Do you work in an effective team?  If you want to improve/enhance your team communications and learn about ways of working together, then spend 28 minutes listening to this month’s edition of Mentor Monday with Sylva Leduc as she talks about creating working agreements for teams & meetings.

Listen/download (mp3) Creating Team Agreements

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This month for Mentor Monday, we reviewed the 2010 best-selling business book by Robert Sutton, “Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to Be the Best… and Learn from the Worst.” Sutton’s book is based on the more than 100,000 responses he received when he asked employees what they want from their boss.

Listen to this Mentor Monday call  and save yourself a lifetime of learning. Whether you are an emerging leader or a seasoned executive, you’ll benefit with at least one takeaway.

Listen to this entire podcast in only 30 minutes.

Want to read our book review?

Click on the graphic or link,
Sage Leaders – How to be a Better Boss

If you like this type of practical learning then,
register for Mentor Monday (click on link) and you’ll receive advance invitations to all our free calls.

Expect the Best,
Sylva Leduc
Leadership Strategist for Emerging Leaders
Managing Partner, Sage Leaders Inc.

P.S., On the call I mentioned Sutton’s survey. It’s been completed by more than 100,000 people!  Take the survey and evaluate your boss. And if you manage people complete it on yourself. http://goodbadboss.com/

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Imagine this:  You’ve been asked to give a presentation.

Congratulations!  This is your chance to shine.

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t like being in the spotlight and presenting.

You may even have read somewhere that public speaking is the #1 fear of most people and it’s rated even higher than dying.

If just the thought of public speaking makes you cringe, I have good news. You can deliver confident and powerful presentations!  All it takes is preparation, practice, and a winning mindset.  How do I know?  Because the first time I ever had to present in front of a large group, I literally thought I was going to faint. Through preparation, practice and intentionally placing myself in front of opportunities to  present, I grew to enjoy speaking in front of large groups. And now, it’s one of my favorite ways to connect with people.

If you are an emerging leader being groomed for career advancement, then don’t be surprised if you are asked to make presentations more frequently.

I’d like to give you some simple tips you that can use to conquer your worries. With these tips & tactics, you’ll be ready in no time, feeling confident, and fully prepared to share your knowledge.

First, there are a few things for you to think about:

1. If you were asked to present, it’s because you can do it—you wouldn’t have been asked otherwise.
2. Most people don‘t really like presenting.  Some of the best, most well-known speakers and actors have confessed to this.  So, when you look at your audience, know that you’re in good company because they are probably admiring your courage and want you to be successful.
3. The words that come out of your mouth contribute to only about 10% of what is communicated.  That leaves 90% to non-verbals.  If your body language, expression and gestures communicate confidence, you will come across as confident.

But just how do you create this confidence?

Here’s the secret: being prepared; practicing; and having identified beforehand, instant solutions for de-stressing.

One of our favorite mottos is, “If you think you can, you can.”

Here is how you’re going to prepare, stand confidently in place, and knock their socks off!

Confidence Builder #1:  Know Your Content

Identify your key messages—bullet them in order so they tell a clear story.

Jot down cues for your key messages (e.g. on index card, flashcards, paper, etc.).

Have them ready as back up (but remember to refrain from reading them word-for-word while presenting).

Enhance your messages with supporting tools, and interesting visuals—it will be a perk for your audience, and it takes the spotlight off you.

Be sure to tap into your resources—know a graphic design expert?  Ask for their advice. Oh, and be sure to read the book, “Presentation Zen” so that you make your presentation interesting and not put you audience to sleep with a boring Power Point presentation.

Confidence Builder #2:  Practice, Practice, Practice!

Practice delivery of your presentation.  Do this in the mirror.  You might feel funny talking to yourself, but it works.

Or, use a Flip Video, record your presentation and review yourself.

Watch your body language.

Find your “confident look.”

Stand, straight, be sure to use smooth hand gestures, and limit unnecessary movement (e.g. rocking back and forth from one foot to the other).

Practice until the words flow like water.

When you’re ready, practice in front of a friend or two.

Ask them each for 3 things you did well and 1 thing you could improve.

Confidence Builder #3:  Create your “winning scene”

Visualize yourself delivering your presentation.

Then see your audience’s reaction.

What does that “winning scene” look like for you?

Visualize it over and over until you can see it so clearly that you know what color of socks your boss is wearing!

Confidence Builder #4:  Do it!

Identify ways to calm your nerves before you even begin: take deep breaths, or find whatever works for you (e.g. picture everyone smiling and nodding in agreement).

