Transcript
Hello, everyone. I am really glad today to be joined by Stephanie. And, um, we’re going to have a conversation around and about a topic that might be overused, might not. But what I, what I’m really convinced of is that you’re going to get some very interesting perspectives on this topic today. But before we go there, Stephanie, do you want to introduce yourself to our listeners? Sure. Hi, Annami. Thank you for having me. Great to be here. So my name is Stephanie Tishmann. I’m the founder and the managing director at TECA, and Teka is short for Taishan Executive coaching and Advisory.
Um, I founded TECA in 2018, and before that, I had the privilege of working with some amazing global companies like McKinsey, Nike, Coke, Google, mostly in senior strategy and general management roles. I also have a PhD in business administration. I taught strategic management and organisational change at university. Originally, I’m from Germany. Um, during my career, I have lived, um, in many countries across Europe and the US, um, and now I call Dublin home. And home is also where TEA is based, and from here we serve, um, clients pretty much all over the world.
Uh, maybe just a quick word about TECA. So TEA, uh, and TECA, that means a small team of expert business coaches. We specialise in executive coaching for senior leaders, and that means, uh, we are, uh, especially like a sounding board for them or a thought partner, whatever challenges they might be facing. We also design and deliver comprehensive leadership programmes, and we deliver capability building workshops on specific leadership topics like the one we are going to talk about today. So I’m thrilled to be here. I look forward to chatting with you.
Thank you. Yeah, and the one we’re gonna talk about today, I think our listeners will hear that you really have vast experience as far as this topic is concerned. And so let me let the cat out of the bag. Um, the topic is that of executive presence. And as we were preparing for this, I had a bit of a reflection, and I thought, well, is it an overused term? Is it still relevant? Um, yeah, I don’t know. Maybe, maybe let’s start with what the concept of executive presence means to you.
Yeah, no, that’s a great question. Um, Uh, also, the question whether it’s overused or not. Um, so, you know, I get a lot of clients. Um, so to me it still seems very relevant because I get a lot of clients who come to me and say like, you know, I got the feedback from HR or from my manager that I need to work on my executive presence and they’re like, And what the heck does that even mean? You know, and that’s exactly the point. And I think that’s also what you’re referring to.
It’s, um, it’s a term that’s been thrown around, and only a few people really care to define it, right? And it’s, it’s often mistaken for things like all being charismatic or looking the part or dominating the room. Yeah, exactly. Mhm. Yeah, but I think that’s absolutely not it. So what is it if it’s not in your view? Yeah, so, so for me it’s actually A mix, a set of learnable, and that’s important, learnable leadership skills and behaviour behaviours that enable leaders to engage and inspire others effectively.
So it’s not like something you’re born with, but it’s something that you can learn. That’s interesting, because if I think of the word, well, I, I was not expecting you to say that one can actually learn how to nurture and grow your executive presence. So, is there a, I mean, what are the core components then? If it’s something that you learn, what do you need to learn? Well, we developed a framework that is based on for what we call types, which are not mutually exclusive because these sets of leadership capabilities that I mentioned, they are overlapping, right?
But they would include, these types would include things like being a brand builder, meaning being on top of your own narrative of how you want to show up as a leader and have clarity around that. It Also includes things like communication, being able to communicate effectively. Um, it includes things like influencing, like how to create alignment with key stakeholders. And lastly, um, the concept of being what we call an assertive advocate, meaning, um, being able to set boundaries to say no, um, and to make your point in an assertive, not an aggressive, and assertive way.
So I’m hearing a little bit there about what it’s not, but it’s also not, right? So it’s not about potentially being aggressive. It is about being assertive. What else is it not about? What would you say, oh, no, this doesn’t fit under the umbrella of executive presence. What it’s certainly not about is, it’s not about being somebody you’re not. You know, this is not about creating a fake persona or showing up in a way just to please others or to fit a certain mould. It’s, it’s about being more of who you are grounded in your unique qualities and values, but being on purpose and doing it with clarity and with impact.
