The WWWWW of Executive Presence: What is it?

Executive presence is conceptual in the sense that we cannot buy it off the shelf or order it from an online store.  It is not a commodity like toothpaste that promises us “a ring of confidence.”  Although it is true that increased personal confidence is one of the hallmarks of someone with executive presence.  

Happily, however, we can all develop our executive presence!  It starts with the way we think about ourselves and the all-important impressions we make daily on those around us:  our managers, our colleagues, our direct reports and not least our external stakeholders.  The first and most essential ingredient to executive presence is developing our conscious awareness of self, others and the environment in which we work.

Building a strong, confident executive presence is career-accelerating.

Have you ever realised that you cannot not communicate?  Everything we say and do communicates something to those around us.  For example, a manager who is always quiet, reflective and deeply listening in the weekly executive team meetings is still communicating loudly.  Depending on how the other individuals in the team receive these messages, inevitably thoughts such as, “’she is unsure and timid,’ ‘she is not prepared, ‘she does not contribute at all,’ and ‘why is she here?’ will be in the various heads around the table.  

In essence, executive presence is the combined perceptions that others form about us.  We can shape these perceptions positively and well.  With heightened self-awareness we can shape and manage others’ perceptions of us in the most positive ways. 

You may think that developing your executive presence goes against your desire to be authentic at work; that you don’t want to be someone you are not.  If you are only starting to develop your presence, or if you wish to modify or radically change your current executive presence, you can do so entirely within the parameters of being ‘authentic.’  You can remain true to your own beliefs, values and strengths as you build your unique executive presence.  

Look out for our next article on the WWWWW of Executive Presence (What, Who, When, Where and Why); we will be covering the ‘Who’ of executive presence. 

Would you like to enhance your executive presence?  People Results offers the Executive Presence Half-Day workshop in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth on a regular basis.  Our July workshop dates are:  

• Executive Presence for Women - Sydney on 16th July 2014 
• Executive Presence for Women - Melbourne on 29th July 2014 

Please contact People Results for workshop dates in other States.

Executive Presence: Looking the Part, Sounding the Part

He looked the part.  In fact he surpassed ‘looking the part;’ he was the part!  The ‘he’ being a 30-something professional (His profession will not be revealed so his privacy is protected.)   He was dressed in a bespoke light grey-blue suit, not a hair or eyebrow out of place, with a freshly-scrubbed look about him despite the time being 6.30 in the evening. 

As he walked the few steps to the lectern, the audience members’ eyes followed him, anticipating a brief and friendly welcoming speech.  It would be the typical ‘This is who we are and this is what we do.’  Fifty to 60 professionals and managers were seated in the function room.  Most people in the audience were in the corporate, government and higher education sectors.  All possessed the ability to influence - if not the authority to make - decisions about suppliers.

 

All he had to do was to capture the audience’s attention and interest about his firm for a few minutes.  Ideally his short introductory presentation would be both impressive and memorable!  At the very least, it would have to be competently delivered.

Executive Presence:  Looking the Part and Sounding the Part.

From behind the lectern, the presenter started to speak as he looked down at his notes.  He kept looking down as he read word for word in a tentative and deliberate manner.  It was as if he was learning this information himself for the first time.  Had he only just joined the firm that week?  Why was he having to read this basic information word for word?  Why did he not try to connect with us, his audience, and engage our attention and involvement?   He plodded on, continuing to look down as he spoke in a cautious ‘I’m feeling my way” manner. Many audience members were thinking, “Why is he not making eye contact?” “Why does he not know this information off the top of his head?”

Mercifully it was only a short speech and the audience members’ pain stopped as soon as he sat down.   What can be said of this presenter’s preparation, presence and performance?

On the positive side, he was well presented and looked very professional and self-assured.  As the audience, we were looking forward to the evening.  There was plentiful goodwill in the room.  But when he started to speak, these good impressions were overturned.  They were contradicted - and even shattered – because of his poor preparation and inept oral presentation.

