The Bottom Line (Aired 05-26-25) Authentic Executive Presence: The Key to Leading with Impact

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Success isn't given, it's earned. And earning it means becoming the person who deserves it. The bottom line is where we cut through the chaos to simplify success, uncovering the strategies, mindset and resilience it takes to win. Real stories, expert insights and practical tools. Because the only way to the top is by putting in the world. This is the bottom line. Welcome to the Bottom Line Again. I'm your host, Ryan Herpin, and I am thrilled to welcome Leslie Everett back to the show. This is the second time we've had her on and I have been looking forward to this conversation for a while. Today's conversation dives into something deeper than leadership style or performance. It's about how leaders are perceived and how aligned their teams really are and what kind of presence they carry into every room they enter. Executive branding isn't just about polish or public image. It's about consistency, authenticity and effectiveness. And it doesn't stop at the leader. It must extend to the entire leadership team. If you really want to drive transformation or success can't just be that one individual at the top. Many executives feel stuck under the weight of that cultural misalignment, vague communication or team fragmentation. I see that pretty frequently. But what if the key to moving forward isn't just more strategy, but clarity of presence, trust and identity across the entire leadership structure? So I want to welcome Leslie back onto the show. Thank you so much for being here. It is such an honor to have you. [00:01:36] Speaker B: Thank you, Ryan. It's an absolute pleasure to be back again. [00:01:39] Speaker A: So, as the name would suggest, we like to get right to the Bottom Line. So I'm going to come right at you with a really important question I've been waiting to ask. You've worked with global executives. What's the biggest misconception people have about executive presence? [00:01:55] Speaker B: Such a great question to start with. I think one of the biggest things is there's a misconception that it's only extroverts that can have executive presence. So that's so not the case. It's really about Executive presence is about gravitas, clarity, influence and introverts. I've seen some of the most powerful areas of elements of influence and clarity come from introverts. That's what it's about. It's not about the loudest voice in the room, the one that's present at every event, the one that presents so well. Although that is an important factor. It's not always about that. There's this calm influence and gravitas that everybody can bring to the TABLE. So that's one misconception, that it's for extroverts only and they're the only people that can have presence. Absolutely false. I've worked with a lot of senior leaders who are more introverted than extroverted. And I think another misconception is that it's all about appearance. Having that polished suit and turning up, showing up. Well, now that is an extremely important part of your executive presence. But that's not it alone. And I think I hear people say things that leads me to believe that their perception of executive presence is just how I show up. It takes time. There's a number of things we need to build on to create that presence that gets talked about in that reputation. So I'd say that those are two real misconceptions that we need to bat on the head immediately and get rid of and deal with. [00:03:30] Speaker A: It's funny because you reminded me of a situation. It was a big lesson for me. I joined my mentor, my business partner, long before he was my partner, in a board meeting. And it became very clear to me that oftentimes the smartest guy in the room, smartest person, the most influential person in the room is not the loudest. They're usually the quiet one, the one that sits back, thinks deeply what everyone's saying and then makes their presence known. Like you said, it's not, it's not exclusive to just extroverts. Right? You know, anybody. But another part of, kind of what you said there that stood out to me is it's, it's different, it's different for everyone. You know, you can be any type of way, any style of personality and still have this, this executive presence. And I used to think executive presence was all just this pampered, kind of showy, flashy, but sharp look, right? There's so much more to that. It's the way you talk, the way you present yourself, the way you shake a hand even, it all adds up. So it does beg the question, why is personal brand alignment so essential for leaders effectiveness? [00:04:45] Speaker B: Well, there's again a number of things, but I think first of all it's being, it's being understood for who you are, for the brilliance and the expertise that you have, the style that you have. If you keep it hidden under a bushel and nobody knows about it, then you're missing out on opportunities for exposure and career progression. So, and often introverts, of course, will have a tougher time of expressing who it is they, they are and, and their achievements over the years. So there's a lot of stuff that I do on, on that to bring that out. So it's, it's really important to, it's so essential because the consistency is something that will build your brand and your reputation. So if we don't really know what our brand is, we can't be consistent with it and take people with us. And if we are consistent and clear with our messaging on who we are, how we expect things to, to be done, how we work, what the. Take what we stand for, then we take people with us much more effectively, which obviously is, is really important for effective leadership. And I see the leaders all the time that do this well, that have. Take people with them. They're not necessarily liked by everybody. They, they can be irritating to some people. And I hear this, you know, currently I'm working on some projects, but that's it. They have a huge degree of respect from people because they're consistent in their approach and everybody knows what's expected of