Results producing ideas

Why are some people lucky?

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“Most people live and die with their music still unplayed. They never dare to try.” Mary Kay Ash

You have goals, dreams, desires and wishes. People who write these down, create action plans and execute their plans are the ones more likely to achieve the results. It’s not luck – it’s not trying; it’s creating, taking focused action and enjoying the results.

The secret for helping you achieve your goals is to write down three must-have’s. For example, if you want a new job, what must the job offer? It could be an increase in pay, certain benefits, job responsibilities, etc. If you want a new home, what must the home possess? Does it need to be located in a certain school district, have hardwood floors, or be a ranch-style home?  These must-have’s will clarify and support your goals.

Next, share your goals with others and refine them as appropriate (for example, the right home may not have hardwood floors and you can have them installed after you buy the home). Don’t be concerned if others don’t readily jump on board to support you. Watching you achieve your goals may cause them to remember their own and realize how far away they are from achieving them. Luck is creating and fulfilling your own opportunities and is available for everyone who gets in action.

Jeannette Seibly has been an international business coach for over 20 years. She has guided the creation of three millionaires. Are you the next one? http://SeibCo.com/contact

Are You A “Pre-Millionaire”?

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By Russell Riendeau, PhD and Jeannette Seibly

If you have no interest in becoming a millionaire, you can stop reading now. Continuing to read will make you uncomfortable. This is for business owners, executives, entrepreneurs and all people that want to influence change and secure a more vibrant financial life.

Have you been thinking about money lately? Do you talk about this topic with friends or family? How old are you? When were you planning to start preparing to become a millionaire? Do you have plans in place? Is your work and other life desires in alignment with who you are?

To qualify as a millionaire, means you have a net worth of at least a million dollars. Add up all the cash on hand, 401(K), Swiss bank accounts, mattress money, value of paid off cars, boats, planes, Harleys, big toys, equity in your home, resort property, cash value life insurance—the whole enchilada. Now, minus all your mortgages, car payments, credit card debit, school loans, loans to your brother-in-law, loans from your parents, bookies, timeshares at Disney, etc. If you are in the black by a million dollars—welcome to the Millionaires Club!

Every year, there are more millionaires being created than ever before. And not from inherited, “old money” or “East Coast Money” but money from smart work, patient investing, and pursuit of work that aligns with their real skills and goals in life. “Pursuit of a worthy goal,” Earl Nightingale once said, “was the most critical part of setting life goals.” You can dream or pursue a big goal, but if it’s not a worthy goal, if it doesn’t get you excited each day, the efforts required to support this financial objective will leave you exhausted.

Research shows:

  • Pre-millionaires are the kind of professionals that are aware of how to leverage money, how to protect themselves against excess debt for too long of a period of time. They learn and practice this art at age 19 and keep learning. (Remember, it’s never too late to get started, if the time is now!)
  • Pre-millionaires work smart, then hard. Simply working hard is not going to cut it today. We all know hard workers with no money in the bank. The smart ones hire coaches for themselves and don’t rely upon their employers to get ahead.
  • Pre-millionaires study and understand “delayed gratification” and why the pursuit of a goal carries simple and complex sacrifices that some people are not courageous or confident enough to stay true to. They have guts to do the right things now.
  • Pre-millionaires are fully aware of what kind of person they can and will become by devoting themselves to a worthy goal. These goals often include helping and supporting a worthy cause that is of service to others.
  • Pre-millionaires understand the time-value of money, compound averaging and disciplined savings. They understand it takes time for money to expand and for skills and patience to be learned. It can take 10, 20, 40 years to become a millionaire. It all depends on their work ethic, honesty with themselves, ability to be coach-able and the willingness to do it now.

What does a million of dollars of net worth create for you? A freedom to pursue other life interests, build a business, launch a special project, or simply become a beach bum – along with leverage, confidence and time to consider other life options. Money in the bank gives you choices that others don’t have. It takes courage to save money in a world that seduces you to spend, spend, and spend more than you have.

As you move forward in your career, in your business, in your on-going personal and professional development, here are a few things to constantly keep in mind if you want to accelerate yourself from Pre to Post-Millionaire status:

What’s your net worth today? Be honest with yourself and your analysis of your equity and savings to give you an accurate starting point.

