The Conversation Factory Leadership is Consistency with Stacey Hanke
Influence and Leadership aren't things you turn on and off...it's a muscle you have to practice all the time. And while being "on" all the time might sound exhausting, Stacey Hanke, my guest today, suggests that the key to leadership is being consistent. Leadership and influence is something you practice "monday to monday" and every day in between.
Stacey is the author of Influence Redefined and Yes You Can! … Everything You Need From A to Z to Influence Others to Take Action. Her company exists to equip leaders within organizations to communicate with confidence, presence and authenticity, day in and day out.
One thing I really heard from Stacey is that in order to grow it's critical to see ourselves from the outside. That can mean recording yourself speaking or presenting or it can mean having a coach or trusted advisor who can give you honest feedback - and that you have to prepare for that feedback. If you want to dive into how to develop a culture of critique and feedback about your work, check out the show notes for my interview with Aaron Irizarry and Adam Connor, authors of "Discussing Design".
One of my favorite questions in this episode came from Jordan Hirsch, who was in the most recent cohort of my 12-week Innovation Leadership Accelerator:
How do you lead from the middle, without formal authority? Stacey had some solid, down-to-earth advice:
- Don't waste anyone's time - be brief and clear in your communication
- Have your message clear and crystallized so you can speak to it without notes
- Be clear on how you want to be perceived and how you are currently perceived
- Deliver value, consistently
- Show up for others - listening deeply means you can respond deeply
If you want to connect with a community of innovation leaders keen on growing in their authentic presence, you should apply to the upcoming cohort at ILAprogram.com
One other fine point I want to pull out from this interview is how influence shifts depending on the size of the conversation you're holding space in.
1-to-1 : It's easy to adapt and influence one to one: Stacey suggests that we listen deeply and get our conversation partners to do most of the talking. Also, mirroring their body language can create connection as well.
Groups - if it's more than five people Stacey's rule is to get on your feet. You'll have more energy and the group will feed off of that.
Large Groups - be "bigger" - use more of your voice, and use the whole stage. Connect to the whole room, purposefully, with your eyes
One side note: I misquote one of Newton's Laws. The Third law is about how every action creates an equal and opposite reaction, not the second law! How embarrassing!
Check out the show notes for how to find Stacey and her work on the web as well as links we mentioned in our conversation.
Show Links
Ed Sheeran on giving up his phone: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ed-sheeran-doesnt-have-cell-phone
Deep Listening on Ian Altman's Podcast: https://www.ianaltman.com/salespodcast/deep-listening-impact-beyond-words-oscar-trimboli/
Developing a culture of critique: Designing a Culture of Critique http://theconversationfactory.com/podcast/2018/9/2/culture-of-critique