Team Building

Why Do You Need to Make Crucial Changes Now?

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“Waiting to make the right changes in hiring and retaining top talent costs you time, money, and your business.” Jeannette Seibly

Because the right people in the right jobs are your most valuable assets!

Many bosses and business leaders in private and family-owned businesses are failing to make crucial changes now. Instead, they wait until there is an “Oh! S^&T moment!” By then, it’s usually too late. It’s gut-wrenching; they are looking for someone or something to blame.

Have you recently:

  • Noticed a leak in your financial profits? (There is no line item for hiring or promoting the wrong employee!)
  • Lost a major client … the one that has kept your doors open?
  • Lost a key employee … the one who knows everything about the company and its systems?
  • Spent more time updating your computer systems than hiring the right person?

The bad news? Ignoring these issues with the ostrich approach never worked well for anyone and never solved any of the “people challenges” you continue to have. Remember, the right people in the right jobs are your most valuable assets! Your reticence to make required changes takes a toll on your current employees and customers.

The good news? When you upgrade and update your hiring, promoting, and job transferring systems to collect objective, valid, and reliable data, your profits soar, and your employees and customers are happier.

It’s Time to Get Real

About the Numbers. Having high turnover is insane! And costs a lot of money. Relying on the excuse that it is less than “industry standards” won’t make a difference to your bottom line, retaining top talent, or keeping great customers. Conduct an analysis of the cost of hiring mistakes. Then, compare the cost of updating and upgrading your hiring and selection practices. Usually, a wrong hire costs much more than a well-designed strategic selection system.

About Your Selection Process. Are your people in the right jobs? Most employees today would give a resounding, “NO!” The Great Resignation and Great Attrition (along with other new terms for old issues) are employees’ battle cries for help! They are bored and stressed! A well-designed strategic job-fit process includes conducting effective job-related interviews, using real qualified job-fit assessment tools validated for pre-employment and promotion use, and following through on collecting true due diligence data.

About the Importance of Onboarding. Without following a well-designed plan to onboard new hires, you will lose them. Why? The boss is often too busy, so that the employees will step in. Employees have a way of doing work that may or may not reflect company policies and procedures. Bad habits, employees not on the same page, and mixed customer reviews will cause new hires to leave.

About Managing and Coaching Practices. Many bosses today are promoted for the wrong reasons and make poor managers and coaches. What missing? They lack coachability. It’s why many former employees blame bad bosses for leaving. These bosses take feedback as criticism of them personally instead of understanding it’s an opportunity to learn how to improve the quality of their work. Also, they fail to provide critical feedback to their employees.

How do you determine coachability? Ask the following interview questions more than once,

  • “What was your most recent mistake?”
  • “What did you do to correct it?”
  • “Who was involved in building the solution?”
  • “What were the results?”

If the job candidate or person you want to promote cannot think of any mistakes, move on to other candidates!

About Providing Leadership and Management Development. Again, many bosses and leaders are promoted for the wrong reasons (e.g., longevity, being liked by their boss (but not the employees), or handling a customer issue well once). Take the time on Day 1 to create a career path, leadership and management development training, and opportunities to use these skills based on the employee’s and company’s goals.

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for success. As a leader, do you have bosses that are difficult for teams to work with? Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom comes from 31 years of transforming bosses from hated to respected! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about making crucial changes now in how you hire, coach, and manage your employees: We all like to think we have time … as soon as we put all the fires out. The challenge? The fires never end if you keep hiring, promoting, and job-transferring the right people into the wrong jobs! Now is the time to get real! Contact Jeannette for a confidential conversation about updating and upgrading your selection processes NOW!

The coach is in! Are you ready to build your confidence and success as a boss? As a leader, do you have bosses that are difficult for teams to work with? Or are you one of those bosses? With my depth of experience and wisdom, I transform bosses from hated to respected! Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching programs.

Podcast info When was the last time to patted yourself on the back? Learning how to brag is critical to your business and career successes! Check out my podcast interview with host, Frank Agin:  https://bit.ly/BragPodcast  Get your brag on! Give it a listen.

Lying to Job Candidates Is a Very Bad Idea!

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“Lying is rarely a good idea because there are always consequences when the truth is revealed.” Jeannette Seibly

Did you know 40% of hiring managers lie to job candidates? (ERE Daily)

When you consider that many believe lying is acceptable, little white lies, unintended lies, and even whoppers don’t seem like a big deal.

