Sensing a lack of respect from the team? Feeling that no one is listening?
Consider building your executive presence.
Remember at least one detail about each person on your team. Write them down if necessary. People like it when you remember something about them. Their kids, their favorite car, a mutual like for wine. Ask them something new about their interest on occasion to demonstrate a genuine interest in them.
Be polite. Politeness conveys a sense of sophistication and selflessness. If you are in a role of authority, soften the way you speak to your reports. Take time to listen. Treat them as though they have something important to share―because they do.
Be punctual. The people who command respect are masters of their own time. Go beyond punctual. Get there ahead of time. It will show others you mean business and are a force to be reckoned with. Get yourself a good watch. Advance it 10 minutes and enjoy a mini-time zone of productivity ahead of everyone else.
Dress the part with a signature item of clothing or style. Have some fun with it. Dr. Deborah Birx had her scarves. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright had her pins. I knew a lawyer who was once chided for being the oldest lawyer in firm. He ordered a line of dinosaur ties from the National Museum of Natural History. On court days, he always wore the T-Rex pattern.