Squelch any negative thoughts or concerns by envision your “winning scene.”

Think positively.  Remember:  “If you think you can, you can.”

As you speak, maintain eye contact with as many people as you can—this conveys confidence and executive presence.  While we don’t want you to stare at anyone for longer than three seconds, we also don’t want your eyes darting around the audience.  You’ll look shifty!

Here’s a quick tip: If it helps, determine a shape in your mind and make eye contact around the room as though you were creating that shape with your line of vision.

Be sure to keep your pace nice and s…l…o…w.

Many of us tend to speedtalk when presenting. I know that I’ve been guilty of this when I didn’t pay attention. What might sound slow to us sounds just right to the listener.

When you are well prepared you will make your points confidently, answer questions clearly, and start to look forward to your next opportunity to be on stage!

Cheers,
Sylva Leduc, MEd, MPEC
The Leadership Strategist
Executive Coach

ps  Any great stories to share about a presentation you made or a one where you were in the audience? What about horror stories of the worst presentation you ever had to sit through?

I found a great article from the Harvard Business School: Whom Would You Hire?

Are you a likeable leader?

Cheers,
Sylva Leduc
Sage Leaders

Has this ever happened in your company?

Someone is promoted to a leadership position. The person successfully competed against other qualified candidates, some of whom you know are just as experienced and smart. You ask yourself, “Why him?” … or, “Why her?”

Soon, through the rumor mill, you hear that it was a question of “Executive Presence.” As often happens in judging one candidate over another, the decision came down to degrees of executive presence.

So you start doing a little research on the subject. Karl Albrecht, a prolific writer and the author of  more than a dozen books, names executive presence as one of the five pillars of social intelligence:

Presence: Often referred to as “bearing,” presence incorporates a range of verbal and nonverbal patterns (one’s appearance, posture, vocal quality, subtle movements)—a whole collection of signals that others process into an evaluative impression of a person.
Karl Albrecht, author of Social Intelligence: The New Science of Success (Pfeiffer, 2009)

Searching for Executive Presence

An Internet search on executive presence reveals definitions and advice on everything from dressing for success and patterns of speech to more fundamental issues of emotional and social intelligence.

The concept of presence raises serious questions for anyone with ambitions of career advancement. If, as Malcolm Gladwell suggests in his book Blink, decisions are made intuitively, what do we need to know about “executive presence”?

As it turns out, everyone’s definition of the term seems to differ. But planning your career and determining your leadership development needs shouldn’t be left to guesswork.

I don’t know about you, but if executive presence makes a difference in getting the promotion or not getting it, I want to be sure I do everything I can to get more of it. So what is “it?”

Some conclude that executive presence has little to do with polish, poise, sophistication or even use of body language and gestures. In many cases, executives with presence are just as likely to lack these qualities.

In this day and age, executive presence comes in all shapes and sizes, including some you wouldn’t normally recognize. Who would have thought, 30 years ago, that Bill Gates would command it?

Would Mark Zuckerberg, the 26-year-old founder of Facebook, have stood out as a high-potential CEO? But as one of the youngest men ever to be named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, he certainly has presence—albeit a “Gen Y” version of it.

If you want to be promoted to the VP level, or even to the C-suites, you must learn how to acquire or improve your level of executive presence. And if you’re already in senior management, you must recognize your current potential and help nurture executive presence in the people you want to groom for succession.

But this may be as elusive as charisma. Everyone knows when someone’s got charisma, but it’s not exactly something you can pick up in business school.

I do think you can improve your executive presence by working on your strengths. I see this all the time with clients, the executives and emerging leaders we coach. In highly competitive organizations, where the high-potential candidates are all pretty smart and savvy, there are ways to manage others’ perceptions to your advantage.

It may be hard to improve your presence, but that’s certainly one thing an executive coach can help you do.

In our work with executives we coach several aspects of executive presence. Speech and mannerisms are only the tip of the iceberg. The rest is developing social intelligence.

Later this year I am presenting at a conference where I have been asked to speak about one of my favorite topics.  Can you guess what that topic is? If executive presence came immediately to mind, you’re right!

As I prepare the materials, I’ll also include more information here, so be sure to bookmark this page. And, I’ll also be offering a special conference call in April.  If you are interested in attending this free call, then be sure to register for Mentor Monday.

Cheers,
Sylva Leduc

What do you think about this concept of executive presence? Can it be faked or manufactured or coached? Please leave a comment.

This was another great call with many thought provoking questions asked by the people who joined us this month. Thanks to everyone for our discussion of Executive Onboarding and the Top Ten ways you can help new leaders be successful.