Lies can occur:

  • During the interview when you fail to use a well-designed selection system
  • When relying on outdated job descriptions to describe work responsibilities
  • When making job offers and failing to include promises or deny having made them

Examples include:

  • Plan on a one-hour interview, but it lasts for 2-hours
  • We have a two-week holiday break in December, but the expectation is that you’ll work during that time
  • Remote working is touted, but you need to live within a limited distance from the office
  • Your health insurance starts on day 1, after a waiting period
  • We provide career pathing, failing to mention it’s a goal, but not a priority
  • We’ll decide in one week, but fail to communicate when no decision has been made

Why does lying hurt your company, business, and reputation? You lied!

Applicants today are looking for bosses and companies they can trust!

Yes, I understand 90% of resumes contain inaccuracies, embellishments, and flat-out lies!

But you need to take the high road! Why?

Lies have consequences, even though there is a false belief that lying is acceptable.

The reason? It’s called integrity … and you cannot control integrity or manipulate it. Eventually, somebody will tell the truth or the lie will be discovered. Then, job candidates and employees will leave, costing you customers (current and future), reputation, top talent, and EEO claims of discrimination!

Example (this is based on a true story and fictionalized): Michelle interviewed for a position as a purchasing agent. The interviewer and hiring boss lied, saying they would have a job offer extended to her in two weeks. The two weeks came and went without any word from them, nor did they return Michelle’s calls.

In the meantime, Michelle accepted a job offer to be a Purchasing Manager at another company. 

In her new role, Michelle was responsible for vetting potential suppliers. She informed the company who lied to her about the job offer that her new employer would not be purchasing their products and services. When they asked why? “You lied. How can I trust you to deliver these orders on time and within budget?

How to Stop Lying!

First, create and follow a well-designed strategic selection system for hiring, job transferring, or offering job promotions. Ensure all hiring managers are trained annually on how to use the system and hold them accountable. Using a selection system reduces the need to lie, embellish the truth, or make promises that cannot be fulfilled. You will see your retention increase and your ability to attract top talent!

Talk Straight. When you make promises during the interview, be sure you have the authority to do so. Write them down and store in an electronic file. Include these promises in job offer letters to ensure everyone is on the same page. Promising to think about honoring the promise in the future spells disaster.

Communicate the Truth. Tell the truth about what the job candidates can expect, especially regarding any known or potential changes.

Example: Do NOT hire a manager (or higher-level boss) to clean up a team or department. The new boss may not agree with your assessment, or the company’s, on who to fire or keep! (Some are more concerned about being liked than cleaning up issues.) Make your team and department changes first! Remember, any new boss hired to “clean up a team or department” will not become a long-term employee since other employees will hold it against them.

Transparency is a Good Thing. If there are factions, limited budget dollars, cultural challenges, and/or mediocre quality issues, share them with the job candidate. After all, you want the person you hire to resolve the problems, not make them worse or be complacent.

Respect Starts with You! Yes, many job candidates lie or embellish their credentials. But two wrongs don’t make a right! That’s why you use a strategic job fit system to weed them out! But if you’ve been honest with them about work hours, job expectations, and growth potential, that’s respect!

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom guides clients to achieve intended dynamic results consistently! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about why lying to job candidates is a bad idea: How do you feel when someone lies to you? While you may believe it’s not a big deal, you stop trusting them! The same is true when you lie to job candidates. Please read about overcoming the need to lie during the selection process; this will improve your ability to attract and retain top talent. Contact me for a confidential conversation about becoming an employer of choice! 

The coach is in! Are you ready to build your confidence and success as a boss? A great boss uses an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience and wisdom guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams. Along the way, they achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching programs. Remember, your ability to lead depends on your effectiveness in hiring, coaching, and managing your teams, onsite and remote.

Improve How You Speak to Create Better Results

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“Your manner of speaking will create followers or detractors.” Jeannette Seibly
  • Have you ever attended a meeting where the F-bomb was used too often?
  • Do you or others use too much jargon or innuendos, leaving people annoyed?
  • Do you stop listening to people who talk for the sake of talking?
  • Have you been uncomfortable when sexist or racial comments are made?
  • Do you need to let everyone know when you are frustrated or upset?

When we’re honest with ourselves, we can all answer “yes” to the above questions.

The truth is that communicating with others can be exhausting when poor speaking habits are used. As a current or future boss, leader, and influencer, improving your way of speaking will create better results for your team, customers, and business.

How to Transform Your Speaking Style to Achieve Positive Results

Start your comments with the end in mind! This will keep your words on point, making you less likely to ramble. When sharing, focus on moving the conversation forward, not rehashing what’s already been said. It keeps your listeners listening!

