12 Steps to Power Presence
HEADLINE:Top 10 Things to Know about 12 Steps to Power Presence:HEADLINE
12 Steps to Power Presence focuses on how leaders use their presence as a means of power and authority in order to encourage others to follow their lead.
1. Leaders project power through their presence. Leadership presence is the outward manifestation of leadership behavior. While leaders project their leadership, followers authorize it with their approval. Leadership presence is "earned authority.?
2. Leadership presence is more than style, more than communications. It is the projection of the leader's authentic self. That authenticity is comprised of a person's beliefs and convictions and reinforced by behavior. That is, it's not "the talk? that matters it's "walking the talk? that makes the difference. It is what leaders do to convince people to believe in them as people and as leaders.
3. While leaders project power through presence, it is followers who authorize it with their approval. Consider these examples: The plant manager who holds meetings on the shop floor to be close to the work; the school principal who walks down the hallway greeting by name the children who grin and send him a cheerful greeting; the quarterback who steps into the huddle and every player looks to him for the play but also for direction; and the CEO who works in an open plan office and eats in the cafeteria so he can stay in touch with people and listen to their concerns as well as their ideas.
4. The five attributes of authority are decisiveness, accomplishment, persuasiveness, courage, and inspiration. These attributes reinforce your authority to lead.
5. Managers should not shy away from leveraging power nor should they shy away from sharing it. Power is essential to presence and in turn vital to leadership.
6. People remember your honesty. So, if you have to deliver some tough speech, embrace the opportunity. It make sting for the moment, but over time the sting goes away and you are recognized for what you are: a straight talker.
7. Pride in the work is essential to fostering a more energized workplace. And when employees feel such energy they are more likely to want to come to work and do a good job. Morale improves, too, and few workplaces can do without a strong team spirit.
8.Asserting your leadership demonstrates your willingness to take charge and be responsible for outcomes. That's leadership presence in action.
9. Hope is essential to the leadership process. Leaders must instill hope in their people by communicating its importance in thought, word and deed. Hope is essential to outcome -- obtaining results. Hope flourishes on optimism, truth and resilience.
10.To be considered for promotion, you need to leverage your leadership presence to make yourself known, your influence felt, and your results count.When these things happen you will be fulfilling your leadership potential and become the leader that your team needs you to be.
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Cover Copy
Are leaders born, or made? And what's the single most important quality a real leader should possess? Philosophers and management theorists have endlessly debated—and just as endlessly written about—these subjects for centuries. Finally, here's a book that cuts to the chase.
In 68 of the most succinct, no-punches-pulled pages you'll ever read, acclaimed author-speaker-coach John Baldoni maintains that "leadership presence? is a form of communication that can be learned, and then provides the hows and the whys of learning it.
He starts by defining what genuine leadership presence is, and discusses right and wrong ways to demonstrate leadership taken from real-life examples. Baldoni explains how to communicate your objectives in ways that encourage people to buy into the process—even if it includes tough subjects like layoffs, closures, and terminations. Along the way he adds some provocative comments on the importance of ethical actions in tough times as well as good—including why merely thinking good thoughts and voicing good intentions are never enough.
12 Steps to Power Presence shares some of the subtler aspects of leadership, including how to:
• Avoid the pitfalls of "analysis paralysis?
• Deliver bad news in a way that does the least harm for company morale—and your reputation
• Instill genuine pride in your team members for their own work and the company so that pride doesn't turn into arrogance
• Provide "upward coaching,? and learn why sharing your insights with your boss is good not only for him or her but also for the entire company
And, in a section that's both amusing and practical, Baldoni provides reasons why appearance does matter and how to enhance yours without succumbing to the "empty suit? syndrome. The bottom line: 12 Steps to Power Presence contains everything you need to fulfill your leadership potential and become the leader you want to be—and your team needs you to be.
John Baldoni is the president of Baldoni Consulting, LLC, and author of eight books on leadership, including Lead Your Boss: The Subtle Art of Managing Up and Lead by Example: 50 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Results, both published by AMACOM Books.
