Guest Post-A Fresh Voice on Developing Executive Presence

September 23, 2009 By 3 Comments

Fresh ideas

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.

Filed Under: "To Do" List, Career, Leadership, Marketing Yourself, Professional Growth Tagged With: , , ,

Fresh Voices: Two Posts that Can Improve Your Day and Your Life

June 18, 2009 By 2 Comments

Still reeling from my losing battle with the apologetic sales rep from Big Telco, I went searching for solace and inspiration from the many great writers that I follow. Two posts from two professionals in very different fields stood out as particularly thought provoking and inspiring.

Grab Control of the Negative Beliefs and Perceptions that Are Holding You Back!

The first, “How to Do (Almost) Anything and Feel Good Doing It,” is from Mary Jaksch of the Goodlife Zen blog. I featured one of Mary’s posts in an earlier Fresh Voices column a few weeks back, and I’ve made it a priority to keep current with her work.

As you might gather from the titles of the post and blog, Mary offers up inspirational and thoughtful content intended to motivate and encourage. In a world filled with an over-abundance of bad news and seemingly unconquerable challenges, we can all use a good dose of what Mary has to offer.

This “How to” post offers up some outstanding and thought-provoking ideas on grabbing control of our negative beliefs and preconceptions to start focusing on thinking and doing the right things. Mary offers a nice roadmap and some great advice for dealing with our demons, establishing goals and moving one step at a time towards those goals.

While you might be rolling  your eyes, thinking, “I’ve heard this all before,” I know more than a few people that are struggling in their personal and professional lives that will benefit from having Mary as a guide.

The Self-Development Power of Blogging:

The second post is entitled “9 Hidden Benefits of Blogging” and comes from someone that I hold in high regard, John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing fame. John is the author of the great book, Duct Tape Marketing and he runs a successful business, website and coaching network that share that same name.

Note from Art: if you are in business, the book is a must-read and his website is chock full of remarkable resources and suggestions.

While one might think that the topic of blogging is old news, I still find that a good number of friends and family and way too many professionals that I encounter (all non-bloggers) either don’t understand the medium or don’t see the value of participating. Sadly, many of these individuals have some great insights to offer and the world would be well served by hearing from them. Many have lumped blogging into that uncomfortable category of something that people do in pursuit of over-night riches and instant internet fame. Those perceptions are very wrong.

John eloquently and convincingly highlights the professional and personal benefits that have accrued to him from a sustained approach to writing about marketing and business. This has turned out to be a powerful self-development tool for John as it has for me and can be for you.

John’s “9 Benefits” very effectively make the case that there is a great deal to be gained from challenging yourself to think big, write diligently and convincingly and sustain the effort over a period of time, whether you are doing it for an audience of 1 or 1 million.

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Thanks to Mary and John for the great, thought-provoking and motivating posts!

Filed Under: "To Do" List, Career, Marketing, Marketing Yourself, Performance, Professional Growth Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

A Fresh Voice and Leadership and the Art of Apology

June 11, 2009 By 6 Comments

There’s an excellent post entitled, “Sorry is not the final word, just the beginning,” by guest author and Product/Project Management Consultant, Lisa Winter at one of my favorite blogs: The Art of Project Management. hosted by the UCSC-Extension in Silicon Valley.

Ms. Winter describes a situation where she inadvertently upset a valuable but delicate team member on a conference call, and then went to significant lengths to apologize and regain his support. In addition to the happy ending, this fine post prompted some thoughts on a topic that I confess I’ve not spent a lot of time thinking about: the role of the apology as a leadership tool.

I can’t help but feel a little guilty that I’ve not raised this topic in the past, and for that, I apologize. (OK, I had to work it in somewhere…)

I have written extensively here at this blog and in Practical Lessons in Leadership on the need for leaders to not mask their own faults and shortcomings. In the book, I suggest that the point in time where everyone on the team sees the leader’s mistake is a powerful moment of truth. The leader can run, hide, dodge and deflect or she can show the team that she is human and leverage the failure as a teaching tool. Of course, this only works if she practices this same technique in the other direction when groups or individuals face setbacks.

But what about the apology? How many times have you observed someone in a position of authority make a decision that turned out to be horribly wrong and come back with an apology?

What about the leader that responded to you in a curt or less than respectful manner?

