Fear, Self Confidence, Development, Renewal and Branding: Content from Art in Other Publications
Filed under: Career, Current Affairs, Innovation, Leadership, Leadership Skills, Leading Change, Life and Business, Management Education, Marketing Yourself, Performance, Professional Growth, Talent Management, Your Professional Development "To Do" List
As I continue expanding my writing and publishing activities in my growing multi-media and multi-medium world with multiple blogs and an e-newsletter as well as frequent writing for other publications, I feel duty bound to highlight some of the content that you won’t catch in this blog alone.
In the next few weeks, I will work with my good friends and web developers at DigiSage to eliminate the need to send out separate posts on what else I’m covering in different arenas by creating a sidebar where you can scan and click as you so desire. For the moment however, here’s the update.
In Cased You Missed These At My Building Better Leaders Blog:
-The Leader’s Daily Reminder List offers nine suggestions for improving your blocking and tackling as a leader every day. Great leaders don’t make New Year’s resolutions, they resolve to improve every single day!
-Develop the Courage to Lead by Pushing Out of Your Silo offers ideas on enhancing your career and improving your effectiveness by building bridges with other groups and professionals across the organization. Contrary to the popular myths, the people in other departments are generally neither idiots or out to get you!
-The Leader’s Journey from Fear to Self-Confidence tackles a critical topic that almost no one talks about. Great leaders work hard on overcoming their fears. And yes, we all have them.
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The First Edition of the Management Excellence Newsletter Published on January 6 with All New Content For:
-Ideas for Turbocharging Talent Development on a Lean Budget
-Get Started Suggestions for Growing Your Professional Brand This Year
-Must Read Resources-A Book and Blog Review.
If you are not on the Management Excellence Newsletter list and would like to make sure you don’t miss out on the current and future issues, you’ll find the sign-up in the far right column here at Management Excellence. I’ll send out a copy of the current issue to anyone who signs up this week. And of course, your e-mail information will never be used for any purpose other than distributing the newsletter!
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I was thrilled to be asked to write the cover story for a quarterly business publication distributed to all businesses in my county here in Illinois. The story, “Rethink, Renew and Recover”offers my take on tackling the tough tasks in front of us and how to succeed and prosper now! You can read the article by downloading the pdf file of The Catalyst magazine on this linked webpage.
Oh, and shameless plug…notice the Strategy and Execution program highlighted on the cover as well. That would be me on the docket to conduct one of my favorite and most invigorating programs on how to create value through a dynamic strategy and execution process. I would love to run this program for your firm.
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Happy Reading!
Leading in the Trenches-What Do You Do? And No One Buys Gobbeldy Gook
Filed under: Career, Customer Service, Leadership, Leadership Skills, Marketing, Marketing Yourself, Your Professional Development "To Do" List
OK, this might seem like an odd one, but ask most people what they do and what do you get? “I’m an accountant,” or, “I work in marketing/customer service/support” etc.
Attend a business-networking event and listen to the introductions. “We’re a leader in…” or, “We make…” or, “We’re a software company…” etc.
Boring. Hard to stimulate interest with an answer that makes someone want to reach for the bacon-wrapped water chestnut and shout, “Next!”
Take it a step further. Apply a modified form of my “Trade Show Floor” test to your colleagues at work. It goes like this: “Hey, if someone asks you what our firm does, how do you answer that question?”
Quick background on my “Trade Show Floor” test and a note to marketers and sales executives everywhere: when I walk trade shows, I like to ask the booth staff what their firm does. Instead of crisp, audience/customer-focused verb phrases that make me want to learn more, I usually get unintelligible gobbledygook. The more tech-oriented the show, the more tech filled gobbeldy gook that I get.
To the best of my knowledge, no one is in the market to purchase gobbeldy gook. If your numbers are down it is possible that your people are trying to market and sell gobbeldy gook. Remember, no one is buying this stuff!.
Back to your colleagues and the question. I’m willing to wager a cup of leadership caffeine or your favorite coffee that the answers are closer to gobbeldy gook than to clarity. Imagine the chaos if you have a whole company of people that cannot simply describe what your firm does and for whom. (Sure hope I got that whom/who thing right…it’s been a life long struggle.)