them and where they're going in the direction they're going in. So I think personal branding helps us to be consistent as a leader. It's in this essential element. [00:06:18] Speaker A: I think you hit the nail on the head there. And this echoes something that I've talked about for a long time with, with constituents of mine. And really consistency. Right. I find that to be one of the most important aspects of being an effective leader. And truth is, do you want to follow somebody that's inconsistent? When their inconsistency is obvious, it makes it hard to trust them. Right. And you, you also highlighted something that's really important to understand. Leaders don't have to be liked. Your job's not to be liked. Your job is to be respected and trusted. Consistency and accountability go hand in hand. People don't always like to be held accountable. So they might not like you, but they're going to respect you because in the grand scheme of things, they see that you're there to help them grow and be better. And your personal brand is very, very much affected by your level of consistency. If you're consistent, your integrity tends to be a little bit higher. So how can a leader begin to develop a stronger, more intentional executive presence? [00:07:16] Speaker B: Yeah, and that's often the tricky piece. Where do I start? I think every leader knows that they need to develop a strong leadership and executive brand, but they, the conception, perception is that they don't have time, they don't know where to start, don't really know what it is. I mean, it just makes me think of a leader that I'm working with a very senior person, a very well known company and just says that, you know, I've been told I need more executive presence and I don't actually know what it is, I don't know where to start, I don't know what to do with it. So one of the first things depends on the person. But where I would start to advise people is to cultivate a strong degree of self awareness. Looking at how do you, how are you perceived when you're under pressure, when you lead, when things don't go quite the. The right way. So how are you perceived? Cultivate a very strong self awareness. That's a great basis to build your brand from. And it's not about changing who you are from feedback that you get. It's about being clear. And that's where we start to, to to put some real effort is being clear about who you are authentically and then mapping over this feedback to build that self awareness to bridge the g. Sure that you project the self that you want to in all situations. Another thing that they can do, and I find this is a common fault is is be much more succinct, be clear about your messaging. Less is more. I hear leaders talk too much and listening is another element as well. Really listen and challenge and create an environment where people want to contribute. So it's about listening and being succinct with the messaging being very clear about the direction that we're going in and being aware also that it's not just about one thing. It's like there are micro moments that you take to build your executive presence. So every little thing you do every day I talk about layers being added. Just like a pearl in an oyster that grows organically over a period of time. Layers get added to it exactly the same as your presence and your executive brand. Every little micro moment, every interaction, every email, every text message, every meeting, everything you do every day is adding a little micro moment to building that reputation. So there's some things there that we can start with for sure. [00:09:36] Speaker A: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And something you said early on in that it reminded me of a very particular word my mentor made sure to repeat to me many, many times. Brevity. A lot of leaders say too many things. They talk too much, you lose brevity. Brevity is so powerful in the sense you can say very few things and it mean a whole lot to a whole lot of people. But that's not an automatic. That's something you have to build over time. Like you Said every. Every action, every discipline, everything you do adds to that presence a little more, a little more, a little more. My mentor is the master of brevity. He could say very few words or a hand gesture, and, man, his team knew exactly what kind of crap we got ourselves into. So it's a matter of, your presence is designed by you, but everything you do makes a difference, if that's what I'm getting from it. So you gotta be intentional. If you're not intentional, you're gonna unintentionally give yourself a bad executive presence, bad reputation. People aren't gonna wanna know, like and trust you. They're not gonna wanna follow you. You know, it's. There's a saying that I believe was from Dr. Miles Monroe. If I. If I'm getting this correct. He said, an army of lions led by a sheep will always lose to an army of sheep led by a lion. Your leadership presence, your executive presence can make or break your team. Yeah, that's something that's so overlooked. Would you say that's pretty accurate? [00:10:56] Speaker B: Oh, absolutely. Every time. You know, this. This is misconception about leadership, that it's about having people report to me and headcount. And there is so much more to leadership than that. And it's tough. You can't just go into managing a team of three people, six people, and suddenly become a. [00:11:14] Speaker A: It's. [00:11:14] Speaker B: It's really managing that. The presence, the way you lead, the way you show up, the trust that you build, the culture that you build within the team. And that takes a skill. And it's not just something you can fall into and be great at from day one. It takes effort. And I absolutely agree with that. [00:11:31] Speaker A: Yeah, that's. That's powerful. You know, there's something I had to kind of tell myself over time, and now, you know, after learning it myself, I start hearing from others. But leaders aren't born, they're built, they're made. So if you're enjoying this conversation as much as me, don't go anywhere. Maybe do some stretches, refill your coffee, grab some