Results producing ideas

Have Confidence in Your Leadership during a Disaster

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We all experience disasters. Catastrophic events like damaging weather or fire can present immense challenges. People-created debacles involving our workers or competitors can catch us just as off guard.  How we react as leaders either compels others to follow us or sends them careening off. These split-second choices determine our reputation as decision makers. Ultimately they impact our career and the financial well-being of the company. 

Whether it is a random day-to-day frustration or major upset, how you handle it creates others’ perceptions of your capabilities as a boss and leader. Inappropriate action or a complete failure to act only creates more of a crisis. The same happens if you take your frustrations out on others or allow your ego to run the show. In the midst of mayhem it is essential to remember: A crisis isn’t about you! It’s about your ability to make sound decisions certain to impact the lives and livelihood of others.

Understand you can’t control it. You can only control how you react to it.  Tornados, ice storms or other natural disasters will cause disruptions to day-to-day business.   Create a well-planned disaster response. Promote it comprehensively so everyone knows what to do. Have practice drills every few months to remind everyone  how to do it. Stress the difference this plan can make in saving lives and important business data. Have a plan in place to relocate the business to reduce business interruptions and limit negative financial impact. Track that all staff are consistently taking the necessary day-to-day actions (e.g., backup of data, keeping backup off-site, etc.) every day without fail. Make this priority training for new hires. 

You did what!!??  When employees make a serious error in judgment, get the facts from them first!  Figure out what happened by asking clear questions of everyone directly involved. Too often, bosses conduct incomplete inquiries, collect hear-say and leap into action before they have the benefit of facts.  Delaying reaction intensifies the damage (e.g., on-the-job injury, harassment, etc.). Waiting will reduce the value of fresh information. If you’ve handled the matter inappropriately, others may hold back, sharing only limited information in an effort to distance themselves from you.

Act promptly with clarity. Once you have the facts, act immediately. Waiting for all the details can limit your effectiveness. Develop a plan with your team members supported by the facts and SOPs (Standard Operating Policies & Procedures).  Act with confidence, even if you don’t feel it. Remember, you’re the person-in-charge. Others will take their cues from you and if you don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill, they won’t either! If Plan A doesn’t work, move to Plan B. Be prepared to change strategy if circumstances change and new information requires it.

When your only course of action is damage control, be calm and deliberate. Your confidence and leadership is the best disaster insurance.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2011

The Art of Straight Talk

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Effective leaders know how to elicit the best in others through communication. They have great listening skills and people feel great after conversing with them. Unfortunately, too many rely upon manipulative techniques or hide behind technology. The results are disastrous!

Many people fear talking with others. They attempt to hide their discomfort by using company lingo or business jargon. Others don’t readily understand what they are saying. Sometimes they are not clear themselves, and may use terms inappropriately in the hopes they sound important. They offer flippant opinions about how something should be resolved without taking into account details or perceiving nuances that might be present. They are very poor listeners. They allow their minds to wander and think about other issues, falsely believing they are saving time. They over use qualifiers (e.g., try, might, etc.) in a vain attempt to have others “feel good” about talking to them. Leaders must achieve results, not merely try!  Your team looks to you for motivation and direction. Do not disengage their efforts!

Use multiple mediums to convey your message!  Many workers have only a 6th grade reading level. To complicate it further, many don’t read for comprehension. They read just enough to get it done and be able to say they read it. When questioned about content, they clam up. They might share a few words they remember reading, or simply claim, “I don’t remember.” Time has been wasted and everyone is disengaged. To communicate well, write simplistically. Speak in a clear manner that readily helps the other person get on the same page with you. This is particularly necessary when sharing new ideas. Talk someone through a new policy or procedure. Take the time to provide opportunities for Q&A. Use visual examples. The keys to successful communication are consistency and repetition.

Listen. It saves time and money. We believe we can look into the whites of someone’s eyes and know whether or not they are telling the truth!  Then, we operate accordingly.  (Truth: statistically we are only 14% accurate about deception.) We need to learn how to ask the right questions. We need to learn how to listen not for the answers we want to hear, but to the answers actually provided.  If you truly listen, you’ll be amazed by what you can learn.

Move the conversation forward.  We believe if we can repeat back what someone has said, we listened!  Or worse, we are mind readers. In that case we don’t need to actively listen and just wait until it’s our turn to talk. Simply repeating back someone’s words does not mean you listened! Unless you build upon someone else’s information, to them it is like having a conversation with a wall!  Listening is the ability to hear the spoken and unspoken words.  Take what is said and move the conversation forward. Now that’s value added.

The bottom line is that a well-run company works to communicate in a manner that others readily understand: verbal, written and visual delivery of the message. Communication is consistent, simple, and when necessary, repetitive.

