Leadership Insights
Insights on modern leadership influence
in a changing world
Connie's Blog
‘Just be yourself’ is inadequate advice
“Just be yourself.” As a piece of advice, it’s common—even clichéd. But it’s far more demanding than it sounds, isn’t it? Every day, you’re flooded with stories and images of people whose personal qualities you may admire and want to emulate. Haven’t you…
Influencing Your Team’s Culture
As a leader, you shape the culture of your team. You have the opportunity – and responsibility – to transform a collection of individuals into a high-performing group. As much as you may want to, you know that you can’t mandate teamwork. Plotters and schemers can…
The Swig Heard ‘Round the World
Senator Marco Rubio chugged a tiny bottle of water during his State of the Union Republic response and instantly became comic fodder. In a swig heard ’round the world, he demonstrated why every executive must learn how to effectively communicate when…
Leadership Advisor: How to Influence Fellow Senior Leaders
Membership on a senior leadership team gives you immense cachet and the opportunity to make it or break it as a leadership advisor. You’re in a circle of highly visible, powerful leaders. Your role is complex. You simultaneously manage your own business unit,…
How to Manage Presentation Anxiety and Radically Improve Your Outcome
As you watched the London Olympics, you may have wondered, “Why does one athlete reach her golden goal while another with equal talent falters?” Sports psychologists tell us the athlete who hauls in the hardware has learned to manage her anxiety. Same with…
Influencer of the Week: Your Voice
In a week that’s featured the return of Adele’s powerfully emotional voice, the silencing of Whitney Houston’s soaring vocals, and the imminent finale of Glen Campbell’s crooning to Alzheimer’s disease, I feel compelled to share this this…
Public Speaking: How to Prevent Brain Freeze
It was the silence heard around the world: Rick Perry’s brain freeze. Perry’s mental cramp during the GOP presidential debate stole the show and was quickly hailed as one of the worst memory meltdowns in public speaking history.
The Magnetic Power of Being Real
Here’s a thoroughly unexpected, powerful lesson in how to be more influential. Ever fumbled around learning how to use a gadget – and taught the world an important life lesson in the process? Probably not. But that’s what Bruce and Ester Huffman did….
The Top Influencers List 11 Breakout Influencers of 2011
2011 separated the influencers from the persuaders. One by one, once-admired leaders from the athletic office to the corner suite to Wall Street toppled like dominoes. Turns out they lacked influence. Why? Because they misjudged what influence really means.
How to Be a Global Influencer (Even When Language is a Barrier)
Increasingly, leaders like you are facing language barriers, both within your global organizations and in front of audiences in presentations. With that in mind, I’d like to share three quick lessons that I have learned. I recently returned from South America…
Speak from Your Heart, not Just Your Head
In this quick 2 minute “Connie off the Cuff” video recorded behind the scenes of a keynote speech in Phoenix, you’ll discover the one thing you need to deliver a…
Do You Resonate?
You’ve been tapped to give a presentation. Quick – what are you feeling? Has a sense of dread washed over you? Of course. You’re tasked with creating a slide deck, which can swallow hours of your time. Perhaps you’d prefer a root canal –…