popcorn, if that's what it is. But we will be right back to diving in and getting to that bottom line with more Leslie here in just a moment. We are back, and we're here to get to the bottom line. I'm still here with Leslie Everett and this segment. We're unpacking the idea of executive presence even further and how it really influences leadership from the inside out. There's so much to this, and honestly, we probably could fill several episodes But Leslie, I love having you here. Thank you for being here. [00:12:21] Speaker B: Thank you, Ryan. It's always a pleasure to be here. [00:12:23] Speaker A: So kind of the way to break down this problem so we get people back into this. Many leaders think executive presence is about speaking confidently or dressing the part, as we mentioned before, but it's actually about how consistently you show up in alignment with your values, vision and leadership style. Would you say that's pretty accurate? [00:12:42] Speaker B: Yes, yes, it is. And that's a tough bit, being consistent with all of those. [00:12:46] Speaker A: Okay, okay. So that's going to lead me to this first question. Why do you believe executive branding must extend beyond the individual to the full leadership team? [00:12:57] Speaker B: You know, I've spent 20 plus years coaching executives as an individual, as I've been called into to work with them. And in recent, in the last couple of years, what I've done is extend that because I've realized that, you know, your executive presence isn't just about you as the leader. It's really about the cohesion, effectiveness, and the identity of your entire team and how they support you. Because without having that team in alignment with what you're doing, cultivating their own leadership brands well and leading their teams effectively, you're never going to be the executive leader with the presence that you need in order to achieve the transformational project or end goal that you're working towards. So I absolutely believe that you need this to cultivate culture, real impact and change in a team. You've got to have everybody on board going in the same direction. And of course, you'll have some that are not quite in alignment. But without looking at the whole team and where we're going and looking at the executive presence of the entire team of VPs and leaders, you're never going to have the executive presence that you need yourself. And of course, I truly believe that unless you have that in alignment, you're never going to reach the growth goals, the sales goals, the strategic transformational goals that you've set. And, you know, transformation happens faster if we have all the team on board and we're all going in the right direction. And isolation of coaching just one executive is not going to achieve that as fast as we, we need to. So that's what I've been working on very strongly in the last couple of years, is getting the whole team in alignment and all having leadership executive brands that get them to where they want to be faster. [00:14:43] Speaker A: That's, I want to echo off of that a little bit because one of the big misconceptions I find at Least as of recently, when I'm working with clients, is that yes, the leader, the owner, the head honcho, so to say, yes, they ultimately are the ones that create the atmosphere, the culture for the business. But the misconception is that it's just them that has to work on that alignment, has to work on their leadership style, their presence, their capabilities. That's so wrong. So, so wrong. I do believe you have to start at the top and you have to trickle that down. You turn a culture of one into a culture of many. And you transfer your leadership style where ideally is consistent, has integrity and people enjoy the follow, and you transfer that to your other leaders. Right. My mentor said something to me I'll never forget. He said, he asked me, how do you measure a leader? I was bad, I didn't know. I had no idea what to say. He said by their ability to create other leaders. So as the executive, right, as the person that owns or runs a company, your job should be to transfer that down, make them better, to ideally make them better than you in leadership style and presence. You want them to embody the belief system of the business. And it sounds like you've helped a lot of people do that over the years. Then simply put, what's the biggest warning signs that a leadership team is out of sync? Because this happens a lot and I feel like it can go unnoticed. [00:16:17] Speaker B: Yeah, sure. This is one of the things why I sort of refined what I was doing and instead of coaching just the executive leader and looking at the team, because I hear it one dimensionally. So when I'm coaching the executive, I can hear, this is what I'm putting in place, this is what I'm saying, this is the message that I'm presenting. Great, we can work on all of that. When I work with their team of leaders beneath them, often what I can hear, what I hear is a different story. So it could be, well, we, we have no, I have no direction. I actually don't. I'm not really clear what I'm supposed to be doing or I don't really get the feedback or I don't feel like it's a safe environment for me to, to share what I really feel or situations that could be conflicting situations, I'm not necessarily feeling like I'm able to address those effectively. So when I start to work with the leaders within that team that report directly, executive leader, sometimes I'm hearing a different message and that's a real warning sign to me that that executive leader at the top wouldn't always be aware of. And that's why it's so valuable when I'm working with the entire team. It gives me an external 360 degree view of what's actually happening. So that's, that's a clear warning sign when there's a misalignment of what's happening, what the leader believes that they're doing as opposed to what the team are hearing and what they're seeing. [00:17:46] Speaker A: It's all about perspective. [00:17:47] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:17:48] Speaker A: And it's funny because I did this little method a