As a leader you are on show all of the time.
People – your team, peers, stakeholders, and your boss are watching you and make decisions and assumptions about you based on what you do or don’t do.
Do you ever stop and think about this?
Do you take time out to consider how you show up and the impression you make?
My guess is rarely… you may do this for those important meetings, but hardly ever day to day for each interaction.
Now, you may be reading this thinking that’s impossible, or feeling overwhelmed just at the thought of it. However, it’s easier than you think. I’ve developed a simple 4 step model to enable you to show up as your best self each and every day!
Here is a quick over view for you to consider:
Step one of leadership presence: Physiology – How are you showing up as a leader?
“The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.”
John Dewey
How do you walk into a room or walk around the office?
How do you sit and present in meetings?
How would people describe you if they saw you? Always in a rush, laid back, fidgety, looks angry….
How you physically show up is important and is the first thing people ‘read’ when they meet you, so it’s worth taking some time to consider how you want to appear.
Step two of leadership presence: Purpose – What is your intention?
“Our intention creates our reality.”
Wayne Dwyer
In any interaction do you consider what your intention is?
When you are clear about why you are there – the purpose of the meeting, you will naturally focus on the topics that are most relevant to achieve this. You’ll avoid going down rabbit holes and notice when you and others are distracted.
It brings clarity and allows you to prepare more fully.
Your intention may be that you want a specific decision, just want to get someone’s point of view, build a relationship, agree how you are going to work together, develop a plan….. These are just some examples to get you thinking.
Step three of leadership presence: Present – where are you putting your attention?
“Amid this constant surge of information, attention has become our most precious asset.”
Jocelyn Glei
This can often be the biggest challenge and it requires you to be present, in this moment. Not thinking about your next meeting. Not reviewing what has just happened in a previous meeting or phone call. Not playing out in your head what you want to say, or listening to any other internal dialogue…
Simply being present with all your attention on the person in front of you.
Step four of leadership presence: Practice – what new habits are you trying to create?
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Aristotle
Your success in life is the sum of all of your habits and our habits are often out of conscious thought. They are well practiced and we do them without noticing.
By doing the previous three steps you will begin to notice some ‘old’ habits. Some will be useful. Some will not. The key is to keep practicing those habits that are useful and to create (practice) new habits to replace the unhelpful ‘old’ ones.
This really does take practice – a bit like learning to ride a bike. You may fall off a few times and as long as you keep getting up and having another go – you’ll master it!
Be your best self each and every day!
To get your copy of my free mini coaching series on this 4- step model click here
