Most people I’m hired to coach are humble enough that they don’t focus on their own accomplishments, and I respect that. But as a leader it is important to support those you lead in their careers with pride and enthusiasm. The fringe benefit, of course,...
Everyone knows that if you want to get to the top in today’s business world, you need genuine and consistent executive presence. But how do you define and develop it? I sometimes use the acronym PRESENCE to help convey 8 of the core traits of...
One of the most pervasive obstacles to superior communication success that I have observed is that many people hear the word “persuade” or “sell” and they think that it is a manipulative behavior. Don’t let doubts undermine your communication power, and remember that persuasion is...
Today’s leaders are hired not just to manage people but to coach them and develop their potential. If you can’t do that you probably won’t be promoted. Here’s a case in point: Forward-thinking companies like General Electric and Microsoft are moving away from annual performance reviews. For...
Feedback is critical to career success, and if you are not getting the kind of insightful and helpful input or critiques that you need, you may be slowly starving your development. Before you know it your value can wither away as more informed competitors take...
Listen to the podcast [audio mp3="https://illustraconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/podcast_10072015_Accelerate_New_Heights.mp3"][/audio] Skill development is a huge area of opportunity. Just as organizations profit by promoting talent from within, you as an individual leader can reap tremendous rewards when you invest in developing your leadership from the inside. The main reason leaders aren’t...
Nowhere is your status and capability as a thought leader more conspicuous than when you stand up to lead a meeting or give a presentation. Unfortunately, most people enter these situations unprepared to take advantage of this kind of golden opportunity. Instead of exuding outstanding...
Your executive presence is on full display whenever you stand up to make a presentation. That’s true whether it’s to a small group around a conference table, an industry-wide audience of thousands, or a presentation to the media that may be broadcast to millions of...
If you want to significantly enhance your executive presence communication skills, practice developing a more intentional listening style. Pretending to Listen Try this for starters. Spend the day today paying attention to how people listen – or fail to listen. You’ll likely notice that most of them...
We all can use proven tips for selling our ideas that are not yet fully formulated. Here are few that can help you succeed in persuading others to buy into your proposals, despite a lack of preparation and the need to serve them up before...