Women’s leadership requires not only a strong executive presence, but also an authoritative executive voice. Executive voice is a critical component of executive presence, and Harvard Business Review recently developed a video to highlight my work in this area. The HBR video hits on the key points of an HBR article that I wrote called “To Sound Like a Leader, Think About What You Say, and How and When You Say It.”
Here are some of the most important takeaways from these pieces that can help you become a leader who has influence by strengthening your executive voice:
Regardless of your level in the organization, understanding each of these critical components can help boost your strategic leadership potential. I often say that executive voice isn’t so much about how well you perform; it has more to do with your strategic instincts. Leaders need to be aware of the signals and cues they send to others as they go about their day—and also understand the proper context for their comments—whether communicating with colleagues in the hallway or leading a meeting on Zoom.
Just as with executive presence, people aren’t born with an executive voice—it takes intentional effort to learn and practice how to send these signals in order to develop an effective executive voice. Ultimately, executive voice is about “showing up strategic,” which is one of the most important leadership tools you can cultivate.
Here are some tips highlighted in the HBR video to help you cultivate your executive voice:
What’s Your Role? Know the Context
As a precursor to any important communication or conversation, take the time to understand the big picture and where you fit into it—in other words, the context. Knowing what role you’re expected to play in a meeting and what the agenda is, for example, can make all the difference in how you choose to showcase your executive voice. As an example, if you’re the leader of the meeting and the primary authority in the room, you’d be expected to take the lead and be the only or final decision-maker. But if you’re one of several thought leaders, then your role is to collaborate and participate in a team approach to sharing your views rather than take center stage. In some contexts, your role might be to listen and learn, while in others it might be to explain your innovative ideas.
Take an Enterprise View
An executive voice also is strengthened by being visionary. That requires removing the focus off of your personal function or role, and looking more at the whole enterprise or wider organization. Effective leaders are able to help others understand the effects of leadership decisions, so that their staff and people around the table can see clear reasons for proposed changes to guide transformation. If you have recommendations to make, be sure to always connect the dots for others and clarify your vision.
Leverage Relationships Intentionally
Executive voice also incorporates cultivating strategic relationships. This doesn’t mean just with your own department or team members, or even just your functional area—reach out across the organization to those outside of your usual circle. Learn about the goals and challenges of people outside of your immediate team or leadership groups, and see how you can strategically support them. When you widen your sphere of relationships to interact with people at all levels, you’ll have a more well-rounded sense of the organization’s goals and priorities. This can help you connect with people on a different level and cultivate your executive voice beyond your own area of expertise.
Drop Finger-Pointing; Solve Problems Instead
It’s tempting in stressful situations to point out challenges—but to have an influential executive voice, you must focus on resolutions rather than simply surfacing the difficult issues. You may not know the right answer yet, but leading a discussion to analyze potential solves and brainstorming out-of-the-box options can help reveal your leadership ability as a problem-solver and solutions generator.
Offer Level-Headed Leadership
Workplace stressors have continued to escalate the past few years, and leaders who stand out are the ones who have mastered the ability to keep calm in pressure-cooker situations. Having a powerful executive voice means being the person who keeps their composure even when emotions run high and tempers flare around them. By sticking to the facts and staying grounded rather than reactive, you’ll convey an executive voice that others look up to and respect.
If you or your team have experiences with this topic or advice that you’d like to share about it, please reach out to me at info@shambaughleadership.com.
Link to SHAMBAUGH’s offerings on Executive Presence and Influencing As a Leader, Coaching and Development Programs for Women, and Engaging Mastermind Cohort Work Groups for Taking Your Leadership to the Next Level.
Rebecca Shambaugh is President of SHAMBAUGH Leadership, and Founder of Women in Leadership and Learning. Rebecca is a contributing writer to Harvard Business Review, the HuffPost, and a TEDx speaker. Rebecca has been featured on CNBC, Forbes, Training Magazine, and US News and World Report. She is author of the best-selling books It’s Not a Glass Ceiling, It’s a Sticky Floor and Make Room for Her: Why Companies Need an Integrated Leadership Model to Achieve Extraordinary Results.