Cultivating A Leadership Mindset

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲? Of all the topics people ask me about, executive presence is near the top of the list. The challenge with executive presence is that it’s hard to define. It’s not a checklist you can tick off. It’s more like taste or intuition. Some people develop it early. Others build it over time. More often, it’s a lack of context, coaching, or exposure to what “good” looks like. Here’s what I’ve learned over the years, both from getting it wrong and from watching others get it right. 1. 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 People early in their careers often feel the need to prove they know the details. But executive presence isn’t about detail. It’s about clarity. If your message would sound the same to a peer, your manager, and your CEO, you’re not tailoring it enough. Meet your audience where they are. 2. 𝐔𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Executives care about outcomes, strategy, and alignment. One of my teammates once struggled with this. Brilliant at the work, but too deep in the weeds to communicate its impact. With coaching, she learned to reframe her updates, and her influence grew exponentially. 3. 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 Every meeting has an undercurrent: past dynamics, relationships, history. Navigating this well often requires a trusted guide who can explain what’s going on behind the scenes. 4. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 Just because something is your entire world doesn’t mean others know about it. I’ve had conversations where I assumed someone knew what I was talking about, but they didn't. Context is a gift. Give it freely. 5. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 Early in my career, I brought problems to my manager. Now, I appreciate the people who bring potential paths forward. It’s not about having the perfect solution. It’s about showing you’re engaged in solving the problem. 6. 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 Every leader is solving a different set of problems. Step into their shoes. Show how your work connects to what’s top of mind for them. This is how you build alignment and earn trust. 7. 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Years ago, a founder cold emailed me. We didn’t know each other, but we were both Duke alums. That one point of connection turned a cold outreach into a real conversation. 8. 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 Before you walk into a meeting, ask yourself what outcome you’re trying to drive. Wandering conversations erode credibility. Precision matters. So does preparation. 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 Executive presence isn’t about dominating a room or having all the answers. It’s about clarity, connection, and conviction. And like any muscle, it gets stronger with intentional practice.

I got fired twice because I had poor soft skills. Then, I became VP at Amazon, where my job was more than 80% based on soft skills. This was possible because I stopped being an outspoken, judgmental critic of other people and improved my soft skills. Here are 4 areas you can improve: Soft skills are one of the main things I discuss with my coaching clients, as they are often the barrier between being a competent manager and being ready to be a true executive. Technical skills are important, but soft skills are the deciding factor between executive candidates a lot more than technical skills are. Four “soft skill” areas in which we can constantly improve are: 1) Storytelling skills Jeff Bezos said, “You can have the best technology, you can have the best business model, but if the storytelling isn’t amazing, it won’t matter.” The same is true for you as a leader. You can have the best skills or best ideas, but if you can’t communicate through powerful storytelling, no one will pay attention. 2) Writing Writing is the foundation of clear communication and clear thinking. It is the main tool for demonstrating your thinking and influencing others. The way you write will impact your influence, and therefore will impact your opportunities to grow as a leader. 3) Executive Presence Executive presence is your ability to present as someone who should be taken seriously. This includes your ability to speak, to act under pressure, and to relate to your team informally, but it goes far beyond any individual skill. Improving executive presence requires consistently evaluating where we have space to grow in our image as leaders and then addressing it. 4) Public Speaking As a leader, public speaking is inevitable. In order the get the support you need to become an executive, you must inspire confidence in your abilities and ideas through the way you speak to large, important groups of people. No one wants to give more responsibility to someone who looks uncomfortable with the amount they already have. I am writing about these 4 areas because today’s newsletter is centered around how exactly to improve these soft skills. The newsletter comes from member questions in our Level Up Newsletter community, and I answer each of them at length. I'm joined in the newsletter by my good friend, Richard Hua, a world class expert in emotional intelligence (EQ). Rich created a program at Amazon that has taught EQ to more than 500,000 people! The 4 specific questions I answer are: 1. “How do I improve my storytelling skills?” 2. “What resources or tools would you recommend to get better in writing?” 3. “What are the top 3 ways to improve my executive presence?” 4. “I am uncomfortable talking in front of large crowds and unknown people, but as I move up, I need to do this more. How do I get comfortable with this?” See the newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/gg6JXqF4 How have you improved your soft skills?

Every company makes this mistake. They take their top performer, the best deal-closer, the most brilliant strategist, the sharpest mind in the room and promote them into leadership. And then? Everything falls apart. - Not because they lack skills. - Not because they don’t work hard. - But because they can’t take feedback. So, stop promoting high performers into leadership roles unless they have this 1 quality: the ability to take feedback constructively. Because brilliance without humility is a leadership disaster. We’ve all seen it. + The high performer who hates being challenged. + The brilliant mind who dismisses feedback. + The rising star who refuses to admit when they’re wrong. And suddenly, they’re leading a team, where their ego kills growth and their defensiveness shuts down innovation. Patty McCord, in Netflix’s legendary Culture Deck, made this clear: No brilliant jerks. Because if someone’s talent comes at the cost of an environment where others can’t speak up, grow, or challenge ideas, it’s not leadership. It’s toxicity. Before you promote someone, ask: ✅ Can they take feedback without getting defensive? ✅ Can they admit when they’re wrong and adjust? ✅ Can they create a culture where others feel safe to challenge them? Because leadership isn’t about being the smartest in the room. It’s about being self-aware enough to acknowledge mistakes and course-correct. The best leaders aren’t just talented, they’re open-minded. They don’t shut down when confronted. They adjust, learn, and make the team stronger. So before you promote your top performer, ask yourself: Can they take feedback without taking it personally? Because if they can’t, they’re not ready. #thoughtleadership #growthmindset #futureofwork

