Just weeks ago, the year seemed shiny, new, and full of possibilities. So much has happened since then. As a result, what’s important for leaders?
Pondering this question reminded me of a talk I gave with Tom Larsen last fall at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Tom and I spoke about executive presence for Executive MBA students. Tom leads the EMBA Career Strategy & Development Team, and I’m an executive coach for students in the program.
As Tom shared, executive presence is about a feedback loop:
1️⃣ PLANNING: how do you want to show up?
2️⃣ EXECUTION: how are you showing up?
3️⃣ REFLECTION: how did you show up?
4️⃣ IMPROVE: what do you want to change?
How are you executing and showing up when business moves faster and becomes more complex each day?
As leaders, we need to move quickly and easily, even and especially in difficult situations.
It’s about BEING AGILE, moving speedily and seamlessly, and being adaptable, responsive, and effective in the face of rapid and unprecedented change and uncertainty.
Here’s what I shared with students about agility:
👉 Don’t get stuck on or too attached to points of view or courses of action.
👉 Pay attention to what’s going on around you – with your team, organization, industry, and the world – and how that may impact your priorities and focus areas.
👉 Be flexible, and bend in the wind – don’t be rigid and break in the wind.
Related to that is the Italian concept of “sprezzatura.” It’s an effortless grace and the art of making the difficult appear easy. It’s maintaining calmness and nonchalance while executing complex tasks. And it links to agility by having a light touch and not being too attached to the outcome.
To do this well requires that you take good care of yourself, so you have the capacity and the wherewithal to pivot and spring into action when needed.
How are YOU being agile as a leader?
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