Insights: Leadership
Manage Stress and Boost Your Well-Being
The idea that well-being is a crucial underpinning of good leadership has gained a great deal of attention in recent years. And it makes sense: physical health and positive emotions go a long way towards helping leaders be their best. In 2017 Sierra Leadership reviewed the stress management literature, and we came across a real […]
Executive Presence and Your Voice
In the drug development process, there is sometimes a crucial moment when a team of pharmaceutical executives is asked to present and answer questions in Washington, D.C. before a panel of experts and the FDA in an open public meeting. Hundreds of millions—sometimes billions—of dollars, years of work and the entire future of the company […]
How Body Language Affects Executive Presence
Body language can have a strong impact on executive presence. In general, you want to make sure that your body says what you want it to say: that you are relaxed, comfortable and confident. Everyone’s body language is different. Different cultures and organizations also have different norms that help define what executive presence looks like. […]
Developing Executive Presence: Why Your Words Matter
To some extent, you can identify someone with executive presence by what they say and how they organize their words. People with executive presence use words that are simple, clear and understandable. They participate and share their ideas fully, but they are efficient and don’t talk on and on in circles. How do they do […]
To Increase Your Executive Presence, Be Authentic
David was a leader in a technology company. Highly driven and successful, he had been on a fast-track through a series of quick promotions, and he was known for adding tremendous value and getting things done. People liked David, but they didn’t fully trust him. When you talked with David, he was just a little […]
To Develop Executive Presence, Learn to Listen
Executive presence is one of the most commonly asked for areas in leadership development and coaching. But, what is it? There is something of a mystery surrounding executive presence. Some see it as a high level of confidence and gravitas, the ability to command attention, to be seen and heard. Others equate it to asking […]
How Withholding Feedback Hurts Your Employees and Why It Matters
“I wish my manager had told me that the moment it came into her mind.” The more leaders I work with, the more I’m struck by how critically important it is to give clear, timely, granular feedback—and by how seldom it’s done. Recently I worked with two different leaders who failed to be promoted when […]
How to Be a More Diplomatic Executive, Part 3
Click here to view Part 1 and Part 2 in the series. 9. Choose Your Method of Communication Carefully. It’s good to put a filter on your brain that’s always asking, “What’s the best way to engage in this communication? Is it email, a phone call, a text message, a face-to-face conversation?” For example, if […]
How to Be a More Diplomatic Executive, Part 2
Today we continue the three-part series with four more ways to develop diplomacy. Click here for Part 1. 5. Suspend Judgment and Allow a More Complex Picture to Form. A close cousin to curiosity, suspending judgment means avoiding putting people or ideas into a box. One thing I’ve noticed about most people who have a […]