You often feel invisible because you are more low-key than the extroverted leaders in your organization. Yet, you notice all the details, facial expressions, and body language that others seem to miss. You wonder why people don't notice that this project could benefit from something happening over there, yet you don't say anything because you feel it's obvious. This episode will change your perspective and give you three steps to be seen as a thought leader in your organization.

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Transcript

3 Perfect Strategies to Increase Executive Leadership Potential, Beginning Today.

I have great news for you: Being introverted is a superpower and as soon as you embrace that and fully believe it, your entire perception of yourself will evolve. My goal is to help you see that reality so you can go into the world and create amazing things and have the positive impact you were born to make.

Often, because you are quieter than the extroverted leaders in your organization, you may often feel invisible. You hear everything and notice all the details, facial expressions, and see the body language that others seem to miss. You see the disagreements and difficult conversations coming earlier than everyone else in the room. You wonder why people don’t notice that this project here could benefit from something another team is working on in a different part of the company, yet you don’t say anything because you feel like it’s obvious, and certainly everyone must already know – you feel like you could be seen as “stupid” if you spoke up, as if you had just said the granny smith apple on the table is green. What if you are the only one who makes the connection? What if you see the solution and don’t speak up? You are not only hurting yourself, but you are slowing down progress toward a mission or for a customer you care deeply about.

One thing I wish I had realized sooner is that other people did not notice the same things I did. Other people did not always make connections or read people as early in a situation as I did. I know you feel this way too. They key is to embrace this superpower you have and begin actively begin using it in your workplace. Begin to strategically decide you will take off your “cloak of invisibility” so you can make a bigger impact. The more you do this, the more you will increase the perception that you have high potential for Executive Leadership, and once you are in that arena – it will become inevitable. There is no doubt that introverts make the best leaders, the only challenge you have is getting noticed in the first place.

In this episode, I am going to give you three (3) different strategies that you can start implementing immediately to raise your own potential and increase your sphere of influence at your organization.

Before we get started, I want you to think about the attributes that make introverts so powerful. Here are a few to get your mind in the right space for this exercise: You are self-sufficient, listen deeply, have the ability to process and analyze information, like x-ray glasses – you see the issues, gaps, and seams. You have the ability to read a room, notice body language and micro-expressions. You build deeper connections and coalitions and have acute self-awareness (which always makes for improved leadership). You are resilient and have the ability to focus deeply. You have little to no need for external affirmation. You have the ability to connect disparate dots. You leverage the power of presence: you “own” the moment by speaking calmly and deliberately, which directly translates to a positive perception. You know how it is, often extroverts talk a lot, that is partly how they learn, how they process information. Still, when there is someone who doesn’t talk a lot, and then they speak up – it is like the entire world pauses to hear what they have to say. This is a very powerful place to be. You are a servant leader and have the ability to write very well (you thrive at written communication). You have always flourished when given independence and autonomy. You are a deep-thinker and you enjoy helping other people win. Seriously, do see how amazing you are yet?

How often have you had an idea to solve a problem that it seems everyone knows about but no one is really working to solve? Is there any chance that you are the only one with a clear solution right now? Given your superpower of written communication, that brings me to the first way to raise awareness that you are a high potential for more senior leadership…

Strategy #1: Write a “white paper” to offer a recommended solution, or potential solutions, to your leadership to resolve a problem you see that everyone else seems to be missing or ignoring.

A white paper is essentially a written document that tackles a complex issue or challenge and is most appropriate if the author is either soliciting solutions from others or in the case I want you to use it: if you, as the author, have recommended solution(s), which will help a decision maker come to a key decision point. If you want to be seen as a thought leader, this is a very quick way to elevate your position in the mind of other leaders in your company. This is where you use your ability to notice things no one else sees and to make connections that others miss. First of all, most people will simply not take the time to write up the background of an issue, and do the research to identify the resources, timeline and technical details required to resolve an issue. If you see a connection between two areas of the company and make the business case that your solution could accomplish two key missions while aligning resources, you could save the company a lot of money or time. As you write your paper for the solution you decide upon, make sure you include the following as part of your write-up:

• Current vision of the executive leadership or decision makers

• The overall mission and vision for the organization

• An executive summary of the issue right up front. This makes it easy for busy executives to decide if the paper is worth reading.

• Background of the issue: Why is this a problem? Is it a gap? Is there a chance for cost savings or process improvement? Do you have an innovative way to deliver the final product better? Make sure to conduct appropriate research and add enough detail for understanding without overwhelming the reader.

• Highlight any efficiencies your solution provides (schedule, cost, manpower).

