Executive presence and assertiveness... a coffee break with Lorena Villanueva

Lorena Villanueva
Executive Presence & Assertiveness

PROCESS • ANALYTICS • TECHNOLOGY 2© 2014 Copyright Genpact. All Rights Reserved.
Lorena Villanueva is the Solutions Leader for Latin
America and a speaker from the Genpact Women
Network that is happy to collaborate with the cause
and share her experience with others while learning
from the forum as well
She has over 17 years of working experience
starting her career in a completely masculine
environment in Mexico City, working for the Mexican
Stock Exchange, which may be what shaped her
business style and vision
She finds it entertaining to write brief bios to
introduce herself and she has put together the
following material based on literature and online
research in an effort to support her speeches during
the “Coffee Break” sessions along Latin America
She hopes you enjoy it!

What is Assertiveness?
 Assertiveness is the quality of being self-
assured and confident but without being
aggressive
 It is also the ability to honestly express your
opinions, feelings, attitudes, and rights,
without undue anxiety, in a way that doesn't
infringe on the rights of others
 It is a learnable skill and mode of
communication

 Assertiveness is often linked to self-esteem
 Dorland’s Medical Dictionary defines
assertiveness as: "a form of behavior
characterized by a confident declaration or
affirmation of a statement without need of proof;
this affirms the person's rights or point of view
without either aggressively threatening the rights
of another (assuming a position of dominance) or
submissively permitting another to ignore or
deny one's rights or point of view"

Non-Assertive Behavior Comes From:
 Being taught that we should always please
and/or defer to others
 Believe that it is not nice to consider our own
needs above those of others
 That if someone says or does something that
we don't like, we should just be quiet and try
to stay away from that person in the future

Non-Assertive Behavior Produces:
 Depression - Anger turned inward, a sense of
being helpless, hopeless, or of having no
control over your life
 Resentment-Anger at others for manipulating
or taking advantage of you
 Frustration - Why did I allow that to happen?
 Temper/violence - If you can't express anger
appropriately, it may build up

Assertive Communication
 Assertive communication is all about respect
for the boundaries of oneself and others
 It also presumes an interest in the fulfillment
of needs and wants through cooperation

Assertive Communication

Assertive People Have the Following Characteristics:
 They feel comfortable and free expressing their
feelings, thoughts, and desires
 They are "also able to initiate and maintain
comfortable relationships with [other] people“
 They have control over their anger. This does not
mean that they repress this feeling; it means that
they control anger and talk about it in a
reasoning manner

characteristics…
 Are more likely to find win-win situations
 Assertiveness is all about being present in a
relationship. In other words, you’re able to
articulate your wants and needs to the other
person, and you welcome their wants and
needs as well
 Solve problems more effectively

Assertiveness In The Workplace
Here are some tips:
 FOCUS ON LEADING
• If you’re in a leadership position, you have the right and,
more importantly, the responsibility to direct the actions
of others
• Set goals with them and review their performance
frequently
• Provide them with positive, encouraging feedback when
they do well, and redirect their behavior when they get off
track

workplace…
 BE PROACTIVE
• Identify where you aren’t asserting your opinion
and direction, and think through those situations
in advance
• Allow you to work on your leadership skills in a
proactive way. Look for one opportunity each day
to assert your opinions and direction
• Demonstrating you can think ahead confirms to
everyone around you that you’ve got the present
work under control and are a capable employee

workplace…
 WELCOME THE UNCOMFORTABLE
Don’t skirt around issues – address difficult
conversations head on and don’t misdirect
blame. Being real and down-to-earth in how
you confront an issue will lead to a lot of
supporters and is a true demonstration of
self-assurance
 DON’T BE AFRAID TO CHALLENGE YOURSELF

Remember…
 Assertiveness is not what
you do, it’s who you are!
-Shakti Gawain
* Shakti Gawain is a New Age and personal development author. Her books have sold over 10 million copies

And How About Executive Presence?
 Think of people who has that “it” factor, this
is called Executive Presence
 Carlos Slim has executive presence. So did
Steve Jobs
 Although very different people, they both had
that confidence and composure that allowed
them to connect with others
* Carlos Slim is a Mexican business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. From 2010 to 2013, Slim was ranked as the richest person in the world
** Steve Jobs? Well, you all know who Steve Jobs is!

 While it may seem like some people “just get
it,” executive presence is actually something
that they’ve probably worked very hard to
achieve
 Chances are, you may need executive
presence, too, to get venture capital for your
business, motivate your staff or get a
promotion. How important is presence?

So What is Executive Presence?
 Executive presence is one of those terms
that’s often used but rarely clearly defined
 It is the ability to project gravitas–confidence,
poise under pressure and decisiveness—
seems to be its core characteristic, according
to more than two-thirds of executives
surveyed

 First, it’s about your ability to get results,
especially when the expectations around results
are continually changing. Second, it’s about the
behaviors you exhibit at the personal, team and
organizational levels. When your behaviors align
with the expected results, you have executive
presence
 When it comes to executive presence, remember
that actions speak louder than words. So, take
the time to think through everything you do and
how those around you may perceive it

 A person with good executive presence never lets
people see her sweat
 You don’t have to be the most gregarious or
outspoken person in the room to demonstrate
executive presence
 Experts teach there are 7 traits that professionals
with strong executive presence display, let’s
review them:

7 Traits To Executive Presence
 Composure:
Essential components are Self-awareness and
understanding others. The ability to control your
emotions, recognize emotion in others and
manage your response to them is key
 Vision:
Effective leaders craft and communicate a vision
with passion and clarity of purpose that inspires
and motivates others to follow. They balance a
sense of possibility with a sense of reality to
ensure that their vision can be understood and
implemented by others

7 Traits…
 Charisma:
The ability to draw others to you. With good listening skills and an
ability to stay “in the moment.” You send the message that you are
solely focused on them, and not distracted by the many other
things you could be doing at that moment. They matter to you
 Confidence:
One key aspect of executive presence is to communicate
confidence both in what you say and how you say it. To appear
confident, good posture is essential. Next, eye focus is critical.
Ensure you only speak when making eye contact and manage your
eye focus appropriately when communicating with more than one
person — one thought per person. Ensure your facial expression
matches your message and that your voice has good pitch,
volume, and pace. And of course, you must look the part. Choose
your wardrobe and accessories carefully

7 Traits…
 Sharpen your conversation skills:
Have the ability to put people at ease. Be inclusive of
everyone when conversing in a group setting. Being
aware of how people feel about themselves when
they're in your presence is a key aspect of executive
presence
 Clarity:
The ability to clearly communicate is fundamental. If
your point is unclear, any hope of commanding
attention is lost. Ask yourself, “What is my message
in 10 words or fewer?” If you can’t articulate it to
yourself you are not ready to communicate it to
others

7 Traits…
 Coaching and Feedback:
Effective leaders are continual learners who are
focused on their own development and
intentional about understanding their strengths
and weaknesses. They are also generous and
constructive in supporting others' development
Voltaire once said, "The only way to truly see
yourself is in the reflection of someone else's
eyes"

 "When leaders with executive presence speak,
people listen - because the talk is filled with
conviction instead of equivocation. They
inspire that I'll-follow-you-anywhere loyalty,
conveying an aura of warmth and authenticity
to everybody from the receptionist to the
CEO." (BusinessWeek, July 2002)

Lorena Villanueva
lorena.villanueva@genpact.com
Thank You

Executive presence and assertiveness... a coffee break with Lorena Villanueva

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