There has been a lot of research and articles about what global leaders need to be effective both nowadays and into the future and lately, there has been greater focus on the somewhat murky and controversial concept of ‘Executive Presence’.
Some dismiss it as an American fad that emphasizes style over substance. To them, such traits as character, integrity, accountability and competence are much more indicative of a true leader.
Some accept that Executive Presence is important but have trouble defining it. They quote former US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart who, when asked to describe his threshold test for obscenity in 1964, famously said: "I know it when I see it.”
Others do attempt to clarify what it is. Welsh economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett talks about a "heady combination of confidence, poise and authenticity”, relating to your ‘gravitas’ (how you act); your ‘communication’ (how you speak); your ‘appearance’ (what you look like).
US executive coach, Gerry Valentine, has a much more condensed definition: "In its simplest terms, executive presence is about your ability to inspire confidence”.
A common thread in these and other definitions seems to be the word ‘Confidence’ and other related "C” terms, such as Charisma, Courage, Conviction, Commitment, Compassion and even ‘Chutzpah’, the Yiddish word for ‘audacity’ or ‘boldness”.
As with most other elements of leadership, it is difficult to talk about inspiring confidence in others without first focusing on inner confidence within each leader.
In many recent one-on-one coaching sessions with executives here in Rwanda and around the world, it seems there are two extremes of self-confidence that leaders grapple with.
At one extreme is a serious lack of belief in oneself and one’s own worth. "I feel blocked in my lack of self-esteem,” says one successful middle manager at a large humanitarian agency. "No one has criticized me but I don’t feel encouraged either.”
Such feelings can lead into what is called "impostor syndrome”: a persistent internalized fear that the leader is a fraud and will be exposed at any time. One highly accomplished human resources (HR) director says that as she logs on to her computer at the start of a work day, she still fears that she will be summarily fired that very day.
But as was noted in an earlier Leading Rwanda column in November 2020 - https://www.newtimes.co.rw/opinions/power-failure-and-fear - ‘FEAR’ can just be an acronym for ‘Fantasised Experience Appearing Real’ or ‘False Evidence Appearing Real’.
At the other extreme of self-confidence is over-confidence in one’s abilities to the point where leaders feel that they are absolutely essential to the team or project they are working on and as such, indispensable. In archetypal terms, they may see themselves as superheroes.
One senior HR manager said, "I can do everything and no one else can do it as well as I can.” A bank managing director added, "People are depending on me and I have so much to do. Sometimes I feel like flushing my phone down the toilet and going off the grid. But I would be harshly judged and feel guilty.”
Maybe. Maybe not. But one senior leader at a professional services firm admitted, "I used to think that I was indispensable too but the biggest lesson I have learned in my career so far is that no one, absolutely no one, is.”
And yet these heroic feelings of indispensability persist and they can very often be combined with a strong sense of entitlement and a need to do everything with precision. A bank vice president proudly proclaimed, "I am trusting my skill set, attention to detail, perfectionism, and extreme pride in my work to get me through.”
Unfortunately, all of this can easily lead to overwork, unbearable stress and severe burnout, particularly during these seemingly endless COVID times when many people are still not working on a regular routine and they are distracted by family health issues, etc.
These under- and over-confidence issues seem to affect women leaders a lot more than men but research shows that actually men - if they are being honest with themselves and others - are not far behind women and that all genders can be constrained by societal expectations of the resilient, stoic leader and by a general reluctance to show vulnerability and ask for much needed help.
South African psychologist, Eileen Thayser, warns that burnout is "not from overwork but from not enough consistent regeneration." She says that this regeneration time is not really sleep or watching TV, which are too passive. She recommends exhausted leaders to focus on something that, "gets us into the zone. Like reading a beautiful novel. Like painting a picture. Like playing music or listening to music. Something for ourselves. Every single day.”
What do you do to regenerate yourself on a regular basis? What could you do in future?
The views expressed in this column are entirely those of the writer who can be reached at jeremy@jeremysolomons.com