(c)Jeannette Seibly, 2011

There’s an elephant in the room!

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Most of us have heard the expression “there’s an elephant in the room.” Elephants are those unspoken issues that need to be vocalized and cleared. Yet for a variety of reasons, people fail to address them for fear of personal or professional reprisals. Ironically, expressing those concerns in a professional manner can make a significant difference in getting the results you and your company need. While you may use the excuse, “it doesn’t matter,” some unresolved issues will negatively impact the outcome of your goal – regardless of your feelings about them.

Sensitive Elephants. If there is a topic that needs to be addressed that might be hurtful to others, have a private conversation with the few people who can impact the outcome. Be responsible you don’t recycle the “ain’t it awful.” Come up with a workable resolution everyone can live with – even if everyone does not wholeheartedly agree. Resolve not to get frustrated if others don’t immediately agree with your outcome. They’ve not had as much time to think about your solution as you have!

Overwhelming Elephants. While the issue may seem impossibly immense and awkward, start the conversation simply and slowly. Allow others the opportunity to voice their concerns without fear of reprisal. You may find the elephant wasn’t so big after all. Once everyone is on the same page, brainstorm solutions and create focused action plans to ensure everyone moves forward. Now.

Dancing Elephants. Although you may believe the elephant has been addressed, issues will still linger if critical components have not been addressed. These issues will impede progress and show up in other areas of the company. Review the conversations to determine what was missed. This time, get an outside objective opinion to help you get it resolved conclusively.

 

©Jeannette Seibly, 2011

Get Unstuck Now

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Are you stuck getting started on a project? Do you find yourself unable or unwilling to proceed with an idea? Or maybe you are ignoring your project since it doesn’t appear to be progressing in the manner you anticipated. The key is to get unstuck sooner rather than later. It may be critical to your career and well-being. The longer you stay in the “stuck” mode, the more issues and limitations have the opportunity to impede your progress (e.g., others may lose interest, costs may increase, opportunities may disappear, etc.) In a work setting, this can hinder your opportunities for promotion, pay increases, etc.

Talk it out. Discuss it with a coach, close friend or boss. Keep the conversation to only a few trusted people. Too many opinions can actually hinder progress. Stick with the numeric metrics of what has been accomplished and what the challenges appear to be when you share your challenges. Listen for a detail you might have missed. Be quick to recognize new methods to work around your other challenges. Select one option and get back in action, now! Thinking about something will only keep you stuck and mire you down, energetically. Remember, excuses are what we make up to justify our limited results.

Walk it out. Keep physically and mentally fit. Doing so will also keep your emotional perspective at a more objective level. During this time, stay focused on the end result. Stay committed to the outcome.  Finger-pointing only keeps you stuck. So don’t justify or blame others, even if they are doing the same.

Write it out. Take time for an objective review. What worked? What did not work? To get the most out of this exercise, use numeric metrics (e.g., increased sales by 10%) and facts (e.g., bank has approved loan for $100,000.) to stay focused on forward movement. Do the same with “What has not worked?” (e.g., client was unable to commit to purchase due to their profits being reduced by 20% this quarter). Take time to journal any personal concerns or issues. Studies have shown that journaling can help resolve pent-up feelings and provide a more positive perspective.

(c)Jeannette Seibly, 2011

Break Through Performance

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  • Do you make changes due to boredom? 
  • Out-talk others to get your own way? 
  • Focus solely on the facts or your feelings to make decisions? 

Many will say, “Of course, everybody does.” These are the normal methods to handle people, systems and issues.  But the same old habits limit your job satisfaction and your ability to achieve outstanding business results.

The world of work is changing.  It requires a new level of performance to recognize new opportunities that meet the needs and business goals of your customers. 

Recognize old habits. They have become your blind spots and are getting in your way.  When you move out of your comfort zone and take the appropriate action(s), new habits will be formed.  Work with a coach to customize solutions that work for you!

Take focused action now.  Busy work is simply your excuse to avoid doing what you know you need to do to achieve the results you say you want.  Work your plan.  Include others and their ideas. Handle the details and make those hard decisions.  Want results? Take focused action.  Now.

Hire a coach.  Many business professionals want to be top performers and enjoy peak performance.  Yet, they hit a wall and slug it out alone. A coach helps you recognize blind spots and stop recycling the same old information in a mental monologue. These insights, when put into action, make you easier to work with, keep you in focused action and have you elicit the best in others.

Break through performance requires out-of-the-box thinking via the synergy of you and your coach.  Recommit to your own success.  Hire a coach and enjoy your new results.

 

©Jeannette Seibly, 2010

Are You a Good Entrepreneur?

