Rewire Your Leadership

  • Are there rumblings about you that are becoming harder to ignore?
  • Is your boss or board upset over something you’ve done and you’re unclear why?
  • Did you fail to meet budget or ROI requirements when executing a project?
  • Are disgruntled employees or peers pointing fingers at you?

Business is rapidly changing. We need to change too! It’s time to rewire our leadership! As many successful executives will tell you, hiring the right business advisor/executive coach and being coachable are two primary ingredients for success. It’s lonely at the top! The feedback you’re looking for within your organization can be hard to come by or fraught with ambiguities.

Too often we are unaware that our job is about to be sidelined or could soon end. Even when there are clear signs that we’ve made mistakes or ignored less-clear indicators, we fail to act in a proactive and positive way. Unfortunately, some C-suite bosses will delay in making the inevitable decision to terminate, and leave us with a false sense of hope that all is well.

 

A high-level manager with 20 years of experience worked at a subsidiary of a Fortune 500 company. She asked her boss’s boss the wrong question at the wrong time. He took it personally and began a covert crusade to get her fired. She sensed something was wrong and contacted me. We resolved the problem within 30 days! Soon thereafter she applied for and accepted a new position with a salary increase, a job that wouldn’t have been offered to her without the work we did. We kept talking to ensure she didn’t inadvertently step on any new land mines or shoot at any sacred cows in her new job. Several years later she retired, received an early retirement package, and is now happily traveling around the United States and Europe.

 

Regardless of your years of experience, job knowledge, and allies, you can still say or do something that sidelines your career. Although you may lack clarity as to what happened or rely on others’ friendly sentiments that it will all work out, there are always signals to pay attention to and handle immediately with outside guidance. (Insiders may be less willing to get involved for fear of reprisals.)

 

A man who had many years of executive experience finally got an opportunity he really wanted. He started the job with bravado and relied on promises of advancement. Although it was a poor strategy for a leader, his primary goal was to be liked. He failed to discern what needed to be done to move the company forward—even though he was apprised of the required results. Soon he was dragging through his days. Employees stopped talking to him. His boss sidelined him by ignoring him or going on a rampage over his mediocre results. He refused outside coaching and clung to the false belief that he “knew what needed to be done.” After several less-than-subtle conversations with his boss to try and rectify the situation, he was fired. Unfortunately, his anger will keep him unemployed for a long time.

 

Instead of listening and learning, we rationalize or justify our beliefs about “how things should be.” We fail to do what is necessary or fail to understand why it’s in our best interests to clean up problems in our working relationships. Then, we are mystified when people stop talking to us or stop providing us with critical information. Subtly we withdraw from the team and become overly critical of the company’s direction or activities. None of these unconscious strategies work well for anyone’s career.

 

Jeannette’s work with executive and leadership teams is targeted and focused in a way that will align the people side of your business with its goals and growth objectives.” —Nikki Ellison, Co-Founder, ELEVATE

 

Rewire your leadership provides clarity, knowledge, and best practices to rectify the situation through executive coaching customized for your challenges. The mark of a great leader is learning how and when to effectively clean up mistakes and focus on ignored issues while developing positive relationships. Many executives have poor project management skills. Learning how and when to get help can be a challenge. Outside objectivity is the key to your success.

Your first step is to call SeibCo—we have been providing qualified business advisory services for over 21 years to over 75 executives; along the way, three became millionaires.

We can help you make the difference to keep your job title, paycheck, renew your commit to doing the right things in your job, achieve the required results, improve your declining reputation and likeability, and stay employed.

The key is to do it now before it is too late.

Only you can do the work. Do it the right way for the right results. Don’t go it alone.

Contact me today!

Contact Jeannette Seibly today: http://SeibCo.com/contact.

To read Jeannette’s profile, recommendations, and endorsements, go to www.linkedin.com/in/jeannetteseibly/

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013  All Rights Reserved

7 Sure-Fire Ways to Derail Your Leadership

Leaders today are busy addressing new challenges in this uncertain economy, many times without considering their own behaviors and attitudes in light of how others see them. This can be detrimental. Leaders need followers: loyal employees, suppliers, vendors and customers. It may be time to slow-down, assess and repair any damage before it’s too late.

Speak up without thought. Don’t confuse fearlessness with confidence and tactfulness. Be responsible for what and how you say anything, both spoken and in writing. Otherwise, people will tune you out. Those taken aback by your message will scrutinize your actions and infer a low level of core values. Truly listen. Hear things you don’t want to hear. Respond diplomatically. Be genuinely effective.

Accuse others of spam or junk. Too often social media connections are viewed as accumulating numbers. Accusing others of Spam or Junk when they reach out to you can hurt your ability to attract new clients. You never know who they know! Learn to reach out to others to make a difference – not just make a sale – and respond appropriately.  If you don’t wish to receive their information, simply unsubscribe.

Lack of follow-up. Many people today don’t follow-up if they don’t readily see a purpose in doing so (aka Hot prospect ready to buy now). Unfortunately, people can be very shrewd in what they share with you. Too often you find out later they purchased from your competitor, who did follow-up.

Do it my way. Leaders in their quest to keep their bottom lines positive forget that their employees know their job better than their boss. But learning new systems and procedures by management’s mandate is not easy for employees. Stop pretending to listen! Ask employees for their input and incorporate their ideas appropriately. Ensure they feel valued. Make ongoing training and development a priority.

Bits of information. We make decisions and declarations based upon the tiniest pieces of information. Many times there is no factual basis. This behavior will have others see you as a poor decision-maker. Respect differences in opinion and balance this with the facts. Disparaging or bullying others to your way to thinking will not elicit the best response from others.

Delay important decisions. Uncertainty about which path to choose is understandable. Continually using it as an excuse is not. Your co-workers are tired of hearing about it!  Ask the right people for input. Hire a business coach for guidance. Make certain you understand the pro’s and con’s of your decisions. Don’t dismiss legal and financial implications as unimportant or as something that won’t happen to you. Develop sustainable practices to ensure replicable results.

No strategic direction. It’s time to dust off your goals for 2011. Review, recharge and get back in action to wrap up 4Q. Work with your business coach to determine which goals that seemed promising last January will provide the best ROI now. Reliance upon your own mental monologue will not provide the clarity required to move forward. Establish focused action steps and stay away from busy work. Learn how to manage for results.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2011