IT What Great Leaders Have They all have but “it” is not limited to people in nd business executives have “it mighty positions. Your doctor may have it, and your daughter's piano teacher may have it, too, All these individuals who attract your attention ln mag netism that pulls others to them. When they enter the room, the energy level rises. You perk up, stop what you're people are compelling ost effortlessly. They hav doing, and focus on them. You expect something interesting to happen. ‘What ist they have? They have presence—the ability to command the attention of others. When you think of these people, you think of words like inspiring, motivatin energized, credible, focuse commanding, confident fil i presence may Presence doesn’t have to mean intire room. Yo be smaller, but no less genuine. You may bea great o meetings. Stil, whether your presence is wersationalist or lead great large or more intimate, you must have it Most of us, however, don’t seck to be the center of attention all the time But when we join a group or enter room, we want our arrival acknowl edged. When we speak, we want oth- ers to listen. When we offer presence. by Belle Linda Halpern and Kathy Lubar | vant treated with respect. We tobe taken seriously, We want our existence to have weight and for others. We all want presence because no one wants to be ignored. What Is Presence? We think of connect authentically with the thoi and feelings result of ongoing choices you make, or ou take or fail to take, Presence is a set of skills that you can develop. Developing presence Lup habitual patterns of behavior rsence as the ability to hts ‘others. Presence is the to gi : fie pee patie Ty pn > Places and do things that el scarab tat nly you you to Just because you've won the lead in a play ora leadership title at work doesn’t mean you automatically hold sway over your audience or your people. Your per formance must grant you the authority the title or role implies. The presence you bring to your role up, how you connect, how you speak, how you show listen, act—every move you make ates the impact you have nin. It begins with an inner state, which leads toa series of external behaviors, Sure, you can put on the behaviors, but by themselves they'll lack somethin : nndividual, and each person must dis. essential. Presence varies with ea cover his or her own unique presence in all its richness and variety Learning From Theater Actors work diligently to develop presence. Thi esence. For the actor and performer, presence is not a happy accident of access depends on genetics or upbringing—it's the result of training and practice. We draw heav ily on the a principl the development of presence. {ng profession for concrete practices, and stories about What can leaders or managers hope eam from actors? Sure, they can learn | how to speak better, to project their voices, to stand up straight. But there's more to learn. Think about the lat time ‘you were moved by an actor ina live theatrical performance, movie, or elev sion program. We mean really moved to fel something deeply, to understand something more completely, to think about somethin, rom a new perspective hhange your something, Now think about the last time you were moved by a presentation made by a leader in your organization: moved, perhaps, to understand a differ: ent point of view, be excited about a new ibility, or be motivated to adapt and grow with changi The goal of the actor or leader in these instances is the to connect with The skills that actors tse to move, convince inspire, or enter applica anizations. They are essential for leadership. Great leaders must be confident, energotic, empathetic, inspira tain have direct and power tions in o tional, credible, and authentic That leaders and actors share some skills and characteristics should come as " Actors and leaders face a ‘common challenge. They must form connections, communicate effectively, ind work with others as.a team. They must play different roles, as the situa tion requires. They must be prepared to influence and move people every day. Leadership Presence Since presence is about connections ween people, i is useful for anyon Connecting authentically with the thoughts and feelings of others can only improve your relationships. Leaders need presence, because at its core lead ership is about interactions, connec tions, and relationships A leader is anyone who tries to move a group to obtain a particular result You don’t need a ttle to lead. But you do need presence. Since leadership is about outcomes, leaders need to dire ts and minds of others toward some purpose o desired result: Pres- the full energies of others to a common end. ‘Our model of Leadership Presence (PRES) has four stands for Being Present, the ability tobe completely in the moment and flew le enough to handle the unexpected.Restands tor Reaching One, the ability TS Memorable Leaders | to build relationships with others through empathy, listening, and authen- tic connection. E stands for Expressiveness, the abil ity to express feelings and emotions appropriately by using all available swords, voice, boxy, face—to deliver one congruent message. S stands for Sef-knowing, the ability toaccept yourself