Jul 08 Acquiring the Emotional Intelligence of Executive Presence
Emotional intelligence is basically measured by taking an inventory of your genuinely empathic people skills.
- Do you know how to accurately interpret body language or consistently engage audiences when making a presentation or giving a speech?
- Are you poised under pressure, controlling your own mindset and range of emotions? Does walking into the board room or C-suite raise your confidence or does it just elevate your blood pressure?
- When you’re in a debate, in the midst of difficult negotiations, or some other potentially unsettling and uncomfortable interaction can you maintain an appropriate sense of humor to put others at ease?
- Is it easy for you to diffuse a tense situation, calm down an angry customer, or thoroughly critique an underperforming employee without alienating and upsetting them in the process?
These are the kinds of skills that can significantly raise your emotional IQ and deepen your executive presence.
Raising Your Emotional IQ
Most of the skills and behaviors required for a high emotional IQ are teachable and learnable.
- The first step is to review your current repertoire of soft skills, and one of the best ways to do this is through a 360 peer review.
- Find mentors and coaches who can show you proven tips and techniques and help you practice them by drilling realistic scenarios.
- Next, step out of your comfort zone, under the watchful guidance and monitoring of a trusted expert, and put your new skills to the test.
- Throughout the process, take advantage of their ongoing support and feedback to refine those all-important and subtly nuanced skills.
Emotional IQ in Action
Keep in mind that the development of emotional IQ is ongoing. It’s not a one-time learning event – and the same is true for executive presence. Leaders don’t just arrive on the scene and stop developing. The definition of a real leader is that they are constantly growing, stretching, and improving based on education, vision, and experience.
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
But once you begin the process you will be ahead of the competition. You’ll be on track toward greater responsibility that will continue to accelerate. As you strengthen your executive presence it will radiate contagiously and charismatically to positively influence everyone you come in contact with as a leader. That’s what transforms ordinary leaders into legends and icons!
So what aspects of emotional IQ do you admire most in leaders you consider icons? Please share your insights about this intriguing executive presence topic!
As a pioneering and visionary innovator, Sarah is a certified professional image consultant and brand strategist, speaker, trainer and author. Her company, Illustra Consulting, provides leading-edge image and brand management strategies for top leaders and high achievers who wish to take their career to the next level. She also delivers innovative and inspiring corporate workshops to assist large organizations in strengthening their corporate brand.
Illustra Consulting
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Sarah Hathorn, CEO of Hathorn Consulting Group, is the go-to-expert in working with leaders and companies to create successful corporate DNA. As an executive coach, consultant and speaker she collaborates globally with clients and brands such as Deloitte, McKesson, Kimberly-Clark, Sherwin-Williams, Home Depot and other leading organizations.
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