Stephen H Baum Leadership

CONTEXT

Ever notice someone in a meeting seems to command immediate attention when he or she speaks? Not just because of their rank but because of respect for their views when they choose to express them?

And when this happens, does it also seem that they seem wiser, more thoughtful, more centered, more articulate? They may not show up as the smartest or quickest. But they seem to get the big picture and have the ability to resolve conflict and move the group forward. Their very presence is calming.

The French have a phrase for this person: “eminence grise,” literally gray eminence or elder statesman, someone of high repute.

My CEO coaching clients may be successful leaders by most standards: set the right course, top-graded the team, created the climate for the best culture, opened communication channels, made tough decisions and saw the fruits of their labors in increased market position and earnings (and other ways). But the best of the best want to be more than strong leaders. They want to achieve gravitas which they can then apply as CEOs, board members or board chairs who can make a difference in their world beyond their companies.

DECONSTRUCTING GRAVITAS

What differentiates the person with gravitas from others?

• Experience and Knowledge, translated into relevant story-telling
• Presence and behaviors

EXPERIENCE AND STORY-TELLING

Some people capture the essence of each of their many experiences – translate them into lessons learned, take-aways and analogies for future use.

Some people’s passion for their industry or calling leads them to be voracious readers of articles and books with abstracts of other leaders’ stories. And they seem able to relate these stories when relevant to a conversation.

Some people are both privileged and able to have a ringside seat while other leaders create or tell their stories. And the ability to bring those stories to life at the right moment as well.

All of these become the mental library from which wise elders (some quite young) draw upon in conversations.

These same people may at times use the library to formulate better questions than others or make better suggestions than others. But the primary approach is to use the library to tell the right story at the right time in the right way.

I once heard a CEO introduce what he thought a relevant story in a management team meeting. Desiring to avoid coming off in a negative way, he described what another company had achieved outside their industry. He prefaced the story with this tale:

A rooster came to believe his hens were not as productive as they should be. He borrowed an ostrich egg and rolled it into the hen-house saying: “I am not complaining or criticizing, just showing you what is being done elsewhere”).

To get a bit more specific, these are the library sections for my industrial CEO clients:

1. Broad knowledge/stories on key topics such as how industrial companies really make money, typical problems at different life stages, challenges they all face today and some solutions that have worked
2. More general knowledge or functional knowledge of how companies work and respond to world conditions
3. Drawing on the broader list of what the leader has learned at a ringside seat: international boards, currency, banking, hedging, business cycles, failures, recovery and lessons learned
4. Ability to introduce visual frameworks for choices being made
5. Mix of truly strategic thinking and practical translation into action choices
6. Humor that illustrates the above

PRESENCE AND BEHAVIORS

What makes a person seen as “senior,” wise, having gravitas, chairman-like?

1. Behaviors/presence: speaks only to add value, not to sell or show off; appears cool, calm, confident; appearance is “together;” quick of mind, but unhurried
2. Responses are “considered” rather than quick; may re-frame the question rather than give a direct answer
3. Demeanor is thoughtful, exploratory: what analogies are valuable? kindly, calm but firm when needed; centered, one of quiet but strong confidence; ego does not lead; rarely emotional; ego kept in check by quick self-awareness of becoming emotional (“mood check” or “body signal”); emotional if it is a deliberate choice
4. Communication statements are articulate, brief (packets, testing audience tracking periodically), positioned as “in my experience” rather than axiomatic and generic; no one person in a group is the entire focus, the audience is all participants; humor, especially avoiding sarcasm that diminishes or discounts others’ worth
5. All of the above is supported by powerful active listening and patience; summarizing, eliciting assumptions by asking “say more or tell more,” making the other’s argument); asking: what do you want others to walk away feeling, believing, wanting to do?

That’s my view. What’s yours? I am truly interested in all comments and examples. I thought his post had already been published but was wrong. See also the prior post which should have followed this one.