The higher you go up the corporate ladder, or as a business owner or, entrepreneur, your technical skills become less important and your social skills become more important. Why is that?
If your operational management was in a technical area, or as a professional, you now have the ability to delegate the data gathering and analysing tasks to others, while it is your responsibility to educate the leadership of the business and industry why, what and how action must be taken based upon what the analysis reports. That requires face-to-face interactive conversations and presentations to various interested and influential parties.
It has been said many times, that what got you to your current position or business situation, (technically-based fact-finding) won't keep you in your new role.
It's not unusual that 40 to 45% of leaders in new roles fail within the first 18 months of their promotion or hiring.
Leaders often fail for a few common reasons:
- due to unclear or outsized expectations,
- a failure to build partnerships with key stakeholders,
- a failure to learn the business/company, industry or the job itself fast enough,
- a failure to determine the process for gaining commitments from direct reports and
- a failure to recognise and manage the impact of change on people.
PINNACLE Business Executive Coaching (of the newly recruited or promoted executive can turnaround this high rate of failure) by helping the newly appointed leader develop the interpersonal skills necessary to succeed at the next level.
One of those important skills is being able to present their ideas and vision is a convincing manner.
Presentations are such a vital tool of living, yet many bright, talented, dedicated people never get as far in life as they'd like because they can't present to a high standard. The fact is, people do judge by appearances. For example, in corporate
Many people are terrified of giving presentations.
If you have great ideas but present them poorly, many people will fail to see their worth. You'll often be beaten by somebody whose ideas are less worthy than yours, but who presented them superbly.
Now imagine what life would be like if you were both very smart and a great presenter. The world would be pretty much yours for the taking!
