

Make Better Decisions. Being coachable helps leaders to clarify their values and priorities and to weigh the consequences of their decisions. Creating win-win-win outcomes due to informed and strategic decisions separates so-so leaders from those who excel and win.

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 being coachable: Imagine for a moment being part of a team of NFL players and ignoring the coach. Not going to happen! The team knows that being coachable is required to win the game. Yet, many leaders today are not coachable and make leadership harder than it is. As a result, they experience higher-than-average turnover, miscommunication, and failed team results. Contact me to talk through how to be coachable and win!

This week’s PODCAST: Listen to Want to Achieve Great Results? Use Peer Coaching with my guest, Meredith Bell, 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. Having a coach will speed up your ability to influence others, hire the right people, and coach your team for unprecedented results.

Healing Our Inner Power Determines Our Leadership Success

December 6, 2022 by Jeannette Seibly

Grateful Giving: Happy holidays! In appreciation to my readers, I will give an additional one-hour of coaching for 50% off during the month of December, 2022. To participate, complete your Leadership PXTS Report and one-hour review, then, schedule your extra hour. Here’s additional information and link: Your blind spots limit what is possible in your career and business. Too often, we get stuck in how we look at a problem or a relationship. It defines our results! As a leader, it’s critical you discover your blind spots and reclaim your ability to influence and inspire others before it’s too late. Learn more by clicking here.

THE ARTICLE:

Photo credit, alphaspirit from Canva — “Our inner power needs care like every other aspect of our health and well-being.” Jeannette Seibly

Inner power is the quiet force within you that knows when to act and when to move and gives you the strength to do so. (Psychology Today)

Many leaders experience a loss of inner power during professional and life challenges. Inner power helps you stay resilient and resourceful and bounce back after a loss. But when there is the experience of the loss of a job title, money, family status, zip code, or health, many leaders attempt to hide their feelings of guilt or shame. Instead, take the time to recognize what occurred and do the work to move forward. (An excellent way to objectively discover what happened is to complete the worksheet “What Worked? / What Didn’t Work?)

How to recognize a loss of inner power or strength. When you feel ineffective, or no one cares, you are controlling and challenging to work with, or you are feeling fear due to a person’s upset, you’ve lost your ability to influence and inspire others.

Healing Ideas to Reclaim Your Inner Power

Make the Decision. Nothing can genuinely change until you become responsible for where you are now and then commit to moving forward. In my many conversations with leaders who have experienced a loss of inner power, they remember this declaration. It became the line in the sand of before and after. It’s when they get into focused action to move forward.
Hire a Coach. The best way to move past a business or career loss is to get help. Work with the right coach to guide you in the right direction without the devastating ups and downs of trial and error. Please don’t make the common mistake of doing it yourself to avoid feeling shame or guilt. It’ll be harder to move on and achieve the needed wins.
Know Yourself. Many leaders believe they do know themselves. But forget they have blind spots and talents they are unaware of. Now is a good time to discover them and learn new ways to develop these strengths. Remember, you cannot build your inner power on weaknesses.
Build Healthy Relationships. Take the time to build sound professional, personal, and family relationships. Spend time with like-minded people by reaching out and taking the time to learn about them. Don’t forget to offer help as appropriate.
Get Focused. When a loss occurs, take time to grieve. If you don’t, it’ll come out unexpectedly and hurt your progress. For example, if your loss of power is due to a job or financial loss, it may be time to review the direction or path you’ve been pursuing.
Hire a Therapist. It can speed up the healing process. Take the time to conduct a “brag” inventory, and include strengths and successes you’ve experienced. This helps you focus on “what’s next” instead of living in the past.
Be Mindful. Practice mindful breathing and learn to be present during conversations. It’s where the aha’s occur! Love yourself for who you are and who you are not. Now is a great time for self-reflection. Journalling will help you learn from the experience.

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 healing an inner loss of power: During this economic uncertainty, it’s easy to experience a loss of inner power. Pause and take the time to look at what’s working and what you are grateful for. Are your goals and life in conflict? Now’s the time to talk it out! Contact me for a confidential conversation.

