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Overlooked Human Leadership Skills Required for Success

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“Transforming traditional leadership into human leadership requires building skills that improve communication, team development, and results.” Jeannette Seibly

There is a change occurring! Team members are leaving traditional and metrics-driven leadership. They are seeking leadership that focuses on the human dynamics that impact results. For example, “That’s how it’s always been done.” vs. “Great idea. How do you recommend we put it in place?”

During the past several years, leaders have fallen back into relying on their own opinions and feelings about how to address customers’ projects, solve issues, and execute programs. They feel it’s faster and easier since they lack human interaction and communication skills. The impact? Only 10% of teams actually achieve the intended results!

Develop Your Human Leadership Skills to Stop Team Members from Leaving You

It Starts with You:

Ask for Help. Leaders must learn to ask for help in sticky situations and office conflicts. Doing that provides a marked difference between traditional v. human leadership. Remember, the thought process that created the brouhaha will not solve it! It starts with talking and listening to your coach, boss, co-workers, and team members.

Hire a Coach. Yes, I mention this often. Why? There is a significant difference between coachable leaders and those struggling to become good leaders. It’s why you need an executive coach that has extensive business experience. The guidance is priceless. It opens your perspective when resolving complex situations and decisions while developing your human leadership skills!

Listen … Yes, Really Listen! I know I write about this often too. But the quality of listening is the cornerstone for a leader’s success or failure. An excellent way to determine if you need help improving your listening skills is by pretending you’re a fly on the wall at meetings.

Check for:

  • Do you dominate the conversation?
  • Are your biases getting in the way of new ideas?
  • Are you a naysayer?
  • Are you encouraging ideas or judging them as good or bad?
  • Do you ask questions to clarify?
  • Do you summarize (using the person’s specific words) to ensure you and others are on the same page?

Next, Develop the Team:

Build Team’s Critical Thinking Skills. You don’t have all the answers! (Seriously, you don’t.) Instead of relying solely on your intuition or gut reactions, develop your team’s critical thinking skills. This will expand your and the team’s “knowledge” and “know-how” and disrupt the traditional way of doing things. It also builds confidence and competence to produce the intended results.

Hold Team Members Accountable for Results. When a team member wants help, a human leadership approach doesn’t give them the solution. Instead, ask open-ended questions that encourage team members to consider the pros and cons of their dilemma or problem. Then, ask what they are going to do. Next, have them provide in writing an outline of what will be done. Finally, manage the project progress by asking, “How have you done? What’s in the way? How can I help?”

Guide the Creation of Win-Win-Win Results. Remember, a successful human leader focuses on everyone winning, not just the customer, team, or team member. So ensure everyone speaks well of each other, supports a good work ethic, and focuses on building a healthy team and customer dynamics.

Using good human leadership skills isn’t necessarily easy. If you want to become part of the 10% that achieve intended results, hire a coach and get in action to adopt human leadership skills!

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

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

A note from Jeannette about Developing Human Leadership Skills: Regardless of what you’ve read, traditional leadership still prevails in many companies. As a result, companies are losing team members, quality results, and paying customers! It’s time to develop your human leadership skills mindfully. Contact me for a confidential conversation on how to do it!

NOTE: Do you want to succeed? Then, get a coach. All successful leaders have coaches! I love coaching leaders and have for over 30 years! Contact me if you want an in-depth, one-on-one hour over 13 weeks. Having a coach speeds up your ability to influence others, broaden your human leadership skills, and coach your team for unprecedented results.

Announcing New Workshop! Ready or not! A change is occurring … traditional leadership is replaced with leadership focusing on the human dynamics that impact results. For example, “That’s how it’s always been done.” vs. “Great idea. How do you recommend we put it in place?” But your managers and directors are being overlooked and not provided the training to be effective bosses and leaders. After reading about my newest workshop, contact me to discuss: Are Your Managers and Directors Effective Leaders?

How Do You Reclaim Your Ambition?

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“It requires a healthy ambition to be a successful leader.” Jeannette Seibly

Many leaders are experiencing a loss of ambition. They do not feel inspired by their job or lifestyle because of the pandemic, economic uncertainty, and other external factors.