Core questions to ask and answer:
- Who do you serve? Who are your customers?
- What vexing problems do you solve for your customers?
- How do you uniquely solve those problems? (Your Purple Cow factor. Thanks, Seth Godin.)
Wrap it all up in a verb phrase. Before you know it, you’ll have John Jantsch’s (Duct Tape Marketing) version of a talking logo. I love John’s examples (I paraphrase):
Typical: “I’m an architect.”
Revised: “I’m an architect that shows contractors how to get paid faster.”
Typical: “I’m a tax accountant.”
Revised: “I show recently divorced women how to dramatically reduce their taxes.”
Executed properly, you’ll have people saying, “Wow, tell me more.”
The Bottom Line:
Quit boring people to death with your personal and professional introductions. Tune up your descriptions, try them on for size and when the accurately describe what you do for a specific audience in terms that seem to interest people, make certain that the description is taught to everyone in your firm and that it jumps off of your website and all of your materials.
Don’t leave people guessing on the most important of all personal and professional marketing issues.
“Hey, what does your firm do?”
Guest Post-A Fresh Voice on Developing Executive Presence
Filed under: Career, Fresh Voices, Leadership, Leadership Skills, Life and Business, Management Education, Marketing Yourself, Professional Growth, Your Professional Development "To Do" List
Note from Art: Today’s post is from Jeff Hornstein, a Speaking Coach and someone passionate about helping individuals and teams develop their critical presentation skills. I invited Jeff to share his thoughts and ideas on “Executive Presence” and he was kind enough to contribute this post and his wonderfully useful pdf guidebook, Communicating Credibility. Enjoy and please share your thoughts here in the comments section or feel free to reach out to Jeff directly. I’ve included his bio and contact info at the end of the post.
Executive Presence by Jeff Hornstein:
Two years ago I had the opportunity to hear Colin Powell (the former Secretary of State for the United States), speak live for about 45 minutes at an event in Chicago. About 5 minutes into his presentation, I noticed how captivating he was, and I turned to my colleague and said – “that man has executive presence.”
You know it immediately when you see someone with executive presence, don’t you?
If you don’t feel you have executive presence, have you wondered if those lucky ones that do have it are just born with it? Are you worried that you might not have received that special chromosome? Or have you ever thought, “oh well, I guess I’ll never be a politician or a senior business leader since most of them seem to have it too”?
I’d like to share my perspective with you regarding: what executive presence is and how to describe it, why it is important, and if you don’t have it – can you be trained and developed to have it?
What is it about Colin Powell or others we know that instill in us this sense that they have executive presence? I don’t know if I can define it in one sentence, but here goes: People with executive presence seem to have a natural ability to engage and influence their audience, instill them with a strong sense of their self-assurance, while possessing the ability to shift and flex with the audience as needed.
Here are some additional common descriptors I’ve heard when describing someone with executive presence: confidence, power, charisma, agility, awareness, great listener, present, focused, convicted – yet open to hear others’ points, polished, attractive, motivational, inspirational, trustworthy, professional, wise, and clear.
Why is it so important? Similar to the adage about “people buying from those they know, like and trust,” I believe that people want to be led by those they are inspired by, have confidence in, and trust. How many of us have been with an organization whose leaders did not inspire, who preached flexibility, but demonstrated the opposite, and maybe worse, appeared unsure about critical information and decisions?
How many “at bats” do you or your teams get with clients or prospects? Of course, you want to put your best foot forward. None of us will thrive in business without have the majority of our “at bats” be successful. And yet, while this is one key way to distinguish you from your competition, many people do not develop this critical attribute.
If I didn’t get that special chromosome, can I still develop this attribute? For the past 11 years I have worked directly with some 12,000 business professionals in the arena of “executive presence.” My experience tells me the answer is – absolutely you can!
Does it come easier for some people? Of course, but that does not mean you are up the proverbial creek without a paddle! I won’t promise that you can develop the presence of a Colin Powell, but, with a plan, hard work, a lot of practice, feedback, and most importantly an open mind, you certainly can make serious strides in developing your executive presence.
