Millennial Boss

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

by
“Why have a coach? Because a coach has you do what you don’t want to do so you can become amazingly successful!” 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 2022 All Rights Reserved

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

by
“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?

  1. 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.”
  2. 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 2022 All Rights Reserved

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.

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.

Healing Our Inner Power Determines Our Leadership Success

by

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:

“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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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 2022 All Rights Reserved

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.

Many Employers Are Feeling the Pressure to Increase Wages

by
“Everyone thinks money keeps employees. But they forget money doesn’t motivate!” Jeannette Seibly

A friend had demanded a pay increase from his boss and got it. He felt excited to get the money until he realized it put him in a new tax bracket. So now, he’s looking for a different motivator to continue doing a job he doesn’t even enjoy.

Everyone wants to make more money. They believe it’ll motivate them to like their jobs! The truth is, if they are in the wrong position due to poor job fit, it won’t matter what you’re paying them. They’ll still experience job dissatisfaction. Therefore, employers must become innovative and create new ways to compensate their employees, along with fair wages.

The BIG question is, “How can I compensate and motivate employees to attract and keep them?”

9 Ways to Compensate and Retain Employees to Improve Job Satisfaction

Job Fit. Yes, I know, I mention this a lot. But the fact is, studies show that when people fit their work, they thrive. They are less likely to focus on money to offset job dissatisfaction. Use a strategic selection process and qualified job fit assessments to improve your selection decisions for new hires, rehires, and job transfers and promotions.

Ask. Ask, “What do you really really really want?” It’s the best place to start. You may be surprised that their requests are not about increasing their paychecks! (Unless you’re paying below industry standards.) If you do this, you’ll be surprised by what you learn.

Benefit Options. Provide spending dollars and options for additional vacation, childcare, personal time off, working remotely, and fun activities.

Perks and Gift Cards. Provide prizes for different challenges. Remember, some will enjoy group prizes, while others value individual recognition.

Education with Accredited Schools. Many are looking for education reimbursement or the company paying for tuition and books up front. This allows your employees to grow.

Company Workshops. Provide 1:1 training and development programs, both online and in-person. These should include technical, leadership, and soft skills training. Provide a certificate of completion and have it noted in their HR record.

Other Learning Opportunities. Partner with local experts to provide personal courses: money and financial management, how to buy your first home, Medicare options, and how to brag. These courses should include certificates of completion.

Provide Expanded Opportunities: Interdepartmental Teams, Association or Trade Boards, or Community Outreach Programs or Boards. These opportunities provide growth and development and are highly favored among many employees. They provide invaluable ways to develop and gain leadership skills and confidence in using them. Be sure they have a mentor to work through the sticky situations and political relationships in these groups.

Train to Be Coaches. Offer experienced employees the opportunity to coach newer employees. Provide a well-designed training program and certificate for these new coaches. The selling point is that these are invaluable skills to learn and develop and can be used on the job, at home, or in community activities.

©Jeannette Seibly 2022 All Rights Reserved

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 different ways to compensate and retain employees: Many employees today want more money. But they fail to realize that money is not a motivator. However, other perks, benefits, and opportunities can be. Not sure where to begin? Contact me for a confidential conversation.

Do you know if you’re doing a poor job of managing others? Would you like to know whether or not you are? As a leader or future leader, you must learn how to get the job done by working with and through others for great results. To learn more, click here.

Effective Leaders Focus on Workability

by
“You’re never too important or busy to handle the details in your life.” Jeannette Seibly

I returned from an inspiring weekend and was feeling good. I woke up smiling on Monday morning, ready to take on life. Then, I sniffed. Whew! I let go of my ego and laughed. “This is what pursuing my goals looks like … it includes details like cleaning out the cat litter box!” LOL!

When leaders, entrepreneurs, and business owners are busy pursuing their goals, they often ignore details and get overwhelmed when life and business aren’t working. Or their ego gets in the way. They forget or become irritable when the dishwasher needs to be loaded/unloaded. The dog requires walking. And the kids and significant others demand quality time. Sound familiar?

Workability occurs when you acknowledge the necessary details in your life and focus on getting them done in a way that honors others and your goals. (NOTE: If there’s a conflict between your goals and your life, reach out to your coach!)

Take the time this holiday season to reflect on and organize what needs to be done. Share your goals with your family and employees, and listen for the details you’ve overlooked. Delegate, and understand that others will not do things the same way you do! Remember, there are over 100 ways to wash dishes!