Without ambition, you may feel your leadership and life are falling apart and don’t understand why. While we all experience ups and downs in life, we need to learn how to ride these roller coasters without causing more stress to stay healthy and on top of our careers. But, if you’re like me, you don’t like roller coaster rides!

It’s time to get your ambition back … but on your own terms. Feeling inspired to live an extraordinary life, including your career, doesn’t happen by accident. It requires taking charge of what you can directly impact on making it happen.

Definition of Ambition

  • a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work
  • desire and determination to achieve success

(Taken from Oxford Languages)

Tips to Reclaim Your Ambition

  1. Get Clear. Clarity is the foundation for reclaiming your ambition. Unfortunately, too many current and future leaders work jobs that don’t fit them. It sabotages their ambition because they hang on due to the paycheck, job title, and/or benefits. Instead, use a qualified job fit assessment to discover your core thinking style, behaviors, and occupational interests. It makes a positive difference when developing your leadership savvy and future ambitions. (SEE my newest workshop: Are Your Managers and Directors Effective Leaders?)
  2. Hire the Right Coach. An experienced coach is essential when managing team conflict, handling a demanding boss or board, and enjoying your current job or lifestyle. Job satisfaction does depend on job fit (see #1 above!) and the ambition to excel.
  3. Work with a Therapist. Improving your mental health is a process that many successful leaders undertake with credentialed therapists. Talking it out is therapeutic. But … I cannot stress this enough … if the therapist has you write a letter to a person(s) you believe has done you wrong, do NOT send it. It’s a great way to derail your career and any future ambitions.
  4. Doing Small Things Matter. In the first chapter of Michelle Obama’s book, The Light We Carry, she writes about knitting. I was skeptical about how knitting could make a difference. Yet, I learned that working with your hands, such as knitting or woodworking, simple and soothing tasks can bring a sense of accomplishment. “Yes, I can do it.” It also allows ideas to get created. My “knitting” is completing jigsaw puzzles. What’s yours?
  5. Remember, a journal is for your eyes only. Focus on successes, brags, and other ways to feel good about your accomplishments. Don’t forget to write about, explore, and plan your dreams, goals, and other ambitions.
  6. Reading encourages ambition, whether it is non-fiction or fiction. It enlightens and stretches your point of view. For me, I love historical fiction that depicts a different time, showing how far we’ve come as people. It feeds my ambition.
  7. Relax and Rejuvenate. It’s hard to be ambitious when you cannot plan time for yourself and honor it—also, plan time with your kids, significant other, family member and friends. Having healthy relationships facilitates ambition.

©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved

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

A note from Jeannette about reclaiming your ambition: Many of us are experiencing a lack of ambition due to external factors outside of our control. Yet, there are many ways we can reclaim our ambition and live a great life and enjoy our careers. Contact me to talk through your ambitious challenges!

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

Announcing New Workshop! Many employees and teams today complain about their managers and directors. The reason? Often the middle management team is overlooked for management and leadership training, or companies provide a cookie-cutter approach that doesn’t make a difference. Learn how SeibCo can offer a personalized approach that makes a positive difference: Are Your Managers and Directors Effective Leaders?

What Do You Need to Do to Get Your Ideas Heard?

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“Why is it difficult to get your ideas across? Because no one is listening!” Jeannette Seibly

Most people would agree that generating ideas is the precursor to creating solutions. It’s how problems get resolved. New business opportunities get created. And team members (and leaders) feel valued and heard.

But there are many times we don’t feel heard or understood because no one is listening.

What do you need to do to get your ideas heard? First, understand why your team members and/or leaders don’t listen to you. Second, share your ideas so that others will listen to you.

Why Are Your Ideas Not Heard?

Ego. Underneath all the excuses, it’s either your ego or the other person’s ego in the way. It can be due to your arrogance or to their skepticism, resistance to change, or because it wasn’t their idea.

You’re Not Listening! If you fail to listen to others first, they will fail to listen to you.

First Time Hearing It. Many times, you’ve been thinking about your idea for a while. But it’s the first time others are hearing it. They need time to think through it, especially if it’s outside the norm.

