How to Build Your Leadership Image

I’m always on the lookout for articles about leadership. Here are a few snippets:

Is your image an asset or a liability? Contrary to popular belief, image isn’t just a surface issue. It’s strongly tied to your effectiveness as a leader.??

Your ability to project a leadership presence in the eyes of employees, customers, and others is closely related to your job performance. This means that your image can be either an asset or a liability as you engage in the roles of leadership.

A study of 150 executives who attended our Leadership at the Peak program revealed that a leader’s image correlates highly with perceptions of their leadership skills. The study also showed that leaders who communicated their vision in a strong, positive way were seen as stronger.

How to Improve Your Leadership Image

Fortunately, however, you can control the image others have of you. With awareness and practice, you can change your behavior and improve your leadership image.

For example, you can choose to be more open and show a side of yourself you may normally hide. You can change the way you communicate as a leader by improving your speaking and writing style. You can develop new skills that will help you build a reputation as an effective leader.

But to build your leadership image, you first must gain a clear picture of the image people currently have of you. Then, decide what image you want to portray. And, finally, you must develop skills to close the gap.

Authenticity and Leadership Image

Many executives struggle with their authenticity as leaders, especially when dealing with those outside their inner circles. They often feel such a strong need to maintain their executive leadership image that it becomes the main obstacle to their authenticity. They are unsure how to be genuine leaders and, at the same time, work on crafting their image.

If you’re struggling with being authentic, try rethinking your understanding of the executive image. Successful people often define their leadership image more narrowly than they should. They unnecessarily put tight limits on themselves as they try to uphold a powerful fa?ade.

Revealing your personality and humanness is a far better sign of effective leadership and makes you more likely to influence people.

Tips for Building Your Leadership Image?

Here are 6 tips to build your leadership image:

1. Warm up. Leaders don’t need to be serious to be taken seriously. A smile and some warmth are good things. Leaders who are overly reserved seem wooden, stiff, and uncaring.
2. Voice it well. In a media-saturated world, people know a good speaker when they hear one. A leader with a flat or monotone vocal style, inappropriate volume, or poor diction won’t be effective.
3. Be clear. Leaders who speak in vague, disjointed, or rambling sentences will be misunderstood. If the message is unclear and non-specific, listeners will tune out and assume you don’t know what you’re talking about.

Want to know more? Head on over to the full article here for more ideas and perspectives. Afterwards, why not drop me an email to share your thoughts at robert@businessvaluepartners.com.au; or call me on 0467 749 378.

Thanks,

Robert