Would this poor speaking performance reflect on the brand, reputation and professionalism of the firm?  In all probability, the answer is “Yes.”  Poor impressions will linger in the minds of the audience members but hopefully not for all time.  They will remain until other more positive impressions and judgments accumulate over time and replace them. 

It is true that we can’t ever go back and make a second ‘first impression.’ If we have hit the wrong series of notes the first time round, they linger in the ears and minds of those we are communicating with for some time. In executive presence terms, all the various elements of personal presentation, of how we speak and interact with others and our actions should align and reinforce each other.   

At People Results, our mission is to develop leaders who confidently think, speak and act.  Can we be of assistance to you and your team?   We look forward to your telephone call or email.

Lynne Lloyd 

Managing Director 

People Results 

1300 167 981

enquiries@peopleresults.com.au

www.peopleresults.com.au 

People Results' Programs relevant to the above article:

Executive Presence Half-Day Workshop 

Executive Presence for Women Half-Day Workshop 

Confident Presentation Skills One-Day Workshop 

Over 50: Being Seen, Being Heard and Being Employed!

To a driving upbeat soundtrack, the short promotional video showed images of people enjoying the outdoor lifestyle and amenities of the vibrant city of Brisbane and its surrounding countryside.   At the beach, on the bay, dining in sophisticated restaurants and on-trend cafes.   A city which is reaching out to promote itself in China, Europe and the USA as the newest “world city” represented itself as all about people and families.  What was not shown?  Not one person in the video appeared to be over the age of 40!

It’s a funny sensation (and not in a good way) when you watch and listen to a video presentation of the lives of people in your city and community and you are not there.  You are not airbrushed or in the background somewhere, no, you are entirely absent!

Ageism in Australia is endemic and pervasive.  The keen observer will notice that ageism seems to be more evident in Australia than in other countries such as the USA, U.K., China and many European countries.    It is certainly true that older Australians (particularly anyone over the age of 50) finds it extremely difficult to get a job.  Age discrimination in employment is widespread, deep and almost intractable.  

Age discriminationt keeps many talented older Australians out of work.

In the ‘Weekend Australian’ on March 229-30, an article with the headline “Plan for over-55s to work for dole” supported its message with one man’s story.  His name is Christopher Chapman; he is 64.  Five years ago he was retrenched from a Sydney law firm.  Despite all his experience in the law, for five long years, Christopher has not been able to get a new position.  He has found the labour market practices “cruel and discriminatory.”  He has been living on the pitifully-low Newstart allowance. How humiliating for him; how unjust, wasteful and short-sighted that employers and recruiters have rejected this man’s candidacy over and over again.

Is age discrimination really endemic in all sectors and organisations across the Australian economy and geography? Yes it is!  But it is hidden from open view.  In any overt manner it is difficult to get the direct evidence to be able to prove that you have been discriminated against because you in an older age group. However, there are a few employers who have been pathfinders for not discriminating against people on the basis of age or for that matter on the basis of disability and other factors.  A stand-out example is Wesfarmers Limited, in particular their Bunnings hardware stores.  This iconic Australian business has lived its diversity inclusion employment policies.  Bunnings got them in place early without being forced to do so.  Hiring older workers has proven to be smart business strategy on many levels for them.  The Bunnings' internal culture is like an extended family with the young, middle and older employees all helping each other and being part of a positive team culture.  

It has ever been the case that young people want (and need) to step up and take over from older incumbents in all areas of government and public institutions, the economy and society.  This generational succession is the way it should be.  However, it should not mean older people are locked out of getting paid employment. 

Our Australian Government wants and needs older Australians to work longer because we are living a lot longer.  The age for qualification for the age pension has increased and will likely increase again soon.  We cannot, on the one hand, say to older Australians “you must keep working after age 65 if you can’t be self-supporting” without them having a hope of being employed because they keep crashing into the barrier of age discrimination. 

