5 habits of confident people

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BY STEPHANIE VOZZA

Confidence is a trait you can get better at with practice.

We’ve all met someone who exudes confidence. They walk into a room as if they own it. They share their ideas without worrying about rejection. And they are happy to meet new people they can add to their personal network. Ever wonder how they got that way?

“Confidence is an inside job,” says Roz Usheroff, president of The Usheroff Institute, leadership and branding consultants. “[Confident] people show up as their authentic self without apology. [They] ask themselves, ‘What would I do if I weren’t afraid?’”

Some people are naturally confident, however, it’s a trait you can acquire and improve if you practice these five habits of confident people.

1. THEY’RE ALWAYS GROWING

Learning new things expands your mindset, and confident people are curious and love to explore, says Angeli Gianchandani, professor of marketing at the University of New Haven and founder of Mobility Girl, a platform designed to empower young women and men through mentorship in coaching for economic growth.

“They are avid readers and focus on self-care making time to meditate and exercise to fuel their minds,” she says. “It is the power of their ideas and imagination to think beyond the ordinary that sets them apart.”

Growth is a continual investment in building confidence, adds Usheroff. “[Confident people] don’t depend on just natural talent but from learning new skills through perseverance and practice,” she says. “They don’t hesitate to make a course correction upon new knowledge or circumstances. They see failure as lessons learned, accept the consequences, and share their experiences.”

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5 mistakes people make when talking with executives

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BY JIM FRAWLEY

Communicating effectively with C-suite leaders may require some strategy.

With so many aspects of workplace culture changing in the new economy, one particular practice remains essential to the functionality of any organization: communication. At a time when individual employees are fighting to articulate and prove their value, the way they engage with senior executives will help dictate their career trajectory. However, learning how to communicate at this level can be one of the more nuanced and challenging aspects of professional development.

There is a straightforward and simple process, yet most people ignore the opportunity to be thoughtfully prepared. Following a few basic steps can drastically shift the tides of effective C-suite communication. Mastering this skill positions an employee as a trusted partner for an executive’s thinking and productivity, which increases the likelihood that they seek collaboration from said employee. Leaders, like anyone else, are drawn toward those they like and respect, laying the foundation for organic opportunities and promotions. Strong, effective communication is a great way to get there.

Let’s break this down even further to the practical implications. It’s important to have an understanding of the communication model: There’s a sender of information, who carries the responsibility of delivering the information in a way the recipient understands. Here are a few common mistakes individuals make in transmitting this information and how to avoid falling into them.

PROVIDING TOO MUCH DETAIL

C-suite executives don’t often bother with—nor do they require—the same level of detail as workers at lower levels of the organization. Because they operate at a higher level, observing enterprise-wide challenges, any conversation that takes a deep dive into details will quickly derail. Communications must remain high level and strategic. Details often include pertinent data required to make effective decisions, but the ability to understand the greater context and filter irrelevant information falls on the shoulders of the employee.

The task in this case is to try to think like the executive. Take a larger view of the topic to ultimately lead them to a decision. Yes, the employee has all of the details, but their role in communicating is to identify the essentials in a quick and easy manner.

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Are You Taking Full Advantage of Your Network?

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by Deborah Grayson Riegel

Over a breakfast of lattes and pumpkin muffins at my local coffee shop, a colleague and I reflected on how weird it felt to be meeting people in person post-Covid. We discussed the awkwardness of handshakes versus fist bumps, whether to sit inside or outside, and what to say or do when someone coughs and you want to run away.

Then we turned to the subject of networking.

“My consulting business really suffered during the pandemic,” he shared. “And it hasn’t really bounced back. I might need to get a job, in which case I may have to start really networking again.”

“I hear you,” I said, with empathy.

“How about you?” he asked. “Will you start networking again now that it’s safe to leave the house?”

“Actually,” I said, “I never stopped.”

He paused, seeming confused, and then asked me a question that took me by surprise. “If you’ve got plenty of clients, and you’re not looking for a new job, then why are you still networking?”

