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Author: Byron Darden

Leadership Capacity in an Organization

Posted on November 1, 2022April 23, 2024 by Byron Darden

An essential role of top-level leadership is building leadership capacity across all tiers of your organization. The CEO of a company must have the capacity to be a leader and develop a pipeline of leaders down the chain of command. From senior executives to front-line managers, leadership development is an intense process.

Suppose one of your top-level executives decided to pursue another path. How prepared are you to replace them? Would it be a frantic search, or is a strong team member ready to step into the role?

Nurturing leadership capacity at all levels of the organization ensures that gaps are minimized. Strategic planning can involve looking into the future and envisioning your desired leadership traits. Using that blueprint, develop future leaders by offering training, education, mentoring, and coaching opportunities. Check in often to see where leaders shine and where they can improve. Consider hiring new people for a fresh perspective in those areas where there is a lack of capacity.

Over time, build a culture that supports engagement. Show that you are willing to invest in people, and leaders will shine.

Your Turn

Posted on November 1, 2022April 23, 2024 by Byron Darden

As you contemplate your leadership capacity and the next steps in your journey, I’d like to give you some questions to ponder:

How do you determine your everchanging approach to leadership?
What key behaviors and specific skills do you possess that make you an effective leader?
What is the content of your character that inspires confidence in others?
What do you know, and how well-equipped are you to run a line of business?

There are no right or wrong answers when it comes to your character; recognizing your strengths will help you grow as a leader.

Moving Forward

Posted on November 1, 2022April 23, 2024 by Byron Darden

The past couple of years have been challenging for both employees and managers. Some managers have had to adapt to an environment where their team works Remotely.

Calls on Zoom and monitoring productivity from afar requires a sense of trust and reliance on communication. A recent Gallup poll states that only 19% of US employees feel that their organization communicates effectively. Without effective communication, employees become detached and are less engaged in their work. This can lead to an employee leaving the company.

This lack of communication can stem from the fact that managers may not have information to share, or they are afraid to say the wrong things. There is a fine line between contacting your employees and assuring them that you hear their concerns and sharing that you don’t have answers. Addressing issues early and often is wiser than staying silent. Lacking solid answers or simply repeat yourself regarding your current lack of intel will show employees that you care.

Building Leadership Capacity with a Coach

Posted on November 1, 2022April 23, 2024 by Byron Darden

“To grow capacity in your career, you need to move from the place of position to a place of skill acquisition.”
― Olawale Daniel

Earlier in this article, I spoke about stretching yourself when it seems like you have reached your capacity. This is a chance to grow as a manager and as a person. Often this involves looking deep into yourself and identifying roadblocks. These could be perceived blocks in your organization or inside of yourself.

My name is Byron Darden, and I help women to break through the barriers that keep them from being their best selves. Through this website, seminars, workshops, and Masterminds, I provide a wealth of information that will get you out of your stuck place and encourage you to take charge of your career. Whether you are already in a leadership position or on your desired path, together we can look at what is holding you back and develop a plan to achieve your goals. Click on the button below to find out your leadership style and schedule a one-to-one discovery conversation to identify what your ideal next steps can do for you.

Discovery Session

Founder’s Corner

Posted on October 1, 2022April 23, 2024 by Byron Darden

In the event you are reading this blog, you are most likely not asking the question, “how do I apply presence in real time to my leadership?” Instead you may be more curious to know in what specific ways and under what circumstances does your presence make a difference.

First and foremost, we have to show up in order for our presence to be known. How we show up will determine the impact and how long our presence is felt once we leave. In addition, the way we show up also determines how much the memory of our presence precedes us when we walk into that same room again or another room for that matter.

I recall one particular experience of a leader’s presence that to this day, marks one of the most significant and memorable for me. It was a Landmark Forum leader who led the class of three-hundred I attended back in 2012. At one point during the three days of the course, a participant became annoyed and decided to leave the course. As he walked toward the door vocally declaring he’d had enough and was done listening, our Forum leader stopped the participant in his tracks while standing on a stage approximately one-hundred feet away. She never left that spot the entire time that the two of them exchanged words with one another, he wanting to leave, her wanting him to stay.