Thinking Style. People think and absorb new information at different rates of speed. It can be due to thinking at a slower pace than you talk. Or, they think conceptually and believe they’ve already heard it before … so they fail to ask probing questions to understand your point.

Lack of Authority. When your team has no authority, they feel helpless to do anything and will refuse to listen.

How to Present Ideas, So Others Hear You

Before You’re Ready to Present Your Ideas. Make sure to do your research and uncover the “elephant in the room” to get people’s attention. Then, using the facts, you found, outline your discussion points. Talk it over with your executive coach to expand your point of view. Now it’s time to present your idea(s).

Choose Your Words Responsibly. Team members will shut down if you rely on jargon, slang, or acronyms. Many times, it could be you’re not using them correctly. Or, they don’t understand and will not ask you to clarify. They’ve stopped listening to your idea(s).

Use Fact-Based v. Emotional Messaging. If you usually use one or the other, expand. For example, if you rely on “emotional messages” to get people’s attention, share facts and be a contrarian.

Example:

  • Start with a contrarian statement: Did you know intuitive hiring is one of the causes of the Great Resignation?
  • Then, follow up with a couple of quick facts. Studies have shown that over 90% of hiring is based solely on interviews. And the decision of “yes” or “no” is made within 4 to 15 minutes.
  • Now, the emotional message of ‘why it’s important.’ This way of hiring is costly. Here’s an idea that may help us improve our bottom line and our bonuses. (Note: Hire Amazing Employees (Revised Edition): How to Increase Retention, Revenues, and Results! is coming in July!   SeibCo.com/books/)

Use Graphics and Pictures. To get everyone on the same page, use easy-to-understand graphics and pictures to get your ideas across. Or physically show them the issue and how your idea will solve it.

Go Up the Chain of Command. Use this as a last resort. If you do this too often, everyone stops listening. If the idea is important enough, do your homework first. Then, practice presenting the material in front of the mirror before sharing it with others.

Be Open to Other’s Ideas. And build on them. Remember, listening is a two-way street. Get your own ego out of the way and allow others to offer their ideas to create a workable solution.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2022

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 having your ideas heard: to create viable solutions, we all need ideas. But what happens when no one is listening? Read this week’s article for tips on encouraging others to hear you. Do you need an ear to share a concern? Talk through an idea to resolve it? Let’s Chat!

Self-confidence allows you to share ideas. Self-confidence encourages others to listen up. If you’re tentative or hesitant, people will talk over you or multi-task to avoid listening to you. Build your self-confidence by grabbing your copy of the 9 tips needed to develop self-confidence (FREE).

How to Optimize Trust When Saying “No”

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“Saying no is less hurtful than saying yes and not delivering on your promise.” Jeannette Seibly

Many of you have learned the hard way that saying “yes” doesn’t always work. When you overcommit, it can come back to hurt your career, business growth, and customer relationships. There can be consequences and the most important is you break “trust.”

There are times it’s better to say, “no.” Yet, saying “no” can feel uncomfortable, especially for people-pleasers and those wanting to be well-liked.

If you say “yes” and are unable or unwilling to honor your commitment, trust is broken. It can become a career derailer when your team, boss, board, and/or customers stop trusting you.

As always, be selective and wisely choose when to say “yes” and when to say “no.”

How to Say “No” and Build Trust

When You Are Asked for Help. As a leader or entrepreneur, it’s your job to guide your team members. If you say “yes” and don’t follow-through, you lose trust. If you say “no,” you can instead recommend who or how they can get their questions answered by someone who is better qualified.

Don’t Offer Excuses. When you say “no,” it does not require an explanation. Offering excuses for the “no” is where many leaders (and others) get themselves in trouble. Instead, plan to negotiate requests that are important to create a win-win-win outcome.

For example, Sabrina was asked to work on a company-wide project for her boss. Because she didn’t have time she said “no.” Instead, she negotiated with her boss to do her part of the project remotely and attend monthly updates instead of weekly update meetings.

There are times it’s better to say, “no.”

