Leadership Credibility

We’ve earned the right!

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As biz professionals, we do a very poor job of selling ourselves and our ideas.  We have not yet learned to brag in a biz-savvy manner. Instead, to put the word out about our achievements, we rely upon endorsements or testimonials, articles, websites and printed marketing materials.

We are accomplished women and men who have achieved amazing results! What’s missing when we lose a deal (or job or promotion) to a less competent competitor?  Investor or banker interest?  Awards we could have won? Belief in our expertise?

Too often we downplay our accomplishments. Or worse, we use “scripted” material that only makes us sound like the competition instead of helping us stand out from them! Either way, we lose. We’ve been taught bragging is wrong all our lives. This misperception carries right over into our business lives. We don’t even apply for awards. We falsely believe it is unwise to brag about ourselves, products or services. It’s why our competitors win the deal, even though they offer inferior products and/or services!

The issue isn’t that you need more confidence when speaking. It’s not that you need to “feel it.” It’s that you need to learn how to quantify your results and share those achievements in a biz- savvy manner. It’s time to brag!

Take this million-dollar coaching to heart and turn things around! Get over your apprehensions! Learn how to brag! You’ve earned the right!  http://TimeToBrag.com

©Jeannette L. Seibly, 2012

Leadership Maturity

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Reprint from 2-11-2011

Honestly ask yourself:

Are you able to discuss others’ opinions without being defensive?

Do you know how to take an idea or concept and make it profitable?

Do you laugh at appropriate jokes without taking it personally, even if it’s about you?

Do you have the ability to see the bigger picture and patience to rephrase it into bite-size pieces so that others can get on the same page?

Can you make decisions that balance both the facts and the human interests?

If you answered yes to these questions, good for you! You are on the right track as a leader. The higher up the corporate ladder we climb the more our effective leadership relies upon interpersonal skills such as these and less about technical expertise.

But often as leaders, we take ourselves too seriously. We are unable to build upon ideas or create a consensus that works. We openly disparage others when they disagree with us. We exclude people with broader experience instead of learning from them, and defend our limited experience in an attempt to feel better about ourselves. This is career limiting behavior for any leader!

Persuasive Listening. To truly listen, we must silence our internal chatterbox and refrain from thinking about our response when others are talking. We will hear similarity in arguments even when it appears we are on a different side of the issue. Good leadership skills – like active listening – provide new solutions that might not be readily apparent.

Be open to differing opinions. We can make better decisions for our companies and organizations when we openly hear what others have to say. But if we become defensive or belittle differing perspectives, we make less than adequate decisions, fail to address the bigger picture or miss details for implementation entirely.  We create a negative reputation for ourselves and our organizations. Disparaging others reflects more negatively upon the speaker than the person being belittled!

Be a team player. Many leaders don’t make good team players. They may play at being part of the group; however, they are more interested in how it applies or affects them personally.  Team has evolved into a broader definition this decade: It’s getting everyone on the same page and moving forward together. It’s not about everyone thinking the same thing or using the same signals or jargon!  It’s about learning to appreciate others and elicit the best in them, as they are. Learn this masterful skill and be seen as a leader to follow!

©Jeannette L. Seibly, 2011

Got Leadership Credibility?

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What happens when busy leaders fail to create credibility for themselves and their company? This failure impacts them personally and professionally. It influences the loyalty of internal and external customers. If the marketplace’s perception is that the business, their products or services are untrustworthy, this perception drives purchasing decisions whether the perception is accurate or not.

As a leader, your employees emulate you.  If you make poor business decisions or fail to develop good managerial skills, your employees will not have any incentive to act differently.

The key is to honor:

  • Your word. Follow through. “I’m too busy” is one of the biggest excuses busy professionals use to justify their behavior. Have you considered, if you’re too busy to follow-through, you’re probably too busy to provide the quality of products and services promised? Get yourself well-organized to keep track of your commitments. Find the money to hire necessary support. Develop a dependable system and follow it.
  • Your company’s vision and mission. Consistently make decisions that follow and support your company’s values. Implement them in a manner that promotes positivity.  Too often we follow our ego (aka as our own self-interests) and this quickly limits sustainable company growth. Others will shy away from doing business with you if they perceive association with you could limit their own success.
  • Your intentions. We judge others by their behavior and ourselves by our intentions. What are your intentions? Are you conscious of them when making decisions that impact others? Most people make decisions based upon the tiniest fragments of information. As a leader, this can be excruciating painful if you need to defend yourself against the facts! Apologize and admit when you are wrong. Encourage others to provide you with their opinions and fact-based solutions in the future. Make good decisions; your credibility hinges upon them.

(c)Jeannette Seibly, 2011