Leadership Presence [Paperback]

The main theme of Leadership Presence is simple yet profound. The authors define Leadership Presence as the "ability to connect authentically with the thoughts and feelings of others in order to motivate and inspire them to achieve a desired outcome". Throughout the book you will find a special emphasis on the word "authentic". This is not a book about motivating or manipulating others by using acting skills or pretence. It is a book that focuses on learning to authentically connect with the minds and hearts of others to effectively lead. Far too many business leaders conduct themselves in ways they think their executive roles require, rather than being themselves based on their heartfelt values. The result is that they come across as inauthentic and this breeds a lack of trust. The authors spend an admirable amount on the importance of values and introduce the reader to what they call the PRES Model of Leadership Presence.

Leadership Presence was written to teach techniques that will help the leader to motivate, inspire and reach out to others. It will help the reader to enhance relationships, build collaboration and flexibly deal with challenging situations. The book is composed of nine chapters divided into four sections suitably called "Acts". Act I discusses how one can learn to be completely in the moment. Act II analyzes the skills available to build relationships. Act III examines the appropriate way to express emotions and feelings. Act IV focuses on being yourself and reflecting your values in your behavior. Most chapters end with a section on exercises or practice guidelines to cement the information taught in the preceding chapter. Numerous personal stories and examples provided by the authors keep the material interesting and practical.

If you are new to the study of leadership you will enjoy this book. If you have read dozens of books on the study of leadership, you will love this book because it views this complex subject from a truly innovative and helpful angle. Sometimes we can get so immersed in a subject we can't "see the forest for the trees". Leadership Presence is one of those unique books that will help you to step back and see the forest because it gets to the very heart of leadership...authentic behavior and values.

The authors define presence as "the ability to connect authentically with the thoughts and feelings of others". While business has generally ignored this sense of presence and assumed that people will be led simply because they are employees, the acting profession lives or dies by this sense of presence. Business is now struggling to create loyal employees who think for theirselves and have a sense of being a part of a larger community. Business is looking for great leaders.

To help find or create these great leaders there has been a plethora of books about the attributes of great leaders; they communicate well, they treat others as important, etc. The difference between most management or leadership books and this one can best be illustrated by the art of dance. A good dancer can be mechanically perfect. Every twist, every turn, every leap is exactly as it should be, but still the dance is boring. On the other hand a dancer who truly feels and moves to the music as it were a part of their self creates a thing of beauty to see. That is where this book differentiates itself from the other books on leadership. The others are typically descriptions of what makes good leaders - the mechanics of the perfect dance. This book helps the leader to establish a sense of presence that in turn causes a sense of immediate respect in others - the dancer who feels the music.

At the end of each chapter are exercises to help the reader to learn to apply the lessons. The authors fill a deep chasm in management theory with this book. "Leadership Presence: Dramatic Techniques to Reach Out, Motivate and Inspire" is a highly recommended read and required reading for those in leadership positions of any kind.