Good thing you didn’t hold your breath, waiting.

At least one of our national leaders went to the opposite extreme, seizing the opportunity to apologize for all of the nation’s historic mistakes ad nauseum (in my opinion). Rumor has it however, that he might not have been quite so apologetic for his alleged personal mistakes. Frankly, it was hard to tell when he was being sincere and when he was selling. You can draw your own conclusion, but I think Bill would have been a powerful force on a used car lot. (Sorry to those that I offended and Bill, I’m sorry too! Hey, this is getting easier!)

OK, enough tongue-in-cheek. Here are some of my thoughts on the issue and use of the apology as a leader. I’m looking forward to hearing from you, and again, if I’ve offended…

Leadership and the Apology

  • Learning how to say the words, “I’m sorry” or “I was wrong” should be mandatory training for all leaders. Part of gaining trust and building credibility is showing everyone that you are human. Knowing how and when to use the words is the art of apologizing.
  • You can easily adopt “apologizing” as a tactic and that is as incorrect as avoiding the apology when you’ve erred. Abuse the tool and people will quickly see through your disingenuous approach. I’ve observed early-career and first-time leaders that would assert themselves (appropriately) and then apologize for having had to assert themselves. This destroys the leader’s credibility.
  • As a leader, you have to make tough calls and often those calls result in some pain. There are many, and perhaps most circumstances where an apology is not needed and would horribly derail your credibility.
  • In circumstances where you’ve slipped and truly offended someone, run, don’t walk to apologize to the individual.
  • Too many apologies for program failures or not hitting your goals and targets, and you will find yourself apologizing to your significant other for losing your job. As a subordinate, you might get away with this once, but as soon as it becomes a pattern, your boss will see your apologies as a mask for incompetence.

The Bottom Line for Now

Does leadership mean never having to say you’re sorry? I don’t think so. Nonetheless, I suspect that most leaders rarely utter the words, more out of fear of showing weakness than due to their lack of remorse for their transgressions.

What are your thoughts? I’m interested and suspect many readers are as well on the role and use of the apology as a leader.

Filed Under: Career, Leadership, Product Management, Professional Growth, Project Management, Values Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fresh Voices in Management Excellence: Greg Strouse and His Stories, Advice and Opinions on Working, Managing and Surviving the Corporate World

June 2, 2009 By 1 Comment

Note from Art, in proof that great minds think alike, I woke up, crafted today’s post and then read Greg’s latest only to see that he had referenced me.  While this may look like a well-orchestrated mutual admiration campaign, I can assure you that it was purely coincidental.  Don’t let his questionable taste in liking my blog detract from his remarkable writing!

Searching through the sea of business and leadership blogs has become a bit like a treasure hunt. I enjoy searching for great voices that have not yet jumped out of the search engines and on to everyone’s screen.  Given the umpteen gazillion blogs in the world, it’s not surprising that there are some remarkable voices laboring away in the background.  

One of those that deserves to be front and center is Greg Strouse’s Tales from an XOD, Stories, Advice and Opinions on Working, Managing and Surviving the Corporate World.

A little background.  Greg uses the term XOD as short for Executive on Demand, which is how he characterizes his professional self.  I met Greg on the phone a couple of years ago when he started his blog and was impressed.  He’s a great, straight-shooting, creative and super-experienced professional with an easy to read, entertaining and wisdom packed approach to writing. 

For some reason I lost track of Greg and his blog for a period of time, and it was my good fortune to reconnect with him recently.  I went through a year’s worth of his weekly posts and kicked myself for missing out on these.  Frankly, I’m just a bit jealous that he’s a better writer than I am and clearly a lot funnier as well!

I encourage you to take some time to check out Greg’s work at Tales from an XOD and make certain to subscribe.  We’ll all be wiser and feel a bit better about the world in the process. 

Some of my favorite, recent posts from Greg:

“You’re Kidding Me, Right,” where he engages with an airline representative on the use of his middle name in a scene that could easily have been written into a Seinfeld script and then follows it up with another brilliant example from yet another inept airline.

“Death to Smoochy,” tackles the topic of the current “economic conditions” with another fascinating discussion with his bank and some timely suggestions for businesses that are sleepwalking through this time. 

“Logo Your Way to Success,“ where Greg suggests (tongue in cheek) that perhaps the Detroit Lions might reverse their winless ways by changing their logo.