Stick with common words. Use simple words. For example, use ‘generous’ instead of ‘magnanimous.’ Using common words gets everyone on the same page faster and keeps everyone’s attention. Remember, when writing (emails, memos, manuals, articles, or books), people do not look up the big words and will stop reading if you use more than one.

Stop talking to talk. Many people talk too much and too long. Then, they use inappropriate words, jargon, or innuendos to bring back the team’s attention. Instead, learn to share a personal experience or story. Keep it smart and simple! Really, really, really smart and simple! (Hint: Stay away from the details!)

Define jargon. Use the actual words when using jargon. Example: A/R, A/P, and ROI use Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Return on Investment). It keeps the audience listening to you! Remember, while those listening will say they understand, they are embarrassed to admit they don’t. It also prevents miscommunication when the audience relies on their interpretation.

Refrain from innuendos and gossip. It hurts your credibility since 99 percent of the time, you don’t have the facts. Get the facts and share them with the person who can make a difference (e.g., theft – talk with security or HR; not doing their share – talk directly with the person; poor job of hiring the right people – talk with the hiring boss, HR, and your CFO/Controller).

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom guides clients to achieve intended dynamic results consistently! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about improving how you speak and the results you achieve: Do you want to improve your results and those of your team? Improve how you speak, your choice of words, and pay attention to your audience. Contact me for a confidential conversation about becoming a great communicator! 

The coach is in! Are you ready to build your confidence and success as a boss? A great boss works with an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience and wisdom guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams. Along the way, they achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching programs. Remember, your effectiveness, influence, and confidence will accelerate when you have a coach.

You Need These 5 Confidence Builders to Achieve Amazing Results

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“Building confidence that never fails requires ongoing and consistent attention.” Jeannette Seibly

Building your confidence is essential for you to do each and every day, especially when dealing with daily demands on your time, attention, and energy. Remember to be aware of saboteurs (e.g., your team, boss, customers, and co-workers). Paying conscious attention will help you achieve outcomes faster while continually building your confidence and competence.

Here are ideas to develop and build your inner power and confidence!

  1. Believe in Yourself. It’s difficult when you experience a failure, mistake, or rejection. Breathe. Learn for the experience. Now, get back into the conversation for focused action!
  1. Be Present. Allowing your internal mental chatter to get in the way limits results and relationships! When having conversations and attending meetings or events, give 100% attention to the speaker. You’ll be amazed by what you can learn, even if you believe you already know it all! 
  1. Be a Results Producer. Going through the motions without a conscious intention to improve the quality isn’t taking focused action!
  • Get honest about the actions you are taking by hiring a coach.
  • Have the tough and needed conversations.
  • Don’t overlook quality. And focus on performance challenges, not personality differences.
  • Now, you can achieve the goals you used to dream about.
  1. Be Coachable. You don’t have all the answers, and frequently, you do things the hard way with limited results. Hire the right coach and watch your confidence grow with clarity and calmness.
  1. Get Your Brag On! Pay attention to your daily activities and wins by keeping a written log of your achievements. When it’s time for a job promotion, job interview, board meeting, sales presentation, or pitch for your book or product, you’re ready! Your brags make a big difference in building your confidence. They also build your reputation and ability to influence others!

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom guides clients to achieve intended dynamic results consistently! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about building your confidence each and every day: Consciously building your confidence each day requires recognizing when it is being sabotaged! Contact me for a confidential conversation about identifying and eradicating saboteurs!  

The coach is in! Are you ready to build your confidence and success as a boss? A great boss works with an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience and wisdom guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams. Along the way, they achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching programs. Remember, being coached accelerates building your effectiveness, influence, and confidence.

Tough Times Require Resilient Bosses to Achieve Results

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“Bosses … resiliency during tough times is the key to achieve amazing results and future career opportunities.” Jeannette Seibly

Today’s workplaces are undergoing tough changes and need resilient bosses! But, instead, many bosses allow their frustrations and inability to transform relationships and situations to get in the way.

Do you:

  • Believe hiring for job fit is nonsense and takes too much time?
  • Believe your team should get their jobs done faster by doing it your way (aka micromanaging)?
  • Feel your customers demand too much from you? Your team?
  • Hate your team constantly bringing you problems and making your job more difficult?
  • Believe it takes too much time to get others’ input, especially when you won’t use it anyway?

If you are being truthful, you will answer yes to at least one of these questions.

