Becoming a Present Leader
The most effective leaders today have a presence about them - you’ve probably seen it yourself. They’re able to connect with people in an engaging way, whether they’re one-on-one or talking to a large audience. A study of 2,000 employees found that out of 30+ leadership traits, Centredness was the most essential of all.
Present leaders are grounded, calm under pressure, able to deal with stress, and can engage with the people they’re with. They’re aware of their thoughts and emotions and the impact they can have.
The importance of self awareness as a determinant of leadership success was introduced into the mainstream in 1995 by Daniel Goleman, which focused on the emotions of leaders. Nowadays, present leaders also have an awareness of their thoughts. We don’t talk about our thoughts as much as emotions - but we need to.
An excellent example of a present leader is Cisco SVP Gabrielle Thompson, who says staff need ‘presence and time’ from their leaders, not solutions. By listening actively to her people, she creates a space that enables them to solve their problems. Another inspiring example is Doug Conant, Campbell’s Soup CEO, who famously got to know most of his staff on a personal level and sent 30,000 handwritten notes during his time at the helm.
Self awareness is widely cited as a key leadership determinant of success, and there are now so many research studies demonstrating the benefits of self-awareness in leaders, and how important it is to be able to manage our thoughts and emotions.
In the last 20 years there has been significant investment in assisting leaders manage their emotions, and now there is an equally important need to support focus on managing thoughts. If you’ve ever found yourself ‘living in your head’, find it difficult to manage stress, or wake up at 3am with negative thoughts, you’ll have an idea of the challenges it can cause.
Imposter syndrome is another classic example of when leaders are impeded by unhelpful thoughts. Present leaders like Atlassian’s Mike Canon-Brookes have spoken about this publicly, and instead of letting their thoughts get in their way, they use it to their advantage.
My thoughts [on imposter syndrome] are an opportunity for introspection into my own experiences. I've tried to learn to harness them and turn them into a force for good.
Mike Canon-Brookes
(His TED talk on this is brilliant too).
Thought management lies at the heart of being a present leader, and is the key to ensuring you don’t let unhelpful thoughts dictate your actions. It enables you to be more mindful, stay present, and experience the world in front of you instead of living in your head.
Being aware of our thoughts and managing them is an important aspect of being a present leader and enabling a sense of stresslessness, so that you can engage with people effectively and understand how your thoughts impact those around you, and yourself.