26% of your promotion depends on executive presence. But no one explains what those words really mean. "She lacks executive presence" might be the most frustrating feedback ever. Because it's rarely followed by what to actually do about it. I've coached hundreds of leaders through this exact challenge. Here are 7 ways to build executive presence: 1. Practise Strategic Silence ↳ Leaders who listen first command more respect ↳ Ask: "What are your thoughts?" - then pause 2. Simplify Complex Ideas ↳ Complex language often masks insecurity ↳ Replace jargon with everyday language 3. Calibrate Your Reactions ↳ Overreacting undermines your credibility ↳ Ask yourself: "Will this matter in 6 months?" 4. Bring Solutions, Not Just Problems ↳ Leaders are remembered for solving problems ↳ Never raise an issue without at least one solution 5. Own Your Authority ↳ Undermining phrases erase years of hard work ↳ Remove words that weaken your message: "just," "kind of," "I think maybe" 6. Own the Room ↳ Your physical presence speaks before you do ↳ Sit tall and take up your full space at the table 7. Expand Your Influence Beyond Your Role ↳ Broader influence gets you bigger opportunities ↳ Volunteer for cross-functional projects Executive presence isn't about changing who you are. It’s about showing up as your real, confident self. ♻️ Repost to help your network ➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

Now here’s a story about a boss on a steep growth trajectory—me—who insisted that everybody share my ambitions, and how my experiences at Apple changed my thinking. For too long, I believed that pushing everybody to grow super-fast was simply “best practice” for building a high-performing team. I was always looking for the best, the brightest, the brashest, and the most ambitious. It never occurred to me that some people didn’t want the next, bigger job. When I designed Managing at Apple, we encouraged managers to focus the lion’s share of attention on the most ambitious people, often to the detriment of those doing equally great work—and happy to keep doing it. Scott Forstall, who built the iOS team and worked directly for Steve Jobs, helped me see that this approach didn’t create the optimal team. We were discussing the performance-potential matrix many companies use for “talent management.” I said, “‘Potential’ doesn’t seem like the right word. I don’t think there is any such thing as a low-potential human being.” “Words matter,” Scott said. “Let’s wrestle with it.” He proposed using the word growth instead of potential, to help managers think about what opportunities to give people based on what they want—not just what the company wants. That shift changed everything. Instead of asking an implicitly judgmental question like, “Is this person high or low potential?” we encouraged managers to ask: • What growth trajectory does each person on my team want to be on right now? • Have I given them opportunities that align with what they really want? • What growth trajectory do they believe they’re on? Do I agree—and if not, why? These questions help you avoid burning out the rockstars and boring the superstars. They remind you that trajectories change, and you shouldn’t put permanent labels on people. Scott was right. Words matter. 👉 How are you making space for different growth trajectories on your team? — 📩 Want more practical, tactical tips like this? Start your week with The Radical Reset - a short Monday morning mindshift delivered straight to your inbox. Click here: https://lnkd.in/gr9CuxXc — Follow Kim Scott and Radical Candor® for more Radical Candor insights!

You can't call yourself a leader if no one grows when you're around. Too often, leaders focus on outcomes and miss the opportunity to develop their people. But when you take the time to coach, challenge, and support someone’s growth, you’re not just helping them improve … you’re strengthening the entire organization. Your employee’s growth doesn’t always mean handing them a promotion. Sometimes it’s helping them build a new skill, take ownership of a project, or finding the confidence to speak up in a room. Sometimes it’s offering mentorship. Other times, it’s pointing them toward a formal program. Either way, it has to be intentional. So are you building an environment where employees are pushed to think bigger, supported to achieve more, and mentored to step into leadership themselves? More importantly, are you equipping them with skills to carry the work forward when you're no longer in the room? Because if you're not investing in your people’s potential, you’re leaving your own on the table too.