  1. What day will you become a millionaire? Given your current income levels and your net worth, how many years will it take? Do the math now on your phone. Don’t despair if you’re over 45, you will simply need to accelerate the effort.
  2. What is your reason to become a millionaire? Do you have specific, worthy goals and motives to work smart and hard to achieve this status? Or, is it an inner desire and dream to live the “good life?”
  3. What will the money provide you? What will you do with the money? Are these in alignment with your inner values? If not, the conflict will win.
  4. What steps are required in your life starting now? Education? Self-awareness? Better job? Better vocabulary? Do you need to associate yourself with a different crowd of professionals you can learn from?
  5. Is your close circle of friends helping or hindering your goals of achieving wealth? Do they mock or ridicule you for setting high goals? Do they support you during failures as well as successes?
  6. Is your spouse or significant other in accord with your goals? If not, there will be trouble from day one.
  7. What skills will you need to acquire to earn the money you need to become a millionaire? What are the common traits you see in other wealthy people you know that you can emulate and transform to support you? Mimicking others will not get you ahead without clarity of who you are.
  8. What will you do if you don’t achieve your millionaire status in the time frame you set for yourself?
  9. What structures have you setup for yourself? Discipline is key. So is setting goals, saving money and learning how to be resourceful to get what you need and want.

To best utilize this article, write out your answers to every question in this piece. (Studies have shown that writing engages the brain, which engages the rest of you!) Make a copy and keep it where you will see it every day. If you do this, you will be in the top 1% of people who will commit to achieving their goals. Very likely, your first million dollars! Without a written goal and a good reason, you will be tempted and your energy will become scattered chasing shiny distractions that promise value, but don’t deliver on their promise.

About the authors:

Dr. Russ Riendeau is senior partner of East Wing Group, Inc. – a search firm specializing in management, marketing and sales executives. He’s a psychologist and author of 7 books on talent management and success in business. Dr. Riendeau has also taught at Northwestern University’s School of Continuing Studies and speaks nationally on peak performance. He can be reached at 847-381-0977 or russriendeau@gmail.com.

Jeannette Seibly has been an international business and executive coach for over 20 years, and is a published author. She has guided the creation of three millionaires. Are you the next one? She can be reached at http://SeibCo.com/contact to talk about what it will take for you to become a successful business owner, executive or entrepreneur.

Your comments:

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You Are a Champion

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In many companies, employees are expected to “dummy down” and not share their accomplishments. Statistically women, more than men, have a very difficult time sharing their achievements, since most were taught as children that it’s impolite to brag. The result? Because employees don’t give voice to their successes, they don’t receive the promotions, pay increases, and business recognition deserved. Business owners don’t get the contract bids and industry reputation required to succeed because they don’t tout their accomplishments. There is an art to learning how to brag in a business-savvy manner. Get your copy of It’s Time to Brag! and complete the five simple exercises. Share your successes, and experience increased success. (http://TimeToBrag.com)

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

Have you hired a salesperson who can’t sell?

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Selecting salespeople who can actually sell is a huge challenge for any employer, particularly when a significant number of applicants stretch the truth or lie. When technical sales skills are required, the level of deception increases to offset lack of experience or poor results in previous positions. Even if they did well and sold the same or similar products or services for your competitor, it doesn’t mean they can or will produce the same level of results for you. 

Many times sales managers are misled when applicants:

  • Have very good verbal skills (which does not mean they have the personality and/or interests to deliver the results);
  • Appear to be good team players (many good salespeople are not); or
  • Are able to sell themselves (which does not mean they can sell your products or services).

Measuring sales metrics during the interview, not after, requires you to ask the right questions and listen to candidates’ responses. Be specific in your questions by asking for actual numbers, percentages, and increases or decreases in results. It will not eliminate the need to use valid assessments that objectively, reliably, and legally measure your candidates’ true match to your sales job.  http://SeibCo.com/assessments

©Jeannette Seibly, 2013

Is your ethical compass spinning?