As a boss, it’s usually easier to achieve intended results during the good times. But it’s during the tough and uncertain times that team members will either value and follow you for your resiliency and “can-do” attitude, or post negative ratings!

How to Build Your Resilience to Achieve Results

Develop Your Inner Power. Your self-esteem is important. It’s a reflection of your inner power and resiliency when mistakes occur and problems arise. Take the time to work with an executive coach. Also, consider talk therapy with a licensed therapist. Take part in workshops focused on developing your confidence and communication skills, while upgrading your project and people management talents.

Ask for Help and Feedback. Now, more than ever, you cannot go it alone, especially during tough times. Learn how to ask for help and ask for feedback from your team, co-workers, boss, and others when making decisions. Make sure you’re really listening! Be open to expanding your point-of-view … remember, it’s not business as usual. Example: When a customer is unhappy, ask for specific feedback of what didn’t work! Now, get the team in focused action to create and implement solutions, not excuses!

Hire for Job Fit. Job fit is why teams excel! But too many hiring bosses believe anyone can do any job successfully. The problem is, if the person doesn’t have the interest, thinking style, or core behaviors, they will fail to achieve intended results. Poor job fit often results in miscommunication, conflict, and other mischief (aka a lot of extra problems, work, and sleepless nights)!

Coach and Manage for Quality Results. Stop settling for mediocrity and accepting excuses, especially when you can make a huge impact during uncertain times. (Think, your competition has already given up.) Learn to ask good business questions designed to get your team thinking outside the box, and critically thinking about how to fulfill customer demands. Learn to brainstorm and do not dismiss off-the-wall ideas! (Hint: They are usually the best ones!)

Mindfulness and EI are Still Important. Your emotional intelligence (EI) and ability to be present during conversations are the marks of a good boss. Life and business are never easy all the time. Example: It requires continually developing your resilience and willingness to say, “I/we made a mistake … this is how I/we plan to fix it.” Then, get it resolved immediately!

Don’t Shy Away from Tough Conversations. Remember, your voice matters! Stop going into meetings believing your ideas won’t matter! Instead of being defensive in these meetings, state your commitment and concerns first. Second, ask questions to discover and uncover others’ true hesitations or differing opinions. Listen. There will be areas of agreement that you can build on. Be a parrot when necessary, and don’t become emotionally attached to the outcome. Remember, the goal is win-win-win.

Keep Developing You, Your Individual Team Members, and Your Team as a Whole. Guard your budget dollars to ensure ongoing training and development. Now is not the time to dismiss developing everyone’s skills because you cannot afford it! If there’s a will, there’s way (think, taking initiative and being resourceful). Remember, tough times don’t last, but tough bosses do!

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? With Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom, she guides clients through sticky situations and challenging relationships for dynamic results! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about being a resilient boss during tough times: Remember, tough times don’t last, but tough bosses do! Do you know how to be resilient when you want to pull the covers up over your head and call-in to take a personal day? This week, discover and put into action at least one tip to develop your resiliency. Contact me for a confidential conversation about hiring, coaching, and managing for profitable success during tough times.

The coach is in! Are you ready to build your confidence and success as a boss? Great bosses work with an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience and wisdom in guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams to achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching program. Remember, coaching increases your resiliency and has you succeed during tough times!

Bosses impact retention, revenues, and results each and every day by how they engage employees. To improve your bottom line, use the PXT Select to see the “whole person.”

Bosses Engage Their Employees to Build Profitable Companies

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“The right bosses are the keys to your company’s profitability and employee success!” Jeannette Seibly

According to Workplace by Gallup®, economic growth has slowed and created low employee engagement. Loss of customers and profits. And poor management of people, resources, and revenues.

Building a profitable company requires bosses that engage their employees!

As a management executive, did you know:

  • 82% of the time, bosses are chosen for the wrong reasons (e.g., technical ability, length of employment, likeability)
  • Employees feel being unemployed is better than hating their jobs, and their bad bosses
  • More than 75% of employees are quietly quitting (not engaged) or loudly quitting (actively disengaged), hurting profitability and customer retention
  • More than 50% are not engaged and put in minimal effort to get by, blaming their bosses

“Employee engagement has an even stronger connection to performance outcomes during tough economic times.” (Workplace, Gallup®)

It’s why you need to hire, promote, and job transfer the right people into “boss” positions.

It’s Essential Bosses Improve Engagement, Productivity, and Profits

#1 Start with how you hire, promote, and job transfer people into “boss positions.”