I used to think founder success came from pure optimism. Five years in, I know better: you need equal parts paranoia that something will destroy you and faith that you'll win anyway. Both. Every day. And you can never turn it off. Optimism without paranoia is delusion. Paranoia without optimism is paralysis. This is what holding both forces actually looks like: 1. You pitch with total conviction while planning for rejection. You have to believe your vision is inevitable. That's the optimism. But you also assume every investor will say “no” and have five backup plans. That's the paranoia. The best founders sell the future like it's guaranteed while preparing for every possible rejection. 2. You embrace "10X force" thinking. Intel was getting crushed by Japanese memory manufacturers in the 1980s. Andy Grove saved the company with one paranoid question to Gordon Moore: "If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what would he do?" Moore's answer: "Get us out of memories." That led Intel to pivot to microprocessors before it was too late. Every quarter, ask yourself what 10X force could destroy you. Then build defenses while you still can. 3. You run Bezos's "Day 1" discipline at any size. Jeff Bezos writes that Day 2 is stasis, followed by irrelevance, followed by death. His system for beating that entropy: "disagree and commit" - move fast with conviction (optimism) even when uncertain (paranoia). Make decisions with 70% of the information. Waiting for 90% means you're too slow. 4. You do pre-mortems, not just post-mortems. Before any major decision, imagine it failed spectacularly. Work backwards. What went wrong? This "negative visualization" isn't pessimism - it's strategic paranoia. Psychologist Gary Klein pioneered this technique. Amazon pairs this with their PR-FAQ process where teams write the launch press release before building anything. One imagines success, one imagines failure. You need both perspectives. 5. You copy Jensen Huang's "30 days from bankrupt" mindset. NVIDIA's CEO tells employees they're always 30 days from going out of business. Not because it's true - they're worth $3 trillion. But because that paranoia drove them from graphics cards to AI dominance. Complacency kills more companies than competition.

Soon, you won’t be the most capable person on your team. And that’s exactly where your value as a leader begins. AI is reshaping how work gets done. From real-time strategy optimization to near-instant insights, your team will have access to capabilities that once felt like science fiction. They’ll think faster. They’ll automate smarter. They’ll create beyond what was possible even a year ago. So what happens to your role? You shift from being the answer-giver to the question-asker. From directing tasks to designing environments where intelligent systems and human insight thrive together.  And the hardest part will be letting go of the need to be the smartest in the room. The most impactful leaders in this next era will be those who: → Select technologies not for novelty, but for strategic interoperability → creating environments where iterative learning is safe, scalable, and valued. → translating complexity into actionable direction across disciplines. This isn’t just delegation. It’s systems thinking at scale. Because in a future defined by exponential capability, leadership is no longer about knowing more. It’s about enabling more to be known, faster, more precisely, and with greater collective intelligence.

An unexpected practice for executive presence. I work with high-performing leaders every day. Brilliant, accomplished people who seem to have it all figured out. Yet the biggest challenge they confess isn’t strategy, skills, or even competition. It’s the constant self-criticism. The louder their role gets, the louder that inner critic becomes. → Imposter syndrome. → Second-guessing. → The relentless feeling of not being enough. The unkindness in your own mind is the biggest block to your executive presence. Because the grace, patience, and compassion you extend to others, you rarely extend to yourself. And it shows. → In your energy. → In how you walk into a room. → In how people feel you. I have observed that leaders who are kind to themselves radiate differently. They don’t just speak with confidence. → They shine. → They are magnetic. → That’s influence. A Quick Test for You Think of the last mistake you made. What was the first thing you said to yourself? “I’m such an idiot.” “How could I miss that?” “I’ll never get this right.” Or simply, close your eyes and become aware of the words that are flashing in your mind. Are they kind? Imagine saying that exact line to your best team member. Would you? If not, then why do you allow that tone with yourself? One of my clients, a senior VP, once told me, “I can run billion-dollar projects, but I can’t silence the voice that says I don’t deserve to be here.” We worked not on his strategy, but on his self-talk. The shift was visible. Within weeks, he walked differently, spoke differently. His presence filled the room. Because when you’re kind to yourself, you stop fighting yourself. And when you stop fighting yourself, everyone else feels your calm confidence. ♻️ Repost to help your network navigate life & work transitions with ease & grace. 🔔 Follow Mallika Rao for more strategies on High Performance and Wellbeing. Pic Credit : Justin Wright #leadershipdevelopment #coaching #wellbeing #emotionalintelligence

The most underrated leadership hack I've discovered? Hiring people smarter than me. I used to think being the smartest person in the room meant I was winning. Classic leader ego, right? Then I hired my first salesperson who could sell better than me. My first marketer who understood growth in ways I couldn't grasp. My first designer who saw problems I didn't even know existed. That's when everything changed. Having access to people smarter than you isn't just a blessing – it's a competitive advantage disguised as humility. Here's what I've learned as a leader with this mentality: Every time I hire someone who intimidates me with their expertise, our team and business results gets exponentially better. Not incrementally. Exponentially. When you're surrounded by people who challenge your thinking, you stop defending ideas and start evolving them. You stop being the bottleneck and start being the catalyst. The leaders who struggle? They hire down. They need to be the smartest. They need to have all the answers. The leaders who thrive? They collect geniuses like infinity stones. "Having access to people smarter than you is a blessing, not a threat." This isn't just a nice quote. It's the foundation of success. Your job as a leader isn't to know everything. It's to create an environment where the smartest people want to bring their best thinking. Real leaders don't fear people being better than them. They help them become even better.