1. Recap by Mindy Rolnick :Sr. Manager, Decisioning Technology, Comcast
Executive Leadership Power & Presence workshop led by Terri Nimmons and Denise Wallace
It was my honor to be able to share 2 days with 40 amazing women who just happen to work in the same industry as I do – Media, Entertainment & Technology. We found that we shared a lot of the same experiences. Not only in the various offices, but in our personal lives as well.
During these 2 days, we went through many topics where we received shared insights from already successful women on how they themselves became empowered. We then took what we learned from these women to hold group discussions in multiple breakout sessions to understand how each of us can use these lessons to empower ourselves as well. Through these discussions gave us a more in-depth look into the many ways this new knowledge can be interpreted and used.
I went into this looking for ways to improve my confidence when speaking, but I received so much more than that. These learnings will take time and practice to see true results. But it did give me the initial steppingstones I need to put one foot in front of the other to achieve my goals. I hope that I can also start leading by example to pay this forward to colleagues, teammates and even my leaders so that everyone can benefit from what I was able to take away from this.
Some key take-aways:
· Fixed Mindset – If I fail, its over vs. Growth Mindset – If I fail I can use this as a lesson learned on how to improve
· Confidence comes through in Verbal and Non-Verbal ways. This ties in with the 11 P’s
o Poise - Deep relaxing breath before you begin speaking/ Don’t fidget.
o Personality – Smile
o Politeness – Be Kind/Give gratitude.
o Pride - Sit/stand up straight / Never apologize/ Eye contact.
o Pace - Pause/ leave room for questions/talk slowly.
o Preparation - know your material.
o Politics – know your audience.
o Precision – Be Direct/Concise
o Persistence/Perspective – Make sure your opinion is heard
o Pitch – Emphasis on what you want them to remember
· Good listener acknowledges that you are listening and not just waiting for your turn to speak
o Even if you can relate to the speaker, you don’t need to tell them your same experience.
· It takes just 7 seconds to make a 1st impression but don’t count out the 2nd impression just yet.
o Smile/eye contact/handshake (fastest way to a connection)
o If a 1st impression didn’t go well, it can be fixed with patience & time and discovery into what was presented incorrectly the 1st time and choosing to adjust the 2nd time.
· Ask for feedback from others. Use this information to grow.
· Manage your Brand.
· Know your Best Play and put an economic value to it. In business, money talks. Take your best achievement (Play) from this past quarter and come up with a high-level economic value you can tie to it. And be proud of your achievement.
· Be authentic
· Leadership is like an iceberg - What we hide below the water line drives what is seen above the water line.
o Feelings, Beliefs, past failures/successes
· Be Do Have vs Have Do Be rule
o If I had more time then I would be able to do more and be a better leader (backward thinking)
o How I am being at this moment is what I do which results in what I have (forward thinking)
2. Recap by Jen Salmon, Director, Consumer Product Insights, Consumer Research & Insights, EBI, Comcast
“In each challenging situation, we nudge ourselves: we encourage ourselves to feel a little more courageous, to act a bit more boldly – to step outside the walls of our own fear, anxiety, and powerlessness. To be a bit more present. And incrementally, over time, we end up where we want to be…even if we couldn’t have said where that was when we started.”
Amy Cuddy, Presence
I was thrilled and grateful to receive a WICT scholarship to participate in the Executive Leadership Presence (ELP) workshop last month in Savannah, Georgia – and the experience exceeded my expectations! I loved the content, my fellow participants, and the focus on expanding my skills.
The agenda for the two day workshop was full of activities to help us grow our leadership presence, and in this supportive environment and with our amazing moderators Terri Nimmons and Denise Wallace, the activities all felt ‘do-able’ – stretching me in new ways but without feeling insurmountable. Even videotaping myself was ok in this context (which says a lot). And the pacing was just right, long enough to get an introduction to each activity and an understanding of what aspects to practice later on.
Activities that I found particularly insightful and that I’ll continue to work on included:
· Highlighting ‘my best play of 2023’ in a 60-second elevator pitch…and then, linking that back to specific benefits to the company.
· Gauging people’s first impressions of me and what my personal brand conveys to my professional and personal contacts – and how I might want to tweak those to better communicate what I’d like my brand to be.
My thirty-eight fellow ELP participants were an impressive group – team leaders, self-reflective, encouraging, and fun – and for each activity, we paired up with new partners. It was a pleasure to connect in the workshop with others who have similar career goals, as well as outside for happy hour, dinner, Leopold’s ice cream, and a ghost tour.
Like many women and as a working mother, I rarely take time to think about my skills and self-development – let alone two days – and so the learnings from this workshop will hopefully encourage me to focus on myself a little more moving forward. Other key takeaways include being more aware of how I’m presenting myself to the world (i.e., ‘how I show up’) and trying to be easier on myself. I’m a work in progress, nudging myself to be a bit better, a bit bolder.