When Invited to an Event or Provide a Financial Contribution. Be clear about your values (e.g., family, career, education, religion, etc.). It makes it easier to say “yes” or “no” to these types of requests. When you need to say “no,” here are some effective ways:

  • “No, thank you. I’d love to, but I’m unable to do so right now.”
  • “Thank you for asking and “no” I’m not able to do so.”
  • “Thank you for asking, but that doesn’t work for me right now.”

When You Don’t Have the Time or Interest. When you say “no,” include “That’s a great idea! But I don’t have the time or energy to add one more thing to my schedule. Good luck!”

When You Do Say “Yes.” Honor your “yes” by completing your commitment as promised and make sure to over-deliver. When you can say “yes” and you can say “no’s” to future requests, you will build trust with others.

©Jeannette Seibly 2020

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She has been an award-winning executive coach and keynote speaker for 28 years. She is an expert in guiding leaders and their teams to get unstuck and achieve dynamic results. Contact Jeannette for a confidential conversation.

A Note About “Saying No” from Jeannette. Saying “yes” can be too easy for many people. Yet, there are consequences when you don’t fulfill the promise you made with your “yes.” Learn how to say “no” diplomatically. That actually will help your career or business. Hire a coach to talk you through the pros and cons of “yes” and “no.”

Do you Know How to Influence Change with Others?

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Leaders Influencing Change
“Now more than ever, influencing change is a skill all leaders must learn.” Jeannette Seibly

Never underestimate the power of being a rebel. While rebelling can be effective, the results are often short-lived.

Instead, learn the key factors that influence positive change. You’ll become part of the solution, and not part of the problem. The results will be long-lasting and support your career aspirations.

5 Key Tips to Influence Change

Get the Facts. Overreacting to an issue will only make the issue bigger than it needs to be. Get the actual facts, not the facts you’ve made up to justify your reaction.

An example: A business owner felt offended by a comment a trusted employee made. Instead of asking for clarification, he ruminated about it. Then, a few days later when the employee asked for help, the business owner commented, “Why would I need to help you? You seem to have all the answers.” A few weeks later the employee rebelled by leaving to take another job.

Use Your Words to Inspire. Talk Straight. Mean what you say and say what you mean. Influencing others requires diplomacy, tact, and respect. Choose your words in a way that gets others’ positive attention and interest. Don’t use offensive words or humor since they will usually back-fire. Remember, others will interpret your words through their own filters. So, consider the make-up of your audience when crafting your messages!

Listen to others points of view
“If you want people to listen to your ideas, you must listen to their ideas too.” Jeannette Seibly

Be Open to Hearing Opposing Points-of-View. Dismissing someone’s opposing view will only make them defensive and unwilling to budge from their position. Be fearless when asking good questions to learn more about their perspective. Remember, they can have valid opinions too. A good way to build agreement is to repeat back what you heard the other person say (to his/her satisfaction) before responding to his/her remarks.

For example: Telling someone you won’t listen to their ideas will create a rebellion, covertly or overtly. A sales manager learned this the hard way when a sales rep suggested a new way of communicating with customers, current and future. The sales manager refused to listen, thinking it was a bad time to make any changes. A covert rebellion ensued. The sales rep left taking several other top sales reps with her. The company’s #1 competitor happily welcomed them and their ideas!

Be a Parrot. Plan on repeating yourself  over a period of time. Influencing change takes time. Often, leaders are blind to what is possible. They fear change and any loss of control…so they will resist new ideas. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge others’ positions with respect and help them determine what is in it for them.

Provide Your Plan in Writing. Yes, write it all down. Then, build your influence by getting others’ buy-in before fine-tuning. When making any change to the plan, don’t change the heart and soul of the idea. Present the plan, along with a budget and timeline. Remember, you’re looking to build alignment, not consensus.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2020

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She has been an award-winning executive coach and keynote speaker for 28 years. Her expertise is guiding leaders and teams to get unstuck and achieve dynamic results. Contact Jeannette for a confidential conversation.

Note from Jeannette Seibly: I love coaching leaders and their teams to create win-win-win strategies and dynamic results, and have been doing so for the past 28 years. During this challenging time, if you need to talk and bounce ideas off of me, please contact me. In your email, please provide your name, phone number, the general issue, along with several times to talk.  JLSeibly@SeibCo.com

Positive Change Requires Leaders to Move Out of the Way

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Change is occurring everywhere due to the pandemic, politics, and economy. Some leaders have rallied their teams for positive outcomes…while many have done very little to make change a positive experience.