Tips to Handle the Details to Create Workability

  1. Honor Financial Obligations. Years ago, I met a self-proclaimed enlightened business owner that claimed he had a million-dollar business. But he kept his financials in a shoebox to avoid his ex-wife knowing how much his company was worth. First, I questioned his million-dollar claim because of other factors. Second, hiding the details and hoping no one will discover them will come back to haunt you. Schedule time weekly to keep your A/R, A/P, and taxes up-to-date and paid. Remember, the IRS doesn’t care about your excuses.
  2. Hire a Pro. Don’t try to do what you don’t do well. Hire a professional bookkeeper. Hire a cleaning person or caregiver. Hire a qualified engineer that fits the job. When hiring, use legally qualified tools and systems to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal laws.
  3. Trust Others to Get the Work Done. Complaining about how others do their work only causes an exodus of top talent at home and in business! Remember, these are the people who are handling the details! #1 – Stop micromanaging since you’ve not done the work and don’t know the details involved. #2 – Hire for job fit to ensure they are interested and willing to do the work as it needs to be done.
  4. Focus on Integrity. Cutting corners, overlooking quality concerns, not proofing docs, and ignoring safety precautions will get you in trouble. It doesn’t matter what your excuses are. You need to make the time and pay attention to the details or suffer the consequences. This includes reading the fine print! This is where a professional (aka an attorney) is essential.
  5. Hire a Coach. I know, I say this often! “Every successful leader has a coach!” The right coach guides you to handle the details, no matter how you feel about them. The coach helps you organize your goals and live a healthy lifestyle simultaneously.
  6. Express Gratitude. Have an appreciation for what you do have and express it instead of focusing on what you don’t have. It makes you an easier leader and person to work and live with! Your family and employees will appreciate this more than you imagine … along with your cat and dog!
  7. Stay Connected. Schedule 1:1 and group time with the people in your life. Put away electronics, and don’t allow other distractions to get in the way. Remember, there will always be high and low points in life. Your relationships will help you through both if you prioritize the time now.

©Jeannette Seibly 2022 All Rights Reserved

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 focusing on workability: When we are busy pursuing our goals, we forget or ignore the details that need our attention. The dishwasher still needs loading and unloading. The dog cannot walk itself. We put off spending quality time with family. Take the time during this holiday season to create workability in your life by addressing the details. Are your goals and life in conflict? Do you need to talk it out? Contact me for a confidential conversation.

Your blind spots get in the way of attracting and retaining top talent. When you ignore hiring and retention issues, achieving the intended results takes time, money, and energy. Instead of becoming a hamster on a wheel, address the real problems now! It’ll save you customers and give you a healthy bottom line. Click here for details.

Do You Have the Leadership Wisdom to Influence Others?

by
“Your ability to influence others requires not taking yourself too seriously.” Jeannette Seibly

Often, as leaders, we take ourselves too seriously and lose our ability to influence others. Then, our results suffer, and so do our customers, team members, and bottom line.

How do you know when you’re taking yourself too seriously? When you …

  • Fail to build on ideas and create win-win-win outcomes.
  • Openly disparage others that disagree with you.
  • Exclude people with broader experience instead of learning from them.
  • Defend your limited experience in an attempt to feel better about yourself.

… you are taking yourself too seriously.

Instead, can you …

  • Discuss others’ opinions without being defensive?
  • Take an idea or concept and build it into a win-win-win outcome?
  • Laugh at yourself?
  • See the bigger picture and reframe it into bite-size pieces to get everyone on the same page?
  • Make decisions that balance both the facts and the human interests?

If you answered yes to these questions, good for you! You are on the right track as a leader and influencer. And you’re not taking yourself too seriously.

However, if you answered no to any of these questions, these are areas of your leadership style that can negatively impact your ability to influence others and need development.

Remember, influencing others is essential to effective leadership … not our technical know-how.

4 Key Ways to Influence Others and Achieve Intended Results

When you stop taking yourself too seriously, we create a workplace culture focusing on results, relationships, and meeting customers’ needs. The following four key ways to influence others are critical to that success.

Practice Persuasive Listening. The secret to becoming an influencer is to listen more – talk less! When listening, you must silence your internal mental chatterbox and refrain from thinking about your next response while others are talking. Effective and persuasive listening is one of the top leadership skills required to guide new solutions that might not be readily apparent.

