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 acting with intention. Stan didn't intend to be intimidating, but I didn't know that when I received a call from his secretary

asking me for an hour-long meeting.

As the senior sales executive for a worldwide technology firm, he led an organization of several

hundred people. I had coached a score of his

senior staffers and all but one talked about him as unapproachable and intimidating.

Walking into his office, the morning of the meeting meeting I felt myself strapping on my heaviest

mental armor.

Stan greeted me not warmly, but with the strained cordiality of the severely introverted. As we talk, my impression of him transformed

from the great and powerful Stan to a rather awkward middle-aged guy whom my parents might

have called a nebbish. That morning Stan talked to me about his legacy.

He knew people found him intimidating, and that was painful to him.

It wasn't his intention to be that sort of leader.

He wanted to be a nice guy.

Would I help him?

He asked, because he'd be retiring in three years,

and he wanted to change his reputation before leaving the company.

Contrast Stan with Larry Webb. Company. I've coached people at Lang from Division Presidents to Executive Assistance.

Everyone there talks about Larry with surprising intimacy and affection, easily identifying

his gifts and also his areas of development. They see him as smart, tough and fair and across the board they love working for him.

...