while back and now I use it in every business that I try to consult for as far as evolving the leadership style and the success of the business. And it's, you got to make some sort of, you know, it's got to be anonymous reporting and communication and getting that feedback loop because a lot of the time, you know, a leader is going to believe what they believe and what they see. They're not always going to hear the right things back or the feedback that their team has because honestly, who wants to tell their boss, hey, I don't really know what I'm doing? Even though you're really confident that I do. No one wants to say that. [00:18:24] Speaker B: No, it's exactly right. [00:18:25] Speaker A: Can you share a story or a result from a time when team alignment dramatically shifted organizational outcomes? [00:18:33] Speaker B: Yeah, there's probably a couple. A recent example is working just exactly as I've said, working with executive leaders, leader getting to work with their team as individuals and then sometimes the teams below them as, as well. And what we've found, I mean it's a, it's a process you go through and it takes several months or a year in and you can start to really see that there's much better collaboration, sharing of best practice. People are less afraid to speak up, they're more accepting of, of feedback, negative feedback that they can deal with. It's not, oh gosh, that's a, you know, take it personally. It's a much safer environment and a much more inclusive and belonging culture that gets created. And that's been, that's absolutely been developed by being able to see what's going on from a helicopter view, an external lens of that entire team and seeing where the, that the gaps are. Something that is very tangible. A few years ago I worked with, and I can mention the client as a case study is the Grosvenor House Hotel. It's a luxury Marriott, excuse me, JW Marriott hotel in London in Park Lane. And I got to work with the, the entire executive team and all of the team right down to the casual staff right across the board. And I worked with them for a year and what we found was, and the general manager attributed this to the work we did, was that they had a 15.9% shift and increase in guest satisfaction in one particular metric that they were really trying to shift. And that was just unprecedented. It was a huge increase. In addition to that, a 5% increase in employee engagement, which probably went together with the guest satisfaction metrics. So there's been some really tangible results. You know, this is something that works. This is not just a let's just do something different for the leadership team. And a bit of coaching is going to help. This is something that really helps and is at the core of a transformational change or a growth project, whatever it might be. [00:20:34] Speaker A: I would have to agree. This is not snake oil. This is not voodoo. This is not we wish it's going to happen. It just happens. This is real stuff. It really works, makes a difference. And I think a lot of people are. They just don't believe that something so subtle, it can be perceived as subtle, even though sometimes it's a little invasive that it's going to make that big of a difference. But really everything, all the results are created from the leaders. How the company, how the business is led is what you get the results from. So I am curious on a more personal side, what has gotten you to this point mentally, to where you can see this third perspective, like what hard lessons have you had to learn to prepare you to help others go through these changes? [00:21:17] Speaker B: Yeah, I think. Well, I've been running my own business for 30 years and I've worked in many, excuse me, different cultures and very. And across 28 countries. So many cultures there and lots of companies in different sectors, household names. And I'm hearing, I think I'm in a unique position. It's fantastic because I'm hearing real inside truths of what's happening in leadership and the vulnerabilities and the challenges that leaders have today with managing people or just generally in their role as a leader. So I've got this perspective that over this 30 years, I guess, of running my own business and 20 plus of coaching senior people are being able to bring together a lot of insights and filter down to the things that are really important, that make a real difference. And I'm continually filtering. My whole life has been a personal branding story. I often talk about it as a filtering process. You know, you learn that you filter it through to the next stage. That piece is not relevant anymore. This is now more irrelevant And I'm continually doing that now with AI. How can I use AI to be even more effective as a consultant and a speaker and a coach? So I think it's that continual learning and the external perspective that clients value. And, you know, I've made mistakes over the years. I've thought, well, that's not effective anymore. I've worked in some situations where I think, well, I can't really see the difference I've made. And let me look at why that might be. Might be that they weren't ready to hear it. It might be that it's just the wrong environment, the wrong time. It might be a challenge. With leadership, that's never going to change. I don't know what it might be, but there's a lot of lessons learned along the way. [00:22:59] Speaker A: You know, I definitely can. That kind of hits home with me because there's a lot of those hard lessons that I've had to pick up on. You know, it's. Maybe it's not always the right time. Maybe it's not always the right setting, you know, and sometimes it's. It's a personality trait or a discipline that someone has developed over 20 years to change those things and to redevelop a way of thinking, a perspective. It's not always easy. And I know, like, for me, my mentor had a rough time with me because he had to tell me things 3, 4, 5, 6 times before it really sunk in. And me being me, I had to go through a lot of pain to truly let things, you know, connect before I was able to apply that knowledge. Right. So it is different for everybody. And