Many employees want to be bosses since it means a bigger paycheck, perks, and title/status (and sometimes they want the power). The problem is that many people may know their jobs well but make poor bosses in your workplace environment for various reasons. Remember, not everyone is cut out for a boss/leadership position, so it’s important to provide alternative career paths to keep top talent. The question to ask: How can they continue to grow and be positive contributors to your business?

Example: A great salesperson was transferred into a boss position. It didn’t take long for employees to complain about her poor “boss style.” Instead of giving her back her former job, they fired her! She left and took several large clients with her!

Job fit is key! There are over 3,000 assessments published today. Yet, only a few provide valid, reliable, and predictive data. You and your company must see people for who they really are, not how they want to be seen. Clarity about the “whole person” is a crucial factor in your ability to develop great bosses. Otherwise, your training, coaching, and management efforts will be thwarted!

Here are questions to ask yourself about how you decide whom to hire, promote, or job transfer into boss positions:

  • What objective criteria are being used to determine who will be a good boss?
  • What predictive analytics are being used that provide objective, valid, and reliable data?
  • Do they want to be a boss or have different career goals to pursue? (Hint: Ask them and listen to their response!)
  • As a boss, are they open to developing better communication skills? (Hint: As a boss, communication skills become more critical.)
  • Are they coachable? (Hint: A requirement for them to succeed.)

#2 Profitability requires accountability for how bosses build employee engagement.

Developing your company’s bosses needs a committed team of management executives, external executive coaches, and internal company mentors. Together they can ensure all bosses engage their employees daily. Failure to “check-in” will negatively impact retention, revenues, and results!

Do they:

Develop their team members? To engage employees, it’s important that your bosses ask for and listen to their team’s ideas before making decisions. Also, ensure bosses offer all employees challenging assignments that support their career goals.

Have tough conversations using compassion and experience? Too many bosses focus on likeability. It’s why they fear having tough conversations. While a damaging discussion with a boss can disengage the employee quickly, tough conversations done right ensure retention (e.g., eliminating bullies), revenues (e.g., meeting budgets and timelines), and results (e.g., resourcefulness and resilience).

Focus on results, not personalities? Each team member has natural strengths. Are your bosses building on these strengths? Also, ensure your bosses are not trying to fix a person’s personality (e.g., talks too much, dominates conversations). Instead, they need to provide all employees with appropriate skills training.

Acknowledge team members? This is crucial! Ensure your bosses are specific when praising their teams and acknowledging each and every team member’s contribution. (Hint: Listen to how they talk about their team members with you. It’s a reflection of how they communicate with their employees.)

Have 1:1 meetings weekly with each employee. Every employee needs the boss’s undivided attention. For best results, remind your bosses to turn off their gadgets, listen, and focus on one strength the employee can build on. Multi-tasking disengages employees!

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? With Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom, she guides clients through sticky situations and challenging relationships for dynamic results! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about ensuring your bosses engage all employees: Did you know that 82% of the time, bosses are chosen for the wrong reasons (e.g., technical ability, length of employment, likeability)? In today’s workplace, hiring and developing bosses is crucial to ensure a profitable company with engaged employees. Contact me for a confidential conversation about hiring, coaching, and managing for profitable success.

The coach is in! Are you ready to build your confidence and success as a boss? Great bosses work with an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience and wisdom in guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams to achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching program. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to manage as a great boss!

Bosses impact retention, revenues, and results each and every day by how they engage employees. To improve your bottom line, use the PXT Select to see the “whole person.”

 

 

How to Have Conversations for Positive Results (Part 2)

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“Our ability to communicate effectively requires being aware of how our interactions impact others.” Jeannette Seibly

This is Part 2 of a two-part article:

When having conversations, it can be difficult today to know what to share, and when and if to share it.

In last week’s article (Part 1), I wrote about why conversations sharing too much information – too soon (TMI-TS) can hurt your credibility, sales, and building solutions for positive results.

This week, I will go deeper into how to overcome sharing TMI-TS and offer strategies for creating positive results through great conversations.

How to Overcome Sharing TMI – TS (Too Much Information – Too Soon)

Invest in developing an effective communication style since it is the key to your career and business success!

