The Power of Presence: Unlock Your Potential to Influence and Engage Others [Hardcover]

Kristi Hedges (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 18, 2011

Everyone recognizes leaders with "presence." They stand out for their seemingly innate ability to command attention and inspire commitment. But what is this secret quality they exude, exactly? Executive and CEO coach Kristi Hedges demystifies this elusive trait, revealing that leadership presence is the intersection of outward influencing skills and internal mental conditioning. Using her I-Presence model, the author shows how anyone-regardless of position or personality-can strengthen their impact. Readers will learn how to build trust as the foundation for leadership, eschew perfectionism for authenticity, banish limiting thoughts and behaviors, and galvanize their team through visionary, inspiring communications. Stellar technical knowledge, a strong work ethic, excellent presentation skills-none of these tangible traits puts people on the career fast track as readily as a compelling presence. Filled with profiles of leaders with powerful presence and the latest neuroleadership research translated into actionable habits, this authoritative guide puts a little-understood, but potentially game-changing, tool within everyone's reach.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Everyone recognizes leaders with “presence.” They stand out for their seemingly innate ability to command attention and inspire commitment. But what is this secret quality they exude, exactly?

Executive and CEO coach Kristi Hedges demystifies this elusive trait, revealing that leadership presence is the intersection of outward influencing skills and internal mental conditioning. Using her I-Presence model, the author shows how anyone—regardless of position or personality—can strengthen their impact. Readers will learn how to build trust as the foundation for leadership, eschew perfectionism for authenticity, banish limiting thoughts and behaviors, and galvanize their team through visionary, inspiring communications.

Stellar technical knowledge, a strong work ethic, excellent presentation skills—none of these tangible traits puts people on the career fast track as readily as a compelling presence. Filled with profiles of leaders with powerful presence and the latest neuroleadership research translated into actionable habits, this authoritative guide puts a little-understood, but potentially game-changing, tool within everyone’s reach.

From the Inside Flap

Hands-down, executive presence is the corporate it factor. It’s directly linked to your ability to get noticed, forge trusting relationships, and get others on board with your vision.

But few people realize their true presence potential. Think of the otherwise competent team leader who doesn’t command respect in executive meetings, or the overextended boss who never seems to know what’s really going on with his employees, or how to motivate them.

The good news is that limitations such as these are not set in stone. In fact, they’re completely surmountable with the strategies and exercises in The Power of Presence, a highly readable and deeply insightful book that cuts to the heart of presence—what it is exactly, and how to get more of it.

The Power of Presence shows everyone—introverts and extroverts, job seekers and senior executives—how to improve their presence. In her distinguished career as a CEO coach, public relations executive, political consultant, and award-winning entrepreneur, author Kristi Hedges has witnessed even the highest-level people struggling to connect and communicate, often tangled by nerves and confused about how others perceive them. Her experiences have helped her develop the unique I-Presence™ model, which is equal parts communication aptitude, mental attitude, and authentic style. And now, you can cultivate the skills to inspire and motivate by focusing on the three core aspects of presence:

1. Intentional: Determine the type of presence you want and the values you want to convey, and how they match up with the way people currently perceive you.

2. Individual: Understand how to build relationships that foster trust, and that drive business, loyalty, and career success.

3. Inspirational: Learn what the master communicators do to inspire others, including using powerful language, motivating through change, and presenting to audiences effectively.

Presence isn’t just a commanding personality or unabashed confidence. It’s much deeper, achieved over time, and driven by your own authenticity. Each day will bring a new opportunity to reshape or finesse your presence—in your dealings with colleagues, your contributions in meetings, your presentations to groups large and small. With masterful strategies and practical tools, this book will help you rid yourself of limiting behaviors, provide new ways of thinking and doing, and probably change your beliefs about what makes an executive strong.

