Own the Room

1. Leadership Presence Requires a Signature Voice

Leadership presence is the ability to consistently and clearly articulate your value proposition while influencing and connecting with others.

Beyond Technical Skills. Leadership presence transcends technical expertise, setting true leaders apart. It's about adapting to situations and connecting meaningfully with stakeholders while staying true to oneself. This blend of confidence, authenticity, and effectiveness is what the authors call "Signature Voice."

Signature Voice Defined. Signature Voice is a unique leadership presence that is confident, authentic, and effective across a variety of situations and with diverse audiences. It's like a signature, recognizably unique and leaving a substantive impression. It's not about faking it or mimicking others, but about discovering and honing your own distinct style.

The Importance of Adaptability. The demands on leaders are constantly evolving, requiring them to adapt their presence to new roles, responsibilities, and organizational dynamics. What worked in the past may not guarantee future success. Leadership presence is dynamic, not static, and requires continuous self-awareness and adjustment.

2. The Presence Quadrants Diagnose Your Leadership Style

Like a signature, their presence is one that is recognizably unique and leaves a substantive impression on those around them and the organization.

Two Key Capabilities. Signature Voice hinges on two core capabilities: demonstrating your value and distinction (voice for self) and connecting with, aligning with, and impacting stakeholders (voice for others). These capabilities form the axes of the Presence Quadrants.

The Four Quadrants. The Presence Quadrants map leadership styles based on the strength of these two voices:

• Signature Voice: Strong voice for self and others
• Driving Voice: Strong voice for self, weaker voice for others
• Supportive Voice: Strong voice for others, weaker voice for self
• Passive Voice: Weak voice for both self and others

Identifying Your Slide. Most leaders have a dominant quadrant they "slide" to under pressure or stress. Understanding your default quadrant is crucial for developing a more balanced and effective presence. The goal is to operate consistently in the Signature Voice quadrant, drawing on both voices as needed.

3. Assumptions: The Bedrock of Your Leadership Presence

Your beliefs about yourself, others, and the situation you are in have the power to bolster your presence but also to undermine it.

The Power of Beliefs. Assumptions, the often unspoken beliefs we hold about ourselves, others, and situations, profoundly impact our leadership presence. Positive assumptions can boost confidence, while negative ones can undermine our best efforts.

Challenging Limiting Beliefs. To achieve Signature Voice, leaders must question and reset assumptions that no longer serve them. This involves identifying outdated or inaccurate beliefs and replacing them with more empowering perspectives. It's not just about positive thinking, but about aligning beliefs with the reality of the situation.

Three Critical Assumptions. The book highlights three critical assumptions to examine:

• Confidence: What you bring to the table
• Perspective: What hat you wear
• Clarity: What your values are

4. Confidence: Believe in the Value You Bring

A key element of your value proposition is the strengths you bring to your role or organization, especially those that others don’t.

Overcoming Self-Doubt. Many leaders, especially those transitioning to new roles, struggle with self-doubt and underestimate the value they bring. This can lead to a weaker voice for self and a slide into the Supportive Voice quadrant.

Defining Your Value Proposition. To build confidence, leaders must clearly articulate their unique strengths, skills, experiences, and passions. This involves understanding the scope of their role, their sphere of influence, and what success looks like in their position.

Actionable Steps to Boost Confidence:

• Check your authority story: Understand your relationship to authority and hierarchies.
• Define your value proposition: Identify your unique strengths and contributions.
• Appropriately size your role and sphere of influence.
• Define success: Align your expectations with those of your stakeholders.

5. Perspective: Wear Different Hats to Connect

Maturity involves thinking like a businessperson rather than just a functionary.

Beyond Functional Expertise. While functional expertise is valuable, leaders must also develop a broader, more strategic perspective. This involves seeing issues from multiple angles and understanding the needs and priorities of different stakeholders.

The Enterprise Leader. To move towards Signature Voice, leaders must "try on other hats" and consider the impact of their decisions on the entire organization, not just their own function. This requires building awareness of other functions and teams.

Taking a Strategic View. It's essential to "get on the balcony" and see the big picture, integrating multiple agendas into your decisions. Ask yourself: What would Finance think? What would IT believe? This broader view enhances communication and builds credibility.

6. Clarity: Align Your Values with Your Actions

When you feel aligned to your values, you feel energized and thrive.

The Power of Values. Core values, those things that matter most to us, are a powerful source of energy and motivation. When our actions align with our values, we feel energized and authentic. Conversely, when our values are violated, we feel drained and frustrated.