So how, I mean, that sounds to me as if it requires a lot of self-awareness as well. And so how do you help? People to grind ground themselves in also discovering a little bit of who they are, because I think if you don’t do that, you can’t think, I guess, apply what you learn and you can’t do that in an authentic way. You absolutely spot on. Um, if you were to ask me for, like, the biggest piece of advice, it’s really like start with self-awareness. Um, because you need to understand who you are, what, in my, in my words, what your current brand is as well, like how you’re being perceived by others, um, what your values are, what your strengths are, what your development opportunities are.
Um, and the way to do that is Of course, reflection, but it’s also asking for feedback, um, because it’s great if you have like your own identity, but in the end, um, I think it’s Robert Hogan who said like, you’re being hired and fired not based on your identity, but based on your reputation. It’s so, that’s so interesting. And I think for me, you’ve mentioned this notion of personal brand a few times. I think when I speak to leaders about it, um, emerging leaders, more experienced leaders, you get different reactions.
Some people don’t like the idea of thinking, oh, well, I need to work on my brand, um, and my reputation. I think they’re more comfortable working on reputation, but less comfortable working on brand, and actually, the two go hand in hand. Yeah absolutely go hand in hand and uh like with, with like a good marketing strategy, obviously, you know, your, your brand needs to deliver on its brand promises, right? Um, so it’s not about um creating this, uh, oh this is who I want to be and then not walking the talk.
The way I talk about it, what what in in my experience resonates very well with clients is I talk about boxes because we are all put in a box. Like it or not, that’s the reality. The moment you start talking to somebody, we all do it, you put in a box. To me, that’s box A. Right, that’s your current brand. Um, and the question is, do you want to be remaining in this box that others shape for you, or do you want to shape and create your own box, which I call Box B, which is your aspirational brand?
And then, you know, you need to um uh have a clear view on who you want to be, what you want Box B to look at, and to find a way to get from A to B, like a strategic plan just for yourself. Mhm. Mhm. And then, so I get that. And that actually also makes me then reflect on the other question that I posed at the beginning. I, I said, Does it still matter? Is it still relevant? And I guess in a world where, you know, a world that’s full of turmoil, um, and really interesting, both very negative and positive leadership role models, um, it is very relevant to, for you to discover who you are, so that you at least can live your own authentic brand, and hopefully, if there are more people living their own authentic brand, There’ll be a different type of leadership um emerging or, or present in many more corporations or, or smaller organisations.
But for you, what is the relevance of um executive presence today specifically? Yeah, I think you’re making a very good point there. Um, the point of in a way. Stability Being grounded in who you are and who you want to be. I also compare this often to like having your own North Star, if you know. The brand and, you know, whether you call it a brand or a reputation, you know, you aspire to, then you know how you want to show up, how you want to behave.
And that to me is a little bit, almost like a litmus test, like a North Star, where, where every kind of interaction you have, how you show up, how you behave, but also decisions you’re taking, taking, you can measure against this and, and, and ask yourself the question, is what I’m about to do right now, is this actually feeding into the brand, how I want to be, or is it harming how I want to be? And I think in this world of volatility that we live in, it’s very hard sometimes to have this compass for yourself.
You’re, because, you know, we are bombarded by so many different perspectives every day. Yeah, yeah, and I, and I think, well, again, as you were talking there, I was reflecting on. And we need to talk about it. You know, it’s not just good enough for you to be self-aware and then to say, OK, this is how I’m moving from A to Z, but you can’t keep it to yourself, right? So there needs to be a narrative, and, you know, you need to be on top of your own narrative and be consistent, because if you’re not, that undermines not only your presence, but your authenticity as well.
So how do you, how do you talk about your, your, or how do you become on top of your narrative and how do you narrate it? I believe the most important point here is actually walking the talk. It’s not about, you know, communicating your brand and having a fancy slogan. It’s really about engaging in the leadership behaviours that’s how the brand would manifest. So for instance, exercise I do with my clients is when they say like, oh, I want to be. I want to be seen as collaborative because I want to be a really collaborative leader.