Be Open to Differing Opinions. The fastest way to lose your ability to influence others is when you become defensive, belittle others, or take a stand against others’ ideas. To be an influential leader, put aside your ego, listen, and ask questions or you’ll miss important details required for seamless execution.

Be a Team Player. Many leaders don’t make good team players. To be a great leader and influencer, you must be a great team player! Otherwise, you lose the ability to influence others and the outcomes of any project. Ask how you can help. Roll up your sleeves and get involved. When others make suggestions, you don’t understand or agree with, say, “Interesting. I don’t see how that would work. Can you walk me through the details?” Now listen and learn.

Appreciate Each and Every Team Member. Many leaders have team members they don’t like or don’t value. They allow their personal feelings and egos to get in the way. If you wish to influence others, you must learn to appreciate others and their contributions. Be genuine. Say to your team members: “I appreciate you.” “Great ideas!” “I look forward to working with you!” And, mean what you say!

©Jeannette L. Seibly, 2011-2022 All Rights Reserved

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 a leader with the skills to influence others: Listening, developing ideas with your team, and acknowledging others are marks of a leader that positively influences others. Not sure where to begin? Contact me for a confidential conversation.

Your blind spots get in the way of achieving the results you want. Improve your ability to influence others by clicking here.  

When Leaders Get Lonely at the Top …

by
“Traditionally, leaders tend to keep to themselves and feel lonely. But today’s leaders need to stay connected with others.” Jeannette Seibly

Many leaders report feelings of loneliness, with more than half believing being lonely at the top hinders their performance, as cited in several studies. Whether they are a boss, team leader, or executive, the traditional design of leadership keeps them apart from their teams.

But given the challenges in business today, it’s time for today’s leaders to minimize this unspoken issue of loneliness and get connected. If they don’t, they will negatively impact results! Leaders need to learn how to connect and communicate with others in a new way. Otherwise, essential cues about upcoming business and people changes will be missed.

How to Minimize Loneliness as a Leader

Number 1! Set Aside Your Ego. You’re not the only leader feeling lonely, and your challenges are not unique to you. Reach out and connect with others without your ego running the show. People will stop ghosting you when you connect and start telling you what you need to hear.

Stop Favoring Top Performers. Although every leader loves their top performers, they often ignore the rest of the team. Focus on each and every team member by meeting 1:1 and acknowledging the small and big successes, individually and as a group. Don’t forget to include your remote team members. This will keep you from being lonely and excite you about new possibilities.

Develop a Strong Team. Strong teams don’t happen by themselves. It requires you to be involved, hire the right people, and encourage everyone to speak up while listening and coaching all team members to deliver the intended results. The process frees you from the office and removes you from putting out all the small fires.

Be Present. When interacting with the team, be present. That requires you, during all conversations, to put away your electronics or stop thinking about other concerns. Being present makes others feel valued and respected while encouraging a robust discussion. This is key to not feeling lonely.

Live a Life Outside of Work. Life is not 100% work. Yet, many leaders have an unhealthy relationship between living to work and working to live. It’s a mindset! Cultivate a healthy one since healthy pursuits eliminate loneliness.

Join Professional, Trade, and Industry Groups. Participate and make long-lasting connections. This is a great way to build a strong network with other leaders dealing with similar issues.

Create or Join a Management Group. Sharing your challenges with colleagues, either within your company or not, is valuable. Remember confidentiality.

Be Part of a Community Group. Join one that touches your heart (e.g., cancer, Alzheimer’s). It’s a great way to expand your social network.

Take Part in Family Events. Be sure to attend your kids’ events … you won’t get another chance. Keep in mind that other leaders will be there too.

Make Friends Outside of Work. Having friends outside of work When the only other people a leader interacts with are work-related, it limits their conversations. And can create problems. Expand your horizons.

Hire a Coach. Feeling lonely is believing no one else understands your challenges. Hire an executive coach (all successful leaders have one) to share your challenges and successes freely. Usually, talking out loud with a committed listener has you focus on what’s next and feel you’re not alone.

©Jeannette Seibly 2022 All Rights Reserved

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 two-time Amazon International Best-Selling Author!

A note from Jeannette about being lonely at the top: This applies to bosses, team leaders, and executives everywhere! Today’s leaders cannot risk being lonely at the top. Instead, they need to minimize this phenomenon and learn how to connect in new ways. Not sure where to begin? Contact me for a confidential conversation.

