Your boss is leaving.

When your boss leaves, whether willingly or not, you need to be ready. If you are qualified for the position, find out how to apply. Have your brag statements available and share them appropriately. (http://TimeToBrag.com) If you’re not qualified, see this as a great opportunity to network with your former boss (or boss’s boss) to determine what you need to do to be ready for the next opportunity—don’t wait until after your boss has left; he or she will be less likely to want to maintain ties at that point. Be prepared to seek other jobs within the company or new opportunities with new employers, since new bosses tend to bring in their own people. Although new bosses should always assess current talent before replacing them, shake-ups happen too often, which makes it imperative for you to be ready to move on. In the meantime, be willing to take on other job responsibilities to broaden your depth and breadth of experience and knowledge. Build a great working relationship with the new boss. It may save your job, or provide valuable references or contacts for the next one!

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

Are your colleagues claiming all the credit?

Learning how to brag in a business-savvy manner requires you to be aware of the metrics and results of any project. Simply saying, “I’m the one who did that” will not elicit the notoriety you may deserve! First, get your copy of It’s Time to Brag! and complete the five simple exercises. (http://TimeToBrag.com) Second, share your brag statements with your boss and coworkers. Third, understand that a coworker claiming all the credit for a project may have a different point of view—don’t dis him or her. Have a conversation to see if you can meet halfway and share the credit.

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

Inspire your momentum!

Alert to future leaders! True leadership is taking the bull by the horns and making your career happen. Stop waiting for your boss and company to do it for you! Although it’s shortsighted of your employer to not offer help to improve your leadership potential, by taking the initiative on your own you’ll be well recognized when it comes time for awarding coveted projects, promotions, and pay increases. Contact an executive coach today. The right coach will help you navigate away from being sidelined and toward earning favorable kudos from co-workers and management. (http://SeibCo.com)

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

Be a Leader without Being the Boss

Many times risk-adverse leaders and business professionals hate their jobs. They see the position of boss as a great opportunity to make more money and attain a coveted title.  Yet they are unable or unwilling to develop the people and project skills required to be boss. They are afraid of stepping outside their comfort zone or have done so without success. Without learning from your mistakes and developing new sets of attitudes and behaviors, it can be difficult to get and keep these positions. It would be better to develop a career ladder within your company where you can increase your influence and paycheck, and be a leader without being the boss. It’s OK if you don’t have the interests or skills to be the boss!

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

Want to be leader of excellence?

Many business professionals have the goal of becoming leaders of a team, company or industry. Yet, many fall short. They fail to develop the key characteristics so crucial to giving them and their company the competitive “edge factor” required for excellence.

Great leaders inspire.

They are visionaries. Often strong employees and managers focus too narrowly on their own little sphere. They fear political corporate pushback. They hope someone else risks making the changes required for the company to become successful. As a result of this paralysis, they fail to create the opportunities, systems and attitudes necessary to generate a positive ROI. Visionaries, however, are fearless and know that if someone isn’t listening, they can find someone else to support their efforts.

They believe there isn’t a problem that can’t be resolved. Leaders have a mindset that recognizes problems and obstacles, but do not allow themselves to be limited by them. They formulate ideas and know how to enroll others into devising solutions to “make the results happen.”

They are driven to excel. While many companies rely upon incremental steps to achieve goals, great leaders look beyond 100% success. They create goals to achieve what may initially seem impossible. They hire the right business advisors, coaches and trainers to support their people to succeed.

©Jeannette L. Seibly, 2012

3 In-Sync Leadership Talents

When your leadership style is in-sync with the requirements of your job, you can produce outstanding results. Your confidence soars, and so does your company’s profits. It takes less energy to work with and through others to get the job done. Others enjoy the process and professional growth; they feel comfortable voicing their concerns about issues.

Strong Listening  Skills. To reduce non-productive conflict (which creates corporate elephants), it pays to listen! Allow others the freedom to voice their opinions and learn how to work towards developing a win-win solution to build exceptional outcomes.

Tell the truth. Lies, innuendos or half-truths will come back to haunt you and the organization. Talk straight. If the topic is confidential, simply state, “I can’t talk about that.” Why? Confidentially means you don’t talk about it!

Take responsibility. Nobody is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. Every relationship will hit a bump where the continued ability to work well with each other requires forgiveness, apologies, and/or doing more than the other. When you make a promise, fulfill it. When you fail to achieve a result, don’t blame others. Simply apologize and ask what is needed to move forward.

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2012

Leaders! Learn to lead in 3 steps.

There are leaders amongst us today who achieved their status by domineering, controlling and scheming how to use the organization’s resources and connections to their own advantage. For them, it’s not about serving their clients or employees or other benefactors. It’s about “what’s in it for me.” They falsely believe this makes them successful long term leaders. The truth?  It’s a short term fix, with long term consequences. Career derailment is inevitable.

Want to learn how to be a good long-term leader? Want to possess skills and attitudes that consistently work? First and foremost, hire a business advisor to help you see what you’ve been unwilling to see about yourself. To do what you’ve been unwilling to do. Remember, long term executive savvy requires a higher quality of leadership competencies and expertise.

1 – Straight talk. Attempting to out-talk or manipulate people into thinking the way you do is not the mark of a true leader.  Listen to others’ ideas and build upon them. Understand there is always more than one way to achieve the required results.

2 – Goals. Set true and compelling goals on behalf of the company. This is different than focusing on your own personal financial or professional gains. One Regional Manager wanted his people to get out there and sell so he could purchase his dream sailboat. Needless to say, this manager’s self-serving attitude permeated the team and discouraged them from playing full-out. Their buy-in was to achieve the company’s sales goals, not rack up big boy toys for him. His career as a sales manager sunk. Be prepared to understand and communicate what is in it for your team. Focus 100% on your employees winning. You are only as successful as your people!

3 – Elicit the best in others. Lying, playing people against each other, and using punitive threats to get your way or achieve goals does not bode well in the long run, although it may appear to provide needed short term gains. This type of leadership style creates havoc, litigation and bad will with internal and external clients. Learn how to manage people or hire someone else to do it for you. Learn to talk straight and tell the truth appropriately. It will make a difference in people wanting to work with you. It will build your career as a leader.

©Jeannette L. Seibly, 2012