What I used to think....

What I used to think.....

6/2/2021

"You must do the thing you think you cannot do." --Eleanor Roosevelt

I used to think leadership presence was nice to have, but real leadership was much more than presence.

What I'm realizing from my work with women leaders is that leadership presence is a must have.

Yes, there's more to leadership than presence but without solid leadership presence the other elements of leadership produce outcomes that are less than what is possible.

What do I mean?

Leadership presence matters when women want to be taken seriously at work and it impacts their ability to make their best contribution.

How much power they have to influence critical stakeholders and whether or not their new ideas for leading change will be accepted and implemented is impacted by their leadership presence.

Understanding and cultivating leadership presence is a big deal for women.

As a woman leader, the presence you exhibit is the special sauce that gives your leadership its effectiveness and you your authority.

It's true, part of leadership presence is physical; how you stand, walk, and present yourself.

A much bigger part of leadership presence is about harnessing the power of your own authenticity, insights and passion.

Understanding who you are as a person, who you want to be as a leader and then consciously surrounding yourself with people who support you and see what you are capable of contributing is what strengthens leadership presence from the inside out.

On the surface this may seem obvious. But it does take some time and deliberation.

Your direct manager may be planting seeds of confidence that support you in developing your leadership presence.

However, many managers have jam packed calendars and don’t have the time it takes to guide you in developing your leadership presence.

Leadership presence is too important to leave to chance.

Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook says that "leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence."

When you get up to give a presentation, do you command the room?

When you lead a meeting, do you inspire others to action?

When you have a new idea, can you get the attention of decision makers so they commit the resources you need?

What I've seen, especially since starting the Women's Leadership Cohort, is that when women have access to the tools and resources for development, their leadership presence grows by leaps and bounds.

They advocate for promotions and they get them.

They build a business case for a significant change and it happens.

If you'd like to fast track the development of your own authentic leadership presence, click here to join the next Women's Leadership Development Cohort
https://www.wiseleader.net/women-managers-cohort.html

In the cohort we spend an entire session on the topic of leadership presence, visibility and the three biggest mistakes women leaders make.

If you're a manager and you have up and coming women leaders on your team, let them know you have money in the budget and encourage them to enroll.

You'll see amazing results in their confidence and level of contribution.

Our next Cohort starts July 15th. Click here to enroll
https://www.wiseleader.net/women-managers-cohort.html

If you have questions, be sure to email me back: Rita@wiseleader.net

I look forward to seeing you or your women direct reports in July!