I am loving this conversation. I'm excited to keep diving into more of this. If our viewers are into this. Like I said before, grab a pen and pad. Do not let this go without, you know, serious notes. We'll be right back on the Bottom Line with more. Leslie, thank you for sticking with us on the Bottom Line. I am still here with Leslie Everett, and we are shifting focus to what happens when leadership presence becomes a team priority, not just an individual performance. So, Leslie, like before, it's such an honor to have you here. I love this conversation. I'm learning from it, and I guarantee our viewers are, too. [00:24:18] Speaker B: Thanks, Ryan. Love being here with you. Thank you. [00:24:20] Speaker A: So I want to reframe the way that we're looking at the problem in this conversation. The effectiveness of a leader isn't measured just by their own clarity, but by. By how aligned and empowered their team is. Often miscommunication and fragmented leadership dynamics slow down momentum. Would you say that's pretty fair? [00:24:42] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, I would. Yeah. It's one of those. I think it's taking a stock at looking at, you know, where are we, what do I need to do, what do I need to shift for this next stage in the, in the journey? And I often find working with teams and people that we just carry on doing the same thing, same thing because there's no time. Perception of time is a key thing that to do anything different, I've just got head down, got to get through the week. Everybody's busier than they ever have been before, but it's stopping and taking stock of, you know, what's really going on. What do I really truly need to be focusing on right now? [00:25:17] Speaker A: I like the way you put that, the way that I talk about that a lot of the time is you got to be. You have to have the ability to go from the weeds to 10,000ft. You know, we've got to be able to pull ourselves out sometimes. Look at it from a third perspective, stand 10,000ft above and see what's really happening on a grand scheme. So how do you help leaders extend their personal brand values across their team? I know I've asked a similar question before, but I want to dig into this a little bit more because there's so many ways this can be done. How do you help people do this? [00:25:49] Speaker B: You know, that's a great question because every time you ask me a question, I'm thinking about the real life examples that I'm working with with right now and have been in recent times and often working with leaders and coaching them. Often what will happen in the conversation is this is what I need to do. These are the challenges I've got with the team or this individual or this is, you know, what I'm having to focus on. And they're not seeing that there are some elements of their own personal development need to be focused on first or their own personal brand first. So wherever I start and during the course of the journey of the program, whether it's with the leader themselves or their entire team as well, I get them to work. We work on themselves first. The clarity of their message. What kind of leader do you want to be? Looking at the stories and examples that they have during their career, the vulnerable bits as well, showing humility of when things went wrong. Let's look at who you are as a leader. How do you want to project? How do you want to project yourself? And looking at the consistency and the clarity of that message. It's always got to start with that, the leader themselves and who they are as an individual before they start projecting anything out into the team. And often I see that the wrong way around and it's not done. But that's my approach. Let's look at you first. [00:27:12] Speaker A: I would say that's probably the only way you're really going to make a significant difference in change. Because the way I see it, how can you possibly help other people if you haven't taken care of yourself first, if you don't have yourself aligned, if you don't have yourself figured out, or at least if you're not working on yourself, you can't possibly pour out into others. I mean, if you've got nothing to give, there's nothing to give. So I am curious though, what are some key actions executives can, can take today to start building that alignment if it has gone awry? You know, a lot of business owners and executives, they've been operating one way for a while. Let's say it's been years. And what are some things they can do to get start building that alignment back after years of neglect? [00:27:59] Speaker B: Yeah, I think obviously what I said is working the sales first and what is the messaging that they want to give, how do they want to lead? But being clear about the vision for the team or the company, whatever is relevant, being absolutely clear about that and sharing with the team the why and not just the the what, the why are we doing this? I feel that's missing a lot of the time. People go through, depending on their character types in a team. People go through the motions of doing their job, but they're not really thinking about the why or they've not had the direction that helps them understand why I'm doing this and what the overall vision is. So the starting point is getting the team together. Let's look at what is the big picture. What is our vision? What, what is our, our mantra for the team? Team branding. I do a lot of sessions on team branding just to, you know, who are we as a team? What are our behaviors? What are we going to agree on in terms of our, like, rules of engagement of how we operate as a, as a team? Get the team together for challenging discussions and thinking. Not just updates. I see this a lot. You know, we had a team meeting. What do you cover? Are we just updated on what's happening with that deal or what's happening with that process or that, that project? They're just updates. Very rarely do teams seem to get together to have challenging discussions, open, brainstorming, thinking with actions. At the end, of course, it's not just a let's talk about it and have a nice time. So do that. Encourage that critical