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When ethical issues get overlooked during the design and implementation of a project, everyone blames somebody else. It’s very easy to succumb to the strongest advocate’s point of view that ethical issues won’t matter. But the problems created by lies or by dismissing the truth won’t resolve themselves. As the leader, you need to guide your team on how to proceed. Make it easy for your employees and peers to bring these types of concerns to your attention—discovering ethical issues down the road usually makes them more costly, if not impossible, to fix. Don’t shoot the messenger! Don’t blame the informer for someone else’s theft or violation of company policy. Is your ethical compass still spinning? Now is the time to call a highly experienced business advisor, someone who can confidentially bring clarity on how to resolve ethical issues. Remember, ethical doesn’t always mean easy!  http://SeibCo.com/contact

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

Innovation frauds

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Many professionals make changes for the sake of making changes. Some hope change will be recognized as a good thing and keep them employed. The bottom line? Change can be disruptive to any business when modifications are made without a specific goal others can agree upon. Remind new hires to learn the current way your company conducts business before offering any recommendations for changes, at least for 30 days. Just because it worked with their former employer or is considered the industry norm does not mean a change will produce the required results in your environment. Teach everyone how to ask the right questions of their teammates and brainstorm possible adjustments before making any agreed-upon changes. For a new system to work profitably, it must include everyone’s input into its design and alignment.

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

Rewire Your Leadership

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  • 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

What do you do when your boss keeps making the same mistakes?

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This can happen for a variety of reasons. One is that bosses don’t recognize their errors—they miscalculate the impact of their decisions because they are focused on the big picture and overlook the details, or vice versa. Or, they rely upon their financial, technical, and system interests while failing to include the human aspects required for a successful outcome. When bosses are clueless about their oversights and fail to ask the right questions, they normally blame others for not providing the whole picture. Don’t be passive. Become effective in recommending solutions. Take time to research and provide two or three alternatives, along with details for the execution of each proposed solution. Present these ideas both from a factual and a human perspective by introducing information that is the boss’s primary interest first, and then share the other important pros and cons.

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

What process do you use to effectively work with your boss?

Use an outside sounding board to get you out of the mind-forest.

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“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” —Albert Einstein

When you’re immersed in the mind-forest of logic and/or emotions, your inner monologue can disguise the best path for your company to follow. You usually find yourself in these predicaments when there is a lack of clarity in the direction you’ve taken or a lack of integrity in the decisions you’ve made. Many times the problem could have been prevented if you had used an outside sounding board (e.g., a mentor, business advisor, or advisory board). It is easier for someone on the outside to point out the current or predicted obstacles, because they are not attached to the inner workings of your business. They can help you generate a new commitment to develop and execute a workable solution while creating an ethical, but not always easy, best course of action to achieve the right results.

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2013

Who have you talked with on the outside to get a clearer view of the inside of your company?

Leaders talk straight —or their company fails.

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There are many schools, workshops, and programs focused on developing leaders’ abilities to communicate effectively. The problem is they are not focused on how to elicit the best in others and are concentrated on rote comments or insincere platitudes. Some executives lack experience or basic emotional intelligence when conversing with others, while other business professionals are afraid to hear the truth, particularly when they fear what their bosses, employees or clients have to say.

In this geographically diverse business market, the challenge of pulling everyone onto the same page can be a daunting due to differing cultural perceptions. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to learn how to converse with others in a manner that gets everyone on board in a reasonable period of time. Relying on emails or texts can actually cause more harm than good, since communication is filtered through cultural experience. There is greater probability of your intentions being misinterpreted due to differing reading levels or misinterpretation of jargon, slang, etc. Remember, a conversation may take 20 minutes and elicit a truer picture.

If you, as the leader, are a poor communicator and don’t take responsibility for your interactions, your enterprise can quickly lose market share, top talent, and desired outcomes. Think through your messages and tailor them to your audiences. Write a draft and have it reviewed by another to ensure you are capturing the tone of the message you wish to send. In your closing comments, be sure to invite feedback and be open to hearing what others have to share—those insights could make all the difference in correctly tweaking the actions required to achieve intended results.

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly

What practices do you use to ensure your messages are conveyed in a way others hear them?