Million Dollar Coaching

How do you handle a boss that leads by directive?

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There are bosses who will strut around and issue directives. They have a huge fear of people and rely upon their dictatorial manner instead of learning how to make requests of others. Fearful leaders often make poor decisions because they are not open to others’ input and fail to learn how to talk with and through others to bridge gaps in ideas and create workable, practical solutions. As the employee or part of the executive team, help avoid troubling edicts by meeting the boss more than halfway. Provide ample facts and human solutions to persuade the decisions toward a more appropriate outcome.

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

What have you effectively done to work with a dictatorial boss?

Being righteous is a career saboteur.

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Leaders may win the battle but lose the war with their need to be right. Relying on a management style of browbeating employees or being condescending to clients is a lonely fight. Disheartened employees will find a way to invalidate your directives, and your clients will find another resource.  As a leader, it’s your job to learn how to listen to others’ ideas, even if they don’t appear to have merit, and build upon them for solutions. Being righteous is a career saboteur! Creating win-win outcomes is one of your most important jobs.

Where have you won the battle but lost the war in your career?

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

Avoid strategic plan nightmares.

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Executing ideas that sounded great in creative sessions can turn into nightmares. Often, execution fails because of the “bright, shiny object” illusion or a failure to address the reality of current work practices.

Poorly designed goals and action plans that don’t incorporate the current systems and people or are mismatched with the company’s vision and values will fail. Jokingly threatening to fire everyone and hire the “right ones” to get the idea to work is a fool’s mission for any company. Threats like these should be seen as warning signs about the workability of any blueprint.

Create workable goals and don’t change the goal to accommodate the action plan! Learn how to work backwards to produce a focused action from the desired result—it will illuminate often-overlooked problems. These discoveries, when realistically addressed, will help you avoid strategic plan nightmares.

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

Have you developed their talent lately?

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Hiring the right person requires more than simply hiring someone who appears to have the right skills. It’s selecting someone who can fit the environment and succeed. Many times they have the right stuff, but we fail to develop their talent and inadvertently sabotage their performance. Design a 180-day success plan to keep your employees focused on the targeted areas required for company success from the very first day on the job. Manage them daily, weekly, and monthly to ensure success, with the frequency determined by their most recent results. When left to their own devices, employees will usually go off-track to pursue their own interests.

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

The key role of any executive

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The key role of any executive is to be an effective decision-maker and help steer the company forward profitably and productively. Unfortunately, we are often swayed by office politics, our personal biases, and lack of good objective information. Take time to learn how and when to ask the right business questions. Be strategic in your thinking so you are aware of how your decisions can impact others in doing their jobs, integrating with your current systems, and keeping your internal and external clients satisfied.

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

#1 Strategic plan failure

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Designing a company’s strategic plan can be fun and exciting. However, after the one- or two-day workshop, it’s time for the real work of implementation. The #1 strategic plan failure starts at the top with the company’s president if he or she isn’t accountable and exercising leadership. During planning sessions it’s important to incorporate how, what, when, and where the team will get started when they return to the office. It’s the president’s job to ensure actions taken are focused on achieving the desired goals and any problems or plan failures are immediately addressed.

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

Are you really ready?

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You, like many employees today, may believe you are ready to move forward in your company to take on more responsibility. The bigger questions to first ask yourself: Do my customers, co-workers, partners, and management agree? It’s not enough for you to believe you can do it. Others need to have faith that you can and will deliver the intended results. A qualified 360-degree assessment can help you clarify what you need to do to advance. Hiring an executive coach can help you close the gap from where you are now to where you need to be in the near future. (http://SeibCo.com)

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly

Need to Be Revitalized?

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Many times because of the monotony of set job responsibilities and resolving the same problems over and over we need to be revitalized. Seek out new opportunities by talking with employees within and outside your work group. What are the three top challenges? What do they believe are the possible solutions? What are the commonalities in your discussions? Then, share with your team and boss while brainstorming potential solutions; see if you can lead the new assignment or project, or be an important contributor.

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

Do your employees feel safe?

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With white-collar crime and substance abuse on the rise, the chances of your company hiring co-workers and bosses with different sets of values has greatly increased. Poor hiring practices will cause your employees, clients, and vendors to distrust you and your company. The good news? Poor hiring practices can be changed! Although the results derived from using qualified hiring tools and processes cannot guarantee 100 percent success, objective information will always improve your selection decisions. Remember, as a business owner and/or executive, you have a fiduciary responsibility to protect your employees, customers, proprietary information, tools, and communities. (http://BizSavvyHire.com)

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

Cross-Train for Success

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With summer vacations approaching, it’s a great time to be cross-trained in other jobs to learn new skills. Sell your boss the idea, as well as the person who currently holds the position. Also, it’s a great occasion for bosses to get realistic hands-on experience doing their employees’ work! Be sure your own work responsibilities are handled, and that you meet current deadlines. These new opportunities will provide you with a breadth of knowledge on how your department and company work and additional Brag! statements (TimeToBrag.com) when seeking future promotions and pay increases. Remember, do the job as it’s been structured by not making any changes—being labeled a meddler will limit your future success.

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013