thinking which is so often missing. Set the agenda, make sure people come in advance. So it's getting to the why that builds the cohesion and then making it a comfortable environment for feedback. So everybody feels like if something's not gone right or they're not really appreciating a behavior of the member of the team, they feel safe in being able to share that and create that feedback culture within a team. So those are some things that can help bring alignment to what you're trying to achieve. [00:29:57] Speaker A: I've got to say, you're a breath of fresh air. And I know why I like talking to you so much. It's because we see so many things eye to eye. When I'm surrounded by people that don't always see what I see or think what I think, it is so nice to hear this from somebody who's been doing this longer than me, is way more experienced than me. That still echoes those key foundation points. And I can't stress enough the reason why. Right. It's the difference between someone having a job and having a career is the reason why they're doing it. A lot of companies are out of alignment because they don't know why. So one of the methods I've used in the past and I still use to this day, is if I see that there's misalignment between the brand, between leadership styles, between the captain of the ship and the workers that are trying to make things happen. It's bring them in to quarterly meetings. Just like you have a board meeting, bring them into a quarterly meeting. Maybe not give them all the information that's pertinent to the business, but bring them in so they can at least see the goals, they can see the progress, they can see the results, they can see where things need to change and what everyone's striving for. Your team's going to get much better results and your leadership's going to build, your brand's going to build. If everyone knows why they're doing this, what they're striving for. Yeah, I think the actions you presented there are absolutely key. They're golden. They really are. So what's the long term value of a leadership team that operates from a shared brand and presence? When you've got a team that's been operating on the same shared brand and presence, what does that result look like over time? [00:31:37] Speaker B: Yeah, because that's important, of course. And I'm so focused on results. It's not just doing things because I love doing it or because it's the right thing to do or I'm not in favor of anything where it's like a sheep dip approach. And we need to go through this process because that's a tick box and checkbox and we're done. So the results are so, so important. And what we're talking about here is unity in a team and not uniformity. So it's, it's, it's unity, that cohesion, bringing it together, you build greater trust in the team. For some of the things I've already said, a great psychological safety within the team to have the tough conversations, to give the feedback to challenge things. I hear from executive leaders all the time, tell me what you need, challenge me. If you don't believe it's, it's, it's right or you have a different opinion, challenge me. And that's. They say it doesn't happen. And until you can get to coach some of the team to help them to do that, sometimes it doesn't happen. So that's really important. But the, the outputs are like faster decision making, definitely getting, getting to the result faster and more effectively than you will do with, without bringing this, this, this whole unity together. As a leadership team, you address the conflicts faster, you get rid of the roadblocks faster. You know, often I'll hear clients, you know, coaching them one month to the next, we've still got this challenge, whether it's with an under or whether it's a process or a system. And I'm just thinking, and I know I've worked for myself for 30 years, so it's easy. If something doesn't work, I change it. That's not easy in a corporate world. I know. But sometimes it's unbelievable how long roadblocks stay in place that stop this cohesion and uniformity and ultimately decisions getting made and getting to the end result faster. And the end result being more sales, more growth, whatever that might be. And you have less second guessing as well. If you have everybody on board, there's less ambiguity. That's another key thing I see. Well, I don't really know what's, what's required of me. So this is what I've done instead. But also I hear, well, you know, I don't know what's required of me and I don't really know what to do. So I don't really do anything because I don't, don't know, that's a, that's a misnomer as well. Just, just ask the questions and make sure that you put something together. Have some kind of thought and critical thinking around the challenge that you've got for that meeting. But that's sign of not great leadership if people aren't clear about what they, they're doing. So there's less second guessing if we've got a unified team, a clear leadership message, a cohesive team that feels safe in the environment they're in to share what they need to share. You get to the end result faster, the growth is quicker, the sales results are there sooner than we planned. It's just as simple as that. [00:34:32] Speaker A: It's crazy because you're giving me flashbacks to dealing with corporate giants that one decision can take months to make because the chain of command, the communication flow, it's, oh my goodness, not a fun thing. But I've got asked, where can our audience find you with all the value you have, the difference you make, the experience you have? I want to make sure people can find you. So where can they do that? [00:34:55] Speaker B: Thanks, Ryan. Yeah, one thing that my LinkedIn profile is a good place to start and also on there, I think which would be really helpful for your listeners is is there is a very short five minute assessment on executive branding. So you can do that, you can get, it gets you thinking about where your gaps and your strengths are and maybe what you need to, to address. So LinkedIn is great. My website is Lesley Everett.com and my email is [email protected] so that's pretty easy