I was amazed at her power as she continued to hold her authority in the room. No one else seemed to move a muscle during the altercation. The participant managed to break from the Forum leader’s power and leave. She then turned her power toward the rest of us, bringing to our attention that this fellow didn’t just leave the room, he left us behind. “Are you just going to let him walk out on all of the work we had just accomplished together?” She remarked to the rest of us, still not moving from where she stood in command on that stage. We all looked around at one another as though wondering who would move to do something about it. The Forum leader followed up her previous comment with a plea for us to take a stand and go after him.

Suddenly three of four other participants ran out of the room after the guy who left and brought him back. When the course came to an end a day and a half later, I noticed the fellow who had initially left the course seemed to be the most changed. He turned out to be one of the more successful stories of all the participants who finished the course with the rest of us. To this day I recall that experience of a leader who clearly knew who she was, knew her power and continues to be a reminder to me, what it takes to truly grab and hold an audiences’ attention.

Now I invite you to read on and learn a bit more about what Executive Leadership Presence is all about and how mastering your presence can make all the difference in your leadership. Enjoy the read and when you feel the urge to dive into your own developing leadership skills, do let me know and I will help you develop in ways you might find surprisingly beneficial to you, to your company and to your team.

Executive Leadership Presence

Posted on October 1, 2022April 23, 2024 by Byron Darden

Rise to the occasion with support from an experienced corporate coach.

Great leaders have certain traits in common. One of the most common threads I’ve seen of every effective leader with whom I’ve worked throughout the world is their ability to know who they are. They know their strengths, what challenges them most and they are willing to articulate their strengths and challenges in just the right way and at the most opportune time. They are willing to be vulnerable when the situation calls for it. And most of all, they are incredible listeners. They are engaging, drawing you into their inner circle. They speak with authority and conviction yet use humility and empathy. They have a presence about them that results in an authentic connection that builds other’s perception of them as a person that can be trusted with the vision they have for a concept or organization. They inspire and motivate their listeners.

They carry themselves in a way that inspires us to admire their way of commanding a room, and we hang on to their every word, eager to hear what they have to say next.

Each one of these leaders that we admire has something called leadership presence. It’s in how they think, speak and act. The way they hold themselves and connect with people. It’s the self-confidence that commands respect without outright demanding it.

Leaders with such presence can be at the top of an organization or small-team managers. It’s not where you are; it’s how you act. A manager at McDonald’s can have a presence that inspires employees to perform their jobs with pride. In the same way, an effective CEO can inspire a large organization to execute a vision.

These leaders have executive leadership presence. Let’s explore what it is, how you can develop it, and how to add it to your toolkit. Click the button below and let’s explore what’s in your toolkit and determine what more you need.

Toolkit Exploration

What is Executive Leadership Presence?

Posted on October 1, 2022April 23, 2024 by Byron Darden

Control is the power to influence. Power is the ability to direct or influence the behavior of others without force. Influence is the capacity to have an effect on the character, development or behavior of someone or something. Trust must be built in order for the leader to forge the way toward executing the vision.

The type of presence that we refer to is a combination of many factors, including the ability to:

Authentically connect with other people’s thoughts
Empathize with their feelings
Influence actions in service
Motivate those being led to an established vision
Inspire those to want to contribute to the outcome
Get things done

You often see leadership presence and executive presence used interchangeably. I’d like to present a clearly distinct difference.

Leadership presence combines self-confidence, self-worth, self-respect, self-regard, and the ability to relate and connect on a personal level. It means striking a balance between speaking and listening and persuading others without becoming overbearing.

Executive presence regards the ability to execute on a vision for the betterment of the organization.

Executive leadership presence has aspects of both. A leader who uses their presence to execute on ideas.

While leadership presence is relatively easy to spot because you can see evidence, it’s more difficult to describe. 51% of HR practitioners that are well-versed in the topic say that it’s difficult to define.

What is paramount is that an organization arrive at their own definition of leadership presence. Then build the most appropriate course of action around that definition in order to bring it to life within the culture. The test for determining the effectiveness of leadership development is its workability in real time.