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If you answer “Yes” to any of the following questions, you might be like many other entrepreneurs and business owners, who would rather have a root canal than take a cold hard objective look at their businesses and how they manage them. Each “yes” is a signal that it’s time to talk with a business mentor and hire yourself a coach before it’s too late:

  • Are your financials in the red – or bright pink? Sadly many self-employed business owners are afraid of numbers. Do you find it so scary to take a close look at the numeric metrics of how you are doing, you wait until you are forced to do so? Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) do apply to you. Hire a bookkeeper or your CPA to help you set up your books. If you are not reliable to keep them updated on a weekly basis, hire someone who can.
  • Are your customers leaving and new ones are not filing in? Many times we get caught up in the “bright shiny object” of our ideas. We miss the fact that others don’t “get” what we are selling. Hire a marketing coach and/or a social media professional (even if you are already using social media) to help you objectively look at your offerings and clarify your message.
  • Have you become arrogant and egotistical – a jerk? Most “jerks” are unable to identify themselves as such. If you wonder, just ask your closest friends. Being a bad boss, having no one want to work for you takes its toll on you and others.  So does having clients leave in frustration, unwilling to work with you. Everyone can learn effective management and customer service skills that will work for them, if they are committed to the process.
  • Are you unable to decipher between good and bad advice?  Poor decision-making is a visible sign of someone who may not have the business maturity to be a good business owner. Are you able to take coaching and implement it effectively? Your improved results are the markers that best signify to others you’re doing well and your business is moving in the right direction.
  • Do you have high turnover? This is a reflection of poor hiring skills and systems, even if you get lucky once in a while. Hire the right person(s) and you look like a superstar.  Hire the wrong person(s) and you’ll may need or want to close the doors and start all over again.  Work with your coach to implement a legal and valid process. It will make all the difference in your success. 

©Jeannette Seibly, 2010

Don’t Get Bit in the Financial Butt!

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Perfection is a myth, yet, many companies engage in seeking the “perfect solution” to stay competitive and improve the bottom line. A few are doing a great job by focusing on “viable solutions.” Most, however, are realizing mixed results due to reliance upon the same old practices that have long surpassed their peak. Less savvy companies are simply hanging on to their soon-to-be outdated products and services. They are afraid to make changes, despite their customers’ requests, and dismal sales.

Why have many business owners stopped listening during this critical time? They fear the change process. They don’t understand how to create a blue print for success. They falsely believe that since riding it out it worked in the past, it will work now. Sticking your head in the sand (think, ostrich) will only get your financial butt bit – hard!

Navigate change now. Waiting won’t change anything! Management needs to seek the right guidance and alter their paradigm to include change. It doesn’t need to a big, evil, costly endeavor. It’s time to hear employee and customer ideas with an open attitude. A simple twist of the wheel may gain the competitive advantage. Proper alignment, direction, and training to manage ever-changing economic factors will keep your doors open for business!

Talk Straight. Give the members of your staff the opportunity to contribute, appropriately. Brainstorming isn’t about judging ideas as right or wrong, or good or bad.  It’s simply a process to gather ideas. Often, off-the-wall ideas are winners once they are narrowed down and fine-tuned. Determine the ROI and viability of the final cuts, and during implementation and execution, train everyone to ensure consistency and positive results. Focused action is the key.

Big Picture vs. Small Details. Some people tend to get caught up in the “bright shiny object” of the bigger picture; others get lost and don’t understand how to move from “here” to the vision of “there.” Create a strategy to put everyone on the same page. Break tasks down into “bite-sized pieces.” Keep listening to and communicating with your team. When you hit the inevitable walls that crop up due to poor planning or implementation, do not reduce your expectations of intended results! Readjust your strategy as necessary, but remember: the success or failure of any idea is in the details.

Hire a Business Mentor. If management is too narrowly focused on people considerations OR on bottom line financials, it could stymie the forward movement required to achieve the expected results. A business mentor helps you blast through the stumbling blocks that change causes. A business mentor helps you make the hard decisions that may be unpopular, at least initially. S/he can also help you create business savvy solutions that balance people and numbers. Someone from outside your organization can see landmines coming up more clearly than you can, since you are so close to the situation. S/he helps you recognize and navigate around them, and enables you to move forward with speed and confidence.

(c)Jeannette L. Seibly, 2010

Don’t Fear The Rattlers

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There is a saying, “Don’t pet the rattlesnakes.” When bosses make decisions, these are not always perceived as welcomed solutions. Some employees are very attached to the current state of the business, and are not privy to financial impact or other business issues behind some decisions. Any change can cause employees to get nervous. When you look at financial results and other objective data with the human perspective factored in, the end result may be some of your employees are upset by the required change.

