Executive Presence eTips
by Paul Aldo, Ph.D.
March - April 2009
Welcome to the second 2009 issue of "Executive Presence eTips" by Paul Aldo, Ph.D., President, Executive Performance Solutions, Inc. Please send your feedback and questions to paul@executivepresence.com. The Book Shelf… My recommendation for this issue’s reading list is Marshall Goldsmith’s new book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. I’m recommending this book for several reasons. First, it identifies four critical beliefs tenaciously held by our most successful leaders. These are the beliefs that got them to where they are (successfully here), but also the beliefs preventing them from being even more successful (getting there). Second, the book identifies and describes twenty-one habits that cause otherwise highly effective leaders to stumble. The list of habits and discussion is great food for thought in helping us get more in touch with ourselves and our own leadership issues. Finally, there are the chapters on the importance of feedback in identifying what to change and some great rules to follow in helping make that change stick. It’s a good read and a great statement of the Marshall Goldsmith approach. I highly recommend it.
Q&A… Q: I know 360 surveys are popular and valuable. My question is about anonymity. How important is it? Tom T., Nashville, Tennessee
A: Tom, my experience suggests that when we ask others for honest feedback about our shortcomings, anonymity produces the very best results. I think it works that way because people are naturally hesitant to be critical of us when we can identify them as the source of the criticism (even though some behavioral styles are much more forthcoming with us than others). So if you want the best results, go after anonymous 360 feedback and do not worry about who said what. Accept the information as a helpful reply to your request and use it to target what you can most profitably work on to improve your effectiveness. Advice – Nonverbal counts… Vocal inflection is our single most important form of nonverbal communication, regardless of who we are or who we're with. We create it by varying the volume and pitch of our voices. More than anything else, it is what others use to make judgments about us. Are we in a good mood or a bad one, do we really care about what others think or are we just going through the motions, are we respectful or condescending, confident or unsure? Vocal inflection is where we find the answers to these questions. Here’s something else to keep in mind. The importance of vocal inflection becomes even greater in the absence of other nonverbal cues. When we are on the telephone, for example, we are operating in a restricted environment. Others can’t see us and we can’t see them. It is a completely vocal exchange. Because of that we often feel we are not visible to the people we are talking with. But that's a mistake. Just because they can’t see us doesn’t mean we are not visible to them. We are visible through our vocal inflection. While they may not see the eye roll or smirk, the impatience or the boredom, it doesn’t mean they can’t hear it. They almost always can, so be careful. Be in touch with how you sound and be mindful of managing it.
This and That… Executive Presence Workshops. The Executive Presence Workshop schedule for 2009 is now available and posted on www.executivepresence.com. You can find out more about the workshops, register, and pay by credit card on the website.
Advanced Executive Presence Workshop. Because of the demand for additional executive presence training from those of you who have attended our two-day program, we are pleased to announce an advanced one-day executive presence workshop. This new workshop builds on the foundation created in the two-day program by concentrating on:
- Successes and disappointments participants have had with their executive presence since participating in the two-day program
- Analyzing and rating how each participant uses image, body language, and verbal expression in modeling the nine dimensions of executive presence (this is a deeper and more comprehensive look than participants received in the initial two-day session)
- Personalizing and improving each participant’s expression of the nine dimensions based on his or her analysis and rating of the nine expressive dimensions
- Reviewing participant development plan results and identifying ways to make the plan more effective.
Video analysis and feedback from others will again be used to help identify and personalize the focus areas for each participant. Please visit www.executivepresence.com to register. ………………………………….. Thank you for your interest in executive presence.
Paul Aldo, Ph.D. www.executivepresence.com *******************************************  Paul Aldo is the President of Executive Performance Solutions, Inc., an Atlanta-based executive consulting firm that helps executives and senior managers develop the interpersonal skills and leadership qualities needed to succeed in the executive suite.
Paul is available as a speaker for corporate and trade association meetings. Executive presence workshops are available onsite at your location and in open workshops in Atlanta, Georgia. Executive presence coaching is offered in individual and group coaching sessions.
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