Many team members are now standing up and speaking up…making change inevitable. This can be intimidating for even the strongest of leaders because change can be difficult whether or not you believe in the need for it.

The truth is, leaders must manage the process of change in a positive and proactive manner, or it will manage them.

How Do You Move Out of the Way?

Embrace, Don’t Fear of Change. This is a must and required to be a leader, especially in today’s new world of work. Learn to embrace change and be part of its evolution instead of allowing it to happen by default. Be the type of leader that guides teams forward by encouraging innovation along the way.

It’s Not Personal. When team members are standing up and speaking up, it’s not about you. It’s about changes they believe are required of the company’s systems, policies, and/or practices. When you set aside your ego, biases and judgments, you will hear what needs to be heard. Then, you can ask questions to brainstorm ideas that build change and create win-win-win outcomes.

Develop Mindful Resilience. We all get triggered by perceived microaggressions and emotional reactions to certain words, facial expressions, or gestures. Mindful resilience is when we develop a conscious awareness of our triggers and address our reactions in a positive manner. It’s starts with you, as the leader, taking responsibility for your triggers when they occur so they don’t get in the way of change. Remember, clarity of what triggered your reactions is required before you can create win-win-win outcomes. Work with your executive coach or therapist to guide you through these triggered reactions and be a leader others value.

Get Over the Need to be Well-Liked When Making Decisions. It hurts your credibility. Many leaders are afraid to upset others and it is reflected in their decisions. However, change requires fearless leadership to make the tough decisions and manage worthwhile change. Work with your executive coach as a trusted sounding board and focus on understanding the impact your decisions have across the company and with your customers. Include team members in decision-making processes by using facilitated brainstorming sessions. Give them a voice and listen to what they are saying!  You’ll be amazed by their ideas and insights.

Make Your Feedback Positive. Recently a group of people were providing feedback on a project by saying, “I don’t like this or that.” When asked why, they said, “Just because I don’t.” This type of feedback is meaningless and not helpful to any leader. As a leader, discover “why” by asking non-accusatory questions. Otherwise, you and your team will fail to stretch and develop the skills required to make better decisions.

Questions to get the conversation started:

  • Tell me more about why you don’t like this idea.
  • Interesting…could you tell me what you’re hearing or seeing about this idea that has you say “no”?
  • What would make it a “yes”?

Getting out of the way and leading change will make you a better leader. Your career will thank you.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2020

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She has been an award-winning executive coach and keynote speaker for 28 years. Her expertise is guiding leaders to get unstuck and achieve unprecedented results. Contact Jeannette for a confidential conversation.

New Release: Customer Service Profile™ can help you deliver remarkable customer service by improving your hiring, training, coaching, and managing processes. Since companies with customer service reps experience very high turnover, this can save you lots of time, money, and frustration. Contact Jeannette Seibly @ JLSeibly@SeibCo.com  for more information.

#1 New Release on Amazon: The Secret to Selling Yourself Anytime, Anywhere: Start Bragging

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

#1 New Release on Amazon: “The Secret to Selling Yourself Anytime, Anywhere: Start Bragging!” by author, Jeannette Seibly

Aurora, CO – October 7, 2020. In addition to celebrating 28 years as a leadership coach and business consultant, Jeannette Seibly’s newest book, The Secret to Selling Yourself Anytime, Anywhere: Start Bragging! was recently noted as “#1 New Release” on Amazon.

“Learning how to brag has helped 100’s of people win new jobs, careers, promotions, and pay increases. We’ve been taught from a very young age that bragging is wrong. But if you don’t learn how to brag or promote yourself, you will have a difficult time selling your experiences, education, and achievements,” commented Jeannette Seibly.

Jeannette Seibly has been a leadership coach and consultant for over 28 years, and previously worked in manufacturing, insurance, and agri-business. She’s guided the creation of 3 millionaires, helped 100’s of business professionals excel in their current careers or find the right careers (known as ‘job fit’), plus she’s guided companies through the complexities of hiring the right person for the right job the first time.