  1. Who Is Your Audience? Share from your own human story your lesson learned (yes, only one) to overcome your mistake or performance challenge. Remember, keep it short and on point — people have short attention spans!
  2. Be Aware of Your True Intention. Our minds are great at circular logic or rationalization. While you may believe you’re being forthright, it may come across as manipulative, falsely believing you’re being authentic. Talk with your coach to ensure your conversations attract and engage others, not repel them by sharing TMI-TS.
  3. Honor Today’s Business Expectations. Using four-letter words, jargon, and other off-putting communication styles may seem trendy. The truth is that it conveys a poor communication style that hurts your credibility when someone doesn’t know you. Develop stronger relationships first before letting your vocabulary loose!
  4. Apply for a Job. TMI-TS is telling your personal story, labeling yourself, or announcing must-haves in the first job interview. While you may believe it’ll avoid a problem boss or employer, it hurts your chances of a job offer. While the interviewer may not be biased, it is often not a true representation of the workplace culture.
  1. Listen as a Hiring Boss. Stick with job-related questions. Don’t interact with a job candidate about being gay, divorced, or bored (ADHD) (to name a few examples!). It’s why the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has a huge backlog of allegations claiming discrimination (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, medical) when the claimant wasn’t offered the position or promotion. 
  1. Share Your Story. While sharing stories can build good working relationships, consider the impact and timing first. Practice in front of a mirror to ensure you feel comfortable telling it! Remember: Keep It Short and On-Point!
  • In a public presentation, sharing a personal experience can engage the audience. (Examples: “Why this helped me succeed.” OR “What I’ve done to change a bad habit.”)
  • In an inner-company meeting, share only your personal experiences, not someone else’s. Be sure to tell the story within the context of the conversation.
  • In network meetings or trade shows, talk about products and services. To get the conversation started, brag about an achievement. (Example: “I am a Leadership Results Coach and have guided 100s of bosses to improve their hiring, coaching, and managing results.” Jeannette Seibly)
  1. Acceptance Takes Time. “I’m concerned about others accepting me,” a businessman lamented. Then, he countered, “I don’t want to spend time developing a relationship with a client who won’t accept me as a Republican (Jewish, gay, or ???).” Acceptance takes time. This fear thwarts a commitment to your purpose, business vision, and mission in conversations. 
  • Instead, share your “brags” about who you are and why you’re good at what you do. While business is changing, TMI-TS doesn’t work. The good news is that many business relationships today overlook lifestyle choices when you are respectful and trustworthy, depending on how you communicate them. 
  1. Addressing Poor Job Performance. Too often, when you rely on a personal story to discuss why you failed … it can be heard as an excuse and may limit your credibility and influence. 
  • Instead, hire an executive coach to get real about your poor job performance since many bosses are not good coaches. This is often due to poor job fit. For example, expecting good attorneys also to be good rainmakers (sales).

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? With Jeannette’s extensive experience and wisdom, she guides clients through sticky situations and challenging relationships for dynamic results! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about how to have conversations for positive results: Sharing too much information too soon (TMI -TS) hurts your credibility, others’ willingness to listen, and your results! Contact me for a confidential conversation about how to communicate for positive results!

Build your confidence and success as a boss! Great bosses work with an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams to achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching program. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to communicate like a great boss!

Want to know why your team has poor communication skills? Use the PXT Select to ensure job fit for hiring, coaching, and managing success.

 

How to Have Conversations for Positive Results (Part 1)

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“Our ability to communicate effectively requires being aware of how our interactions impact others.” Jeannette Seibly

This is Part 1 of a two-part article: 

Many professionals today like to tell it like it is for them.

Topics include:

  • Talking about their bad boss or team
  • Inner fears or childhood experiences
  • Lifestyle choices (gender, politics, religion)
  • Other experiences (e.g., natural disaster victim, ADHD, mental health)

They believe it’s important to share everything early and that being authentic saves them from experiencing personal hurt feelings and bad experiences later.

But sharing too much information – too soon (TMI-TS) can have negative impacts. It can hurt your ability to have real conversations for positive results (e.g., resolve conflict, develop solutions for a client, or close a sale). The truth is, it might not have become or been an issue if you had waited.

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • How much do you share when you meet someone?
  • Are you an open book about your personal, family, or business concerns?
  • Do you share your lifestyle choices too soon?

Why Is This Important?

Remember, ALL good relationships, business and otherwise, take time and patience!

When you share TMI-TS, it unconsciously draws a line of demarcation that others won’t cross. It’s not that they have a bias; they feel their personal boundaries have been disrupted. They believe that no matter what they say or do in response, it’ll be wrong. Then they leave the conversation, even when continuing to stand next to you.