Your blind spots limit what is possible in your career and business. Too often, we get stuck in how we look at a problem or a relationship. It defines our results! As a leader, it’s critical you discover your blind spots and reclaim your ability to influence and inspire others before it’s too late. Click here for details.

What Do You Need to Do to Improve the Most Overlooked Part of Hiring?

August 30, 2022 by Jeannette Seibly

Photo Credit Cecilie_Arcurs via Canva — “A hearty welcome to new hires impacts their longevity with your company.” Jeannette Seibly

According to several studies, well-designed employee orientation and onboarding can improve employee retention by more than 80%.

“Sally started her new job on a Monday, excited to be working for a company that had a great selection process. But she learned an hour after arriving that her boss was too busy to talk with her until later in the week.

Todd was assigned to get her started and to show her where everything was located (e.g., office, laptop, passwords, restrooms, lunch room). But he didn’t know much about her job duties. He could only help get the items she needed for her desk.

So, Sally started talking with her new team and coworkers in different departments. Everyone had a different point of view as to what her priorities should be. Then, her vice president and the CEO each had conversations with her, but offered different opinions about where her focus should be.

On Friday afternoon she resigned, clearly frustrated by the lack of a cohesive onboarding process.” (Hire Amazing Employees: How to Increase Retention, Revenues and Results!)

New hires decide how long they will stay during the first few hours and days, often subconsciously! As a result, companies that fail to provide employee orientation and onboarding programs experience higher turnover! Remember, when these new hires leave, they take along other top talent, and customers too!

What To Do!

Create employee orientation and onboarding as part of your strategic selection system.

Start employee orientation the minute they apply. Use your Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to send job applicants short videos about the company, interview guidelines, and brief written material about the company’s products, goals, and employee benefits.

Have all “paperwork” completed online! Do this before the new hire’s first day. Have a designated person available to answer all questions and handle benefit enrollment.

Schedule the all-important 1:1 meeting with the boss on day one! Review expectations to ensure both of you are on the same page. People will forget … so this is critical! Share (again) the 180-Success Plan*, goals, and expectations. Then, have them put together the Action Plan required to fulfill it. *Chapter 6, Hire Amazing Employees

Help the new hire meet and greet coworkers. Designate someone to make introductions to key people and coworkers in the company. Organize lunches and get-togethers during the first month to meet others. The purpose is for the new hire to learn about the company and its customers, internally and externally. Remember to include remote employees too!

Ensure the new employee meets 1:1 with team members. Encourage meetings virtually and onsite. Provide a short list of suggested questions so that s/he can learn more about the company.

Tell me about you!
How long have you worked here?
What do you like most about the company? Your job?
What do you like least?

Very Important Note: Remind each new employee to listen more than talk. Many employees, managers, and executives in new positions attend meetings not to listen and learn, but to state what they will be doing and changes they will make in the future. This often shortens the new person’s longevity with the company and is avoidable!

Schedule meetings with key employees in other locations. This is often overlooked or put off until a future date. The problem is that the new manager or executive dismisses the importance of meeting people in their business locations. This is often interpreted as a lack of respect. And creates future problems when addressing issues and implementing policy changes.

Provide an inside mentor and outside executive coach. New hires must have someone to ask for help so s/he can learn more about the company and industry issues (mentor). Also, provide someone to talk them through the inevitable challenges s/he will face with people and in sticky situations (coach). Discuss these expectations before hiring the person … not everyone sees the value of having a mentor or coach. And it’s important to learn during the interview if the person will ask for help and is coachable.

Don’t provide company information all at once! Take days and weeks to discuss the company’s policies, procedures, and employee handbook. Also, review company etiquette, history, mission, values, and communications in 1:1 meetings and group training. Finally, provide an organization chart and brief written material about each department and location. Remember, keep it simple and easy to read since the average reading level is 6th grade!

Remember, as the boss, work the plan with the new hire for success!

(Content for article taken from Hire Amazing Employees: How to Increase Retention, Revenues and Results!)

