Stand Out | Book Review

Leadership presence is what people say about you
after you leave the room. (p. 2)

by Carol Kinsey Goman, is a worthy companion to Susan Packard’s New Rules of the Game, especially with her focus on Leadership Presence for Women. Consider beginning with the conclusion on page 227, a discussion about leading in a post-Covid environment.

This review segments primary takeaways from the five leadership quality chapters, body language & branding chapters, and the presence for women chapter.

Five C’s

Authentic Leadership Presence Begins with Your Values. (p. 13)

In Leader’s Compass workshops, we learn credibility and trust are the core of any leader’s reputation. Goman expands a bit, sharing five qualities of leadership presence. To stand out as a leader, you must be able to effectively display all five (credibility, confidence, composure, connection, and charisma) in combination with each other (p. 9). A most welcome addition, since we tend to overlook how our physical actions affect our leadership effectiveness. We can explore Goman’s five simple tips to increase our ability to project credibility, confidence, composure, connection, and charisma:

Credible communicators choose words that have the most impact

What do you want people to know, to feel and to do? (p. 23). Analogous to Aristotle’s logos, pathos & ethos rhetorical triad, Goman calls this the head, heart, and hands model. In addition to sharing expectations, how persuasive is our Personal Leadership Philosophy (PLP)?

Confident leaders send nonverbal signals of power and authority

An abundance mindset offers a terrific starting point. A positive outlook has long been acknowledged to be a crucial part of high-level confidence (p. 51). One of the opposite, or scarcity mindset, habits we should break: Stop comparing yourself to others (p. 50).

Composed leaders display poise under pressure.

We should approach any Crucial Conversation with the single question “What Do I Really Want?” Goman similarly advises we begin by asking yourself what outcome you want and then decide what action you could take that would most likely achieve that goal (p. 73).

Goman has a wonderful perception of energy. Stress is basically a response, a flow of energy if you will (p. 79), and she highlights its useful form. “Eustress” is the term used to describe the positive level of stress that heightens productivity, creativity, and enjoyment of life (p.79). This offers an interesting question: “When in my instinctive, or high stress mode, what is a useful way to direct my energy?”

Leaders who Connect build strong, trusting business relationships.

Often, when discussing dominant yellow Energize2Lead (E2L) Profiles, we’re tempted to think of this trait superficially, perhaps as someone social or talkative.  The researchers discovered that when someone feels excluded, there is activity in the dorsal portion of the anterior cingulate cortex – the neural region involved in the “suffering” component of pain (p. 97).

A better way to think of a dominant yellow personality is one who wants to know that and how they fit in. Empathy helps you understand people’s unique needs and judge how to respond appropriately (p. 107). 

Charismatic leaders use their unique brand of personal charm to attract others.

Goman’s definition of charisma is appealing I think of charisma as a flow of energy that attracts people to you like a magnet (p. 117). She offers twenty-six (A to Z) tips for collaborative, or connection-based charisma on pages 126-129.

The unquestioned authority of leaders in the past
has been replaced by the need to enlist
all team members as true partners. (p. 126)

Body Language & Brand

Goman lists three constants in how humans read and respond to body language (pp. 139-141):

• We look first for signs of danger.
• We need context.
• We mimic body language.

Our instinctive needs are essential for personal safety, and most of us need to know “the why” (dominant blue E2L personalities), and we frequently reciprocate when approached in accordance with our expectations.

Goman teaches us that creating your authentic brand begins with the answers to these six questions (p. 162): 

• What makes you unique?
• What is your purpose?
• What are your goals?
• What’s your story?
• What are your greatest strengths?
• What are you most passionate about? 

Two challenge questions: First, does your PLP answer at least two of the six questions? Second, how well, and how deeply, do you connect with others?

There is no more valuable commodity in
today’s business environment – and no more valuable skill –
than becoming a master networker (p. 170).

Goman asks us to think about networking deeply, perhaps searching for common purpose to start. The best networkers I know spend most of their time looking for some way to be of assistance to the other person (p. 170). 

Leadership Presence for Women

According to a recent study by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, women are more effective than men in leadership competencies such as taking initiative, acting with resilience, practicing self-development, driving for results, and displaying high integrity and honesty (p. 178). The findings seem to suggest that our modern workplace has yet to embrace this increasingly relevant combination of skills and traits.

An interesting question: When to use which particular skill? Goman reflects that the most successful women I’ve worked with start by increasing their internal and external awareness (p. 181). Further, research at Stanford University Graduate School of Business also shows that women who are assertive and confident, but who can turn these traits on and off depending on the social circumstances, get more promotions than other women, or even than men (p. 181).

Sometimes women hold themselves back though, and years of performance coaching affirm Goman’s finding that women rarely attempt something unless they feel 100 percent certain they can achieve it; men typically only have to feel 60 percent certain (p. 183).

A great list of eighteen feminine leadership skills is shared on page 197: a few favorites:

• Feminine leaders make sure everyone on their team has a voice.
• Feminine leaders share information.
• Feminine leaders create psychological safety.

Summary

Our leadership philosophy is at the core of our presence:

To help your organization (or department of team) manage the
difficulties of change, you need to inspire and motivate
them with a powerful vision of the future (p. 228).

Note: Dr. Goman generously provided a copy of her book for review.