To be an effective communicator, consider the following before oversharing:

  • Pay attention to who your audience is
  • Learn how to “brag” humbly to share your credibility
  • Have conversations designed to build win-win-win results
  • Build a good working relationship regardless of your personal experiences or lifestyles
  • Develop strong inner power, self-esteem, and confidence from all of your life and work experiences

My next article will go deeper into how to overcome sharing too much information – too soon and offer strategies for creating positive results through great conversations.

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? With Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom, she guides clients through sticky situations and challenging relationships for dynamic results! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about how to have conversations for positive results: Sharing too much information too soon (TMI -TS) hurts our credibility, others’ willingness to listen, and our results! Contact me for a confidential conversation about how to communicate for positive results!

Build your confidence and success as a boss! Great bosses work with an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams to achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching program. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to communicate like a great boss!

You’ll excel as a boss and leader when you can appreciate others’ communication and learning abilities. Use the PXT Select to ensure job fit for hiring, coaching, and managing success.

It Can Be Lonely as a New Boss or Leader

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“Being a new boss or leader is a lonely job if you go it alone.” Jeannette Seibly

Did you know as a new boss:

  • You can feel lonely and disconnected.
  • Going it alone and not connecting with others is detrimental to your career success.
  • You are no longer part of your former peer group.
  • Bouncing ideas off your employees can cause them anxiety about change.
  • Your new coworkers will get concerned about you if they disagree with your ideas.
  • Your boss will ignore you since they are only interested in solutions and the bottom line.

So, what can you do to develop a trusted sounding board and overcome feeling lonely? Remember, your job responsibilities go far beyond your job description and rely on your ability to connect with others. Going it alone is not an option.

Tips to Get Connected and Overcome Loneliness

Prioritize Your Time Management to Build Relationships! Yes, you’re busy learning your new job. But make this a priority. Meet with employees, customers, peers, upper management, vendors, and other business professionals in your industry, 1:1 and groups.

Ask and Listen More Than Talk. Ask about their work. What do they like? What could be different? What is the #1 issue they have with your team? Asking these questions and listening (not defending) can offer surprising insights into your team, company, and customer challenges. Also, it’s amazing how quickly and easily issues get resolved when you develop good working relationships.

Rely on Your Team. Too often, you have an idea, and presto, you want to implement it immediately! But the problem is, you didn’t ask your team for their input! Your team does the day-to-day work and can provide insights on the pros and cons of any idea. Ask. Listen. Brainstorm. Discern with critical thinking before implementing. Then, manage for results!

Ask for Help. Work with a company mentor and an outside executive coach. The inside mentor can help you gain political and industry insights. An executive coach navigates you through sticky situations and work relationships while helping you build your inner power and confidence.

Get Involved! Participate in after-hours get-togethers, team sports, and community and industry activities. Don’t forget to join others for breaks and meals. Staying in touch with others avoids surprises (e.g., poor employee conduct, business cut-backs, new opportunities)! And, never participate in gossip … and it can be a career derailer!

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? Jeannette’s many years of experience and wisdom can guide you through sticky situations and challenging relationships for dynamic results! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion. She is also a 3-time Amazon Best Seller.

A note from Jeannette about loneliness as a new boss or leader: It’s hard for coworkers and employees to be honest with new bosses and leaders. So, it’s essential that you learn how to connect with others to keep your fingers on the pulse of your teams, company, and customers. Contact me for a confidential conversation about how to become a great boss!

Have you considered the benefits of strengthening your superpowers and becoming a great boss? It’s not complicated, but it does require an experienced sounding board. I have extensive experience guiding bosses and leaders to work with and through their teams to achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching program. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to have more fun and make more money!

If you’d like to help employees to be talent ready, explore using the PXT Select to ensure job fit now and for future opportunities.

 

 

A Workplace Bully Can Sabotage Results

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“As a boss and leader, dealing with workplace bullies is not easy. If you don’t, it’ll sabotage your results.” Jeannette Seibly

Bullies can be everywhere today. They can be bosses, leaders, consultants, coworkers, peers, vendors, and customers. While you may believe you don’t take their demeaning remarks seriously, a bully is a bully! It sabotages results and negatively impacts you and others, regardless of how you rationalize it!

Like many of you reading this article, I’ve experienced bullies in the workplace. It’s not fun, and bullies can be difficult and scary to deal with. But recognizing and dealing with bullies in the workplace is essential. Ironically, when doing so, you honor yourself and create a better workplace environment.

Why Do Bullies Bully?

It’s All About Power. Bullies, even those who are successful, demean others, diminish others’ successes, and make bad jokes at others’ expense to make themselves feel better.

