8 WAYS TO CREATE A LEADERSHIP PRESENCE

As a small business owner your goal should be to always create a “leadership presence”. A “leadership presence” is created when others trust you and your message and when every aspect of your presence – including your physical appearance, your intellect, your voice and your emotions – is bound up with your message.

Your leadership presence has to be on display wherever you are and should be on display by business owners from a start-up to a large corporation.
Let’s examine these 10 principles:

1. Show up as who you are: In other words, be yourself, everyone else is taken.
2. Speak about things that you care about: The most effective communicators are those who speak about what is important to them, in the context of what they are trying to accomplish and what their listeners care about.
3. Begin a conversation that others want to continue: What does your audience care most about? What do they usually talk about? What will they pay attention to?
4. Personal appearance is important: As a leader, everything about your appearance is important. From the way you dress, the way you stand, and even how you feel about yourself are all traits that are visible to others.
5. Don’t start your presentation immediately: When you make a presentation, take a deep breath and count to five before you start speaking. This will allow you time to get your thoughts in order.
6. Use your story: As a small business owner you have a compelling story to tell. Stories create relationships and sharing personal experiences that are tied into your WHY will make your points even more powerful.
7. Save something for the future. Don’t share everything about your product or service; allow some space for your listener to insert their own experiences related to your conversation.
8. Improvisation is a leadership tool. With the most practiced presentation there is always the chance that you may need to improvise to reach the expectations of your listener.

Practice makes perfect and each one of these 8 traits are part of being a good leader. Small business owners need to put themselves forward as a leader in their industry. If you believe that you are, then your mind will help you become that leader.