The voice of older Australians needs to be clearer and louder to get the attention of State and Federal governments, in commence and industry and throughout all of society’s institutions.  We must insist on being seen, being heard, being valued … and being employed!

Have you experienced age discrimination?  Or are you close to someone who has experienced it?  
How do you want your voice to be heard?

Lynne Lloyd 

Managing Director 

People Results 
Executive Coaching and Talent Development 

Telephone 1300 167 981 

Email:  enquiries@peopleresults.com.au 

Web:  www.peopleresults.com.au 

So You Have To Give a Group Presentation: Ten Top Tips

Yes, you can become a calm, clear and confident presenter.

1. Remember to breathe deeply before you commence and to remain conscious of your breathing throughout your presentation. Voice only works with air.  If you are breathing from the top of your chest, there is simply no way you will be able to produce a clear, strong voice.

2. Open strongly and close strongly.  These top-and-tail parts of your presentation are what the audience absorbs best and remembers the longest. 

3. Choose a clear, logical structure that you and the audience can follow.

4. Select only the most important and persuasive points and present them in order of importance.  Do not try to tell everything about your topic.

5. Talking too fast means that audience comprehension drops dramatically.  Be vigilant and self-checking for when your pace increases. Combined with feeling anxious, talking quickly results in shallow breathing from the top of the chest.  Deliberately stop speaking for a moment and take some air into your body.  

6. Think of the people in the audience as your customers.  Focus on how you can help them (…to understand, to change, to solve a problem, to improve, to gain certain benefits).

7. Make your messages come alive by peppering your presentation with vivid stories and examples to illustrate key points.

8. Add light and shade by varying your pace (fast-moderate-slow) and the loudness and softness of your voice. 

9. Occasionally stop talking after a key point or question and silently look around your audience, giving everyone the time and head space to take in your message. 

10. Keep driving home your core message(s) by using repetition, linking one key point to another, recapping on previous points and summarising what you’ve covered.

The above ten tips and techniques (along with many others) are covered and practised in People Results' Confident Presentation Skills One-Day workshop which has been running for a number of years.  Hundreds of managers and professionals have completed this experiential program and graduated with flying colours. 

If you or someone you know or who reports to you wishes to become a competent, confident presenter, People Results has workshops coming up in April in Brisbane and Rockhampton.

Please note we also deliver this Program in-house for clients in groups of 8 to 12 team leaders, managers and executives.  Contact us at People Results for more information on 1300 167 981 or enquiries@peopleresults.com.au

3 Tips for Conversations that Count

'I need to talk to her/him .... but not now, later.’

If this sort of thinking is familiar, you are certainly not alone.  Our minds are very effective at blocking us from taking actions that will move us out of our settled, preferred behaviour patterns.  This is why so many conversations to confront small issues with a manager, peer or report never happen.  We mean to have the conversation but somehow or other, the time is never quite right or there are other tasks that must come first. 

So the biggest barrier to having effective workplace conversations that solve issues before they turn into bigger problems is in our own minds.  We think we can't handle it, or that it will be unpleasant or we might be unpopular. 

Instead of ‘meaning to do it,” here are three ways to help you get it done:

(1) Notice it and Flip that Thought!

Pay close attention to your inner voice,  the interior monologue that tells us what to do and not do.  When you catch yourself putting off doing something, consciously stop and think, ‘Why am I thinking I will do it later.’  Flip that thought over and think, ‘Why I should do it now and not delay.’  By flipping our typical thoughts over and not just going along with them, we are consciously examining their validity and power over us.  By starting to think in counter-intuitive ways, we begin to behave differently where and when it makes sense to do so.

(2) Straight Off the Bat, Know What You Will Say

You don’t have to prepare the whole conversation; just the first few sentences.  These sentences are the most critical as they create the initial impressions, set the tone (i.e. friendly, collaborative, neutral) and enable you to place a positive frame around the topic.  Draft your opening sentences in writing and practise saying them out loud a few times.  They should only take a couple of minutes.  At which time, you stop talking and ask the other person to respond.

