Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
It has been a long while. And here comes the Episode 5 of the “Good Employee” series.
I recently took a training on “Executive Presence” and corrected my biggest misunderstanding on this topic:
It is all about the “External” where one has to show by practicing and applying techniques.
Now I learned that the “External” has to be driven by the right “Internals” so that:
- The “External” comes across as true and genuine, instead of fake and dishonest
- We do not get drained by showing gravitas
And I know I agree!
The “Internals” really come in below three aspects:
- Passion: This is the most fundamental condition for executive presence. This is what drives us to a destination and showing gravitas is just part of the efforts to get there.
- The Effective Thinking Pattern: We need to take a broader perspective beyond our job scope or personal interest. We need to own the responsibilities to drive and think in the functional way that helps us advance on the end purpose.
- The Effective Emotional Pattern: Negative emotions can break a person down. We need to be able to avoid that and do better. We need to pro-actively manage our emotions so that we constantly feel the positive and functional emotions that encourage us to drive forward and improve our performance. There is no excuse on this one for us, no matter how tempting it is to take a break and comfort ourselves.
One problem I have struggled for so long immediately resonates me with the trainer’s teaching.
I have always felt embarrassed pointing out the flaws or improvement ideas for other people’s work.
I always feel that this is “attacking” other people in the areas that are not even within my scope. This makes it extra hard for me to do it, even when I know I should.
I feel that I am bothered by this problem more than most people.
And it causes serious consequences:
- The organization does not get the best work delivered
- My managers and colleagues feel that I am too soft and indifferent to my job and the benefits of the organization
- I feel either wasted because I do not reach my full potential in delivering value, or embarrassed, frustrated and exhausted because I have to force myself to do it and face emotional suffering due to reactions of my colleagues who feel “attacked”.
Anyway, it is not sustainable and reduces my confidence and interest at work, and ultimate affects my career potential negatively.
So my “External” does not show Gravitas and I feel bad about it.
However, if I apply what I learned from the training, I see a potential solution.
- Passion: I do want to contribute to the organization and that is what motivates me to work hard and deliver good work. Of course, it might be an overstatement to call that passion, but the intention is strong.
- The Effective Thinking Pattern: I will point out the flaw and offer improvement ideas for the greater purpose to improve the benefits for the organization. I am not “attacking” my colleague and I am not doing it for my self-interest. Instead, it is my duty to stand out and make those comments.
- The Effective Emotional Pattern: I can avoid feeling embarrassed, frustrated and exhausted due to reactions of others by managing my emotions proactively. Instead, I can guide myself to feel pride, accomplished and even superior, because that is the right but hard thing to do.
Summary
Executive Presence or Gravitas has more to do with “Internals” than “Externals”.
Recognizing our passion, embracing effective thinking and emotional patterns is the foundation “Internals” for Gravitas.
We need to bravely take up the bigger responsibilities and perspective beyond our job scope and self-interest.
For the next two weeks, I will practice by utilizing every opportunity I get to prepare and speak up!
Till next time!
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