Many leaders feel isolated from others due to blind spots in their management style. It’s essential for you, as a leader, to uncover them now. Otherwise, you’ll lose important connections with your team, customers, and industry and company leaders.

How to Use Failure to Grow Your Success and Opportunities

by
“Failure can lead to new successes and opportunities … are you ready?” Jeannette Seibly

Many leaders and bosses fear failure. Why? They want to look good in the eyes of their team, boss, and customers and be well-liked. The problem is that when leaders fear failure, they can become locked in a myopic point-of-view of what can be accomplished and how it should be done. This limits their successes and opportunities. Another result of being fearful is that team members and customers leave.

How to Attract New Career Success and Opportunities

Rock the Boat. Rocking the boat doesn’t mean someone or something has to go overboard! Instead, it means stretching outside your everyday thinking and including your team during this process. It strengthens everyone’s ability to brainstorm, use critical thinking, and disrupt the common limitations that hurt results. The key is to rock the boat without negatively impacting others.

When You Make a Mistake, Own it. What did you learn? Use “What Worked? / What Didn’t Work?”  individually and with the team to develop clarity. Then, share with your boss and customer.

Apologize. This reduces defensiveness when a mistake has been made. Remember, you must address the “elephant in the room” before you can have a straight conversation and make a positive difference. For example, “I’m sorry this project went over budget. Here are the facts about why it happened and what I/we learned.”

Be Proactive, Not Reactive. Mistakes and failures are often avoidable when you are “present” in conversations. Learn to listen with an open mind. Then, ask questions for clarification about the impact new ideas could have on systems, people, and the bottom line. Be a guide for your team to be resourceful, resilient, and flexible when addressing change.

Hire the Right Team. You cannot achieve success alone. Let me repeat that you cannot achieve success alone. And hiring the wrong person for your team is the fastest way to fail! So instead, hire the right team the first time by using a qualified job fit assessment as 1/3 of your selection process. Included will be a coaching guide to develop your team and you and show you how to improve results now and in the future.

Uncover Your Blind Spots. Every leader and team has them. Your ability to recognize and work through them makes the difference between success, so-so results, or failure. Use a qualified job fit assessment and executive coach to move forward faster and with clarity.

©Jeannette Seibly 2022 All Rights Reserved

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 two-time Amazon International Best-Selling Author!

A note from Jeannette about using failure to grow your career success and opportunities: Many leaders and bosses fear failure. They want to look good and be well-liked. The problem is that they become locked in a myopic point-of-view of what can be accomplished and how it should be done. This fear hurts career growth and opportunities for new projects. Not sure where to begin? Contact me for a confidential conversation.

Leaders need to stretch themselves beyond their perceived limitations for professional growth. It starts with distinguishing your blind spots: https://bit.ly/BeEffectiveLeader

PRESS RELEASE – October 4, 2022

by

OCT 4 2022

For Immediate Release
Contact: Jeannette Seibly
JLSeibly@SeibCo.com
303-917-2993

New Book on Hiring Top Talent Becomes International Amazon Bestseller

OCT 4, Denver, Colorado— Local bestselling author, Jeannette Seibly, also known at the Leadership Results Coach from her award-winning years as a business and leadership coach, is celebrating a new bestseller, along with a 30-year anniversary of helping entrepreneurs, leaders, and business owners, and creating million-dollar results.

Almost 1000 people downloaded her new book Amazing Employees: How to Increase Retention, Revenues and Results (Revised Edition)! over the weekend, and the book hit #1 in nine categories on Amazon across the United States, Canada and Australia.

With 40% of American’s currently considering quitting their jobs according to a McKinsey & Company study, or quietly quitting, it’s become the wild-wild west of hiring. Bestselling author Jeannette Seibly reveals the tools businesses need to hire top talent, and retain their employees in her new book Hire Amazing Employees: How to Increase Retention, Revenues and Results (Revised Edition)! (SeibCo.com/books/)

Right now, she’s offering “30 Tips from 30 Years”  https://seibco.com/30tipsfrom30years/ a free download for entrepreneurs, leaders, and business owners.

She also has published multiple books related to “bragging” to land your dream career, to get the promotion, and to sell yourself and your products anytime, anywhere. Her newest book, “Hire Amazing Employees,”  focuses on how businesses can hone in on top talent, and to stop using intuition as the key factor when hiring and promoting employees.