Just like seeking to become a star professional athlete (which I gave up on at about age 16), the best coaches in the world could not turn me into the next Michael Jordon or Tiger Woods. However, great coaching and hard work have definitely helped improve my game of Horse and drive down my scores on the links.
(Click here to download Jeff’s “Communicating Credibility for additional useful tips)
How do you develop this attribute? Here is a short list of steps to take:
- Observe leaders you have confidence in, trust and are inspired by. Pay close attention to what they say, how they say it, what they do, and make note of their mindset or attitude. Does it all seem to be in alignment, or do you have a “funny feeling” something just doesn’t seem right? If you experience that feeling, see if you can identify exactly what is out of alignment. By observing others with tuned eyes and ears, you will learn what is effective and what is not.
- Do a thorough self assessment and take an inventory of your skills. Seek honest, balanced feedback from someone who knows what to look for and will be honest and blunt with you. Once you recognize your strengths, you can leverage them to create new habits. (You can go to our web site at www.thespeakerschoice.com, sign up for our micro-newsletters and download a free e-booklet with tips and suggestions for body language and voice suggestions.)
- Know that how you feel you are being perceived is not necessarily a match for how others’ perceive you. Most often there is a mismatch. We are usually much harder on ourselves than our listeners are. When we review video with clients and ask them about strengths and development areas, it is very common for them to tell us about all their “weaknesses.” Conversely, those same folks often will struggle to tell us about their strengths. It is usually a very eye opening experience for them when we point out positive and developmental feedback. A common response is “wow, I think my anxiety did not show as much as I thought it would,” which leaves them with a greater sense of confidence.
- Combining that feedback with seeing yourself on video (and getting feedback, feedback and more feedback) is about the best way to boost your executive presence.
And last, but definitely not least, It’s all about the mindset! Assuming you know your content inside and out, you’ve mastered the key body language/voice elements, the last and most important step is having the right mindset. A focused, winning mindset has the power to help you transcend all the other factors.
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Jeff Hornstein is President of The Speaker’s Choice, a training and coaching company which works with business professionals who need to speak with credibility, influence, and impact, regardless of the venue. Jeff has worked with a number of large clients, including Allstate, Baxter Healthcare, CME Group, and Gallup Consulting. He has also worked with numerous small business owners, mostly in the professional services arena. He received his BS in Industrial Technology from Illinois State and an Organization Development Masters level certificate from Benedictine University. He stays fit by participating in kickboxing and bikram yoga, enjoys tinkering around the house, but mostly loves to spend time with his wife and children.
It’s Always a Good Time to Practice Your Speaking Skills!
Filed under: Career, Leadership, Leadership Skills, Management Education, Marketing Yourself, Professional Growth, Your Professional Development "To Do" List
The irony wasn’t missed by me that as I was packing up today to head to a speaking engagement, my college freshman son called to let me know that he was on his way to deliver a speech in class.
The only thing that separated us for the moment was 30 years and a few thousand presentations. Oh, to be young again! How do you tell an 18-year-old that he would be well-served to embrace learning the art of speaking versus fighting it like so many people do throughout their lives?
Not everyone remembers Speech 100 as fondly as I do. Some people still turn pale at the mention of having to get up in front of a group and present. The relief at finishing that class for many was palpable. “Yep, never have to do that again!”
Wrong!
I’m a bit of a broken-record on this topic (how many years until no one gets that metaphor?), but there are few skills that will take you further and help you more than developing your speaking skills. Your writing skills are a close second.
Individuals in the world of work will form a perception of you not only by the quality of your work, but by how well you carry and present yourself. A little confidence goes a long way. It’s good to be able to articulate effectively when the VP or CEO corners you in the elevator on the latest project issue or you’re invited to a command performance in front of the executive committee.
Leaders communicate. While listening and asking questions are core to a leader’s communications arsenal, when you talk, people listen. Make it count by being comfortable, confident and concise!
More and more roles inside organizations serve as informal leaders. If you don’t think it’s important to be a competent speaker in front of a group, ask a project or product manager.
Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself:
While you can hide and some people do get away with dodging the speaking bullet, I’m not sure why you would want to. The fear is overblown and developing a level of competence takes effort and practice, a lot like working on your serve in tennis. OK, maybe that’s a bad example, because I’ve yet to master that stroke, but hopefully, you get the point.
