Five simple ways to stand out as a leader

Why is it that some leaders seem to have a strong influence over people while others struggle to do the same no matter who they’re talking to? Influential leaders have presence, or what I like to call the “X factor.”

Through years of research working with different leaders across all industries, I narrowed the idea of presence down to five major concepts.

Substance

If you don’t have thorough knowledge of your core area, you’ll never be seen as a present, deeply effective leader. People can sniff out baloney.

Build a track record of success to grow your reputation in your industry and beyond. People might have questioned Steve Jobs’ leadership style, but they never questioned his expertise.

Relational Authenticity

Make people feel like they matter. Have you ever met someone famous or of perceived importance, and they spoke to you like you were the only person in the room — even though thousands of people might want their attention? That’s presence. If you read almost any biography of Bill Clinton, people have claimed he has that.

Style

Style is how you show up. It’s about appearance, confidence and energy.

Appearance matters. You need to dress the part for your role, but most importantly, you need to appear pulled together. Unkempt clothing is a presence-detractor.

Being viewed as confident derives from a combination of your substance and your body language. Researcher Amy Cuddy explains it beautifully in her TED Talk, “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are.”

Energy is about how you focus your energy toward your audience, not on yourself. It’s dancing with your audience in a mutual energy exchange. Patsy Rodenburg, one of the world’s leading voice coaches, says it’s having a “stage presence.”

Communication

Communication is a major problem in most offices and one of the biggest “negatives” employees indicate when reviewing their company. Very few seem to communicate well, which is often the result of unclear, frequently shifting priorities. Communication, for me, is an intersection of three things: the right way, the right time and the right people.

The worst thing you can have is a cookie-cutter approach to communication. It won’t reach people where they’re specifically at, and that’s a loss. Instead, slow down and determine the outcome you are seeking from your communication. Be clear on the message you need to articulate and the best delivery method to generate awareness, adoption, or action from your intended audience (by phone, in-person, via social media, etc.).

Situational Agility

Each client, employee and situation is going to be different. Some want hard facts all the time while some are comfortable working from their gut. Some use Microsoft products, some use Google. Some love email, some only want to call you. There are thousands of ways where Client A can be different from Client B.

The most present leaders respond to each client as an individual and respect their needs while having empathy for how they like to work. The least effective leaders try to shoehorn everyone into what they are comfortable with. Those leaders also end up losing a lot of business.

If you want to boost your X factor and exude presence, start with building up your relational authenticity. Your first objective is to make someone feel like they matter.

Go visit a co-worker — someone beside, below, or above you. Don’t just talk to them about their workload but ask how you can be of value and what else is going on in their life. No office gossip, no “I’m so slammed,” nothing like that. Just a quick pop-in conversation that wasn’t scheduled, wasn’t related to deliverables, didn’t mention KPIs or anything else. Just be human, and interact.