to, to remember. [00:35:24] Speaker A: I like that you keep it nice and simple. We have a tendency nowadays to over complicate things in society. Let's just stray away from that now. Leslie has been such an honor to have this conversation with you today. I always learn something from you and I look forward to continuing to learn from you. Such a pleasure. Don't go anywhere. We have one more segment to go where I'm going to talk about my philosophies, my beliefs and the things that I see on this topic. And I hope that I can share even half the amount of value that Leslie can. So stick around. We'll be right back on the bottom line. We are back on the bottom line. Thank you for sticking around. We've learned from Leslie that true leadership branding isn't skin deep, is structural, behavioral and cultural. Whether you're leading 5 or 500, your presence sets the tone, but your team's cohesion shapes the results. It really does. And I want to shed some light on my perspective and the way that I see things on this topic, because executive branding is not optional. It happens whether you shape it or not. So I think it's really valuable to address some of the elephants that we may have missed. And your choices, your actions as the entrepreneur, the leader, the representative, whatever, it doesn't matter if you're the person that's running the business or managing a team, your presence, your actions, your disciplines, integrity, consistency, all of it shapes your branding and the way that people see you. It's easy to get locked into a routine, to get trapped in that mundane, just go, go, go, go, go, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind. That we overlook what other people's perspective of us might be. And I've been a culprit of this myself. When running a large company, I was trapped in that 100 hours a week program where I'm just going and just blowing through things, trying to make stuff happen. And at that time, I was taking some big integrity hits because I was ignoring some of my team members. I wasn't holding accountability all the time where it needed to be. I was overlooking things, I was missing things because I was so focused on operating that I was missing the details that actually make a difference. So now one of the things that I focus on as a consultant is helping the operators, the owners, get from that position of being the doer to being the leader, the manager. There's a difference between being the person that does the work, gets things done, and the person that manages it and makes sure it gets done and helps those in your business get the results so you're not having to do it all. I like to think of that as that's one of the hardest maneuvers in business, is going from being the operator to the manager. And more often than not, business owners get trapped. They don't move forward out of that position. But your brand, the way that you present yourself, the way that you carry yourself, the way that you operate, the way you think, the way you talk, the way you handle accountability, all of that plays into your ability to make that transition. So executive branding is not optional. It happens whether you shape it or not. So decide to shape it. And leaders often can't see their own blind spots. That's why a trusted external perspective is invaluable. That's what I do for a living. Right. So the best way I could explain this and why it's valuable to have that other perspective and someone else in the mix, because think of it like you spent all these years working really hard to build or buy this beautiful car. That's your business. You're driving down the road and all of a sudden someone rear ends you. You didn't see them. You couldn't see them. You're looking ahead. That's kind of the shameful part of it, because most of the time when we get hit by a car, it's a car we didn't see. Right? Well, it's just like that with business. Things happen all the time. Big problems can occur. You can't see everything. You can't manage every little detail. You can't be the one responsible for every little action. So where the external perspective is invaluable, it is seeing that car approaching quickly so you can maneuver away. That's what people like me do. That's what people like Leslie do. We help see the forest beyond the tree that is standing before you. I use this as an example. It's like, why does LeBron James need a basketball coach? Coach? It's not because the coach knows more than him in basketball or is better than him, for that matter. LeBron has a coach because the coach can see the force beyond the tree. Where LeBron might be struggling with one small thing or something that's, you know, in his way, that coach is at 10,000ft and can see the bigger picture. Right? That's where that external perspective is, is so important. Like with a consultant, use me, for example. I'm not just someone to come in and give, you know, strategies, you know, actionable ideas and, and, and to plan things, strategize. No, I'm. I'm there to become your fractional partner. Essentially. I'm here to help look at the landscape, build a strategy that is safe, controlled, yet a bit aggressive. So we can grow and we can improve and tackle new, big, great things. But at the same time, I've got your back. Back. I'm looking out for you, and a lot of the time I'm protecting you from you. And that's where that perspective is invaluable. Because when you're leading a business, it is your job to hold everyone else accountable. You create the plan, you have the vision, you set the milestones, and you hold accountability. But who holds you accountable? Who has your back? Who tells you you need to suck it up, buttercup, and get it done? Who tells you you're taking it easy, you're going soft, or, or maybe you need to lay off a little bit. Maybe you're being a little too much, or you're going to run your team out of your charge. That's where that external perspective is valuable. Nothing was done on their own. You know, Rome wasn't built by one person. It took hundreds of thousands. It's the same thing in business. It takes a village. We say that a lot when it comes to kids. It