Purisco

Tag: status quo

  • Leaders are born or made?

    Leadership is a frequently topic discussed by different groups and frequently mentioned in trainings and teaching materials, usually followed by the question: “are leaders born or made?”, but clearly due to the large number of adverse responses we note that there is no correct statement.

    Based on my experience, I believe that certain people are born with the real vocation of being leaders, and the training or qualification itself becomes something to improve their intrinsic and natural traits that already exist from an early age. In this way, improvement becomes something natural on their path, meaning there are no frictions or difficulties as for those who, on the opposite, were not born with this vocation.

    The very desire and interest in becoming a leader comes from the individual’s inner desire and not the other way around, although very common, where the environment ends up imposing that one assume leadership. In moments when the environment imposes the need for leadership, those who were born begin to shine and live for a purpose, while those who were not born, some may redefine themselves and rediscover themselves as leaders and the other may even assume the leadership position and have a poor performance because they will be there against their own nature.

    Obviously, those who are born will have an easier path in their development and performance, but this does not mean that those who want to change their status quo are not also capable of achieving excellence.

    A leader’s success will also be based on the relationship between his form and style of leadership and the scenario in which he/she finds himself, often the scenario will require resilience from the leader who must adapt his/her ways of leading and interacting with those around. And the best way to measure this is by analyzing the ones around, especially his/her team, where a balance is needed between the climate of individuals and performance results.

    Those who wish to take leadership or are willing to challenge themselves to achieve it were born leaders and will bring a positive impact to everyone, while others who experience the opposite, do not need to insist on a mistake that will negatively affect not only themselves but also those around.

  • Key Points to Understand and Build Executive Presence

    When we talk about executive presence we must consider that it’s not a born trait and instead it is a skill to be developed, cultivated and built. That’s the reason why we always heard that:

    “Great Leaders aren’t born, they’re made!”

    Executive Presence is made of how much confidence and inspiration you give to the ones around you (peers, team, managers, executives and others), while creating an image of leadership, competence and trustworthiness.

    The essential elements that will build Executive Presence are:

    • Gravitas – How You Act
    • Communication – How You Speak
    • Appearance – How You Look

    Executive presence will give confidence and inspiration to others and will increase the chances of reaching new opportunities and influence decisions that you are part of.

    Imagine yourself trying to close a deal with a client, even if you have the same product and price as competitors, the only thing that will matter at this time will be the way handled the negotiation from start to end, in that case your Executive Presence will become the predominant element for success.

    Key Points for Executive Presence

    Be Prepared. Always be prepared for any kind of situation, even if it’s a business lunch, an elevator speech or a unexpected presentation, that’s why you need to be always aware of what’s happening, knowing the status, problems and solutions.

    Clear Communication. Have the ability to transmit your ideas in a very clear way to others.

    Believe in yourself and have confidence. If you don’t believe in yourself who else will do?

    Look at you! Understand how people perceive the way you are and especially how you treat others around you.

    Decisiveness. The courage, confidence and way to take decisions and taking ownership of its risks and consequences.

    Listen.Being a great listener you’ll be able to ask the right questions and explore new ideas.

    Build Relationships. Understand the company culture, its people, the way things work, start building relationships with everyone. A strong leader must be supported by a strong network of relationships.

    Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable. Under stressful situations keep your cool to think in ways to solve the problem. Being desperate and overwhelmed will not help, instead you’ll lose confidence from others because nobody wants to see their own leader out of control.

    Emotional Intelligence. Specially empathy.

    Integrity and Ethics. Always believe and apply the right values.

    Appearance. Your appearance must not be a distraction, understand the context of every situation and also check the way people dress or take care of their own style. Always try to find balance to fit in.

    Remember, there’s no receipt to build an Executive Presence, it will depends on the environment and culture you are in, and everything will be applied based on your personal traits, values, past experiences and perception of life.