Opportunities for leadership are all around us. The capacity for leadership is deep within us. - Madeleine Albright
In leadership, expertise and experience are vital – what we know and what we have done is invaluable, but we tend to forget the third aspect of leadership excellence which is our essence – who we are as a leader and as a human being.
This is our leadership presence – the ability to show up wholeheartedly and with undivided attention in order to draw on the reserves of our expertise and experience. It follows that if we fail to engage fully in the moment, our leadership impact will greatly diminish.
Leadership presence is the essence of who we are as a human being and as a leader.
essence/ˈɛs(ə)ns
Intrinsic nature or indispensable quality
An extract or a concentrate
Core nature
The basic element of something, ingredient which gives something it’s particular character
Great leaders don’t come pre-packaged; they are authentic and exhibit self-awareness, presence, vulnerability, and empathy. They have a sense of knowing who they are and what is needed in THIS moment. They are consistently in service of others, rather than being self-serving.
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. - Maya Angelou
In her book Finding the space to lead, Janice Marturano defines leadership presence as the ability to be fully present. She says that with leadership presence, we bring all of our capacity to the table; with that, we also bring our leadership principles and our understanding of what is essential. We listen to others with full attention; we notice the impulse to “check the box” and instead, we choose to be courageous enough to hold the ambiguity of a novel situation.
A leader who embodies leadership presence is:
Non-judgemental
Open-minded
Open-hearted
Self-aware
Patient
Humble
Trusting
Collaborative
Compassionate
Leadership presence is at the heart of mindful leadership
MINDFUL LEADERSHIP is less concerned with tools, skill sets, knowledge, and experience and is more about the ability to access, at will, an individual’s natural leadership qualities. Mindfulness provides leaders with access to deep and honest self-awareness; it tells them if they are on track and learning to observe impartially, with both internal and external wisdom. It bypasses mental ruts and other habitual, unexamined responses to challenges.