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She has been an award-winning international executive and family business management consultant, keynote speaker, and author for over 29 years. Her focus is to guide leaders to make a positive difference. Feel stuck moving your team forward? Want straightforward counsel on how to do it? Let’s chat! Contact Jeannette for a confidential conversation.

A note from Jeannette about improving employee onboarding: Did you know only 12% of companies onboard effectively? It’s why many new hires leave! What do you need to do to improve (or create) your employee orientation and onboarding processes for new hire success? This information comes from the newly released, Hire Amazing Employees: How to Increase Retention, Revenues and Results! Have questions? Most do! Let’s chat now!

Why do new hires leave so soon? There can be many reasons. But it’s often due to NO (or the poorly designed) new employee orientation and onboarding program! Be part of the 12% that onboards effectively! Want ideas to help you get started? Get your copy of the newly released, Hire Amazing Employees: How to Increase Retention, Revenues and Results!

Not All PreEmployment Assessments Are Created Equal

August 9, 2022 by Jeannette Seibly

Photo Credit by relif via Canva — “Did you know using qualified job-fit assessments can greatly enhance any company’s selection process? The right ones can provide objective data to ensure employees are productive and are in jobs they enjoy.” Jeannette Seibly

There are over 3,000 assessment tools on the market today. The challenge? Most do not meet the minimum standards set by the Department of Labor for preemployment and selection use.

Why is this important to know?

Many applicants have been well trained on how to be interviewed and how to answer frequently asked questions. They know how to say the right things, make promises you want to hear, and provide great work samples. However, these conversations do not accurately predict what the person can and may do on the job in your company.

Qualified assessments provide objective data and information that most job candidates won’t tell you and may not even realize.

As a potential employer, you only see 10% of the person based on the quality of the resume, interviews, and reference checks. But, if you are like most interviewers, you make many assumptions about the job candidates’ suitability for the job.

What’s missing? Objective data! The 90% that is hidden will provide you predictive information on whether they can and will do the job and do it successfully in your company. Objective data includes qualified job fit assessments, in addition to a well-structured interview and thorough due diligence.

The purpose of using qualified job fit assessments is to get real about the applicant’s fit with the job responsibilities. Jeannette Seibly

What types of qualified assessments predict a candidate’s success on the job?

Thinking Style (Can they do the job?)
Interests/Motivations (Will they do the job?)
Behavioral Traits (Can they do the job here?)
Job Matching (Will they fit successfully in the position?)

The benefits of qualified assessments:

Provide the highest level of valid and reliable information due to thorough research.
Predict success in a specific job.
Provide a technical manual* for your review.
Verify or contradict your “gut/intuition.”
Prevent “biases” from getting in the way.
Are tested to be nondiscriminatory.
Help you meet all federal, state, and local statutes. (For international candidates, check with that country’s requirements.)
Validate the quality of information the candidate is providing: Is it accurate, or what they think you want, or what they wish they were … or a mix of all three?
Used as directed, they work!

*The first step when selecting a qualified job fit assessment is to review the Technical Manual.

To ensure each assessment tool is valid and reliable for preemployment and selection purposes, request a technical manual from the publisher or vendor for the assessment product.

A technical manual documents the research and development required to meet the Department of Labor (DOL) Guidelines (Testing and Assessment: An Employer’s Guide to Good Practices), Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Americans with Disability Act (ADA), and other requirements for the assessment to be used for preemployment and selection purposes. It helps you determine if the assessment meets minimum validity and reliability requirements for use in your specific employment location(s).

Beware: some vendors may provide a letter from their attorney stating the assessment meets all applicable laws for hiring and selection purposes. That letter protects them, not you. Do your homework!

So, what questions help determine validity and reliability of a qualified assessment?

The following questions are not inclusive when deciding which assessment to use. These are suggestions to get you started.

Does it assess job-related skills?
Does it meet all legal requirements for your work locations?
Does it have recent validity and reliability tests?
Does it provide predictive validity, high enough to meet DOL standards?
What are the sample sizes and makeup for those tests (e.g., Is it validated with a large sample of working people, or a small sample of college sophomores)?
Is it appropriate for preemployment selection and hiring purposes?
Are you planning to use it for its intended purpose?