I took a moment to consider his inquiry. Certainly, I could have coffee and baked goods at home, so that wasn’t the reason. I wasn’t trying to fill up my day so I wouldn’t be bored or lonely. I definitely wasn’t looking for a new job. So why was I still actively networking? Why had I never stopped? Continue reading →

Sales

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OUR CLIENT

Is a pioneering IT consultancy company with over 20 years of experience, their global network of passionate technologists and pioneering craftsmen deliver cutting-edge technology and game-changing consulting to companies on the brink of transformation. They are organized in complementary chapters – teams with a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience within a particular field, such as Agile, DevOps, Data and AI, Cloud, Software Technology, Low Code, and Microsoft.

LOCATION

  • Location – Anywhere in the USA

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Business and Market Development for US markets
  • Revenue Generation and new logo hunting
  • Negotiations and contract finalization with the help from delivery teams and legal teams
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with business and other IT teams across the client
  • Champion development and integration standards, best practices, and their related deliverables
  • Aim to deliver processes and components that can be maintained by the business into the future using native features and functions whenever possible
  • Embraces diverse people, thinking and styles
  • Understanding of technology selling in the areas such as Agile, DevOps, BI/AI and ML, Cloud, Full Stack Dev and Low Code.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

  • Bachelor’s Degree with IT selling and outsourcing experience of 15-25 years
  • Act with urgency and a sense of ownership in the broader scheme of client’s success
  • Hunger for business
  • Good past rolodex to close deals and hit the ground running

 

If you are interested or know someone who might be, please let me know.

Thank you in advance,

Sincerely,

Larry Janis

Managing Partner I Integrated Search Solutions Group

P-516-767-3030, Email: janis@issg.net

Leadership

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Early in the pandemic, Josh Bersin called it the Big Reset: “The Coronavirus is accelerating one of the biggest business transformations in decades.”

As the business landscape evolves and employees reassess their priorities, leadership is changing as well. To reset thinking on what it means to be a leader today, we asked other thought and business leaders for their perspective.

 

Courage – Great Leaders are bold and clear on their visions and they have the courage and verbal facility to consistently connect the “day to day” execution with the broader / longer-term vision to keep the organization highly motivated and moving forward.

Compassion – Your people need to know you care about them as a person, as a leader / member of their personal families, and as a major contributor to their professional family including their holistic health. Whether you as a senior leader are aware of the specifics or the situation of what a person is going through or not, you need to have the personal values and the presence of mind to quickly pick up on “clues” and adjust accordingly including putting the person “at ease” so he, she, or they can focus on their non-business priorities and then come back at the right time.

Competence – To paraphrase / quote Gordon Bethune, “you need to know how the watch works.” Whether it be your clients’ businesses, the financial markets, technology / geopolitical trends, or the intricacies of your own company, you need to know a lot about a a lot which requires a daily reading discipline well beyond the Wall Street Journal and paying attention in all your daily interactions.

Calmness – Senior leadership engagement / communication style and demeanor is paramount for driving the right corporate culture. Given the number and consistency of real and perceived “cross currents” that could potentially impact your business, you as a Great Leader need to have the presence of mind to process these factors swiftly, effectively, calmly, and collaboratively. If you are something other than a combination of calm and highly engaged, you risk making the wrong call in the moment or, worse, setting the wrong example for your directs and the broader organization in the process.

-Scott Mall, VP, IBM Consulting

 

An effective leader creates the conditions for its people to thrive by offering clarity on the ‘why’ and the ‘what’ and empowering them with autonomy to determine their own ‘how’ while remaining situationally fluent to support everyone on their unique development needs. Earns trust by demonstrating that he/she cares, creating psychological safety, and links both empowerment and trust to create accountability and loyalty. A remarkable leader integrates the need to deliver results while prioritizing the well-being of its people, not despite them.

-Pavel Ferreri, Senior Director Strategic Sales, Microsoft

 

A servant leader must learn and show empathy and compassion towards their teams, colleagues, and customers. This attribute is a learned trait through concentrated practice and application. We, as human beings, will never abandon our need and aspiration to follow those who show these critical human traits: in life, in family, and in business.

-Nathan Trail, Vice President of Strategic Sales NTT

 

If you’re inspired by these perspectives on leadership today, stay tuned…there’s more to come!  And if you are interested in crafting your own contribution, please email me at janis@issg.net