Three Qualities of Leadership Presence

January 31, 2011 in Leadership development by Marc Michaelson | 1 comment

There is a lot of talk about the intangible qualities of leadership, and the nature of interpersonal competence and leadership presence. What is at stake, of course is credibility. In the media, news anchors are graded on charisma. In the boardroom, the ability to influence and build consensus is valued. In meetings and presentations, young managers and seasoned executives are scored on leadership presence. While it’s true that presence is shaped by communication style
and personal demeanor, effective leadership performance and credibility is really a function of three basic factors.

* Personal Energy

* Openness

• Focus

Personal Energy: What is it? How can you increase it and maintain it? Leaders need to integrate their lives well in order to build and sustain energy. Coming to work and modeling low energy gives tacit permission for everyone
to do the same. Leaders need to be passionate and enthusiastic about making their cases and model a kind of behavior that energizes the organization and the people in it.

Openness: What is it? How can you increase it and maintain it? Openness is an integral part of leadership presence. Leaders who are open to new ideas, embrace healthy dialog and have the ability to admit when they
are wrong and to adopt “better” ideas from others– set the tone for creative thinking and breakthrough solutions.

Focus: What is it?  How can you increase it and maintain it? The ability to focus on the business at hand is increasingly difficult.  Today we must balance multiple priorities in an environment of constant interruptions and
continuous change. Having the ENERGY and the OPENNESS to meet the challenges can greatly enhance our ability to focus. Deciding what is most important and bring focused energy to bear will differentiate you from others who are just doing their best to survive.

Bring your energy, stay open, maintain your focus!

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