Competence Breeds Confidence

I'm going to let you in on a secret.

Depending on the circumstances of us meeting, if we've met, there will be two dramatically different responses to this revelation.  Very opposing responses.

If we were introduced socially, you're already in on the secret.  If someone were to ask you "did you know this about her" your reply would be "isn't it obvious, everyone knows that about her".

Suppose our meeting happened in a professional setting.  Revealing this truth about myself would receive a much different reaction.  "No way".  "It's not possible".  "Not her".

Here's the secret

What's on My Reading List; Executive Presence

The concept of "executive presence" is a fantastic one. When providing feedback to others the term can be used as a reference to remove any personal context and ease the conversation.  Leaders can work towards creating a vision of executive presence for their organization to provide guidance for those growing within the organization.

This book provided many examples of do's and don'ts and I will use the term to coach employees who are missing the mark and holding themselves back; however I cannot recommend reading it.

Executive Presence: What Nobody Ever Tells You about Getting Ahead by Sylvia Ann Hewlett
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Perhaps this would make a good article, but it is very drawn out and boring as a book.

There isn't new information here - look your best, be your best, and speak your best.

This book agitated me for these 4 reasons:
1) Using Angelina Jolie as a positive example for anything
2) Endorsing plastic surgery
3) Recommending heavy make-up
4) Overuse of the word gravitas and the phrase "show your teeth"

View all my reviews

Everybody Wants to be Somebody

This post is for everyone out there who sends communications to people . . .Everybody wants to be somebody. 

 

In today’s environment of mass media marketing it’s nice when someone actually knows us. 

 

My husband’s name is Chris. 

It is not Christopher

or Christian,

just Chris. 

 

It is a family joke when a phone or mail
solicitation is addressed to Christopher.  The biggest laugh we had over this was when a women’s clothier he purchased gifts from added him to their mailing list as Christina.  Really?