According to Gallup, over 70% of people today are in jobs that don’t fit them. “This causes many people to get stuck, miscommunicate, and hurt team success. It’s not conscious. It’s simply they don’t fit the job they’ve been hired to do.” Seibly stated. “I help companies and professionals get real and focus on ‘job fit’ to impact a person’s professional success and the company’s bottom line.”

About Jeannette Seibly & SeibCo, LLC
Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach and Founder & Managing Director of SeibCo, LLC. She has been an award-winning executive coach, business owner, and keynote speaker during these past 28 years. Her expertise is guiding leaders to get unstuck and achieve unprecedented results. Jeannette loves the positive difference the right coach can provide leaders, business owners, and business professionals. Her expertise has been and remains on people management: hiring, coaching, training, and managing people for unprecedented results.

To schedule an interview or discuss your business challenges, contact Jeannette Seibly at 303-917-2993. Or, visit SeibCo.com for additional information.

8 Tips to Improve Your Sales Results Right Now!

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Old beliefs will hold you back and limit your sales success. When left unmanaged, the little voice in your head will reinforce these old beliefs. They will overwhelm you and your team, especially right now.

Today’s #newnormal is a great time to rethink what you’ve been doing and why you’ve been doing it. It’s a great opportunity to embrace this time of change and be ready for an amazing Q4 and 2021.

Improve Your Sales Results

1. Don’t select sales managers based only on their numbers. This very important position impacts the sales team’s satisfaction and results. Managing sales reps requires different skills than managing sales processes for customers. This is why many successful sales reps fail as sales managers. Use a qualified sales assessment when hiring and promoting. These tools have the highest validity and reliability in the market and ensure you have the right person in the right job!

To receive a complimentary assessment, watch this video, “How to Build High-Performance Sales Teams.” It is the best 45 minutes you’ll spend on improving your team’s sales results! (Note: To receive your FREE sales assessment, you’ll need to contact me @ JLSeibly@SeibCo.com after you’ve watched the video.) 

2. Review and restructure compensation based on the current needs of your sales reps. Not every sales rep can succeed with “straight commission,” especially today. Some may need a base plus a lower commission, while others may need a full salary. If your sales reps are bonus eligible, use individual and team bonuses. Don’t forget to share the numbers that determine these bonus amounts.

3. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Today, what you say is even louder than before due to limited non-verbal communication. 

For example, it is not authentic to say, “I want to be your business partner.” It confuses sales with partnerships. While this sales slogan may sound enticing, the reality is sales reps want to sell a product or service. Sales reps or sales executives are not able to share in the risks that go with true partnerships.

4. Focus on behaviors that produce results, not the most recent motivational technique. Did you know that going for the “no” produces more phone calls? This produces better results than focusing on “yes.” Conduct weekly and monthly 1:1 performance reviews showing numbers and results. Focus on the bigger picture and the details of how the product/service and new technology/digital system works! (For faster, laser-like results, use the assessment report for sales coaching.)

5. Train and develop sales-readiness. Now is the best time to provide weekly training (e.g., sales techniques, product knowledge, and system improvements). Attendance and participation should be mandatory (including you)! Use an outside trainer as the facilitator and focus on key skills (e.g., listening, converting ideas into sales opportunities, online presentations, etc.). Now, it’s up to you to reinforce the training. Be upfront about your own challenges while learning these skills too.

6. Hold sales reps accountable and responsible. While compassion is important during this time, it doesn’t mean that you become lax in your expectations. Keep the sales team up-to-date on changes (e.g., etiquette for conference calls, how to work with remote teams, etc.). Expect them to work with and through others during this #newnormal. Keep them focused on the customer’s needs. 

For example, I recently relied on a remote team to help me work through an online system on behalf of a customer. The team was quick and responsive and made it very easy to follow the steps required. The customer was happy and purchased a larger quantity of assessments.

7. Let uncoachable sales reps go. Several of the behavioral traits we need for sales reps to succeed (e.g., competitiveness and independence) will get in the way of being coachable. Now, more than ever, profitable sales teams must be coachable. 

