Executive Presence and Leadership Development

Jul 10, 2024

Joining the Top % of Leaders

Course Overview

  • Free preview of the course available for download.
  • Instructor's credentials:
    • Former VP of Marketing for a Google Accelerator startup
    • Global Marketing Manager for Sony PlayStation
    • Studied at top business schools, including Columbia Business School & Kellogg School of Management (MBA).

Key Concept: Executive Presence

  • Executive Presence: The 'missing link' between being an individual contributor/mediocre manager and a true leader.
  • Essential for breaking the $200k/year threshold.
  • Reference: Book - "Executive Presence."

Three Major Things to Consider:

  1. Confidence:
    • Convey confidence regardless of internal feelings.
    • Maintain poise and authenticity (appearing in control).

Three Ways to Convey Executive Presence:

  1. How You Act:

    • Gravitas: Being taken seriously, not flustered under pressure.
    • Key factors:
      1. Confidence and grace under fire.
      2. Decisiveness and showing teeth.
      3. Integrity and speaking truth to power.
      4. Emotional intelligence.
      5. Reputation and standing.
      6. Vision and charisma.
  2. How You Speak:

    • Lower your voice.
    • Use stories over data when possible.
    • Speak slowly, use pauses.
  3. How You Look:

    • Good posture, avoid looking bored or disinterested.
    • Maintain eye contact, especially when speaking.

Communication Blunders to Avoid:

  • Over-reliance on notes.
  • High-pitched speaking.
  • Checking devices too often.
  • Fidgeting, trembling, crying, or appearing bored.
  • Poor eye contact.

Other Tips for Executive Presence:

  • Be decisive and action-oriented.
  • Shape how others perceive you (personal branding).
  • Focus on how you communicate, not just what you communicate.
  • Avoid blaming and complaining.
  • Make strong arguments: vivid, tangible.
  • Maintain a balance between diversity and cohesion.

Risk Management in Leadership

  • Balance legal, financial, and reputational risks.
  • Respond well to criticism: listen, acknowledge, ask questions, paraphrase.
  • Give constructive feedback effectively.

Time Management

  • Identify short-term and long-term goals.
  • Make daily to-do lists, prioritize, delegate.
  • Schedule time for emergencies and interruptions.

Team Management

  • Energy and engagement outside formal meetings are crucial.
  • Characteristics of successful teams:
    • Equal participation in discussions.
    • Members face one another, maintain energy, and build connections.
    • Small optimal team size (single digits).
    • Have a deviant to avoid groupthink.

Team Leadership

  • Determine the team's purpose and scope.
  • Decide on roles: leader, advisor, facilitator, other contributors, recorder.
  • Form effective decision-making processes.

Persuasion Techniques (Robert Cialdini - Influence)

  • Liking, reciprocity, social proof, authority, scarcity, commitment.

Leadership Insights

  • Humans are social animals; build coalitions and alliances.
  • Emphasize loss aversion over gains.
  • Get frequent feedback; avoid surprises.
  • Influence and persuasion: focus on being likable, credible, and competent.

Trust Building

  • Predictability and consistency are key.
  • Realize the challenges of leadership are often political.

Common Leadership Mistakes

  • High failure rate among leaders.
  • Success often involves self-promotion and overconfidence.
  • Align actions with perceived best interests for organizations and individuals.

Practical Steps for Improvement

  • Combine leadership learnings with constant self-evaluation and adaptation.

Final Notes

  • Trust requires consistent and predictable behavior.
  • Leaders should socialize and politic both inside and outside formal roles.
  • Make subordinates feel special and recognized.

Key References

  • Books: "Executive Presence", "The Catalyst" by Jonah Berger, "Leadership BS" by Jeffrey Pfeffer, "Influence" by Robert Cialdini
  • Courses and Institutions: Columbia Business School, Kellogg School of Management, Toastmasters International, Harvard Business Review