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 under executive questioning. Carla, and Lester were part of a leadership development cohort.

These three high potential employees who had never worked together before had to co-manage

a joint project over the course of a year.

The conclusion of the project needed to be a business recommendation

presented to the CEO and the entire staff.

Now, with the deadline peeking over the and the entire staff.

Now, with the deadline peeking over the horizon, they were preparing their presentation.

I was helping them put their story together.

But they were so anxious. At every turn in the discussion one or the other of them would worry

But what if they ask us this or what if they ask us that? I didn't know their senior team and I asked why they were concerned about getting questions

from the executives.

Carla said, it's not like they're aggressive or, but they have high expectations of us and we don't want to let them down.

I looked at Nathan and Lester.

Lester spoke first. It's different for me. For me it's all about my boss, Bill. I know the type of questions he's going to ask me, but there's just never enough time in this program to find all the answers.

We still have our real jobs to do, so I'm going to have to say I don't know a lot and I hate that

Nathan began

It's about my boss too, but he stopped and he smiled at the others. There was obviously some shared joke among them he went on my bus

doesn't care what I say he just wants me up there talking and not standing back

Carla pointed her thumb at Nathan in deadpan.

...