tobe authentic, and | to reflect your values in your decisions and actions, Each element possesses both an inte= | rior and an exterior aspect. The interior aspect has to do with the state of mind and heart from which each element | springs, while the exterior aspect has to | do with the behavior that reflects and reveals the interior aspect. Focusing on the exterior and ignoring the interior is like being courteous without caring, It may work fora short while, but its hol: Towness soon becomes obvious. Benefits of Leadership Presence Leadership presence is a powerful tool for moving influencing, inspiring, mot vating, mobilizing, and energizing peo- ple toachieve goals. The skills of leadership presence may be applied to: develop deeper and more trusting rela- | tionships with your clients: inspire your teammates to sprint to the finish onan important project convince your investors to fund your next grea | encourage your employees to hang in ‘hough tough times; create enthusiasm fora dificult change: nurture a culture that engenders loyalty and retention | Imagine how you might apply these abilities to agree on common goals, make a group intoa rel team, cent longterm | relationships with customers, or improve | cotlaboration with colleagues, Presence is ‘more than charisma, Many “charismatic leaders” have le their organizations ‘over the cliff Leadership presence com bines power with humility. I's about Where you and those you lead want to {g0, what you want to accomplish, and how all of you can benefit from your work together It’s about relationships and connections between people. EE | They always keep their word to build trust. by Dennis Murray LLOF US WANT TO BE Antowon on it vanity or an extension lof our basic instinet for survival. We ‘want to know that our lives are worth- {while and that our accomplishments make a difference. As leaders, we strive leach day to accomplish goals we hope ‘will eave a lasting impression on those {who follow us. We want to make a differ lence and leave a legacy: Unfortunately, only a handful of leaders ever do so. (One lesson we learn from leaders who ‘become memorable is that we must ‘always keep our word. Our word is our ‘bond. Our word is every- thing, Failing to follow ‘through on what we say breaks a trust as surely asif ‘we had been caught in ale. |For a leader, not keeping your ‘word will consign you to oblivion. Memorable leaders are remembered precisely for the extraordinary lengths they .g0 to do what they said they | would do. Julius Caesar was kidnapped as a mang man and held for ransom by Pirates. His captors demanded 20 tal ents, a lange sum in those days, but when ‘Caesar heard ofthis, he laughed at them, He told the pirates they obviously didn’t know who they had captured, and ‘announced that he was worth no less than 50 talents! Caesar knew that it was ‘only a matter of time before the pirates ‘would forego the 20 talents just for the pleasure of watching him die a slow, painful death. However, for 50 talents, the pirates would ensure his safety rather than risk losing their prize For the 40 days of his captivity, Cae- |sar behaved as he always did. He also [told them that when he was released be ‘would track them down and crucify every one of them. The pirates must have deemed his statement tobe riicu- lows, but when Caesar's ransom was [paid and his captors released him, the first thing he did was chase down the pirates, capture them, and have them strangled, afar more merciful death. than crucifixion, But true to his ‘word, the lifeless bodies were then attached to the crosses and hoisted up forall to see, When Caesar said something, he meant it During the darkest days of World War Il for the American military, Gen- eral Douglas MacArthur and his army were pressed back onto the Bataan peninsula by the advancing Japanese army. Ordered to Australia by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, MacArthur said, “I shall return,” Eventually after many bloody bat- tes, the Japanese advance was stopped in the South PPacificand the Allies took the offensive. At this int, major strategie disagreement broke out between MacArtivur and the Admirals of the US Navy. The Admirals ‘wanted to “island-hop” and strike directly against the Japanese homeland, They argued against diverting any troops tothe Philip- pines. But MacArthur prevailed After years of intense fighting, sol dirs of the US Army stormed ashore in the Philippines. MacArthur then said, “Ihave returned.” General Douglas MacArthur is remembered as.a great military leader: Yet, he is probably remem- bered most for keeping his word, ‘Consider Caesar. Who would have held this young man to his boast and expected hhim to risk his life chasing down a bunch of pirates? ‘The answer: Caesar would. That's what it means to be true to yourself. When it comes to keeping your word, itis all or nothing. Be careful what you say. You will be held accountable fort, ifonly by yourself Mir Faas ul Anton Dich ‘Ao Ai 50-8 eso ACTION: Be memorable Kep your wordCopyright of Executive Excellence is the property of Executive Excellence Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to alistserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.