professional development

Leaders With Healthy Egos Produce Intended Results

July 13, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Your ego, as a leader, can be both a benefit and a cost to relationships, retention, results, and revenues. Egos can be both useful and dangerous: it can fuel confidence and drive OR blind leaders to reality and damage trust and results.

Example: When hiring employees, your ego gets in the way by not listening and instead, relying on intuition, gut reactions, or biases. The hiring boss fails to collect objective data, and then, acts surprised when the new employee miscommunicates, ignores team members, and performance is subpar.

Egos fuel entitlement and self-sabotage. Egotistical leaders believe the rules don’t apply to them or that their position earns them special treatment. They rely on being right, being in control, or being seen as the smartest person in the room. This erodes their credibility and trust because the ego is wired to protect identity and status, especially when a leader feels insecure, which undermines intended results.

Conversely, a healthy ego becomes a stabilizer. Leaders who don’t need special treatment or constant validation make clearer decisions, build stronger relationships, and earn genuine respect. This grounded approach strengthens trust, psychological safety, and a culture where team members follow because they want to.

Costs of Allowing Egos to Manage the Leader

Self‑Belief vs. Arrogance. When confidence becomes arrogance, leaders become defensive, overconfident, and dismissive, driving poor decisions and pushing top talent and customers out the door.
Lack of Self‑Awareness. Without self‑awareness, leaders miss the moment when the ego takes over, derails conversations, damages relationships, and creates avoidable conflict.
Breakdown in Listening. Ego-driven leaders talk over others, assume they already know the answer, and shut down collaboration, which stifles innovation and team engagement.
Distorted Decision‑Making. Egos narrow perspective, causing leaders to ignore data and dismiss alternatives to “prove they’re right.”
Avoid Accountability. Leaders who let their egos run the show blame others, justify poor choices, and resist feedback, weakening credibility and slowing team performance.
Erosion of Trust. When ego overshadows humility, psychological safety disappears, people stop speaking up, and overall innovation and performance decline.

How to Develop a Healthy Ego

A healthy ego provides confidence, resilience, and steadiness when under pressure. Strong leaders know when to dial the ego down and dial humility up to move teams forward, handle tough conversations, and build reliable working relationships.

Self‑Belief vs. Arrogance. Leaders with true confidence asks open-ended questions, listen, and build win-win-win results. When they make mistakes or misspeak, they apologize immediately.
Self‑Awareness as the Regulator. Self‑awareness helps leaders recognize when ego is helping and when it’s hijacking judgment. Pausing, noticing triggers, and using feedback as a mirror prevents unnecessary conflict and poor decisions.
Intentional Listening. Practicing curiosity and humility are skills that can be developed. This way of listening restores collaboration without letting conversations go sideways.
Objective Decision‑Making. Using objective data while engaging in diverse viewpoints and structured decision processes prevents costly missteps, especially in hiring, strategy creation, and fulfillment of intended results.
Accountability and Ownership. A healthy ego takes responsibility, slows down to include the team, and ensures everyone contributes for stronger results.
Build Trust. When balancing ego with humbleness, a healthy ego helps leaders believe in their teams, overcome setbacks, and create win‑win‑win outcomes.
Strengthen Effectiveness. Leaders with a healthy ego build self‑awareness habits, seek reality checks, use structured decision frameworks, separate identity from ideas, and treat humility as a leadership tool.
Ask For and Accept Help. Healthy‑ego leaders know they can’t do it all. Asking for help, accepting support, and working with mentors or a coach keeps blind spots in check and strengthens decision‑making.

A healthy ego models strength by showing the team that collaboration, guidance, and continuous improvement are essential to effective leadership. Tools like PXT Select® and the PXT Select® Leadership Report provide objective insights into how leaders think, behave, and make decisions, especially when under pressure. (The PXT Select® also bolsters team members, especially when there has been conflict, miscommunication, and too many mistakes and failures along the way.)

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

The Secrets of an Effective Apology

July 9, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Many leaders have trouble admitting they were wrong, or their actions had a negative impact on a person or group. Or, they failed to fulfill a promise using the age-old excuses of failing to remember or being too busy. To make matters worse, they attempt to blame others.