(3) Create the Vibe of ‘We’re in It Together’ 

There is nothing more unfair than to launch into a conversation with a direct report (or anyone) with an account of their behaviour that you have heard from a third party as if you are speaking the complete truth of the matter.  Unfortunately it is an error of judgment that executives, managers and team leaders make all too frequently.  Naturally the person being accused is going to resist, defend themselves or attack.  We haven’t given her/him the benefit of a mind that is open to their side of the story.  Always approach it as “innocent until proven guilty.” 

If you are confronting someone who has exhibited poor behaviours, talk about it as being something “we can work on…” and “solve together” in your opening sentences.  This way it is not like slapping someone with a wet fish in the face of ‘It’s you who is the problem’ and ‘Your behaviours are harming others’ to which he/she will almost certainly react negatively.  Build in questions like “How do you see it?” and try to listen twice as much as you talk.  

We hope you find these three techniques helpful in having conversations that count at work.  We welcome any comments, feedback and questions from you on this topic.

Note:

The above conversational techniques are drawn from People Results’ Conversations that Count Half-Day workshop which is being held in Brisbane on Tuesday 27^th August, 2013.  Registrations are open and Early–Bird and Multiple Registration discounts are available until sold out. 

If you would like more information and/or to book, please go to http://www.stickytickets.com.au/12119   If you would like to arrange this workshop internally for your managers and staff, please contact People Results on 1300 167 981 or enquiries@peopleresults.com.au.

You Don’t Have to be “Perfect” to be a Successful Presenter

It is a widely-acknowledged truth that many people fear speaking in public.  Some will run a mile from presenting to a group of people they know well, for instance peers and colleagues.  Others hate presenting in front of people they don’t know, for instance at a business luncheon or social occasion.  

Emerging leaders volunteer to be the one out in front!

 

Yet others hate being the one out in front and presenting to a group of any kind, even when they are the acknowledged expert.   One example I recall was when I was the State Director of a human resources firm and invited a senior psychologist with many years experience to present to a group of clients working through their career transition programs with our firm.  The presenter accepted my invitation and mentioned how he was usually nervous and did not like doing group presentations.  I took this information on board but didn’t give it much weight until I actually saw him in action.

I was astonished to see how this self-assured senior professional began to show his anxiety shortly after he commenced speaking.  He stumbled over his words and appeared to lose his train of thought.  He stopped talking, looked down at the floor and his voice trembled slightly.  Worst of all, he started to sweat profusely.  Clearly he was stricken with severe anxiety and I quickly devised a solution where he could sit down and we could have a round-table discussion, rather than a stand-up presentation.  

Fortunately most people don’t suffer such debilitating symptoms before or during their presentations.  In fact, the butterflies in the stomach, the slightly-raised respiration and sweaty palms are typical and normal ways we feel before we speak in public.  We may think that others can see right through us and know how nervous we are but generally our “nerves” are not that obvious to members of the audience. 

In People Results’ Confident Presentation Skills One-Day workshop, we talk about how our goal is not to be “the perfect presenter” but to become “a competent presenter.”  Once we are competent, we will find that we can become a more accomplished and confident speaker with practice and more practice.

In the Confident Presentation Skills workshop, the first module of the day is devoted to some simple yet very effective techniques to release and diminish the nervous tension in our bodies and voices before we commence and during our presentation.  We cover this element first because we know it is one of the keys to becoming a successful, self-assured speaker.

As an example of how a “not perfect” presenter can be a very successful, entertaining presenter, I have attached a video presentation by A.J. Jacobs "The Importance of Self-Delusion on the Creative Process".   

Don't be put off by the strange title (which is definitely tongue in cheek) although it is a long presentation and you may not wish to view/ listen to all of it.  However, please take note of the things that AJ does which are not out of the “The Perfect Presenter’s Copy-Book.”  Here are a couple to get you thinking: 

·         He looks down at the floor a lot.