My advice:
- Seek out some easy opportunities to practice. Departmental or team updates can be fairly non-threatening. Alternatives include community events, classroom visits, or school committees.
- Ask your boss and peers for specific feedback on your speaking. What should you do more of? Where do you need to improve. Don’t settle for, “that was great!” No one gets better by being told they were great.
- Search on “Toastmasters” and find a local chapter and join!
- Reference a good book. My favorite is: “The Exceptional Presenter” by Timothy Koegel.
- Find a coach. While the price is often not cheap, the impact is priceless!
- Read the book, listen to your coach, practice and video record yourself. You’ll be shocked, but at least you will be seeing and hearing what everyone else is seeing and hearing.
- Volunteer for other opportunities. Yep, you heard me. After a lifetime of dodging this bullet, you’ll find that embracing it is exhilarating.
The Bottom Line:
Public speaking, like leading is only learned by doing. Practice, feedback, coaching and more practice are the ingredients of success for both. It’s time to quit hiding from the speaking monster and to practice and develop it into submission.
Oh, and those of you managing early career professionals. What a great developmental opportunity! Hint, hint.
Management Excellence Audio Interview: The CEO Perspective on Product Management
Filed under: Career, Fresh Voices, Leadership, Life and Business, Management Education, Marketing Yourself, Middle Management, Organizational Transformation, Product Management, Surviving Lousy Leaders, Talent Management, management excellence audio interviews
Notes from Art: I recently mentioned that I would be kicking off the Management Excellence Audio Interview Series, and I’m thrilled to be doing it today with Mike Mulcahy, a technology industry executive that has served as a CEO, a Founder of his own start-up and a Business Unit Leader inside one of the world’s largest organizations. Oh, and Mike just happens to be one of the best sales professionals that I’ve had the privilege of knowing.
Mike is also one of those all-too-rare top executives that consistently champions the cause of product management inside his organizations. I know this first-hand, because it was Mike that provided me with an early opportunity to build a product management organization from the ground up.
We recently reconnected and Mike highlighted his on-going challenges in supporting the development of great product management and great product managers on his teams. I invited him to share his thoughts and perspectives with the community in this inaugural interview program, and he graciously agreed.
A few last comments and then on to the interview.
- The audio recording tools that I used are new to me and there are some sound quality issues. Bear with me as I improve those in future interviews. Fortunately, the issues in this one are that Mike is very audible, and I’m a bit quieter. At least we got that part right!
- I took the opportunity to poll the very active pm community out on twitter (#prodmgmt) and asked what they wanted to hear from the CEO. I received some phenomenal questions and based on the volume was only able to tackle a few here during the interview. I’ve included the full listing of the questions below…and encourage all interested parties to share their thoughts on these important issues. They are great content for future posts and interviews as well.
- Last and not least, Mike has graciously volunteered to field specific questions about the audio interview here on the blog via the comments. Ask away.
With no further adieu, here’s Mike Mulcahy for 17 minutes offering his very experienced perspectives on product management.
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Summary List of Questions from Product Managers for “the CEO” Via Twitter (#prodmgmt)
Note: some great content for comments, questions and follow-on posts. Thanks!
- What is the most compelling problem the CEO faces that he believe a pm can help solve?
- How does the ceo believe he best connects with the pm team?
- Does the CEO see prod mgmt becoming commoditized?
- What metrics does he use to determine if PM is performing well?
- Does he trust PM to stop development on a dead product?
- His view on relationships between pm and company/depts.
- What are the driving metrics he seeks from product mgmt?
- How does he encourage continuous learning from product management?
- What is product management’ss role w. development if the company is using agile?
- Do you view product management as product focused or more product marketing?
- Is product management really the Voice of the Customer?
- Does product management have a seat at the leadership table?
- I am interested to know how he feels about compensation based on product revenue.
- What innovation initiatives/practices do they have in place? What is the role of PM in them?
- How important is domain vs functional pm expertise?
- How has he positioned the PM function in his org? i.e. VP level, stand-alone or within marketing or development?
- Does PM own the product /line of business at a P& L level?
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