The Four Essential Elements of Leadership

Posted on October 1, 2022April 23, 2024 by Byron Darden

Some leaders have a natural ability to connect with others. When they enter a room, their presence is immediately felt. They can move large groups to a common goal. They can expand their effectiveness across an organization. This is done through:

Leadership Style
Leadership Skills/Behaviors
Leadership Character
Leadership Acumen

Does this mean you cannot develop this desired presence in the event you were not born with innate leadership abilities? Not at all. Although it will take dedication. You can examine, adopt and apply the four elements of leadership and develop your emotional intelligence, social skills, interpersonal communications, and scope of knowledge within your industry.

Each of the elements are equally important in your development.

When you Develop:	This leads to the following:
Leadership Style	Approach/Discovery
Leadership Skills/Behaviors	Performance/Development
Leadership Character	Delivery/Deployment
Leadership Acumen	Industry Knowledge/Business Sense

Let’s take a look at each of these essential elements:

Leadership Style is unique to each individual. It speaks to how you lead and how flexible you are in a given situation. Leadership styles can vary daily and depend on what person or group with whom you’re engaged. While you can try to emulate another leader’s style, you will garner the most success by developing your own style.

Leadership Skills and Behaviors are how you show up physically and vocally. How effective you are and how you wish to be viewed are carefully thought out ahead of time. This could involve your tone of voice and how you dress.

Leadership Character portrays how you wish to be perceived by your clients or colleagues. It’s a component of a leader’s personal brand. For example, are you honest, aggressive, bold, or approachable? Which will inspire confidence in your abilities and allow you to relate effectively?

Leadership Ability is based on what you know. It might be based on your formal or informal education, training, experience in the field, certifications, or the amount of ongoing development on which you choose to embark. Faking it until you make it will only go so far – you’ll want to know your stuff.

The Importance of Executive Leadership Presence

Posted on October 1, 2022April 23, 2024 by Byron Darden

Leaders facing crucial decision making are most effective when they keep their finger on the pulse within their organization and trust their instincts in identifying the real priorities.

To get the results you want as a leader, it’s crucial to have presence. When your presence falters, your leadership comes into question. When your presence soars, your leadership inspires and motivates others to want to be a part of something bigger than they are on their own. It inspires teams to form, develop their cohesive strength, and carry initiatives across the completion line to serve a particular population. It may be an initiative that serves the organization the team works for or consults.

A strong leader benefits the individual and the organization by keeping their finger on the pulse. These benefits include:

Strengthening company culture
Managing teams
Improving relationships with customers
Enhancing the performance of organizations
Achieving bottom line results and financial growth

When choosing a leader for your company or team, it’s essential to identify candidates with executive leadership presence. They are the voice of your organization and serve to inspire and motivate your teams to greatness. This is also true should you be focused on climbing the organizational ladder into higher leadership roles. We can help you establish the number one most important leadership skill necessary to guide your team or company toward getting things done! Click the button below and book a strategy session to determine how you can build that leadership muscle.

Applying Executive Leadership Presence

Posted on October 1, 2022April 23, 2024 by Byron Darden

Learn how to make practical applications of your presence in real time to any leadership situation you encounter.

I recently worked with a consultant preparing to step into the principal role in their company. We discussed how one needs to develop specific skills to effectively communicate ideas with clients, inspire teams to get the work done, and motivate others to take appropriate action on their vision internally and externally. They felt overwhelmed with understanding what it takes to build their leadership muscle.

As we explored their overwhelm, it became clear that the heart of the matter was less about what to do and entirely about how to do it. We began by looking at the “how” through the lens of skills and behaviors that are specific and actionable in what needs to be developed. Once they got the hang of the idea – that the how depends on granular specificity – they recognized what needed to be done and the overwhelm subsided.

Are you finding yourself experiencing that moment known as the dear in the headlights? You know the one I mean. You’re delivering another PowerPoint presentation and your audience is looking at you with an expression on their faces that you can’t quite determine whether it is delight or disappointment. We can help you eliminate the anxiety of not knowing and turn those unclear facial expressions into appreciation for delivering a memorable and insightful presentation. Click the button below and book a strategy session to see how we might help you make that difference.

Strategy Session