Leadership thoughts from Glastonbury

Emotions can catalyze more creative thinking and help you develop strategies that meet the moment

In the last twelve months we’ve all become used to working through video conferencing platforms. While this has no doubt presented challenges - communication tactics that work well among colleagues in a conference room may not translate seamlessly to squares on a computer screen – here I talk about how you can take advantage of this medium to improve your executive presence. Be aware of things that may distract you from being who you want to be Having executive presence is about inspiring confidence – in those you lead, work with or are led by. If there are things about the virtual environment that are knocking you off balance, identify them and address them. Do you hate seeing yourself all the time? Place a sticky note over your own image or turn off self-view. Perhaps you find a screen full of faces in small boxes off putting. Use speaker view instead of gallery view or shrink the screen so you see fewer faces. Do you get flustered by technical glitches? Make sure you know how to use all the tools in advance and if things do go wrong – technical glitches happen that may be out of your control – model how to stay calm and grounded and maintain your presence. Do you get easily distracted by other things like your email or your phone? Remove distractions, notifications, and shut other tabs and documents and turn your phone over. In this way, the virtual space provides a great opportunity to understand and address environmental factors that may undermine your ability to have executive presence. Record calls and play them back to get valuable feedback on your presence One thing the virtual environment gives you is the opportunity to observe yourself in a way that you rarely can in face-to-face gatherings. Watching a recording of yourself lead a meeting or have a conversation is an excellent way of seeing the things you do (or don’t do) that contribute to your executive presence. Identify opportunities when you can record a call, ask permission of participants to do so and then watch it back. Keep an eye out for some of the classics that contribute to (or detract from) executive presence - hand gestures; space fillers (ums and ahs); shuffling papers or fiddling with your hair – or any others you spot. Also look out for phrases you use that diminish you, such as apologizing or deferring to others. There’s perhaps no better way to get a clear picture of how you come across; ask yourself, am I inspiring confidence? Hone your communication skills Even if seated, take the opportunity to think about how your posture affects your presentation. Do you lean forward, or sit back? How are you framed on the screen? Try standing up to project greater confidence. Without as much body language (your own or others) to support you, other communication skills become even more important. How do you use facial expressions to make it easier for others to read you in the absence of body language? Do you make eye contact (this takes some getting used to in video calls as it involves looking at the camera on your computer not at the faces)? Speaking to a computer screen can make us rush through what we are saying. Remember to speak at a moderate pace, slowing or speeding up for effect and using pauses to keep people’s attention. Radiate confidence by speaking in a loud, clear voice. How can you be an effective listener in the virtual environment? Lags in connection, time to unmute or simply hesitation to speak when you can’t read the group can mean delays in people speaking and then being spoken over or missed. You may need to allow more time for people to respond and be heard. So, this strange virtual communication time is also presenting new opportunities to observe and build your self-awareness of how you exude executive presence. New skills developed this way will also be invaluable when you return to in-person meetings.

Have you ever had the feeling that you are in a role that doesn’t challenge you? You know the feeling…. Bored of going to work, think the boss isn’t half as good as you, getting frustrated with things that don’t go your way? As you lose motivation there is a danger of spiraling down into strained relationships and declining performance. Not a great place to find your next leadership role. Well maybe its time to pause and reflect on what your key strengths really are, and how others experience you in the workplace. A client of mine, Edith, came to me expressing many of these frustrations. She’s a qualified and experienced accountant and was working in the Charity sector as a part-time finance manager. Her relationships with the CEO and some of the Board trustees were becoming difficult and it seemed that her ideas and strategic thinking were not well received. As a result she was losing confidence at her ability to communicate well and perform at senior levels. To start our work I asked Edith to complete a Myers-Briggs Questionnaire so that she could develop greater awareness of her own personality preferences. We looked at the Personal Impact Report together and identified her key strengths of when she was operating at her best. She was also then able to see how her communication style may be causing friction in her work relationships. During our conversations Edith began to realize that she could adjust and flex her style for better results but that fundamentally she should start to harness her considerable strengths into a role that would make better use of them. A few months later and Edith has a new role as a full-time Finance Director. She has a team and budget to manage and is heavily involved with the CEO and Board of Trustees in developing the new 5-year strategy. It’s a satisfying and challenging role and Edith has learnt how to work in a more consultative and supportive way so that her ideas are heard and acted upon in the Boardroom. In a short time Edith has learned some simple techniques and behaviours that have been transformational for her on her leadership journey. If you are feeling under-utilised at work but unsure if you have the leadership skills for a more senior role then take some time to reflect on your personal development. It may be time to rethink everything you've ever learned about how to succeed in your professional life.