Presentation Excellence was founded to build upon my 15 years of experience at Brilliant Image helping 5000 leaders deliver winning presentations. A decade ago, I was invited to join Vistage, which services 45,000 leaders to address their wider range of issues. In the past few years, I’ve been working with CEOs to transform company “rising stars” into potential leaders capable of handling the 21st century challenges that they face today. This includes Handling the adoption of innovations (AI and automation) and shifts in employee work- and life-style preferences in business that today serve five generations.
During one of the “Diamond Leadership” training programs, as discussion on leadership quality abilities, revealed a wide-spread challenge people are having at delegating. We identified a dozen issues that were limiting people’s asking for and accepting opportunities for activities to be delegated. Issues include trusting other people’s capabilities and the ability to communicate expectations effectively. Analysis led to the conclusion that many workers do not have the Executive Presence:
- to inspire and galvanize others to accept the delegation of responsibilities from team members
- to inspire delegators to invite them to join their team and demonstrate their capabilities.
The point of Diamond Leadership isn’t that we’re “technically competent” (the internal stuff that got us through top school and into good firms where we get to work on important/challenging projects that permit continuous learning); that’s table-stakes. Rather it’s the “soft” stuff as Google calls it, or the “facets” as we call them – the points of interaction between us and others:
- the lack of confidence in ourselves so we don’t exude it and the buyer isn’t impressed
- the inability to understand what the customer really needs to hear at that moment;
- the empathy to address tough issues, like bad news, in a way that forges a team spirit to solve the problem, rather than the desire to castigate the messenger.
- the proactive engagement of the team in a plan to tackle the issues.
If you don’t have several years to learn in the “School of Hard-Knocks”, consider reading about it and using simulations and live-role-playing to develop confidence in yourself and in other people, so you can learn the skills needed for communication and galvanize team performance. Here are some books to consider:
- “Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success” by Sylvia Ann Hewlett
This book explores the nuanced traits of executive presence, including gravitas, communication, and appearance, while also addressing how these qualities can affect career progression. - “The Leader’s Guide to Speaking with Presence” by John Baldoni
Focused on communicating effectively, this book emphasizes storytelling, authenticity, and clarity. - “Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges” by Amy Cuddy
This book takes a psychological and behavioral approach, teaching how posture, mindset, and preparation can influence confidence and perception. - “The Trusted Advisor” by David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford
This book focuses on insights into building trust, a crucial component of leadership presence and influence.
- “The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism” by Olivia Fox Cabane This book combines research-backed strategies and practical exercises to help cultivate charisma and magnetism.
- “Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.” by Brené Brown
Explores vulnerability, courage, and empathy as foundational traits of leaders with presence. - “Your Body Speaks Your Mind” by Deb Shapiro
Explores how body language and awareness can impact leadership presence. - “Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity” by Kim Scott
Addresses the balance between confidence and empathy in leadership communication. - “You Are the Message: Getting What You Want by Being Who You Are” by Roger Ailes
Encourages authenticity and alignment of verbal and non-verbal communication for leadership presence.
Share with us your experiences in developing Executive Presence. Let us know how we can help you.