For example, an entrepreneur was not following-up and following-through. He allowed the little voice in his head to excuse his poor sales behavior. I provided the coaching and role-played with him to ensure he felt comfortable and confident using these new skills. His results have improved. 

8. Don’t change systems for the sake of changing systems. To be customer and digital-friendly, conduct a review of the improvements needed right now. Make the survey quick and focused, not long and never-ending. Seek input from customers, sales team, billing, customer fulfillment, shipping, etc. during design and before implementation! 

©Jeannette Seibly, 2020

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She has been an award-winning executive coach and keynote speaker for 28 years. Her expertise is guiding leaders to get unstuck and achieve unprecedented results. Contact Jeannette for a confidential conversation.

Keeping your current customers will attract new ones! https://seibco.com/keep-customers-from-leaving-workbook/

One tip to increase productivity is to be responsible for your communication style…it saves time, money, and your career. FREE: 5 Tips to Improve Your Productivity Right Now

It’s Q4…Now is The Time to Get In Action for Success

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Recently I talked with a woman upset that her annual event could not happen due to COVID. When I suggested hosting a virtual event, she strongly reacted with a BIG NO! Yet, after talking with several of her team members, she reconsidered. Now, with her renewed efforts, she and her team created a powerful and successful virtual event! And still, she is lamenting about her lack of success in doing it the old way.

The truth is, when we lament about the old ways, it’s an indicator that we’ve hit the wall of life. We’re confronted by the need to expand ourselves for new successes, and just don’t want to do it. So, instead of moving forward, we focus on past failures (e.g., financial, health, etc.) and feelings of potential failure (“I’m waiting until things get better before I do anything.”).

The time spent lamenting would be better spent moving forward, step by step. Don’t wait for inspiration or until you are hit over the head because you waited too long.

Remember, it’s Q4! The good news is you still have 100% of 2020 left. There IS enough time to turn around your business, career, and life for success. But it does require rethinking your view of success and your willingness to take the right actions for it to happen!

6 Tips for Success to Happen Now

True goals are not achieved in a day…yet, success happens with each and every step forward!

First, get up and get moving!  Daydreaming and Internet surfing can be beneficial. But…like most things in life…too much will sap your energy and your ability to make a positive difference! Instead, write down your ideas. While you’re up and moving, allow these ideas to percolate and pop! Don’t discount them and don’t latch onto them without conducting your due diligence. Then, talk them out with the right advisor who is good at discerning fact from fiction. Next, pick one area to focus on and move forward.

Be willing to fail as well as succeed. You have a choice of whether or not you embrace Q4. This mindset is key. Too often when you have failed or perceive there will be failure you stop. Instead, create a stretch goal for Q4. You have 3 months to get it done! Start the process now with focused action! To stay on track, create a support team!

Develop an inner sense of power. When you don’t feel powerful, you diminish your value and accomplishments, especially when life doesn’t look like you think it should. You stop doing the things that create success. A strong indicator that you’ve lost your inner compass is when you fall into a power trap. A power trap is when you feel the need to micromanage people or resources, use a parental tone, or blame others for the problems. STOP! Conduct a review of your current challenge by talking with the right people to make the necessary changes. Success can be that close to happening!

Seek advice and make requests. Right now, your ego may feel fragile due to so much change. You may fear others will see you as incompetent if you ask for guidance. Instead, write down 3 goals. Map them. Now, pick one goal. Talk with 3 people to fine-tune it and make it achievable right now (not to get buy-in for a future pie-in-the-sky idea). Don’t forget to work with your executive coach to expand your perspective. This will save you time and money!

Create a rallying cry. It’s easy to go off course and into the weeds in thoughts and actions! This can happen at any time and anywhere. Create a rallying cry that reminds you to keep moving forward.

For me, this was an important habit to create! When things didn’t look like I thought they should, I use my rallying cry, “It’s my year to thrive and grow.” Also, every time I hit new challenges (and there have been plenty of them) I remind myself, “It’s my year to thrive and grow.”

Celebrate all successes, no matter how small. Acknowledgment, appreciation, and admiration work wonders for keeping you and your team moving forward. For yourself and your team, don’t forget to express these phrases, “Good work!” “Job well done!” “Please” and “Thank you!”