Mistakes happen! How you handle them either builds your credibility or diminishes your career growth.

One overlooked truth is that explanations rarely rebuild trust, apologies do. Explanations satisfy the mind, but apologies repair the relationship.

When leaders (and others) offer explanations, it’s a fear of …

Admitting they were wrong
Failing to take responsibility
Listening and speaking honestly
The list is endless

What’s often overlooked is the deeper fear underneath all of this: losing psychological safety.

When leaders avoid apologizing, they unintentionally signal that mistakes are dangerous to admit, creating a culture where people stay silent rather than speak up.

The costs:

Top talent – no one wants to be lied to
Clients – no one wants to be manipulated
Management team – unwilling to take responsibility for leaders’ words or actions
Team culture – blame becomes normalized, and people mirror the leader’s defensiveness
Productivity – issues linger longer even though a simple apology could have resolved them sooner

Polly, Director of Customer Support, told employees they needed to be in the office three days a week but failed to update policies or address obvious logistical issues. She let everyone continue as before. Some never showed up. Instead of apologizing, she shrugged, “Well … people will be people.” The impact on revenues, retention, and results was significant. With her executive coach’s support, Polly finally apologized and cleaned up the mess by implementing a clear hybrid policy and enforcing it.

Have you ever noticed that when leaders, who you respect, are also the ones that don’t hesitate to apologize? “I’m sorry …” “Oops, my misunderstanding …” They take full responsibility for what they heard and what they have said. Their willingness to apologize creates psychological safety and people feel safe speaking up, asking questions, and being honest.

Understanding the secrets of a powerful apology and developing this all-important skill is required of everyone in any leadership role.

The Three Secrets

Accountability. Being honest about why you did something may not be helpful. Instead, simply say, “I apologize.” Set aside your ego, excuses, and other bad habits when you’ve made a mistake. Otherwise, you diminish your reputation.

Apologize for not understanding and share the work that gave you a new perspective.
Take a step back and stay emotionally unattached to the outcome.
Truly listen to build win‑win‑win results using active listening skills.

Respect. Respect is two‑sided. When leaders don’t apologize for lack of preparation or late arrivals, team members feel dismissed. Explanations meant to elicit sympathy eventually backfire.

Respect for others requires stopping the excuses and simply apologizing.
Explanations fall flat and are heard as inauthentic.
Respect for yourself and your team includes apologizing when your lack of direction has created confusion.

Example: If you’ve allowed your team to be late to meetings, it’s time to change that bad habit: “I apologize upfront that I’ve not been consistent. It’s important that each of you arrive prepared and ready to go at the scheduled time. Any questions?”

Courage. Admitting a mistake and taking responsibility for your team’s poorly completed work takes courage. First, apologize. Then ask questions … not to defend what happened, but to clarify what was overlooked. Remember, 80% of communication is non‑verbal; mental chatter or a defensive ego will distract everyone from resolving the issue.

Apologize first
Ask open-ended, clarifying questions
Manage your non‑verbal cues (e.g., a defensive ego)

Being Indecisive Leads to Poor Results for Leaders

June 29, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Indecisiveness is one of the costliest behaviors for leaders. Making the right decision is hard, especially when you believe your options are limited. But every decision, and every action you take, carries both benefits and consequences. When leaders default to fear, ego, avoidance, or other subjective factors, they almost always move in the wrong direction. And their hesitation doesn’t stay contained. The negative consequences ripple far beyond the moment.

Why It Happens

Indecisive personality — chronic hesitation becomes a leadership style.
Wrong job fit — lacking the objectivity or competencies required.
Emotional attachment to the past — protecting outdated practices or people.
Lack of assertiveness — relying on “likeability” instead of leadership.
Fear of consequences — lawsuits, reputation, internal politics.
Avoiding conflict — hoping issues “resolve themselves.”
Ignoring data — choosing gut feelings over facts.
Overreliance on consensus — waiting for everyone to agree before acting.

As a leader, you are responsible for the entire organization: financially, legally, ethically, operationally, and culturally. Your decisions, or your refusal to make them, impact employees, customers, vendors, communities, and your management team.