“Don’t Know Everything” and “Hey Do You Still Make that Killer Meatloaf” offer up some great advice for leaders, owners and entrepreneurs.

OK, I could keep going on here, but I will leave the joy of discovery to you.  I find it hard to quit reading Greg’s posts, both for the wit and for the great lessons, quotes and examples.  I hope that you enjoy his work as much as I do, and don’t forget to take the time to let me…and more importantly, let Greg know what you think.

Filed Under: "To Do" List, Leadership, Performance, Professional Growth, Strategy, Surviving Lousy Leaders Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fresh Voices: Perspectives on Change, Communication and Delegation

May 12, 2009 By 5 Comments

One of my favorite outcomes of blogging has been the opportunity to meet and learn from some really sharp people that share a passion for many of the same topics that I write about: leadership excellence, high performance and personal and professional development.  

One particular blogger regularly points out that there are millions of blogs out there and most of them bad. I’m not quite as judgmental.  I prefer to treat the blogosphere like I do a bookstore.  There are many, many books that I have no interest in ever reading, but I know that somewhere on the shelves are a few works that will move and transform me. 

Consistent with my desire to hunt for great new books, I’ve been seeking out new (to me) writers on topics that are relevant to anyone engaged in working with and leading others or focused on developing themselves.  I plan on sharing these posts and authors with you from time to time, just like I would a great new book or a newly discovered writer.  Oh, and don’t be surprised when some of the writers focus on topics outside of what you might find on the business bookshelf.  Most of the best content for aspiring leaders is found elsewhere.  

I’ll stop short of indicating that this will be a regular feature, because I’m wholly uninterested in maintaining a regular cycle on my blog, other than my Leadership Caffeine for the New Week posts on Mondays.  I write about whatever strikes me as interesting at a point in time.  Nonetheless, you can expect me to consistently feature some of the great new (to me) writers that have something important to say to us.  

Enjoy, and remember to drop these bloggers a note or leave a comment if they say something that resonates. After all, the power of this medium is its ability to promote the exchange of ideas.  

Enjoy this week’s features!

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The Top 10 Ways to Establish Change Without Discipline is from Mary Jaksch, author and proprietor of the site: Goodlife Zen.  I discovered Mary’s thoughtful and motivational work through Twitter and am now a subscriber and regular reader.  

There are many, many articles on change, which is of course a staple of the leadership, HR and Organizational Development set.  This is a fresh perspective, with a theme focusing on using positive rituals to reinforce change in ourselves, instead of relying on our old standbys, will and discipline.

Research suggests that we may have a much more limited store of will and discipline than we would like to believe, and a better way to promote change in ourselves is to create positive rituals which become self-reinforcing.  

Mary offers 10 suggestions for changing or establishing habits using positive rituals, and along the way, does a nice job of integrating ideas from her own teachings as well as the work of mainstream business nad change experts.  The entire post is great, but the Top 10 tips are golden for anyone interested in making some very positive changes in their habits and routines.  

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Gwyn Teatro writes a bit closer to my focus on Leadership in her wonderful blog, “You’re Not the Boss of Me.”  Finding Gwyn and her blog is a lot like uncovering a great new author and series of books just when you had concluded that you knew everything out there. Her voice is fresh and her guidance excellent. 

I originally intended on featuring her post, “Lack of Communication You Say,” a great piece about how we needlessly complicate the communication process in the workplace , when I was confronted with her most recent post: “Taking Charge, When Not to Delegate.”  So why choose?  Both are well worth your time. 

In “Lack of Communication, You Say,” Gwyn reminds us of how easy it is to muck up the communication process with poor listening habits, our propensity to make assumptions and our over-reliance on confusing business jargon. Her suggestions and examples for eliminating the bad communication habits that bedevil us in the workplace and in life are great.

“Taking Charge, When Not to Delegate” offers some great examples and suggestions on a topic critical to leaders during tough times.  So many leaders falsely assume that they can delegate away their responsibility for the tough tasks, when the reality is that just the opposite behavior is required.  Gwyn offers four situations where leaders must “stand up and be counted.”  

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Thanks to both Mary and Gwyn for sharing your thoughts and professional guidance with us.

Filed Under: "To Do" List, Career, Leadership, Leading Change, Professional Growth Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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