Understanding Your Hot Buttons. To leverage values effectively, leaders must understand their "hot buttons"—those things they care about most. This involves identifying their core values and recognizing when those values are being challenged.

Focus on Common Goals. Instead of trying to convince others to share your values, focus on what you have in common. This is usually a shared goal or objective. By focusing on common ground, you can build bridges and foster collaboration.

7. Communication: Master the Art of Connection

One of the marks of a good speaker is actually being a great listener.

Communication as a Foundation. Communication is a fundamental leadership skill, serving as the foundation for building relationships, influencing others, and conveying a clear vision. It's not just about what you say, but how you say it.

Beyond Autopilot. Effective leaders are intentional about their communication, adapting their style to the situation and the audience. They don't rely on a single approach but draw from a repertoire of techniques.

Three Core Communication Techniques:

• Framing: Providing context and vision
• Advocacy: Delivering a clear and consistent message
• Listening and Engaging: Increasing connection and inspiration

8. Framing: Provide Context and Vision

If you are trying to change their thinking, you need to begin by understanding what their thinking is.

Making Your Message Relevant. Framing involves providing context that makes your message relevant and meaningful to the audience. Without a frame, people may misinterpret your message or fail to see its importance.

Understanding Your Audience. Effective framing requires understanding your audience's needs, priorities, and perspectives. This involves researching their backgrounds, anticipating their questions, and tailoring your message accordingly.

Types of Frames:

• Strategic framing: Tie your message to the organization's strategic goals.
• Outcomes framing: Connect your message to desired outcomes.
• Metaphor framing: Use metaphors and analogies to bring your message to life.
• Sound-bites framing: Create pithy, memorable statements.

9. Advocacy: Deliver a Clear and Consistent Message

The single most important skill in negotiation is the ability to put yourself in the other side’s shoes.

The Power of Clarity. Advocacy is the ability to clearly and confidently convey your perspective. It's about having a distinct point of view and communicating it in a structured way so that others know where you stand.

Structuring Your Message. To advocate effectively, you need to:

• Know your stakeholders: Understand their needs and priorities.
• Know your stake in the ground: Be clear on your message and desired outcome.
• Know what outcome you want: Define the desired result of your communication.

Bottom Line Up Front. Always communicate the "bottom line up front" and then support your statement with data and explanation. This ensures that your audience understands your main point from the outset.

10. Listening and Engaging: Increase Connection and Inspiration

The single most important skill in negotiation is the ability to put yourself in the other side’s shoes.

Beyond Hearing. Listening is more than just hearing the words someone says. It's about understanding their underlying message, their emotions, and their motivations.

Three Levels of Listening:

• Surface listening: Paying attention to the words being said
• Issues-based listening: Understanding the underlying issues and implications
• Emotions-based listening: Sensing the emotions and motivations behind the issues

Asking Insightful Questions. Asking open-ended questions is a powerful way to engage your audience, elicit valuable information, and build rapport. These questions should encourage further discussion and demonstrate your genuine interest in their perspectives.

11. Energy: Project Authenticity and Composure

Energy is simply the capacity to do work.

The Power of Nonverbal Communication. A significant portion of communication is conveyed through nonverbal cues, such as body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice. These cues can have a profound impact on how others perceive you as a leader.

Managing Your Physical Presence. To project authenticity and composure, leaders must be aware of the physical cues they are sending and manage them intentionally. This involves:

• Identifying your physical cues: Understanding what your body language communicates.
• Restoring your energy: Prioritizing self-care and managing stress.
• Managing your wake: Being aware of the impact your energy has on others.

The CENTER Framework. The book introduces the CENTER framework to help leaders remember key physical cue points: Composure, Eyes, Nod, Tone, Energy, and Reach.

12. Signature Voice is a Journey, Not a Destination

Success is really doing what you love and doing it well.

A Lifelong Commitment. Developing a Signature Voice is not a one-time achievement but an ongoing journey. It requires continuous self-awareness, practice, and adaptation.

Addressing Backslides. Even after achieving Signature Voice, leaders may experience backslides under pressure or stress. Recognizing these triggers and returning to the ACE framework is crucial for maintaining a balanced presence.

Leading with Purpose. Ultimately, Signature Voice is about aligning your leadership with your deepest values and passions. When you lead with purpose, you inspire others and create a lasting impact.

Last updated: May 7, 2025