In today’s world of organizations there is a real desire for authentic leadership. Being an authentic leader means you must understand how you relate to others and then learn to adjust your behaviour accordingly to deal with others in a positive manner. The key is to be in the positive. If you are feeling frustration or anxious or any other negative feeling or behaviour, it is impossible to be an authentic leader.
So authentic leadership also means you must understand what upsets you, and then work to improve your self-control. Once you know your ‘hot-buttons’ you can learn how to manage them, and reach your goals despite them. Most importantly, you must understand that you may not be objective when you think about yourself – how others actually see you can be quite different from what you think they see.
Leadership talent is fast becoming a premium commodity on a global scale. This trend is driven in part by North American and European demographic shifts where the executive-age population nears retirement. Meanwhile in India and China the market for executive leadership is growing faster than their business schools can graduate suitable candidates. Most middle and front-line managers that are whizzes technically are being overlooked as potential executive candidates due to a lack of the emotional and behavioural intelligence required to lead and manage a large organization at an executive level. In addition, the current global economic conditions place huge constraints on companies both in terms of financial investment in leadership development and in terms of the time investment necessary to personally mentor the next generation of leaders for emotional and behavioural intelligence skills.
Of all the competencies that go with emotional and behavioural intelligence, the competency of self-awareness is probably the most difficult, the most all-encompassing, and the most overwhelming … but it doesn’t have to be. Learning the skill of Positive Presence moves self-awareness into your natural state. It leads you to a new way of thinking and being that automatically raises your emotional and behavioural intelligence. And it builds in you the cognitive and behavioural strength needed for leading authentically in uncertain and chaotic times amid the complexity and lightening-fast change of today’s corporate world.
The one thing nobody can take away from you is the way you choose to respond to the environment around you and especially to what others say and do. As you hone your skill for Positive Presence you will develop personal signals that remind you to ward off the negative and choose an appropriate attitude and response to protect your positive space where your authentic self resides.
Catherine is the President and CEO of CORPORATE HARMONY, providing virtual solutions for leadership development and organizational culture change. Her leadership and coaching experience as a Project Manager in an ever-changing, fast moving technological organization with unrelenting demands drove her to the realization that a positive mindset and strength-building behaviors are essential for today’s complex and chaotic organizational systems. CORPORATE HARMONY’s virtual platform of programs, coaching and performance measurement, is an innovative online technology of tested proprietary content. The world-class content of CORPORATE HARMONY’s Positive Presence Program develops the skill of ‘Positive Presence’ and the necessary ‘Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies’ for maintaining a positive and energized mindset and increased performance in today’s complex work environment, and leading to a culture of collaboration and connection. Catherine’s vision for Corporate Harmony is to bring the skill of “Positive Presence” to the corporate world as it becomes more complex, ambiguous and chaotic. Catherine is uniquely positioned to impact organizations’ productivity and long term success, with her powerful vision of eliminating bad stress from every workplace around the globe, bringing purpose into the people equation to promote healthy, productive and meaningful work cultures and turn the tide on the neglect of mental health on a global scale. Catherine is author of the book: “CORPORATE HARMONY – The Performance Link for Today’s Modern Organization” Catherine can be reached at: Catherine.Osborne@corporateharmony.ca or go to ‘contact us’ on our website www.corporateharmony.ca. Catherine is available for consultation, and can be reached by 519-695-3407.