^{Mastering Executive Presentations: 11 Essential Moves}

Presenting to your CEO or a senior executive is a high-visibility moment that can accelerate your impact. Executives are time-strapped and quick to shift focus, so your approach must be succinct, direct, and adaptable. Here’s how to make your message land-and drive results.

What Defines a 'Good' Meeting?

The definition of a "good" meeting is subjective and varies based on individual needs and expectations. For some, it means having the opportunity to contribute; for others, it’s about being heard or simply getting through the session efficiently. Ego, routine, or even the perceived prestige of being part of a group can influence how attendees perceive meetings.

Reflecting on past experiences, certain commonalities emerged in meetings that stood out as productive and enjoyable:

• Shared Goals: Participants worked toward a common objective that everyone valued.

• Respectful Relationships: Familiarity and mutual respect among attendees fostered collaboration.

• Clear Roles: Everyone understood their purpose and contribution to the meeting’s success.

• Preparation: Attendees came equipped with relevant information and insights.

Mastering the Art of Feedback: Your Key to Personal and Professional Growth

In today's fast-paced professional world, continuous improvement is not just a buzzword—it's a necessity. One of the most powerful tools in your arsenal for growth is the ability to seek and effectively utilize feedback. This article will guide you through the process of asking for feedback, ensuring you get the most valuable insights to propel your career forward.

If you are unfamiliar with the term, active listening involves being fully 'present' when someone is communicating with you. It means avoiding distractions and focusing intently on what is being said.

I recall instances where I was not entirely engaged in meetings. It is easier to become distracted in a group setting than in a one-on-one conversation, but it can happen in both scenarios. We often get sidetracked by our own thoughts, such as pondering over a problem while supposedly listening to someone on another matter, or by messages on our phone or computer during a conversation.

Is this significant? In a word – Yes!

Maybe you are clear on your next role and the type of organizations you would like to work for, or perhaps you are looking to make a change and shift away from the known roles and explore something new. Where to start can often be the biggest hurdle when we think of our next job and this delays us from taking action as we are unclear on the best action to take.

Before embarking on a job application journey, it's crucial to clarify several key aspects that can significantly enhance your chances of success. Here are the top six things I would recommend to get clear on. These are not groundbreaking suggestions but are where I find the biggest challenges can be presented and therefore overcome:

As a coach, I often get asked by clients, the best way to leave their role and transition to the next one. This is not surprising, as my clients are action oriented and are looking to progress in their careers. But there is frequently hesitation and fear about reactions and negativity that they may receive from their current supervisors, once they share that they intend to leave.

My clients are concerned about their reputation and integrity and look for some clear steps to help them move through the exit process smoothly.

Even as a professional in the coaching industry, I needed this reminder of the immense benefits that coaching offers—not just for my business but for me personally. I want to keep moving forward at this pace because it feels fantastic, and I have no desire to slow down!

Here are some insights I'd like to share for those unfamiliar with coaching:

- Supportive Partnership: My coach truly has my best interests at heart—it's a confidential, nonjudgmental space where I feel supported.

- Encouragement: Leaning on my coach for support feels great; I'm not alone with my challenges, and there's plenty of encouragement and positivity.

- Preparation: Coming prepared with topics and challenges ensures I get the most out of each session.

- Accountability: There's work to do between sessions, but knowing it benefits me motivates me to complete it.

- Accelerated Progress: While I don't always achieve everything I set out to do, I'm moving forward ten times faster than if I were working alone.

In short, this positive experience has reinforced why I do what I do and the immense value coaches bring to their clients. If I had to use a metaphor, it's like walking alongside a train towards your destination and then suddenly boarding it—now you're moving at speed!

Key challenges that my clients often face - frequently I find problems can arise when people are either moving into their first leadership position or a much more significant leadership role.

Often, there is no transition or training for new/larger role and so there is a period of initial excitement followed by panic, as they try to work out how to deal with all the complexities that come with the job.

Along with the panic, I find that several things often happen. In no order the ‘new leader’:

1. Keeps doing what they’ve done before – but it doesn’t work in the new role.

2.  Gets overwhelmed with the new additional tasks and responsibilities.

3. Behaves differently due to additional stress and anxiety around the role

4. Receives feedback that is unfavorable, and they are not sure how to deal with it

5. Loses confidence as they discover the role is difficult and they are not sure how to go forwards.

6. Micromanages those around them to feel they are in control of the situation.

With all these factors, an individual’s performance drops, and the team is impacted. But if you find yourself in this position, what can you do?

How many missed opportunities are out there, for businesses to improve, because their management is not only unwilling to tackle to difficult conversations, but their leaders don’t want to stand out from their peers by doing the right thing.

This then highlights to me how courageous managers at times must be. They need to overcome the actual difficulty of the conversation or action but also the potential isolation from others who are unwilling to take the right (but more difficult) action. In a social sense it can take us way from the tribe..

And if we don’t want to stand out, or stretch ourselves, then mediocrity or poor performance is the only outcome that will prevail

Where does this leave us then?

As leaders, if we are noticing this difficulty across those we manage, there are several key areas to consider if we are serious about improving our team and the organization.

1. Am I demonstrating the behaviors and actions I want to see?

2. Am I creating the right culture that supports taking difficult action?

3. Am I ensuring to recruit managers with the right mindset and courage?

4. Am I challenging and training those who do not yet feel brave enough to lead difficult conversations?

It is easy to look at the leaders or individuals that are ahead of you in your journey and think either that it looks straightforward to lead people (it’s not!) or to feel that you will never be able to do that role, or get that job you really want, because the challenge feels too great.

The key thing to note here is that it is work. It is not easy. Having a plan, helps to map out the ‘what’ but not necessarily the ‘how’ …and the how will be influenced by our own experiences and role models in front of us and the help that we choose to seek out. But its not impossible to improve leadership skills and business performance, if we are willing to take action and get the right help along the way.

I frequently speak with clients about confidence and body language when they are thinking about positioning themselves for future roles or even in delivering presentations. But when we mix these components with gravitas, clear communication and being authentic in the workplace, we start talking about something less tangible and easy to describe - Executive Presence.

If you are faced with the task of leading a team through a change program, knowing what to think about or prepare for can feel daunting if its something new you have not worked through before. Frequently, there is a considered plan to follow with timelines and a dedicated change ‘team’ to ensure the outcomes are achieved. This can provide some level of support and guidance on how to share the changes with your team and is a point of contact for questions and concerns as the ‘change’ progresses and is embedded into regular business practices.

But what if there is no official program (or structure) and the organization is in a permanent state of change and growth. What does that feel like?

One of the most common issues I hear from leaders that I speak with, is the overwhelm they feel in trying to deal with multiple issues at work and at home. It is too much. The head space is not available, and they end up spinning as they battle with actions, decisions and where to focus effort next. But it is not always clear how this can be addressed or why it is so hard to overcome.

Office politics is something that exists within a lot if not all organizations. I used to think of it as something fearful and to be avoided because I did not truly understand how it operated. We also often hear about the negative side to office politics, or we may have suffered it. Behaviors such as manipulation, favoritism and undermining fall into this category and can be upsetting and exhausting to experience.