Note: Just because an assessment is being used for training or coaching purposes and shows differences in people, does not mean that it can be used for preemployment and selection purposes. Not only is using the correct assessment of legal importance, but it also ensures that you are using tools with the validity and reliability required to accurately and objectively measure the person for the job.

Content for this article is taken from: Hire Amazing Employees: How to Increase Retention, Revenues and Results!

A note from Jeannette about why preemployment assessments are a must: There are over 3,000 assessments on the market today. Most do NOT meet the Department of Labor’s minimum standards when using them for preemployment and selection purposes. So, what do you need to know, and how do you select the right ones? The information in this article is taken from the newly published book, Hire Amazing Employees: How to Increase Retention, Revenues and Results! Have questions? Most do! Let’s chat now!

Are your job candidates saying, “I didn’t get the job! But I dodged a toxic boss!”? If yes, your hiring process needs help immediately! Grab your copy of newly released Hire Amazing Employees: How to Increase Retention, Revenues and Results!

Do You Include All Members of Your Team?

July 19, 2022 by Jeannette Seibly

Photo Credit Yuri from Canva — “Including everyone isn’t hard. But it takes awareness, skill, and commitment to make it happen.” Jeannette Seibly

Have you ever attended a team meeting and sat with a smile plastered on your face? Then, left with your facial muscles hurting and your energy depleted? This is what happens when you are not included.

Many team members feel this way after attending team meetings. Lack of inclusion during team meetings is often due to cliques, not being part of the leader’s inner circle, or the leader being focused on him or herself.

As a leader, it’s your job to engage each and every person on the team! That’s being inclusive! Because including everyone creates more productive and engaging meetings. It also impacts the quality of results and meeting deadlines. This critical skill creates influential leaders in today’s workplace.

7 Tips to Be Inclusive

Welcome Each Person as they Join the Meeting, Virtually or On-Site. Use their first name (or the name they wish to be called).
Introduce People to One Another. Take responsibility for introducing people to one another at every meeting. Don’t assume team members know one another or feel comfortable socializing without some help. For example, on Zoom calls, allow 15 seconds for each person to give a quick intro. Being seen and heard sets a positive tone for the meeting or event.
Ask for Each Person’s Opinion. During brainstorming and idea generation meetings, give everyone a chance to speak. And provide them with the option to “pass.” I go around the group more than once to ensure everyone has an opportunity to talk. And I almost always get better interaction the second time around.
Acknowledge Each Idea. Say something positive, “Wow!” “That’s great.” “Hadn’t thought about that one.” When you value ideas, others feel comfortable offering their thoughts and insights. Reserve judgment about the quality of their ideas for later. It’ll be evident if an idea won’t work for a project or issue. Yet, I’ve seen the lamest ideas become epic solutions! So, learn patience and trust the process!
Don’t Offer Your Ideas Upfront (as the leader or boss). During proper brainstorming activities, you want people’s unfiltered Otherwise, sharing your ideas first will have team members telling you what you want to hear. Even worse, team members won’t speak up because they are afraid to disagree with you. So, wait until everyone has an opportunity to share before offering your ideas. I use this tactic for every meeting. It’s incredible how this simple approach generates more engagement and better ideas.
Assign Tasks Appropriately. When assigning tasks, base your decisions on the team member’s skills and not on whom you like the best. Allow people to volunteer first before making assignments. If the team member volunteering doesn’t have the skills, have them work with someone who is an excellent teacher. Otherwise, the tasks won’t get done correctly (if at all), and the person will disengage from the team. I use the PXT Select to ensure I know each team member’s skill level.
Appreciate Each Person. Make sure to appreciate and acknowledge each team member for their contribution, whether large or small. Remember to use “please,” “thank you,” and “great job” often.

A note from Jeannette about including every team member: Being inclusive isn’t hard. But it does take awareness, skill, and commitment to ensure all team members feel welcomed, respected, and valued during calls or on-site meetings. So if you are hesitant about what to do, let’s start a conversation to get you into inclusive and productive action. Let’s chat now!