LEADERS SPEAK LAST
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LEADERS SPEAK LAST

A quality that I have admired in inspiring leaders that I have interacted with over the years, is their ability to offer a thought through and measured response while communicating to a group.

And invariably, this comes from their habit of being the last to express their views. Certain situations may demand a more directive approach but more often than not, they give others the chance to speak first.

It may sound counter intuitive. After all leaders are expected to lead from the front and set the agenda for all. They are seated at the head of the table and meant to be ‘chairing’ the meeting!

But here’s the thing – Being an effective communicator starts with being an active listener.

Listening to all the voices while maintaining eye contact, allows them to ‘read the room’ right and tailor their message to the audience appropriately.

Leaders with great executive presence are adept at picking up both - the said and the unsaid.

They in fact create a safe, secure space for silent and dissenting voices to be heard. Speaking last gives them the opportunity to receive unbiased perspectives, which would otherwise be conditioned by their own viewpoint.

I have actually seen two different types of leadership behaviors in the above context. There are the authentic leaders who are genuinely interested to understand their team’s views and there are the ‘pretenders’ who well put on an act of doing so!

The latter typically would make a grand statement of empowering their team members and then go around the room from the junior most to the senior asking them to share their views. They would give perfunctory nods in between, while attending to more pressing matters on their phone!

They appear to be anxiously waiting for their turn to speak.

The authentic leaders on the other hand wait patiently till they have heard everyone out. They acknowledge people for their contributions and then proceed to share what’s on their mind.

No prizes for guessing which ones command greater respect and have greater influence.

Executive presence is being attuned to all views in the room and being conscious of holding back your own perspectives till the end.

Connect with me on DM or call on +919820753383 to know more about building your powerful executive presence.

Mala Hemnani, ACC (ICF)

Presence, Poise & Potentiality Coach & Mentor | Speaking Skills Coach I Confidence & Self-motivation Coach I Bestselling Author | Inner to Outer Image Management

1 年

Insightful Rajesh Gangwani . Stating your view first and then asking others what they think vs. asking others what they think and then give your view in a given situation brings on very different behaviours and results.

Anurag Mathur

Operations Controller @ Nandan Denim Limited |

1 年

Happy New Year Sir. Always a delight to read your articles.

Brij Sharma

Jt Managing Director

1 年

Superbly put. This is something which I do almost every day.? Wishing you a great 2024 with loads of other good shots.?

Krishnan Venkatesalu

Weather Monitoring system( WMS) for Solar panels/Smart Solar Solutions/ Solution Provider of Sensing & Automation Products/Turnkey Warehouse Solutions from Single Source.

1 年

Excellent share Thank you. Happy new year

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