The Cost of Poor Decisions

Every poor decision has a cost.
Every delayed decision has a cost.
A “no decision” is still a decision and has a cost … usually the most expensive one.

Hidden costs include rework, turnover, burnout, and reputational erosion. Opportunity costs include the growth, innovation, and stability the company could have achieved if the leader had made the decision to act sooner.

An Example: The Operations Director Who Chose “Comfort” Over Clarity

A regional operations director at a fast‑growing manufacturing company oversaw three plants, 600+ employees, and millions in monthly output. The company had a well‑defined Quality Hold Policy:
Any product with a suspected defect must be pulled immediately, inspected, and cleared before shipping.

Every supervisor received the policy.

Every supervisor had signed the quality‑hold acknowledgment confirming they understood it.

And everyone also knew the director refused to enforce it.

Instead, he chose the path of least resistance. He:

Dismissed concerns from line supervisors who flagged defects
Pressured teams to “keep the line moving” to avoid missing quotas
Downplayed early warning data from the quality team
Avoided tough conversations with a chronically underperforming plant manager

The consequences were immediate and costly:

A spike in customer complaints about product failures
Two major returns from national retailers
A drop in quarterly revenue due to chargebacks
Overtime costs skyrocketing as teams reworked defective batches
A damaged reputation in an industry where reliability is everything

This wasn’t a quality problem.
This wasn’t a production problem.
This was a leadership decision‑making problem — the refusal to enforce a policy because it felt uncomfortable.

And every company, in every industry, faces this same issue: Leaders who won’t make the hard call, even when the policy is clear, the risks are known, and the consequences are predictable fail.

Questions Every Leader Must Ask

“Where in my business/company are poor policy enforcement practices sacrosanct?”
“What does this cost my company, employees, and customers?”
“Where are there other issues being ignored (e.g., financial reporting, recordkeeping, psychological safety)?”
“What patterns of avoidance have become “normal” in this company culture?”

This lack of accountability and ethics will not be forgotten. It costs the company top talent, customers, revenues, and reputation.

What To Do

Admitting the truth and making the right changes takes courage. If you’re an indecisive leader, you need help … not more time.

Get Real about Enforcing Policies. If you don’t enforce your own policies, you’ve created a new policy: “We don’t enforce policies.” This invites lawsuits, erodes trust, and destroys retention of employees and customers.

Hire Legal Counsel. Make sure the attorney (a human, not AI) has the experience to move the company forward. While some lawyers take the “safe approach” and recommend posting reminders, those reminders do nothing to change the outcome if not enforced. A proactive approach can turn issues around if you’re willing to listen and take focused action to resolve them.

Hire an Executive Advisor. You need someone who will tell you the truth … not what you want to hear and not what your team has been enabling.

Communicate with Intention. When talking with employees, vendors, and others, be intentional about your message. Communication must be: Timely. Written. Clear. Documented.

Enforce Policies Consistently. Policies should be communicated, read, understood, and signed. Selective enforcement is discrimination. Inconsistent enforcement is incompetence.

If you’re a leader struggling with indecision, avoidance, or policy enforcement, stop trying to fix it alone.
Get the right advisor, the right legal guidance, and the right tools to move forward now. Your team, your customers, and your reputation depend on it.

Action creates momentum. Your decisions either improve the situation or guarantee it gets worse. Get in action now and contact me.

What to Do When Team Members Fail to Tell the Truth

June 22, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

(This is part two of a two-part article. Here’s the link for Part 1: https://seibco.com/telling-the-truth/

Team members lie for a variety of reasons. As a leader and boss, it’s crucial you learn how to address and handle situations and relationships where team members (and others) have lied, stretched the truth, or relied on innuendos.

It starts with hiring people who can tell the truth, admit their mistakes, and take responsibility for what they say and do. If you lack a strategic job fit selection process, you will be constantly on guard in conversations, and it will leak into your ability to work well with others too.

Why employees may feel the need to lie:

Lying is easier to handle than any fear
Fear losing their job, paycheck, or other work assignment
Are coping with anxiety and other stress-related issues
Avoiding responsibility for the harm and impact on others in the moment
Identity and habit (e.g., they were the go-to person – now they are not due to job changes)
The damage is already done and nothing bad has happened (yet)

What Can You Do to Protect Yourself, Your Team, and Your Company?