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Excerpt
STEP 1
WHAT IS LEADERSHIP PRESENCE?
LEADERS PROJECT POWER through their presence.
You can define leadership presence as the presence of authority
imbued with a reason to believe. What matters to us most is
authenticity. That cannot be faked, but it can be amplified.
Leadership presence is more than style, more than communications.
It is the projection of the leader's authentic self. That
authenticity is made up of a person's beliefs and convictions and
reinforced by behavior. That is, it's not "talking the talk? that
matters, it's "walking the walk? that makes the difference. It is
what leaders do to convince people to believe in them as people
and as leaders.
Leadership presence is the outward manifestation of leadership
behavior. While leaders project their leadership, followers
authorize it with their approval. Leadership presence is "earned
authority.? Those two words are important. Earned means you
have led by example. Authority means you have the power to lead
others. While organizations confer management roles, it is up to
the leader to prove himself or herself by getting others to follow
his or her lead. A leader must earn the right to lead others. Title is
conferred; leadership is earned.
While leaders project power through presence, it is followers
who authorize it with their approval.
Consider these examples:
* The plant manager who holds meetings on the shop
floor to be close to the work
* The school principal who walks down the hallway
greeting by name the children, who grin and send him
a cheerful greeting
* The military officer who stays with his troops when
the action gets hot and provides a voice of calm when
all hell breaks loose
* The coach who shows players how to play the game
right and in the process demonstrates what it means
to succeed in school and in the community
* The research director who asks questions to stimulate
new lines of inquiry and genuinely listens to responses
* The quarterback who steps into the huddle and has
every player look to him not only for the play but also
for direction
* The mayor who holds weekly meetings with staff
directors and encourages them to present their ideas
about how best to serve the city
* The CEO who works in an open-plan office and eats
in the cafeteria so she can stay in touch with people
and listen to their concerns as well as their ideas
You can think of many more examples from your own life.
Whichever example you consider, it is important to understand
that just as leadership is a reflection of earned authority, leadership
presence, which enhances the leadership moment, is derived
from the support of others. It cannot be assumed through birth or
heritage, though many kings and queens have acted as if they have
it and don't. Leadership presence is a form of communication and
as such can be taught and put into practice.
Some of us have presence; others must develop it.
Watch how leaders we admire carry themselves. See how they
enter a room and engage other people. Look at how they interact
with others, both above and below them in rank and authority.
Watch how they build coalitions and are able to get things done.
Often such leaders are the ones who tackle the impossible tasks
and somehow get them done. How? It is because they have created
a strong team of people who believe in themselves and their
mission and will do whatever it takes to get things done right.
Leadership presence, the power to lead, does not come automatically
with rank. While many CEOs and generals may hold
heavy titles and their presence may seem lofty, the proof of their
leadership is in what they accomplish. People get put into high
positions and often don't succeed, a phenomenon documented by
Dr. Laurence J. Peter in his 1969 book The Peter Principle.1 Such
failures often stem from a lack of leadership presence. These managers
fail to build rapport with their people. They assume it is "my
way or the highway? and do not accept the counsel or opinions of
others.
One of the clearest indicators of leadership presence is the
silence that occurs between leader and follower. No pomp. No circumstance.
Just being there. This leadership presence occurs on
the factory floor when a new hire is schooled by a veteran. You
find it on the battlefield in the quiet moments between officers and
their troops. And you find it in boardrooms when the CEO has
the support of her team. No words are spoken. There is a quiet
sense of trust that has developed among all parties.
But here's the key point. While trust is a reciprocal act
between leader and follower, it starts with the leader. He must
trust his followers by giving them a stake in the enterprise as decision
makers and contributors. Followers repay that trust by
demonstrating their faith in the leader. That trust contributes to
leadership presence in its most pure form and it is something to
which all leaders can aspire.
Leadership presence is a powerful attribute of a leader; it
amplifies and strengthens a leader's ability to connect with people
he or she must lead.2
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