Knowing the perceived “presence” you exude to your friends & colleagues is the first step in being your best-self & improving your reputation. While attending a “Leadership Presence” workshop at Wright State University, we discussed a few attributes of strong leaders. We often show interest in leaders who have a natural charisma exemplified through body language and their outgoing personalities. Many times, unassuming mentors exhibit a leadership presence as a result of the earned respect from our long term interactions with them. Some of us tend to show a “presence” only when needed, as in giving a speech. Many of us, unknowingly, have our “presence” formed at an early age, according to the pecking order with our siblings. The oldest sibling tends to be more assertive while a middle child tends to be less extroverted and more open to negotiation. One observation noted an interaction with someone who believed they were the “presence” in the room. Exaggerator was the description of the person trying to prove his point. Having a know-it-all attitude just damages your “presence”, as well as your integrity … sometimes it is better just to listen.
Workshop speaker & Master Certified Coach, Roberta Fiore-Kittell, of Optimum Impact stated, “When networking, ask yourself, what do I have to offer? We all want to be with someone who is generous”. In a LinkedIn testimonial to Ms. Kittell’s work, OSU Professor, Craig Hofmeister describes his end-goal for improving his “presence” as “… a stance from reactive to constructive.”
A “Leadership Presence” can be promoted through body language and a couple of daily phrases to recite. When getting ready for the work day, try a power pose in front of your mirror. A power pose as in a hands-on-hips, legs wide, Wonder Woman posture. You can get also get similar results with your fists clenched with your arms in a touchdown position. The idea is to have an open posture which will improve your outlook for the day. A couple of Roberta’s tag lines to rehearse daily with your new “open posture” habit are: “I am choosing to be happy today!” or “I am worthy to bring something to the conversation!” If these tag lines don’t seem to be doing the trick, I recommend taking Ted Talk’s, Amy Cuddy‘s advise, ” Don’t just fake it until you improve your presence, fake it ’til you become it.” To sum up, take a couple of minutes each morning to power talk to your Best-Self.
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