Listen to learn. Proactive protection requires being diligent in conversations and actually listening. This requires no multi-tasking, putting aside any electronic devices or other detractors, and focusing your attention on the speaker.

Ask open-ended questions. Use the Rule of 3 to deep dive into the facts to ensure you know and they know what is being said is the truth. Always use this approach when fact-finding or relying on data presented (e.g., negotiations).

Prep and document. Conduct research before conversations, not during (no multitasking). Write down what is said. Why write? Many studies have shown that writing uses the brain differently. You are more likely to question certain comments or statements. Example: “This is very interesting … can you tell me specifically where you got this data? How did you go about it? What did you learn?”

Encourage them to tell you the truth. “This may be difficult, but I need to know the actual facts of what happened.”

Power of Discernment. This is a skill you develop daily. Don’t be afraid to have the tough conversations by talking straight. (Example, if a company policy has been violated, be clear about what must happen next. And, follow through.)

Emotional Intelligence (EI). Being aware of your own EI helps develop an awareness and mindfulness to decipher when others are telling the truth or camouflaging facts. But, remember, lies, half-truths, and innuendos are an easy trap to fall into when people are in a hurry. Slow down since operating on false information will cost you top talent, key customers, and a positive bottom line.

Being able to discern truth from lies can be hard for everyone. When in doubt, ask for help from a qualified coach or therapist. Give me a call.

Listen to: The Business Power Hour: Deb Krier’s 1176 episode with Jeannette Seibly, feel the fear and do it anyway: https://youtu.be/kQLaw_jN50Q

Sometimes to Win You Need to Quit

June 18, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

There are times you can win simply by quitting. It’s not losing. It’s not something most bosses or coaches will tell you. It’s what must happen to move forward.

While I don’t advocate giving up too soon, there are times when the game plan, mindset, or actions just are not going to get you where you need to go. And, change is not going to happen in a timely manner.

How to recognize when to quit:

You’ve talked to your coach and mentor, and they each said, “We cannot help you.”
You took a job knowing it was not the right one for you.
You joined a team that is poorly run, and sabotages your input (and energy).
The list is endless.

It is time to reassess when:

There’s been a financial drain.
Your health is at risk.
Resources are unavailable.
You are unwilling to have the needed conversations.
No one is willing to work with you on the project.
You’re unwilling to hire a coach and incorporate their ideas. (Then, it’s doubly time to quit!)

What Happens When You Hang on Too Long:

Feel bad. Feelings can and do change very quickly. Regretting hanging on too long rarely makes a difference to your team, investors, boss or customers.

Give up at with first problem. You give up too quickly because it’s not working out as you had envisioned.

Lack commitment to the goal. Momentum and inspiration will come and go depending on the work you’re willing to do.

Trying to leap when you should be taking smaller steps. Remember, the fable, The Tortoise and The Hare. Hares, slow down. Or, if you’ve been operating as a tortoise out of fear of failure, speed it up!

Relying on your inner dialogue. This will stop you when you only focus on what’s wrong!

Before You Quit!

Get clear. Work with an experienced coach. Every failure (and success) can provide “lessons learned.” If you don’t take the time now, it will show up again!

Complete What Worked / What Didn’t Work? Be objective to determine what you missed, ignored, or failed to do correctly. Use your numbers objectively. (Instead of, people were happy at the event; use objectivity – 20 people showed and 1 person requested a future conversation.) Talk with your coach to determine if these insights can rectify the plan, or if it’s time to scrap it as it is currently designed. (See Chapter 20, Get Your Brag On! for exercise)

Review your inner dialogue. It’s time to get real … not reinforcing “why it should’ve, could’ve and would’ve worked if only things, situations, and people had been different.”

Wobbly inner power. Too often, you’ve made yourself wrong, disempowered yourself (and others), or allowed someone to diminish or dismiss your project as important. Stop! Talk with your coach or therapist to get back on track before making a final decision to quit or proceed forward.

