Welcome back to the Look and Sound of Leadership, an ongoing series of

executive coaching tips designed to help you be perceived in the workplace the way

you want to be perceived. I'm Tom Henschel, your executive coach,

and today we're talking about the tool called Act As If.

When Lawrence was passed over for promotion to vice president, the feedback was clear.

His expertise was top-notch.

His executive presence was not. He just doesn't feel like one of our vice presidents, the CEO told me.

Lawrence vowed that by the end of the coaching he'd look more vice presidential

than any of the vice presidents.

With lips thinned in determination, he asked,

what do I need to do to feel like a VP?

I answered by giving him the following homework.

When you're with your VPs, watch them like a video camera.

Make a list with two columns.

In one column, list all the behaviors they're doing that you do too.

In the other column, list all the behaviors they're doing that you're not doing.

At our next session, we'll compare the columns.

Many people have trouble observing behavior, but Lawrence was masterful.

His list of the vice presidential behaviors that he was already doing had four points.

Leaning forward at meetings, strong eye contact, stillness, and authentic listening.

Of even more interest to me was the list of behaviors he'd observed but that he wasn't doing.

He had three, able to simplify and clarify complex ideas, conciseness, and an ability to ask powerful questions.

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