Here are some of our favorite print and online articles related to leadership or executive presence from September:
How you can build executive presence by mastering any room: Have you ever seen someone enter a room and immediately pull all the focus? This quick article has some great tips on how to enter a room with strong presence by being aware of your unconscious cues, taking a moment to establish a positive mindset and knowing exactly what you want to say or accomplish in the room.
Build rapport the FBI way: When it comes to building rapport, the FBI might not be the first agency that comes to mind. But much of their work, particularly in counterintelligence, is based on agents’ ability to quickly build and maintain strong relationships with potentially hostile people. This article summarizes some of the techniques agents use to set people at ease, make them feel comfortable and foster strong working relationships.
Creativity and Management, together at last: Traditionally, creativity has not been embraced as a part of the management role. This can lead to a disconnect between a company’s creative or development arms and the executive that manage them. Earlier this year, Harvard Business Review brought together leaders from companies whose success depends upon creativity to discuss the role of managers in creativity. The resulting report is a long read, but contains some great insights around how to manage effectively for creativity without stifling it through over-management.
Sleep–the secret to higher functioning and stronger executive presence: New research shows that sleep is about more than simply ‘recharging.’ When we sleep, our brains go into a completely different mode of functioning, processing, detoxifying and rebalancing. Getting enough sleep improves concentration, memory, planning skills and even has health benefits, helping us better cope with anxiety and even depression. On the flip side, depriving ourselves of sleep can have profound negative consequences. Take a read and get some rest!
What it’s like for female leaders in the tech sector: We’ve written about the lack of gender diversity in the tech sector. This article illustrates, in a concrete way, some of the very real challenges that women in tech face on a day to day basis. But it also indicates that there are signs of change and that bringing awareness to the challenges can help move that change along more quickly.