Be coachable. Too often, people will give up too quickly due a myopic view of how it “should” look. After talking with your executive coach to determine if the project, plan or venture can be turned around profitably and fulfill the intended outcomes, it’s time to make the final decision. Realize a “decision not to make a decision” is a decision … and often a “No!”

If you’ve done the reflection, and are unwilling to modify your thoughts, feelings, and actions, it may be time to quit and move on. Do so gracefully. Remember, you didn’t lose. It just didn’t work. Now look for what’s next!

©Jeannette L. Seibly, 2012 -2026

There are times when life will throw you curve balls. If your commitment isn’t strong enough, it’s up to you to get into action with an experience coach. Then, make a decision to move forward or quit. Contact me.

Listen to: The Business Power Hour: Deb Krier’s 1176 episode with Jeannette Seibly, feel the fear and do it anyway: https://youtu.be/kQLaw_jN50Q

As a Leader, Do You Have Difficulty Telling the Truth?

June 15, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

(This is part one of a two-part article.)

Many leaders are confronted when needing to tell an uncomfortable truth. They fear people will become upset with them when it isn’t what they want to hear. And these leaders lack the self-confidence and self-esteem to work through upsets with bosses, customers, employees and teams.

This is especially true for leaders wanting and needing to be “liked,” versus doing the right things the right way (e.g., failing to: follow policy, hire strategically, address bad behavior and poor work quality).

Why is it so hard?

They …

Rely on false information and believe what they are saying.
Have an automatic reaction when caught falsifying data, stealing, or ignoring policy.
Lack having done the research or talking with the right people.
Have an emotional attachment to the person or situation.

The inevitable outcomes are two-fold:

When others find out you lied, you cannot be fully trusted again.
If others relied on your information or data, they will question your ability to be a leader and refuse to work with you.

While leaders gain very little by stretching or ignoring the truth, it doesn’t stop many from doing it anyway and calling them “harmless little white lies.”

Remember, the truth will normally surface and what you gained by lying (stretching the truth) is short lived and costly for your leadership, career, and relationships.

Short-term benefits that are erased later:

Avoiding consequences — escaping blame, punishment, or discomfort for the moment.
Controlling a narrative — shaping how others see you, creating a false image.
Buying time — delaying a difficult conversation or decision.
Protecting ego — shielding yourself from shame, embarrassment, or vulnerability.
Manipulating outcomes — influencing others to get what you
Habitual lying — lying is a default coping mechanism.
Shame cycles — shame leads to lying, lying leads to more shame.
Avoidance patterns — some people would rather face a future crisis than a present discomfort.
Identity protection — they’re protecting the version of themselves they want others to see.

These gains feel real in the moment, but it’s like building a house on quick sand. It will eventually sink … then what?

Why do leaders and bosses continue lying when they know the truth will come out?

Chronic lying is less about deception and more about emotional survival strategies. Leaders lie when they don’t believe they can handle the consequences of the truth — or that others will fail to see they did the best they could.

In other words, people don’t lie because it’s smart. They lie because it’s easier than facing something painful right now or their ego isn’t ready to be vulnerable about mistakes.

Your short-term gain is not worth your long-term loss:

Trust — once broken, it’s incredibly hard to rebuild and people don’t forget.
Credibility — people doubt the truth you are telling and this will limit opportunities.
Relationships — lying corrodes intimacy, respect, and psychological safety.
Self-respect — living in contradiction wears a person down, lowers self-confidence and self-esteem.
Peace of mind — keeping lies straight is exhausting and usually will be uncovered by powerful listeners and fact-finders.

When the truth finally comes out, and it will, the short-term benefits rarely justify the long-term damage.

Telling the truth can be hard … especially if you don’t know what it is! Learn the power of discernment by improving your leadership skills now. Give me a call.

Listen to: The Business Power Hour: Deb Krier’s 1176 episode with Jeannette Seibly, feel the fear and do it anyway: https://youtu.be/kQLaw_jN50Q

Work Well with Anyone, Anywhere at Any Time

June 5, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Successful business relationships do not happen overnight. They are created from mutual respect, trust, and experience. The focus is developing win/win/win outcomes that make a positive difference.