Kristi Hedges is a communications expert, entrepreneur, and certified leadership coach whose clients include Fortune 500 corporations, global professional services firms, entrepreneurial businesses, national associations, and the U.S. government. She's a leadership contributor to Forbes.com and Entrepreneur.com, and a speaker for Vistage International and The Founder Institute.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (November 18, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814417736
• ISBN-13: 978-0814417737
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 0.9 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #204,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kristi Hedges is a serial entrepreneur, communications expert, author, and leadership coach. In her 20-year career working with leaders to help them communicate more effectively she's encountered every personality type imaginable, yet remains more than a little passionate that anyone can learn presence. Her workshops and leadership coaching programs have been utilized by CEOs and teams of all sizes in companies spanning the Fortune 500, government, non-profit and privately held small to mid-market businesses. She runs her own coaching practice, The Hedges Company, and is a founding partner in the leadership development firm, Element North.

Kristi blogs on leadership for Forbes.com, created and penned "The Leadership Factor" column for Entrepreneur.com, and is a leadership contributor for Ragan's HR Communicator. She's been featured in publications as diverse as Washington Post, Reuters, MSNBC.com, San Jose Mercury News, TheStreet.com and numerous others. She's been honored as one of the "50 Women Who Mean Business in Washington, D.C." and as an owner of a top 25 Largest Women-Owned Businesses by the Washington Business Journal. She speaks widely on leadership topics for corporate groups, industry conferences and with Vistage International, the global professional development organization for CEOs, and The Founder's Institute.

Prior to becoming a leadership coach, Kristi co-founded and ran one of the first technology communications firms in the Washington, D.C. area for a decade before successfully selling her interest. Her career highlights also include working for a national news outlet, and as a political consultant for dozens of electoral campaigns from U.S. President to statewide offices. Kristi holds a Phi Beta Kappa B.A. from Virginia Tech and an M.S. from Purdue University, both in communications. She is an ICF-credentialed leadership coach through Georgetown University, and is certified in emotional intelligence.

Kristi blogs actively on all issues surrounding leadership at kristihedges.com and @kristihedges.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Dramatically Increase Your Influence February 5, 2012

By John Chancellor TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Most books on leadership or personal development advise that to increase your success, you must increase your presence. Yet too often this advice comes with little or no specific direction. At times there is even a poor definition of what presence really is.

If you have been seeking an authoritative source which not only clearly defines presence but also gives very specific steps to develop your presence, The Power of Presence by Kristi Hedges is your answer. The book is based on Ms. Hedges in depth personal experience from running her own PR firm, providing executive coaching and facilitating high level workshops. Her advice is solid, includes lots of real life examples, is well organized, presented in a straightforward manner and is easy to understand.

The book is well written and fairly easy to read. However there is a lot of information to absorb. Thankfully at the end of each chapter, she summarizes the important points covered. And the final chapter is a Cliffs Notes summary of all the concepts presented in the book. So you will not need to go back through the entire book to refresh your memory about any particular point or topic. Having said that, I do believe most people would gain additional valuable insight by a second reading after a reasonable time interval.

Ms. Hedges presents the material as a three part program: The first is Intention, you need to set your intentions before a meeting, presentation, etc. The second part is Individual - how to forge strong relationships and build trust. The third part is Inspiration - how to motivate so that people want to follow your lead.

While there is extremely valuable and insightful information throughout the entire book, there are some specific passages I would like to comment on.... At the introduction to Part 3, she gives a very informative and insightful summary of the latest information on the neuroscience of the brain. This is a very good summary of how the brain works and why we as humans do and act as we do.

We are all influenced by the fight - flight response. There are social triggers which result in a threat - reward response. She cites the work of David Rock and the SCARF method to remember these triggers. SCARF is Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness. This is an extremely valuable discussion which will give the reader a much better understanding of how and why people respond to these triggers.

The last specific passage I would like to touch on is for getting shared understanding when you are presenting a new idea/concept. She uses the "DIAL in" process. Discuss, Invite, Acknowledge and Leverage. Again, this is highly insightful discussion and most leaders would greatly improve their chances of getting buy-in by following this process.