• Make it interesting and readable. You want people to read this document, so take the time to clarify your thoughts and develop a good intro and summary.

• Consider graphics or charts to make the information easier to understand and process.

• Consider the arguments some will make against your proposed solution. Include other perspectives in your paper and an unbiased analysis of how your solution is recommended.

• Offer your proposed solution or offer a range of solutions (2-3 max) with pros and cons to help leadership make a decision.

Why does this work to raise your high potential visibility? As already stated, most people will never take the time to proposed a well-thought-out solution to leadership. Many people won’t be brave enough to submit a paper, some would never take the time to write such a paper, many, many people know something is wrong and complain to each other at the proverbial watercooler – but YOU are going to be the one to have the thought, do the research, make the connections, and write the paper that will get you noticed. Even if leadership decides not to approve your idea for some reason (which could be for all sorts of reasons), they will notice that you are a person who is trying to make the company a better place. You have the ability to communicate, organize your thoughts, and are willing to propose solutions rather than quietly complain to others. You are not “normal” you are instantly a cut-above.

Strategy #2: Decide to become a connector. You already see the places in your organization where opportunities exist to drive collaborative improvement. Given your ability to create powerful 1:1 connections and to see the seams and gaps, start using your skills to create win-win connections across various teams and departments. Since you aren’t driven by external validation, you are the perfect person to create these connections. The thing is, by building these bridges, you will start to be seen as a connector, a collaborator, and someone who brings value to the organization. This is a quieter way to bring value, but you’ll be amazed at how quickly your personality and genuine ability to work with others, without need to the spotlight on yourself, will raise your star in the company. Even if you don’t deliberately seek it, you will start to rise from these quiet actions alone – everyone will start to know who you are, they will see that you care deeply about the customer and the mission, and that you are a servant leader – no matter the level of your current position. Never underestimate this kind of influence – it is powerful!

Ok, and the final strategy for this episode is one that is just a baby step toward growing your high-potential leadership… although it is one that many introverts struggle with.

Strategy #3: Committing to speaking-up more often (especially when you have valuable insight that everyone seems to be missing). You do show your value in so many ways. Yet, you often rely on written word or your deep analytic skills, but I want you to also learn to sharpen your ability to share your expertise in the moment, in group settings, like a staff meeting. Make a plan and decide that you will speak-up when you have that nagging voice, “they are missing the whole point.” Something that seems perfectly obvious to you might actually be eluding everyone else – that’s ok, they have different superpowers than you. This is a good habit goal for the new year - At first, you can decide something like once a day or maybe at every other meeting, that you will speak up if you have something valuable to add. Start small, just start with something to move toward being a more verbal participant. Overtime it will get easier and other leaders will start to look to you, for your expertise, before making decisions. In order to be seen as a thought leader and someone with high potential, people have to know what you are thinking. Not all introverts have a problem with this, but if you think this is something you can improve, then make a plan to start small and decide you will speak up when you have something the team needs to hear.

So, what keeps most people from having ideas and communicating them, as discussed in this episode, to others? It is usually some version of the thoughts:

o No one wants to hear my idea

o Someone is probably already working on that problem

o It’s been tried before

The thing is thoughts create your feelings and feelings create your actions. So, when you are thinking, “No one wants to hear my idea,” it makes you feel undervalued and unseen. When you feel like that you lose motivation, you do the bare minimum, and you just punch the clock. If you were the senior leadership, you would see those actions as mediocre – and you wouldn’t put that person in a position of more responsibility either.

The one thing you have 100% control over is YOUR OWN THOGHTS. What if you changed your own thoughts and decided to think:

o I have great ideas

o I know exactly what to do about that problem

o I want to find a way to help the customer even more

o I think I can help!

When you think these kinds of thoughts, they are much more productive and will cause you to feel hopeful, motivated, proactive, impactful. When you feel impactful, you are going to act with vigor, energy, and take proactive steps to make a difference. When you act in that manner, you will set yourself apart and begin to float up. It is your decision and you will have to manage your mind. When you choose the thoughts that serve you, you will come across as a completely different person than when you choose to allow more negative thoughts to pull you down. You can make a difference, and you do have the ideas, you just have to believe that someone wants to hear them.

These three strategies are not super difficult, they are all smaller steps toward a bigger plan, toward growing your reputation as a thought leader, as a person who has ideas and thinks of solutions and cares about the mission and the customer. Don’t waste your time being mediocre, complaining with the crowd in the break room. Be the one who is always thinking, always planning, always preparing and when the idea hits – be the one ready to communicate that idea up the chain and prepare to make your impact. This is how you rise.