While a leader’s actions are critical elements in achieving success, RL suggests that a leader’s primary lever for influencing emotional systems is the quality of his/her presence. A positive presence, as we define it, is the aura of confidence, poise, attentiveness, calm, focus and energy one radiates wherever one goes.
While a leader’s actions are critical elements in achieving success, RL suggests that a leader’s primary lever for influencing emotional systems is the quality of his/her presence. A positive presence, as we define it, is the aura of confidence, poise, attentiveness, calm, focus and energy one radiates wherever one goes.
AnaLia Medina describes why is it crucial for leaders to lead with a “systems view” in mind?
The amygdala triggers the fight, flight or freeze response, like slamming on your brakes to avoid a car accident. This anxiety response has passed down virtually unchanged from the earliest vertebrates on earth.
Leaders who act as step-down transformers understand this distinction and work to practice skillful inquiry rather than interrogation.
Anxiety is often stored in the body in our shoulders, jaw and chest. Relaxing these areas as you exhale releases stored stress, helps to lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and enables you to project greater poise.
In these VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex Ambiguous) times, it is essential for a leader to embody a sense of urgency not anxiety in their presence. Here are some thoughts on what to do and what to avoid. Pick a few (maybe 3) from each list to work on right away. You will see and make a difference!
Chronic anxiety is always with us. Anxiety is not, in and of itself, either good or bad. It is a largely an unconscious state of mind that has its origin in the oldest part of the brain, sometimes called our “Lizard Brain.”
Resilient leaders understand that high levels of chronic anxiety mitigate against an organization’s ability to be nimble, innovative, and resilient.
Many of us live the frequent changes in life without without witnessing them. Being present is a choice, a practice, and it requires effort.