There is so much additional exceptionally good information in this book. Just reading the book and becoming aware of the different ways your actions and intentions impact your presence will improve it. But if you really study and implement the concepts discussed in this book, you will experience much greater presence and that will equate to greater success. Read more ›

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How and why powerful intentional presence can be a "personal game changer" December 20, 2011

By Robert Morris HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

As I began to read this book, I was reminded of one of my favorite songs in the musical and film, Chicago, sung by Amos Hart (played by John C. Reilly in the film version) who characterizes himself as Mister Cellophane:

"And even without clucking like a hen.
Everyone gets noticed now and then
Unless of course that person it should be
Invisible, inconsequential me...."

Most people in most situations lack the ability to attract favorable attention. They feel invisible. Worse yet, many feel they deserve to be ignored because they are "inconsequential." Fortunately, Kristi Hedges has developed what she c alls "I-Presence, a model I have found to be the `secret sauce' of executive presence. It is equal parts communication aptitude, mental attitude, and authentic style. It combines a supportive inner mindset with the outer skills needed to create the natural, confident, consistent leadership presence." Actually, the information, insights, and recommendations that Hedges provides (with appropriate modification) can help almost anyone, including but not limited to executives) to develop with she characterizes as "intentional presence."

Specifically, "understanding how you want to be perceived and subsequently communicating in a manner so that you will be perceived the way you want. It means aligning your thoughts with your words and your actions. And it requires a keen understanding of your true, authentic self, as well as your impact on others." In essence, Hedges offers to help her reader to complete a process by which to develop these separate but interdependent capabilities:

o 100% fulfillment of one's potentialities
o 360ş perspective on interaction between one's self and one's environment
o moral compass for what is right......and what is not
o sixth sense for what is appropriate...and what is not
o street smarts for what will work...and what won't

She immediately establishes a direct, personal rapport with her reader and sustains it throughout the 14 chapters and six appendices. Also, she inserts dozens of diagnostic exercises throughout the narrative that can help her reader to identify and then address specific areas of personal growth and professional development on which to concentrate.

Henry Ford and Pogo offer observations that suggest why this book can indeed be come a "game changer" for many of those who read it and then (key point) patiently but persistently apply what they have learned from Hedges. According to Ford, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you`re probably right." Now Pogo: "We have met the enemy and he is us." Everything any reader needs to derive maximum benefit from the material in this book is located between their ears and in their heart. I agree with Darrell Royal that "potential" means "you ain't done it yet." If yours is locked, the book is your key. Now what? That's up to you. Read more ›

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A necessary guidebook to become an influential leader January 8, 2012

By Kevin Winston

Format:Hardcover

Most books about the qualities that make a good leader - presence being one of them - leave you with the impression that you're either born with them, or you're out of luck. What makes this book unique is that Hedges despels that notion right off the bat, clearing the way for you to accept and use the tools she lays before you. Rather than being a trait that's unique to the Board room, Hedges points out that presence is something we already have, manifesting itself in the different roles we play in our lives. Better yet, she gives you the awareness to find it, and the permission to bring it full force in other aspects of your life, whether business or personal interactions. This is a highly useful book because Hedges makes the seemingly out of reach aura of 'presence' entirely accessible. Unlike a lot of books that fall into the executive coaching category, the tone here isn't at all didactic or condescending. She puts you at ease at the start and leaves you hopeful and confident that, regardless of your level or background, presence is a trait you can master. This is a very good read.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Improve your Executive Swing December 18, 2011

By Bob

Format:Hardcover

This is an outstanding book for anyone in a position where they need to influence other people (which is basically everyone in the business world). I read 50-75 books a year with a mix of fun (mysteries, historical fiction) and business management. Most management books I skim, get some general concepts and put back on the shelf. This book I will keep as a reference because of the practical and tangible ideas that can be practiced. I previously ran an organization of a few hundred million in revenue and Kristi was my executive coach. She was excellent and I got the feeling of being coached with this book. The book follows her style of coaching: there are concepts presented with some research backing, then there are tangible examples given, and then followed by practical instructions on what and how to work on to improve in that area. It's the next best thing to having Kristi as your coach.

I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to be more effective at influencing and believe it will be effective at any level of management. Even Tiger Woods takes coaching and it's difficult for executives who are pretty good in this area to benefit from most of the basic books out there. But just like for Tiger, this book can break down the swing mechanics for someone pretty good at the game and help you stay in the fairway even more often.