·         He paces to and fro all the time.

·         He uses palm cards, stops the presentation to read them and find his place.

Despite the above “flaws”, I believe that AJ is a very engaging and entertaining presenter.  He uses his likeable personality, ability to tell a good joke (often against himself) and weaves in some very interesting personal anecdotes to illustrate his points.  And so we listen and look, and we keep on listening and looking.  He has captured our attention; we are engaged with him, his stories and his presentation.  In my view, AJ is a very successful presenter despite the obvious imperfections of his technique.

What do you think?  Your views and feedback are very welcome. 

Lynne Lloyd 

Managing Director 

People Results 

Executive Coaching and Talent Development Programs 

Telephone  1300 167 981 

Email  enquiries@peopleresults.com.au 

Web  www.peopleresults.com.au 

Note:

The Confident Presentation Skills workshop is being held on Wednesday, 31^st July 2013 in Brisbane and registrations are now open.   Generous Early-Bird and Value Package offers are available until sold out.   For any questions or assistance, please get in touch with us at People Results at the above contact points.    

  

What does it take to be a whistleblower?

Cynthia simply loved numbers!  At High School, she couldn’t wait to get to accounting; it was her favourite class.  Cynthia Cooper was a high achiever who showed a healthy streak of determination in going after her goals.  All her teachers, family and friends agreed that Cynthia was destined to join the accounting profession.

Fast forward to early March 2002 and a cloudy Monday morning, Cynthia turned her car into the space with the sign “Vice President Internal Audit.”  As she switched off the ignition, she thought to herself, “Life is good!”   Only 38 years old and she had the job of her dreams!    She couldn’t believe how lucky she had been to work her way up through the ranks at WorldCom over the last 10 years.  That the giant telecommunications corporation was headquartered in Clinton Mississippi was perfect.  Cynthia’s parents lived close by, she was happily married to Lance and they had two little daughters.  She couldn’t imagine how things could have worked out better. 



 As Vice-President Internal Audit, nothing and no-one would stop Cynthia doing her job!

This particular Monday morning Cynthia was hurrying to make her 8.45am meeting with the Divisional Vice President of WorldCom’s Wireless business, John Stupka.  He was already waiting for her outside her office on the 18^th floor.  “Hi, John, you’re a little early, aren’t you?” she said smiling, “Come right in.”  It turned out to be a very intense meeting.

John was angry about a $400 million reserve that Scott Sullivan, WorldCom’s CFO, had taken out of his Division.  The purpose of the reserve was to account for possible revenue shortfalls if customers didn’t pay their bills and his Division suffered a large pool of bad debts.   He complained to Cynthia, “Now I’ll have to report a large loss in the next quarter.”  He had also voiced his concerns to Arthur Andersen, their external auditors, but they had backed up the CFO in his decision to divert the $400 million into WorldCom’s income account.  Cynthia was puzzled by this transaction and promised him that she would get some answers from Scott Sullivan (who was also her boss) and would ring Arthur Andersen.

 
Shortly after John left her office, Cynthia telephoned Andersen’s and spoke to the Audit Partner responsible for WorldCom.  His response was frosty and he brushed her off by saying that he only took instructions from Scott Sullivan.  This was like waving a red flag in front of a bull.  Cynthia instructed members of her staff to “Go dig.”  While her staff commenced their investigations, Cynthia moved quickly to appeal the decision with the audit committee of WorldCom’s Board of Directors.  This decision put her in direct conflict with Scott Sullivan.  Both she and Sullivan presented their separate cases to the audit committee on March 6, 2002.  The outcome:   Sullivan backed down on his decision to transfer the $400 million reserve out of the Wireless Division. 

The next day Cynthia was at the hair salon when she received a call on her cell phone from Scott Sullivan.  He warned her, “In future, you are not to interfere in the Wireless Division.”  This was a moment of truth:  her boss, the second most powerful executive at WorldCom after the CEO Bernie Ebbers, was making it loud and clear that she should not continue her current line of investigations.