takes a village to raise kids. It takes a village to build a business. You've got to have a team that is looking out for each other, right? And misalignment isn't always loud, but it quietly erodes culture and effectiveness. So alignment is something I look at a lot when it comes to a business. People ask me all the time, do you work with just the executives, just a leadership team? No, no, no, no, no, no. I work with everyone from top to bottom, bottom to top, because the perspective that is needed to make the difference a lot of the time when you have big problems or even small, subtle problems that just consistently beat you up in business. Great examples. Manufacturing, right? This is easy for me to utilize because I have been in all ends of a welding shop, manufacturing, building cryogenic vessels, liquid natural gas containers, things like that. That a lot of the solutions to the problems management could see, the welders, the employees, the helpers, the fabricators, they had the solution, they had all the ideas. They see the problem firsthand, they've tried different things, they know what could fix it, what could solve it. So if you spend all your time looking at the top and not where the people are that are actually doing the work, you're going to miss valuable insight and perspective that can make all the difference. So when it comes to having alignment, you have to be willing to go through every bit of that chain to get things back straight. And more often than not, those solutions, those ideas, those thoughts are already there. They're not at Walmart. You don't go to Walmart to get the solution. You go to your team, put heads together, work together, make sure they understand why we're doing this to begin with, and ask for their thoughts. Doesn't matter if they're a helper, a welder, a manager, a supervisor, a director, you know, a C suite executive, it doesn't matter. All perspectives could be the perspective that changes everything. So alignment is more often than not about staying connected with a good communication flow. No one's too good to talk to each other. An old partner of mine, I'd have to make it a point to remind him at least once a month, hey, get out of your office, walk around the shop, shake some hands, say, hey, man, you know, it looks like you're doing a good job. I hear good things about you, even if he hasn't. That right there can change the morale and create alignment. It gets them to trust in the leader, feel like they're being seen and heard and knowing that that leader is also a person too. So another way to look at this true presence is built on self awareness, consistency and a, you know, relatable trust. And that's where that part of the story kind of comes in for leaders, executives, right. Once your business gets to a certain point, you're not spending time with the people that are actually doing the work. I've seen this, and this is obviously is with mainly with very large corporations, you know, a national size businesses where you've got multiple locations, things like that, district, regional managers, whatnot. It is valuable beyond measure to have executives, decision makers to visit their locations, to visit their people, the people that are actually doing the work. It builds trust, connection. How many of you have worked for somebody, you had no idea who they were, you know, anything about them makes it really hard to fight for somebody's dream if you don't know who they are and you don't know what that dream is. So that presence is built on self awareness, consistency and relate, you know, the, the relational trust. You've got to put yourself out there, meet the people. You got to be self aware enough to know that you need to do that in the first place. And you got to consistently make it a part of your routine, your discipline, your regiment to make yourself available, to put yourself out there, remind everyone you're human. You're doing this too. You're in this to win this just like everyone else. And your job is to support everyone else doing it and to build that trust. When people can relate to you and they can be reminded, oh, you're just a person too. And you just, you have dreams, you have aspirations, you have hopes. You know, you put your blood, sweat and tears into this thing. You're going to get that alignment. You're going to get people that buy into your dream and want to help you achieve it because you care about their success. So a leader's legacy is shaped by their personal clarity and their team's collective identity. Let me break that down a little bit. You can start a business, you can pass off to family, you can sell it, whatever it is. But the, the, the, your legacy that you leave behind as a leader is built on your clarity and the collective identity you create. The clarity is the goals, the objective, the reason why, how you tick, what makes you find What. What's your purpose or is your fulfillment? You've got to understand that so you can share that. When people can connect to you on that personal level, it can change everything for a business. And then second, it transforms the team's identity because they want to then embody your goals, your vision, your disciplines, your. Your. Your concept of why you do this in the first place. So keep that in mind because that is so easily overlooked. And I want to wrap all this up today to. To summarize this in. In a very simple way. Your executive presence, your branding, all of it matters. Don't overlook it. Don't think, oh, it's subtle, it doesn't matter. No, because it might not matter right now, but in five years of consistently overlooking, neglecting, or failing to build that connection, you're going to reap the reward. And a lot of the time, it's poor, it's bad, it's not getting the results you want. So if you learned anything today, take that away. Your brand, your presence matters. Thank you for joining me today. Hopefully you tune in for another episode. This has been the bottom line. And remember, success isn't given, it's earned. We'll see you next time. This has been a NOW Media Network's feature presentation. All rights reserved.