Developing the Leadership Skills Required to Work Well with Anyone

Do what you say you’ll do, when you say you’ll do it.
Apologize when you “drop the ball” and keep your word in the future.
Take an interest in the company, people, products, financials, safety, community of others where you work.
Be informed about the interests and concerns of your coworkers, boss, and team. Be able to interact appropriately.
Show respect everyone on the team regardless of their opinions and personalities.
Stop judging people by their manner of dress, background (e.g., education, work experience), or title in a company.
Make it a habit to say “Please” & “Thank You.”
Keep confidences. Don’t talk negatively about other people (aka gossiping).
Level up your listening by setting aside your need to form comments or opinions while others are talking.
Be comfortable with silence.
Ask open-ended questions.
Pay attention, nonverbal gestures and actions speak much louder than your words (80+ percent).
Always, consider other people’s ideas and concerns when developing solutions.
When talking or writing, use KISS: Keep Ideas Simple & Smart

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

It’s always challenging to work with so many different personalities and expectations. Developing yourself as an effective leader requires the know-how to work with anyone, anywhere at any time. Contact me for a guide on how to work well with everyone.

Let’s Honor Our Commitments and Create Our Legacies

June 4, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Too many times, we allow our commitments to get pushed aside. However, at age 55+, time is running out! It’s now or never to create and fulfill our legacies.

Let’s make the commitment to get off the proverbial fence and take those small steps required to move forward and achieve amazing results. The natural inner power and satisfaction that occurs is priceless.

Steps to Forward and Honor Your Legacy

Create a goal and intention. Get real about your true goal and keep it to 10 words or less. The intention is critical because it is your “why.” WRITE them down! Studies have shown that writing engages the brain differently and opens up your creativity and awareness.
Put together a game plan. If the goal is to move to a new apartment or buy a home, write it down on paper! Include the three must‑haves (e.g., A/C, hardwood floors, and new roof), along with the step‑by‑step process.

Example … Many years ago, I sold a home where I had focused my attention and money on the structural concerns (e.g., plumbing, new roof and gutters, tree removal, etc.). I did not have money for “interior design.” When a young couple saw my home and compared it with a home that had all the visual bells and whistles, they bought the other home. Then, they had a flooded basement and wanted to know if they could switch it for my home. Be clear what you want and need upfront and don’t get caught up in the “shiny red object.”

Include budgets or projected “real” costs. These are critical and often overlooked due to the enthusiasm of something new (e.g., What is the projected cost for utilities? If buying, have an independent inspection done … what are the costs to resolve issues found?) Write them down!
Create momentum and results. Take small steps forward so you don’t become overwhelmed emotionally, physically, or mentally. It may require getting the paper and boxes for packing (staying with the “buy or rent” example in #2). A day or two later, sorting what to take with you, what to give away, what to sell, and what to throw away/shred. Be rigorous so unwanted items don’t move with you.
Plan to hit the wall … yes, this IS inevitable. This usually happens when you rely on only one source during the process. Set aside your emotional attachment and select three alternatives. Again, using the original example in #2 … one mortgage company may say you don’t make enough money, while another may say you need extra $$ for mortgage insurance, while the third will charge you a higher interest rate. Do the math, then, pick one after reading the fine-print. Remember, not now is also a valid choice, and making “no decision” is also a choice or decision. (True life example: One family overpaid for a condo, because they had the money to do so. They were excited about their new home. As required, they signed an agreement to not smoke or vape on the property, but ignored it. The fines were steep!)
Celebrate your victories … small and large. Get your brag on!

There are times when your commitments aren’t strong enough to move you forward and you stay stuck. What is one thing you can do to get back in action? How can I support you and clarify your goal and needed actions? Contact me.

Are You a Critical Leader?

June 1, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Effective leadership style produces intended team results on a regular basis.

Do you:

Find fault with other’s ideas and actions?
Believe your way is the only right way?
Blame mistakes on others?

Being a critical leader or boss can be tiring for both you and your team members. Your attitude and behavior make it difficult to work with you and nearly impossible to learn from you. Until you transform your critical mindset, you will never have a team that produces intended results on a regular basis.