Scott Sullivan was instructing his direct report, as he had every right to do, but was she going to comply?  How many people at this point would have backed away and called off any further probing.  Cynthia had worked hard to get to her senior position of VP Internal Audit with 24 staff reporting to her.  To continue her investigations could turn into a career-limiting move.  It was not Internal Audit’s responsibility to undertake their financial auditing as this was generally handled by their external auditors.  Yet the more Cynthia thought about it, the more her misgivings grew that something was not right about how and why this $400 million transaction had been authorised.

The following day – March 7 – the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) dropped a bombshell on WorldCom executives with a “Request for Information.”  Regulators at the SEC were concerned that WorldCom’s reported results had been so strong when all their competitors had been losing money hand over fist in 2001.  If Cynthia’s instincts that something was wrong had been aroused before, she now felt certain that her Internal Auditing team must step up their investigations.  She decided they would start doing financial audits to check the reliability and integrity of the financial information which the company was making public to investors and the New York Stock Exchange. 

Most of their investigations had to be done after hours so that they could access the computer information systems without raising alarm bells about their activities.  In fact, the audit team ran so many queries late into the night that the computer system crashed more than once.  Any transactions that appeared suspect were traced back to their original documents.  They found that an astonishing number of large transactions were false and had no supporting invoices or payment authorisations.  By the first week of June, these fraudulent entries totalled $2 billion and keep on rising week by week.

Some of the key events in the months between March & June 2002, and afterwards were:

• May 28, 2002:  An Internal Auditor in Cynthia’s team finds an accounting entry for $500 million in computer expenses but he couldn’t find any invoices or documentation.  Cynthia tells her team to “Keep going.”
 
• June 11, 2002:  CFO Scott Sullivan asks Cynthia to delay her audit.  She refuses.
 
• June 17, 2002:  Cynthia confronts other WorldCom executives about the increasing number of major accounting irregularities her staff are finding. A number of the executives acknowledged that they knew about what was happening and that they personally disapproved but had been - and continued to be - unwilling to oppose their superiors about it.
 
• June 20, 2002:  Cynthia presents her findings to WorldCom’s board.  Four days later, Scott Sullivan is fired.  His Financial Controller resigns.
 
• June 25, 2002:  WorldCom makes a public announcement that it has inflated its profits by $3.8 billion over the previous five quarters.
 
• July 21, 2002:  WorldCom files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
 
• July 14, 2005:  Former WorldCom chief executive Bernie Ebbers is sentenced to 25 years in prison for fraud, conspiracy and false filings.  At 63 years of age, this was, in effect, a life sentence for him.  His personal fortune of up to $40 million was forfeited in a settlement of civil litigation brought against him. 
• August 12, 2005:  Scott Sullivan is sentenced to five years imprisonment.  He had turned prosecution star witness and pleaded guilty to three counts of security fraud.  Because of his cooperation with the authorities and that he had a sick spouse, the Judge gave him a lighter prison sentence. 

In round figures, Worldcom shareholders lost a staggering $US180 billion and 20,000 employees lost their jobs. 

Cynthia Cooper did not back down from doing what she knew to be right despite being under considerable pressure to keep quiet and stay away.  She was courageous, resolute and stood her ground, leading her team through an investigative process of the most critical importance.   

Cynthia Cooper offers an exemplary role model of how to protect our personal integrity and keep focussed if we come across something rotten in the organisational apple.  We hope that you never find yourself in this kind of dire situation.  Only then do we ever know whether we have the courage and character to stand our ground and refuse to ignore, comply or become complicit.  

 

Lynne Lloyd

Managing Director

People Results

Executive Coaching and Talent Development Programs

Telephone:  1300 167 981 

Email:  enquiries@peopleresults.com.au

Website:  www.peopleresults.com.au