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     Resource of The Week


    Executive Presence

    Having the experience, education and skill set to be a CEO is not all it takes to get to the top, nor do these attributes result in success. What the top CEOs have are leadership communication skills that cause others, both inside and outside the organization, to buy-in to a shared vision. New York Times bestselling author Harrison Monarth calls this mastery of communication skills in Executive Presence: The Art of Commanding Respect Like a CEO [McGraw Hill, 2009]. Monarth believes a successful CEO can accurately read people and predict their behavior and use that insight to influence perceptions and bring opponents to his way of thinking. The author also shows how to identify who is listening and how to craft an audience-specific message so they can connect and buy-in to the vision. In addition, the CEO with executive presence can effectively maintain a personal brand, oversee his online reputation and effectively manage crises.

    In the exclusive ExecuNet interview, ExecuNet Editor Will Flammé asks the author to discuss his views on creating memorable presentations.

    Q. How do you define executive presence and why is having it important for professionals?

    A.
    Executive presence is often the missing ingredient in the professional arsenals of many otherwise smart, educated, driven and even connected people. My definition of executive presence comprises the specific behaviors and communication strategies that separate those with leadership potential from the masses, and positions them to become successful leaders who others want to follow. It’s a high-impact professional attribute, founded on a critical skill set necessary for anyone looking to reach the pinnacle of their career, profession or business.

    Every year, business schools and other graduate programs release tens of thousands of highly intelligent and ambitious young people into a complex high-pressure world where a stellar education, intelligence and drive are merely the ticket to admission. But in the never-ending competition for the top jobs, the top positions and the type of responsibility that gains a person the respect and confidence of peers and bosses, you need more than that. You need the perception management, influential communication and personal branding skills, and strategies that unfortunately aren’t taught in the curricula of today’s business schools.

    Q. What suggestions do you have for using the media to enhance one’s professional image?

    A.
    One of the keys in successfully promoting one’s personal brand through the media is knowing how to communicate in pithy sound-bites. Those are the compelling quotes and clear messages that cut through the noise and stand out.

    Another key is mastering the art of responding to difficult questions during interviews to maximize the perception of credibility. Professionals should keep in mind that the media is not interested in promoting them. The media is interested in the back-story and the answers people would rather not give. Therefore, anticipating and being prepared to answer difficult questions is critical to protect one’s reputation and credibility and enhance one’s professional image via the media.

    Q. How does an executive develop himself into a compelling brand?

    A.
    It’s important to remember that everything about us communicates a message to a watching, listening, judging public. And from our grooming and style to our content and delivery and of course our behavior, our actions, we tell the world who we really are, whether we like it or not. That’s why paying attention to all of the communication signals we’re sending is critical as we craft a powerful personal brand that is consistent and elicits positive emotions and valuations.

    Self-awareness — knowing the impact of how you come across is critical. Everything else is based on this. From ethically engineering buy-in and gaining compliance to learning how to change attitudes and behaviors to managing interpersonal conflict and always seeking to improve relationships. And, of course, the awareness that personal branding is not a choice anymore but a requisite for a successful career.

    Q. How does an executive with executive presence motivate his employees?

    A.
    Executives with executive presence are adept at creating buy-in — often easier to define than achieve, which can be viewed as an alignment of the thoughts and beliefs of a target demographic with yours as the managing or accountable entity. It is a process of working together with people, rather than dictating to them…in a manner that leads toward their understanding of the goal and its strategic importance to achieve a win-win, all within a common system of values. It is gaining their personal commitment toward a goal, as opposed to a fear of failure, and, therefore, a willingness to undertake and accomplish the necessary tasks and roles. The more complex and significant the project or organizational objective, the more buy-in becomes an essential component of the strategy to achieve it. Such a definition shifts the role of a manager from one of task-definer and taskmaster to one of task-empowerer. Because any executive’s first line of managerial offense — and indeed, most powerful strategy — is to strive to create a level of buy-in that will accelerate success, rather than using compliance and dictatorial power as a doomed and ultimately inefficient means of getting the work done.


     
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