After serving as a front-line leader for nearly five years, I had the privilege to participate in a Leadership Development Program. When I entered the program, I expressed a desire to grow so that “my voice would be heard in ‘senior management’ meetings.” During the program, I took a Dale Carnegie Course called “Confident, Assertive, In Charge: The Attitudes of Leadership”.
In the course, the instructor said that sometimes we enter the room thinking we’re the least qualified or least experienced person there. When we think that, it affects our behavior. That point really resonated for me – even in how I referenced the group as “senior management”. Up until that point, I often entered a room thinking that I’m the least qualified person there, recognizing that I’ll work over time to “earn” the right to speak. Honestly, that served me well in the past; but as Marshall Goldsmith’s bestseller management title notes, “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.” And I recognize that there are fewer opportunities to make an impression at the executive level.
That day, I realized my need to start thinking & acting like an executive, so I’m ready to be one! How about you? Do you have an “effective executive” mindset? To learn more about management guru Peter Drucker’s view of an “Effective Executive”, click here.