Your response. When you encounter a rattlesnake, you simply back up and review your options. The same response works here. Some times it’s as simple as waiting out the rattling – by communicating the changes in a factual manner.  Other times, you may need to change your implementation approach to ensure employee buy-in.

Consistent communication is the key. When you make changes, communicate in a straightforward manner. Keep it simple and smart (K.I.S.S.). Don’t get into mind-numbing details. Pick three key points and share them appropriately and simply.

Right decisions may not be applauded. Change of any kind can create uneasiness amongst employees, regardless of economic and/or political environments. When you make the right decisions for the right reasons, simply stay the course. K.I.S.S. (see point above). Eventually, most employees will concur it was the right course of action after they experience the sure-to-come positive results.

Poor decisions may not cause rattling.  Poor decisions coupled with no reaction from employees or customers may allow you to falsely believe you’re on the right path. The truth is you may have a history of making incorrect decisions, if you base them upon little or no factual information, or unable to interpret the data in a manner that creates truly new solutions. Employees and/or customers may simply seek other employers or vendors/suppliers silently.

Solution? Talk with your business mentor(s) to ensure the design and execution of your decisions meets your business needs, now and in the future. It’s critical to incorporate the human side into your process to support the success for all of your (internal and external) customers. Encourage your employees to provide solutions in a positive way, and not in a critical “all or nothing manner.”

©Jeannette Seibly, 2010

Generating Ideas for Profit

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Many entrepreneurs and business professionals love to think up new and innovative ideas all the time. It’s fun. It keeps the ego alive and happy.  Unfortunately, an inability to take these ideas from start to profitability often impedes progress. When the ego gets in the way, the focus of moving an idea from the conceptual into the practical drops.  Some simply don’t have the business experience and fail to create a practical plan. Others are easily distracted by the “bright shiny object” and neglect to finish executing the steps necessary to finish the project.

Delve into your ideas.  Complete a strategic plan along with a reasonable return on investment (ROI). If an idea seems to have a positive ROI, make a detailed tactical plan. Again, review your ROI to ensure you haven’t inadvertently made it unprofitable. Recognize that some ideas simply cannot be made into a profitable venture.

Keep Additional Ideas.  Write these ideas down anyway and file them for later review.  It might be worth revisiting them in the future, from a fresh perspective. You can focus most effectively on launching only one profitable project at a time. 

Beware the lure of bright shiny objects. Too often the shininess of new ideas rivets our attention and we quickly lose interest in any current project. If we haven’t developed the brain power to work through ideas carefully, the cloudiness of implementation overwhelms us before we even get started.

Create Focused Action Plans. It’s crucial that you work with a Business Coach to provide clarity and ease in developing a plan for success, and to ensure financial profitability. Remember, the success or failure of any project is in the details. Hence, the need for a detailed and Focused Action Plan. 

When you hit the proverbial wall, it is time to make a critical assessment before implementing any changes.  What is working? What is not working? Knowing the specifics will prevent making arbitrary or unnecessary changes (aka sidetracked by new ideas) that sabotage success and drain time, money and energy.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2010

Beware of Time Mongers

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As business owners, executives and professionals we are very busy people.  Many of us wish we had more time to get everything done.  The unfortunate truth is that it wouldn’t matter if we had more time –  we would simply keep creating too much to do!  Instead, make time work for you.

To use the time you do have more effectively, change your attitude:

Multi-Tasking is a Myth. Thinking or doing something in addition to listening or working on a task creates mediocre results. And, more work in the long run due to customer dissatisfaction. Stay solely focused on the task at hand and you’ll get it done faster and better. This also works wonders when listening to others. It’s amazing what we miss when we’re not focused!

Pay Now or Pay Later. We use our busy-ness as an excuse for not taking the extra minute or half-hour now (or scheduling it for the near future) to hear what someone has to say, fully! Because we are poor listeners, it takes us longer to resolve an issue or get to where we are going. Unfortunately, it often takes us hours, days, months, and even years to resolve something that we could have resolved now.

Prioritize. Many of us wish we didn’t have to handle certain projects or handle sensitive employee issues. We’re late for meetings, or fail to ask for and receive needed direction.

As a boss or leader, you need to handle the toughest parts first! Being the boss doesn’t allow you to impede productivity of others because of your own inability to handle issues. The biggest obstacle? Not being prepared. Take time to break issues into smaller pieces. If you are unable to handle people issues or conflicts, appoint someone else to handle them for you. Talk with your coach if you don’t know how to break issues into smaller do-able pieces.

20 minute rule. Tackling anything unpleasant, but necessary? Set aside 20 minutes of uninterrupted time to handle tasks or issues (hint: shut the door and turn off voicemail or email).  You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish in a short period of time.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2010