The Latest Insights from Leading NOW

Christine walked into her coaching session and before she even sat down she said, “I’m very nervous about a conversation I have to have with Jack who is constantly making disparaging comments about his co-workers.”

Fashionistas would have women believe that what we wear, the accessories we use and how we look are keys to executive presence. Why? Because that’s how they sell products - and most of us know by now that women make or influence 85% of all consumer purchases. But in the context of executive presence, this emphasis on personal appearance can lead women astray. Appearance isn’t the same as executive presence. Presentation skills aren’t the sole factor in executive presence. And, further, executive presence is different from personal presence. So what aren't women being told about executive presence.

I recently read a book in which the author claims that changing a culture is like turning an aircraft carrier. I frankly think his simile totally misses the mark. For starters, an aircraft carrier is quite nimble for its size and turning it is actually quite simple. The Junior Officer of the Deck (JOOD) gives orders to the helmsman (who controls the rudder) about the direction of the turn and to the lee helmsman (who controls the engines) about the speed of the turn.

In the quiet of a Sunday afternoon, I savor the book descriptions in my Bas Bleu catalog. One title in particular jumps off the page. Sprezzatura: Fifty Ways Italian Genius Shaped the World.

Leadership isn’t something you wait to do when you become a CEO. Lead now or forever hold your place!

Darn, there it is again -- the pervasive advice that 50% of what you need to succeed in business is people skills. This time in a column written by famed executive coach, Marshall Goldsmith. He wrote: "...your people skills often make the difference in how high you go. Who would you rather have as a CFO? A moderately good accountant who is great with people ...or a brilliant accountant who's inept with [people]... The candidate with superb people skills will win out every time, in large part because he (e.a.) will be able to...lead." Oddly enough, these stories refer over and over again to "he." Hmm, could there be something about this formula that works for men, but not for women? Most assuredly!

Women leaders consistently rate higher than men as managers of people but are consistently rated lower in the area of strategic acumen. Although strategic acumen must be exercised on a daily basis, one organizational ritual presents the perfect opportunity for honing and demonstrating these skills -- the annual planning process. In order to exercise and showcase your strategic acumen, you will want to plan like a CEO no matter at the level you lead.

When we asked women to tell us the best career advice they received and applied our definition of leadership to analyze what we heard, we discovered that: Nearly 75% of the advice had to do with the personal greatness component "Use the greatness in you..." Nearly 24% was advice about "...engaging the greatness in others." Only about 2% was advice about how to "...achieve and sustain extraordinary outcomes."

Conventional advice to women has little to say about executive communication, board communication and media skills. It's one reason why conventional advice to women won't close the gender gap at the top and why Leading Women focuses on these skills in our Leadership Mastery and Breakthrough Leadership programs. So, it's refreshing to come across a high-value news release from Anne D. Grant on executive communication. In the excerpt below, notice that among the skills being tested were use of numbers, positive monetary impact and development of products/process (i.e. Outcomes). Her findings are aligned with what we teach about Using the Language of Power™ and the Power of Language and with how to Self-Promote with Grace and Authenticity™.

This weekend I had the honor to speak at TEDxBeaconStreet on closing the gender gap at the top.