Making the wrong hire can cost business many thousands of dollars. As the hiring market remains unstable and people continue to quit jobs at record highs, there are many tools available to create and implement a practical strategic selection system, as outlined in Hire Amazing Employees, Revised Edition. (SeibCo.com/books/)

Her “straight talk with immediate results” has impacted many companies to increase retention, revenues, and results!

Press inquiries & book club inquiries: Jeannette Seibly is available for in-person and online interviews for all media formats. Contact her at JLSeibly@SeibCo.com or 303-917-2993 or visit her website: www.SeibCo.com

 

How Do You Use Interview Time Effectively?

by
“If you continue asking irrelevant job interview questions, you’ll continue to lose talent, customers, and money.” Jeannette Seibly

Many hiring managers believe relying on their instincts, and intuition/gut saves time and gives them all they need to make good hiring decisions. They think they’ll know the right candidate when they meet them.

Unfortunately, there are many problems with this belief. It creates:

  • Unconscious bias
  • Ghosting by job candidates and new hires
  • Turnover of talent, loss of customers, and litigation (think money and reputation)
  • Removal of a bad hire which can take up to 18 months (think again money and reputation)
  • Bad company reputation when making decisions without factual data … (Remember, this job candidate could become a future customer or decision-maker for a sales contract or award.)

Be Clear! Your Goals During the Interview Are to Determine:

  • Can the job candidate do the job?
  • Will the job candidate do the job?
  • Can the job candidate do the job in this company?

When you answer the above three questions in writing, you get real about the actual competencies required. Remember, business is changing, and so have business requirements.

  • What actual competencies are required?
  • What does the right candidate need to accomplish in 30-60-90-180 days?
  • What job fit assessment is best to see the “whole person?”

Example, if you’re seeking a salesperson, does s/he need to generate leads, close, and provide good ongoing customer care?

Preparation is Critical for Effective Interviews  

  • Ask job-related questions (not about the latest book read, hobbies outside work, etc.)
  • Create a structured interview with job-related questions

Review interview questions to ensure they do not create unconscious bias. Too often, we ask about recent books read, movies seen, and hobbies. These can get you in legal trouble. Why? You are inferring characteristics from their responses without factual data.

As you already know, stay away from questions about a candidate’s lifestyle, childcare, age, race, religion, etc.

Example, a hiring manager asked a candidate about the most recent book he’d read. He said, “Jaws.” She refused to talk with him further inferring he was an angry person. (Yes, this actually happened.)

Four Tips to Improve Your Interview and Selection Results

Note: Interviews should be only one-third of a well-designed strategic selection process. The other key parts include assessments (1/3) and due diligence (1/3). (Hire Amazing Employees)

1. Listen to their responses. Hear what they are saying. Don’t fill in the blanks with what you want to hear. Instead, ask questions for clarification before moving on to the next question.

2.Use Rule of 3 to determine the depth and breadth of job experience and skills.

An example of using the Rule of 3 to hire a project manager:

1) How do you handle team conflict? Can you give me an example?

2) What were the results?

3) If I talked with the team, how would they describe your leadership skills?

3. Ask about their coachability, how they handle mistakes, and flexibility with new assignments. Many will respond, “no problem.” Again, use the Rule of 3 to deep dive. You’ll hear their genuine willingness or unwillingness to answer these questions. Their core behaviors seldom change regardless of what they say.

4. Ask for examples. When asking job-related questions, always ask for examples. Example: Tell me about your working relationships with previous work teams, bosses, and customers.

Many years ago, I conducted a final interview with an experienced general manager for a business owner. I learned by asking for examples that each time she talked about her past three jobs, she expressed her upset with the business owners’ demanding ways. When I asked if she was aware of her upsets, she answered me honestly, “no.” I then shared that working with this business owner would be no different … he was very demanding too.   

©Jeannette Seibly, 2021-2022 All Rights Reserved

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 using your interview time effectively: Many hiring managers rely too much on their intuition or gut, which leads to disastrous results: top talent and great customers leave, and the company’s bottom line looks grim. This week’s article covers the basics of conducting effective interviews. When done right, it saves time, money, and sleepless nights. Have questions? Most do! Let’s chat now!

Are you asking good, job-related interview questions? When hiring new employees or rehiring former ones, ask about their ability to handle mistakes. Why? 90% of new hires fail because they dismiss coaching or advice about how to improve. Get your copy of the newly released, Hire Amazing Employees: How to Increase Retention, Revenues and Results! and suggested interview questions to get you started.