How do you transform your critical mindset to lead an effective team?

Look for opportunities to praise. Acknowledge others for a job well done, even if it’s a small step or contribution. Consider ideas that may initially seem off-the-wall or inappropriate, and acknowledge contributions in a positive manner. Your openness will encourage everyone to stretch their thinking and behavior to improve their skills.

Learn from mistakes. Every mistake can be turned into a learning moment. It’s important to understand the difference between a Zero Tolerance Policy for unacceptable behaviors versus reviewing and learning from mistakes. You and your team inevitably will make mistakes during a new task and new project, or working with new clients. Ensure your systems are up-to-date, and all your employees have the training needed to minimize errors at repetitive tasks. Develop a repeatable process when creating and executing new opportunities to ensure employees are aligned.

Make 2-2-2 your paradigm. Acknowledge two positive things they have done well. Then, share very specific areas for improvement, no more than two. Wrap-up with two positives they have done well. This makes feedback easier to give, and receive! (See Direct Approach vs. Sandwich Approach)

Hire a coach. It’s important for your own career and leadership development that you learn to effectively work with and through people to get the job done. An effective leadership style produces win/wins on a regular basis.

All leaders need a periodic “checkup” on their effectiveness as a leader. Learn how to improve and produce intended results. Give me a call.

Time to Honor Our Commitments and Stop Fence-Sitting

May 28, 2026 by Jeannette Seibly

Fence‑sitting drains your energy … and those splinters can be painful. And the real exhaustion comes from postponing your goal or dream … and your legacy feels that.

It’s a #1 problem! We all love and hate fence‑sitting … the waiting for the stars to align, our boss or family to give permission, or to have enough time or money. The truth is … perfectionism, ego, and judging others are the real culprits that get in the way of achieving our goals. These fears keep us trapped on the fence feeling comfortable.

Making a commitment to honor our goals and taking actions can be invigorating.

You may be thinking, “Well … I did take action … but …”

The Remy Effect. I have a 13‑pound ginger cat who loves to meet others in the hallway – including dogs. But when a person comes into our home, he runs and hides. Many of you behave in a similar fashion. You’re fearless until you allow fear to dominate you.
Facts versus false information. Yes, there is a lot of false information out there. The challenge is it’s often more comfortable to believe the falsehood and deny the truth. (Example: hiring assessments … many will claim the assessment they are using is validated for pre‑employment and selection use, when in fact, it is not.)
Failure to do ‘complete’ work. Doing just enough will keep you from enjoying the intended results of your legacy. Or you do too much without asking for help! There is a sweet spot for doing what needs to be done without driving yourself crazy and annoying others.

Example: I talked with a successful consultant who had bought books from friends who wanted to become published authors. “The problem,” he lamented, “is that most of these books are poorly written, lack proper editing, and use pictures, layouts, and covers that leave a lot to be desired.” Hiring a book coach would have created a much better legacy!

What’s missing that keeps us on the fence and hold us back?

Awareness of Job Fit. Some people become wealthy by doing the work required in their nicely paid, but not overpaid, job. While others keep attempting to take on careers they believe will make them wealthy faster. Their job or career pursuits are misaligned with their natural interests, thinking styles, and core behaviors. Hire the right coach, take a qualified job‑fit assessment, and write your own resume (AI doesn’t know the difference between truth and fiction)!
Using Your Ingenuity. I continue to be impressed by the ingenuity of people. Some people are rockstars … while others could be rockstars if they stopped trying to mimic others. This is key … we have emotional attachments to mimicking others, often to our own detriment. Get clear. Get real. Get in focused action.
Doing the Work Required. Many people love the idea of sharing their opinions, but not doing the real work required for results. For example: They start a podcast believing they will make a lot of money, only to realize it was another shiny object that distracted them. Learn the art of skill-stacking.

Your legacy demands commitment. Commitment requires action. Your resilience is what keeps you moving forward! Take the actions that will move you off that seemingly comfortable proverbial fence and enjoy your results.

It’s time to honor your commitment and stop fence-sitting. Learn how to seize the time now to take actions that support your legacy and goals. Contact me for a confidential conversation.