©Jeannette Seibly 2020

CONGRATS! 28 years and still guiding leaders to create unprecedented results!

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She has been an award-winning executive coach and keynote speaker for 28 years. Her expertise is guiding leaders to get unstuck and achieve unprecedented results. Contact Jeannette for a confidential conversation.

It costs time and money to keep happy clients/customers…yet, we feel helpless when they want to leave. Learn how to keep customers from straying!  https://seibco.com/keep-customers-from-leaving-workbook/

Do you have so much to do that you do nothing? This is common, especially with all the #newnormal changes occurring. Get motivated. FREE: 5 Tips to Improve Your Productivity Right Now

How to Get Comfortable Seeking the Right Advice

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It can be lonely as a leader. When there is a challenge or the need to ask for advice, you may be unclear about who to talk with and who can provide you the right advice.

Here’s a simplified example. I’m sure many of you have read through social media postings where people are asking for advice or referrals. You may have posted your own “asks.” The problem is you receive an abundance of advice and go into overwhelm. Then, become stuck and don’t know how to proceed.

Sound familiar? Of course, most of us have experienced this in all areas of our lives. It can be very uncomfortable.

8 Tips for Getting the Right Advice Now

  • Be Open. Stay away from “yes” people telling you what you want to hear! Remember, too many ideas will have you undecided on what to do next. Instead, limit your “ask” to three key people: mentors, coach, and/or trusted advisors. If they provide recommendations for experts, limit these to three people.
  • Get Specific. Be clear about the advice you need by being specific about the issue and what you need to happen. For example: If you need to resolve a team dispute, include the key factors that must be considered, like team member satisfaction, team communication, and customer deadlines. 
  • Use the Rule of Three. Whenever you are making a big purchase or getting help with a problem, seek out only three proposals or bids. Provide the vendor/consultant with the specific goal and intended outcomes. Then, review these opportunities using your checklist to make your decision.
  • Seek out trusted advisors and mentors. Keep your network up-to-date. As a leader, you never know who you will need to talk with until after the issue has occurred or is about to happen. Remember, when they recommend an expert ask “why” this person would be a great source of information.
  • Deep dive and ask the right expert for factual information. Too often, we listen to what we want to believe, instead of what is factual. For example, there are over 3,000 publishers of assessments tools on the market today for pre-employment use. However, very few assessments meet the DOL Standards for Testing and Assessment: An Employer’s Guide to Good Practices. Check out PXT Select for your hiring, coaching, training, and managing needs.
  • Hire the right coach. Yes, this can be difficult if you’re not clear what you want or need. Remember, successful leaders have executive coaches. Your coach should be the first person to talk with before seeking out other advice. It’s also the most comfortable place to start.
  • Ask the right people. If you have a legal question, ask the right attorney. If you have a people management issue, ask a people management consultant. Don’t ask lots of people who have no actual hands-on experience or success on resolving the issue. Ask the people who know.
  • Listen! This will be especially difficult when someone’s point of view doesn’t match your own or triggers an emotional response (e.g., cost, process, looking good, etc.). Put aside your filter and listen…you will learn and receive new advice that can make a big difference!

You’re not the first leader, nor the last one, to have the same or similar challenges. It’s really about learning who the right advisors are, receiving the right advice, rather than receiving an abundance of opinions. Be vulnerable and professional when sharing information about you and your company will become comfortable over time. Remember to honor confidentiality, while being respectful of their time.

©Jeannette Seibly 2020

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She has been an award-winning executive coach and keynote speaker for 28 years. Her expertise is guiding leaders to get unstuck and achieve unprecedented results. Contact Jeannette for a confidential conversation.

Don’t forget to listen to On the Air with Jeannette Seibly: It’s Your Time for Success on Anchor.FM or YouTube.com.

Want to keep your customers? My clients have used this process to keep their customers and attract new ones!  https://seibco.com/keep-customers-from-leaving-workbook/

Are you feeling discouraged? Disempowered? Unsure how to get things done? Get re-inspired. FREE: 5 Tips to Improve Your Productivity Right Now