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Executive Presence and the Culture of Power
Writing about presence, says Richard Heckler, author of The
Anatomy of Change, is trying to put into words what is basically a
nonverbal experience. We can experience
presence, we can feel it in others, and we can be moved by it, but we have to
talk around it to “get it. ”Presence
comes from knowing who you are – and being comfortable with it. When you have presence, people can tell
where you’re coming from. They can see
not only what you do, but how you do it.
When leaders with executive presence speak, people
listen. Think Rudy Giuliani on
September 11, or Police Chief Charles Moose addressing the cameras during the
recent sniper events. These are people
who command our attention and respect, and inspire trust. Yet they do so in two very different ways,
one very outspoken and animated, the other reserved, almost taciturn. The common element is being authentic,
being real.
People with presence, says Kathy Lubar, a Cambridge,
Massachusetts, consultant, “have a sense of congruence about them – their
voice, body, emotions, words and energy all work together.” Considering that research has shown that
between 70 and 90 percent of all communication is nonverbal, it’s surprising
how many executives focus only on the verbal part of their communications – the
content – with minimal thought as to how they use their voice, their body, and
the physical space they occupy.
Stuart Heller, in his book Retooling
on the Run, writes about the different kinds
of presence: physical, mental, emotional, and
kinesthetic. Presence is more than just showing up. “Being present with all of
yourself is fundamental to effective
action….When you lose active awareness of any
part of yourself, you sacrifice presence and
diminish your capacity for action.” The kinesthetic aspect of presence – the
experience you have of your body – is often the
one you lose touch with most readily. Little wonder, then, that we refer to the
wandering of attention as an “out-of-body
experience.”
When you lose presence, you
lose power. Presence
is directly linked to power, and power (or
“politics”, as some think of it) is what
dominates the culture at the top of the
organization. That’s because at the top, merit is no
longer a useful way to differentiate between
people who are all highly qualified and
accomplished. At the executive level, according to a
recent article in T&D Magazine, “you must
become part of the power culture” or you’ll be
marginalized. “Some people never adapt well to the
executive power culture.”
The executive power culture
is not, in and of itself, a bad thing. Top executives must exercise power and
influence artfully and effectively to get things
done in a very complex environment, and this
becomes a major source of success. Here’s where presence is so, well,
powerful: Presence
helps you build trust and credibility quickly. People with presence know how to really
connect with people, the kind of connecting that
leads to the strong, long-lasting relationships
that are responsible for most business success.
If you want to motivate and inspire others, if you need
to communicate difficult messages in tough times,
if you must interact with individuals or groups,
presence is critical. The surprise for most people is that presence can be
developed, although you must go beyond the quick
fixes -- tips and techniques. It’s knowing who you are and what you
stand for that builds presence from the core,
rather than working on the right gesture or tone
of voice. By staying in touch with your real self, and by being
aware of all of yourself, you can more easily
sustain an authentic presence even in the hottest
situation.
A study by Accountemps revealed that the average executive wastes nearly four weeks a year because things are misplaced, misfiled, mislabeled or simply go missing.
Studies conducted by Day-Timers show that the average worker spends 10-35% of his or her time sending and receiving email and voicemail messages.
According to polling data from Gallup, 7 out of 10 employees say they feel a “great deal” (29%) or a “moderate amount” (42%) of stress in their jobs right now. About half of all employees say that the demands of the job itself cause them the most stress.
Presenteeism (As opposed to absenteeism): A state in which employees are at work but unable to perform fully. According to a recent survey performed by health services provider AdvancePCS, between 70 and 80 percent of respondents reported chronic or episodic health conditions over a two-week period – headaches, stomach aches, colds/flu, or similar ailments. Researchers estimate the annual cost in lost productivity to be $180 billion. Since between 38 to 48 percent of these same workers go to work rather than remain at home despite lowered capacity, much of the loss in productivity is invisible to employers.
You
Are What You Say, by Matthew Budd and Larry Rothstein. What I like about it: I turn to this book again and again in coaching executives, because it is filled with straightforward explanations for the most vexing communication problems, and practices to overcome them. I’m reading it now straight through for the second time.
Beth Bloomfield
Executive Coach, Strategy Consultant
Principal, Bloomfield Associates  The
Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni. What I like about it: Written in the form of a business fable, Lencioni (author of The Five Temptations of a CEO) entertains while showing how team dysfunctions can affect outcomes. The book also provides a nice diagnostic device. Most organizations have at least one or two of Lencioni's dysfunctions. But remember: recognizing the condition is the first step towards the cure.
Ken Karpay
Management Consultant
President,
Karpay Diem, LLC
Share what you’re into — books, articles, movies, music, websites — with others on the list! Send us the title and author or other pertinent information, along with one sentence on what you like about it, and if we use it in A Different Optic we’ll not only quote you, we’ll provide a link to your website. 
“Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everybody gets busy on the proof.”
—
John Kenneth Galbraith
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Beth
Bloomfield and two other Washington-area coaches, Randy Chittum and Alicia Rodriguez, will present a workshop on Building Leadership Capacity in Your Organization for members and guests of the Washington, DC chapter of
the Institute of Management Consultants on Saturday, November 16, 2002.
The workshop will be held from 8:30am to 1:00pm
at George Washington University in
Washington, DC. Go to the IMCDC website for complete information on
registration for this exciting
opportunity to learn about cutting
edge thinking on leadership
development. Beth is quoted in the October 2002 issue of
HR Magazine in an article entitled “Coaching HR”, by Andrea Poe. Here’s what she had to say: On why HR professionals would seek a coach: “HR professionals often look for help with things like strategic planning, ROI [return on investment], evolution of initiatives and corporate communications – how to make the case for the importance of HR programs.” On a transitional plan for the end of a coaching relationship: “You want to be able to walk away with an unassisted action plan. You can always touch base with your coach, but you want to leave [the relationship] being able to self-advise.”
An article on working from home by Robin Lamb that appeared in the November 9 edition of the
Maryland Daily Record featured Beth. For some unknown reason, the author, the photographer, and their editor were most interested in the antics of Beth’s hand-fed backyard squirrels.
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