This podcast is app. 55 minutes in length

If you like this type of learning then register for Mentor Monday (click on link) and you’ll receive advance invitations to all our free calls.

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Additional Resources

During the call Sylva Leduc mentioned a recently published article and two book summaries for you to download and read at any time. Below the article/summaries are several onboarding & leadership books which you may also find beneficial.

Strategies for Successful Onboarding: Derailment or Success?
Article in Leading Age Magazine, January/February 2011

The First 90 Days: Building A Wining Team When You Come Onboard
(Book Summary of The First 90 Days)

The 20 Bad Habits Leaders Should Stop Doing Now
(Book Summary of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There)

Onboarding Books Recommended by Sage Leaders & Sylva Leduc

The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels, by Michael Watkins

Your Next Move, by Michael Watkins

The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan, by George Bradt

Onboarding: How to Get Your New Employee Up To Speed in Half the Time, by George Bradt

You’re In Charge — Now What? The 8-Point Plan, by Thomas Neff and James Citrin

What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, by Marshall Goldsmith

Developing the Leader Within You, by John C. Maxwell

I recently watched a video on leadership, accountability and learning. The leaders I coach have told me that they really enjoyed it, so I decided to share it here.

Cheers,
Sylva Leduc
The Leadership Strategist
www.SageLeaders.com

January is off to a great start with many people joining us for this month’s Mentor Monday call to discuss goal setting. Have you set your own goals for 2011?

Length of this podcast: 31 minutes

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During the call Sylva mentioned the book by Jinny Ditzler, called Your Best Year Yet. You can find the book at Amazon. .

You can also download our short, one page summary of the Best Year Yet questions. BYY-10 Questions

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Are you registered for Mentor Monday? If you are, then you’ll receive an automatic reminder to join us on the fourth Monday of each month. If you are not registered,  then register here

Happy New Year!
Sylva Leduc
Executive Coach
Sage Leaders Inc.

Ken Blanchard, renowned author of Leadership and the One Minute Manager, talks about how to both create and share your leadership point of view.

Cheers,

Sylva Leduc
Leadership Strategist & Executive Coach

The rules have changed and we cannot return to business-as-usual. So, where do innovative business leaders find the tools, processes and passion to survive and thrive in this evolved business environment?

Once in a while, I send out a notice to my contacts when I hear about, or am associated with, a program I truly believe will help the business owners in my network…

My savvy associate Margaret Jacoby, is spearheading a Leadership Power Groups (LPG) seminar and consulting series starting in September. She’s working together with key sponsors like the Small Business Development Center. The program involves 10, monthly, three-hour seminars, with follow-up consulting sessions. Specific topics geared to mid-size businesses, will clue us in about how to do business in this crazy new environment. Really, if you look at how we need to do business now, it’s totally different, and it’s evolving as you read this.

I’m involved as one of the LPG presenters and will be sharing information on the leader’s role in the new reality. I am also eager to hear insights from all the other presenters Margaret has lined up.

Read about this opportunity and share the info with anyone else you know who could benefit:

Web site: www.leadershippowergroups.com/

Twitter: twitter.com/LeadershipPower

Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Phoenix-AZ/Leadership-Power-Groups/284979179742

SBDC: http://www.azsbdc.net/workshop.aspx?ekey=10300115

MJ Management Solutions, Inc.’s Leadership Power Groups are designed to teach business owners how to play by the new rules, and run a successful business beyond 2010, without sacrificing passion and values. The 10-month workshop and consulting series, sponsored by the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), starts in September 2010.

Attendees will receive down-to-earth, immediate action steps to move mid-sized businesses forward. They also will gain the know-how to manage people more wisely, serve customers more effectively, and improve processes to fit the new reality.

The sessions are limited to only 12, hand-selected businesses. Starting Sept. 8, 2010, leaders from each of these organizations will participate in a three-hour monthly session for 10 months. Each in-depth session shared with the 12 business teams will cover a leading-edge business topic, such as leadership, leveraging talent and social capital, social media strategy, and financing and forecasting. The sessions are individualized and include one-on-one, follow-up consulting with industry experts.

The 10 sessions will be held on the second Wednesday of each month, from 4 to 7 pm., at the Maricopa Community College Small Business Development Center, 2400 Central Avenue, Suite 104, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

For more information, visit http://www.leadershippowergroups.com/, or contact: Margaret Jacoby, MJ Management Solutions, Inc., 480-924-6101, margaret@mjms.net, www.mjms.net.