And then we go into the details. So what does it actually mean in terms of behaviour? How do you observe and experienced leaders that you would say are collaborative? So it’s really about creating these observable behaviours that then, um, lead up. to conclude that you are X, right? Um, but the point about visibility is a very important one. you know, in my workshops, uh, where we, uh, where we, uh, engage with various leaders on the topic of executive presence, uh, I always start with like a self-evaluation, a diagnostic, and across the different attributes of executive presence.
And one of the attributes is actually visibility. And visibility is the one that consistently people score themselves the lowest. That’s why it’s so interesting you’re mentioning that. Um, because there’s still this taboo, uh, in terms of, uh, taking credit for the work you do. You know, people still have this idea of, oh, the work should speak for itself. No, it doesn’t. I agree. I’m with you on that one. I’m with you on that one, right? I think the I think it’s how you do it as well.
So again, in how you speak about it, right? And I think you can either choose to do so positively or negatively, but I fully agree with you. The work doesn’t speak for itself. No, absolutely. It’s, this is not about bragging, right? Um, but, um, you can’t just rely on other people to, you know, you know, magically, uh, understand how amazing you are. You know, you, you need to help them understand that. And what I, I, I’ve got two more questions for you. I think the second to last one is, I would assume that your executive presence evolved.
So what you’re describing here is a process, um, you know, I think one probably needs to do with yourself at various stages in your career, because you’re, what, what you want to reflect, your narrative, your brand changes as you change, as the world changes, etc. right? Absolutely. It’s, it’s, it’s just a learning journey that doesn’t stop. I mean, we talked a lot about the, the brand element of it, but there are also the elements of, like, for instance, communication. And we can all get better at communicating more effectively.
Um, it very much depends on your audiences, um, it depends on your settings, etc. Um, it depends on the role you’re in in an organisation. I think executive presence is relevant pretty much for every leader. It doesn’t matter whether you are a mid to senior level executive or an aspiring leader who wants to be promoted or a client facing professional, you know, so there’s always something to learn that helps you improve. Yeah, and I think speaking of learning and helping you to improve. I think you’ve got one of your workshops up and coming.
Is it in June or am I, uh, it’s, it’s a virtual event in, but tell us a little bit more about that. Yeah, so we offer various formats for this workshop. Um, we offer open enrollment formats where every individual can join, um, we offer customised workshops for companies. And um we have in-person workshops in Dublin and in London, and we have online formats for clients from all over the world. And yes, the next online one is in June that’s already sold out, but if somebody’s interested in joining the online workshop after that, and that’s going to happen in September and the dates are on our website.
OK, so just coming in, can you give us a little bit of a flavour of what they cover in the workshop and then I’d love to hear, or I’d love you to share how people can get in touch with you. Yeah, so the workshop, um, as I mentioned, uh, everybody gets to do a self-diagnostic because that’s part of the self-awareness piece, right? And then in the, in the workshop, uh, which is typically around like 12 to 15 people, um, Uh, we also do customise smaller ones, but that’s the normal, uh, number.
We cover the framework that I mentioned, so we go into depth in these four elements of building the brand, communication, influencing and being an assertive advocate. Um, and we do this with a mix of, um, concepts and frameworks, but the focus is really on practical exercises here, um, through just not only reflection for yourself, but also peer learning, breakouts, etc. and then, uh, we end with action planning, um, as well as optional one on one coaching, um, as a follow up. OK, great. And how can people follow up with you?
How can they get in touch with you? Yeah, well, anybody can just shoot me an email at Stephanie@teca. ie or um connect with me on LinkedIn or just go to my website and take it from there. Great. So thank you for your time today. We can honestly go deep on multiple of the topics we covered. I mean I’m sure we’ll talk again in future. And, uh, yeah, I look forward to hearing how your executive presence, uh, journey and the the work that you’re doing on that in that regard.
You need to work on lots of other things, but in this regard, I have a specific interest, um, evolves. So thank you for your time today. Thank you very much for having me. Bye bye now. Bye.