Others’ Enable Them. You cannot change them. Many people enable bullies by falsely believing you can let their comments go in one ear and out the other. But they forget that people have brains and emotions in between!

They Are Manipulative. Bullies like to sabotage others and can be sneaky saboteurs. After they bully someone, they often step in to save them and let others know.

They Are Allowed to Do So! Bosses and leaders need to get real. With stress and mental health at an all-time high, bullying costs companies millions in turnover, poor results, and negative cash flow.

They Cannot Tell the Truth! Bullies are spin doctors and are unafraid of blaming others. Remember, their fear of not having power, losing control, and others’ success makes for a toxic workplace.

The Truth About Workplace Bullying

Bullies cause an emotional, psychological, and physical toll in the workplace.

The Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI) defines workplace bullying as repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets). It is abusive conduct that is:

  • Threatening, humiliating, or intimidating.
  • Sabotaging prevents work from getting done.
  • Verbal abuse.

The Facts About Workplace Bullying (aka Stats)

According to the 2021 WBI U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey:

  • Almost 60 percent of Americans have suffered abusive conduct at work or seen it
  • Remote bullying occurs via virtual meetings
  • 52 percent of bullies are non-management, and 40 percent are managers
  • Women bully women at twice the rate they bully men
  • Exposure to others being bullied causes harm to the observers (e.g., anxiety, exhaustion, hypertension)

How to Deal with Bullies at Work!

Talk with Them. Share specific incidents with them 1:1. If it continues, talk with your boss, your boss’s boss, and/or human resources.

Let Your Boss Know. Or, your boss’s boss! Document it (e.g., times, dates, witnesses). Record it (e.g., cell phone, video). Share with human resources and your attorney. Remember, their bullying won’t stop if you don’t take the right actions.

Move On. This sounds simpler than it is and may take a while, especially if you’re hoping for a new job first. It’s important you remove yourself from the environment as soon as possible.

Experience the Grief. Honor your feelings and self-care. If you don’t, you will experience an emotional meltdown later at an inopportune time!

Other Bullying Considerations to Be Aware Of

Bullying has also become a catch-all phrase. Talk with your executive coach and/or therapist for a reality check and on how to address the issue.

Poor Work Quality. When your boss is critical of a project or work document, it may not be bullying. Instead, s/he may need a coach for guidance on how to give constructive feedback. But don’t ignore the feedback in these situations, or it could hurt your career! Ask for help and use others’ objective and honest input to improve.

Team Bullying. When team members are snarky, dismiss others’ ideas, or sabotage others’ work, it’s time to talk about appropriate behavior. Provide meeting and team building training! Or, you’ll continue to miss deadlines, exceed budgets, and fail to achieve intended results.

When You Make a Mistake. Review what happened. Did the person belittle you, or were your feelings hurt because you made a mistake that the person caught and corrected? Otherwise, you may be labeled a bully!

Time to Find True Friends. It’s time for new friends when they fear the bully knows they are your friend. Or, they cannot tell the truth about what happened due to fear of retribution.

For example, when asked about witnessing someone being bullied, the person said, “No. I just agreed she was bullied because I thought I was expected to say that!”

Another example is, “Does the bully know we’re friends? I don’t want to get caught in the middle of this problem since I need to work with him/her in the future.”

Develop Confidence in Yourself When Being Bullied

This is the hardest part. Bullies thrive on insecure people (whether you can admit to your insecurities or not) and are astute at recognizing it. Tell the truth and work with a therapist or skilled coach. When you elevate your inner power and confidence (e.g., brag-work), you become a stand for a bully-free workplace!

As a boss or leader, remember that tolerating bullying will cost you customers, top talent, and money! If you are the bully, get help before it’s too late (e.g., loss of business, awards, jobs, careers, and friends)!

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? Her wisdom guides clients through sticky situations and challenging relationships for dynamic results! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.

A note from Jeannette about how to deal with a bully in the workplace: It’s essential that, as a boss and leader, you proactively address bullying in the workplace. Otherwise, bullying can cost your company millions in turnover, poor results, and negative cash flow. Contact me for a confidential conversation about how to stop bullying in your company!

Have you considered the benefits of strengthening your superpowers and becoming a great boss? It’s not complicated, but it does require an experienced sounding board. I have extensive experience guiding bosses and leaders to work with and through their teams to achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching program. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to have more fun and make more money!

If you’d like to help employees to be talent ready, explore using the PXT Select to ensure job fit now and for future opportunities.