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 projecting the image you want.

Catarina had a meteoric rise through the executive ranks of Hollywood.

She was a division president at one of the major studios before her 40th birthday.

Originally, she'd engaged me to help her conquer her lifelong fear of public speaking.

Being smart and motivated, she mastered her nervousness in fairly short order.

Then our work turned to fine-tuning her executive presence.

A wonderful opportunity presented itself.

She was to present an industry-wide initiative at an international conference in Europe

with masses of press and industry watchers in attendance.

She said to me, now that I'm not so worried about my nerves, I want to be sure I come off the

way I want to come off. Without knowing it, Katerina had hit on a core exercise I used to help people

be perceived in the workplace the way they want to be perceived. I asked, if reporters were going to use two or three adjectives about you in their articles,

what words would you like them to use?

She thought for a second then said, I want them to say I'm knowledgeable, presidential, and confident.

Great, I said, then that's what will work to create.

Knowledgeable, presidential, and confident.

Those are your target words.

Here's how to use them. Everything you do from listening

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