Become the Real Deal: The Proven Path to Influence and Executive Presence

3

Too Little

The Worrier

Whip-smart but anxious

I first met Sharon on the 57th floor of her company's towering office building. She was whip-smart, driven, and thoroughly capable. She topped the succession plan as the heir apparent to the chief executive officer, who planned to retire the following year.

Yet for some reason the CEO, Daniel, was starting to question whether Sharon could actually step into his shoes. He'd noticed a shift in her behavior over the past year, one that had been subtle at first but was now demonstrable. He was no longer certain that Sharon had the key characteristics and executive presence she'd need to lead the organization.

“She's become rushed and impatient,” Daniel explained. “Her calibration is off.” He felt that Sharon's ability to lead might be spiraling downward. So he brought me in to coach Sharon to regain her mojo.

When she sunk into the plush boardroom chair for our first meeting 10 minutes late, it was clear that Sharon was frazzled. “I'm under a microscope,” she said with a sigh. “Everyone's a critic.”

But no one was a harsher critic of Sharon than she was of herself. She was constantly judging her own performance. And she acknowledged that the heightened scrutiny—both internal and external—was hurling her off-center.

I asked her to identify specific situations that threw her off her game. “Let's start by identifying one,” I said.

Do you ...