Leadership and Executive Presence: A Complete Guide for Professional Success

Success in the work environment depends a great deal on executive presence and leadership, not only technical skills. The capacity to influence and inspire others, overcome obstacles, and promote positive change within their organizations are all skills that leaders with confidence and a solid executive presence possess. In this article, we’ll look at the advantages of enhancing your executive presence at work and offer advice on developing a more effective leadership style.

4 Advantages of Increasing Executive Presence at Work

  1. Enhanced Company Culture: A robust executive presence sets the tone for the entire organization. A confident leadership style, professionalism, and executive presence establish a productive work environment that encourages employee involvement. Leaders with executive presence inspire their people to work at their highest levels and contribute to the firm’s overall success by emulating the organization’s mission and values.
  2. Increased Employee Engagement: Executive presence enables leaders to engage and inspire their staff effectively. They ensure that workers understand their duties, responsibilities, and the overarching goal of their work by communicating with confidence and clarity. Higher levels of employee engagement and satisfaction are the consequence, which develops a sense of meaning and fulfillment.
  3. Multigenerational Workplace Culture: In today’s diverse workplace, it is crucial for leaders to foster an inclusive culture that values and accepts people of all ages. Leaders must develop their executive presence to successfully traverse the intergenerational workplace culture and promote understanding, collaboration, and creativity among generations. Leaders and CEOs with high executive presence encourage inclusivity and diversity, which makes their organizations more vibrant and compelling.
  4. Enhanced Leadership Style: Leaders who develop executive presence can better hone their leadership techniques and perform their duties more effectively. Leaders can recognize their strengths and areas for development through self-awareness and ongoing learning, which enables them to modify their leadership style to suit various circumstances and difficulties. Leaders with a solid executive presence can lead purposefully, make wise decisions, and motivate others to realize their full potential.

Tips for Improving Executive Presence and Leadership Style

Invest in Leadership Development Programs

Corporate Class Inc., a renowned leader in leadership development, offers various courses intended to create great leaders and improve executive presence. Their online leadership training program provides in-depth materials and engaging learning modules to assist leaders in enhancing their presence and improving as leaders. Enrolling in their program lets you pick up insightful knowledge and valuable abilities to improve your executive presence.

Master Effective Communication

A key component of executive presence is effective communication. Improve your ability to communicate verbally and nonverbally by paying attention to your body language, tone of voice, and active listening. When giving presentations or having talks, confidently and clearly express your thoughts, offer helpful criticism, and communicate. Your communication skills can be substantially improved by taking advantage of Corporate Class Inc.’s training on understanding body language and giving persuasive presentations.

Develop Your Personal Brand

Your executive presence is reflected in your brand. Develop a personal brand that reflects your abilities, values, and aspirations. Establish an enduring and genuine brand that makes you stand out from the competition. Resources on creating a solid personal brand distinctive from others are available through Corporate Class Inc.

Embrace Inclusive Leadership

Promoting a workplace that celebrates diversity and encourages cooperation requires inclusive leadership. Adopt inclusive management strategies and encourage cultural diversity among your team members. To lead inclusively and foster community among team members, develop your emotional intelligence, empathy, and cross-cultural communication abilities. Corporate Class Inc. provides you with the skills to succeed in this area by delivering training on inclusive leadership and skillfully navigating workplace politics.

Remember that creating executive presence and a powerful leadership style are continuous processes. Continue to look for opportunities for development and learning, and use the knowledge and resources available.

Leadership and executive presence are essential for career success in today’s fast-paced business environment. Confident leaders with increased confidence and influence distinguish themselves via their capacity to inspire and encourage others, make confident decisions, and foster a great workplace culture. A multigenerational workplace culture, increased employee engagement, and diversity and inclusion within teams and organizations are all benefits of developing these abilities.

Does Leadership Development Depend on Mental Fitness?

Mental fitness is one area of leadership development that is frequently disregarded. In order to develop confident leaders with executive presence, mental fitness is crucial. Leaders who are mentally fit are better able to deal with difficulties in their professional and personal relationships, which lowers stress and promotes a productive workplace. 

Corporate Class Inc. recognizes the significance of mental fitness in the growth of leaders and provides a remedy for this problem. Individuals can improve their mental wellness and acquire the skills necessary to become self-assured leaders with executive presence through their online leadership training programs. Corporate Class Inc. gives leaders the tools to simultaneously increase their performance and mental health by incorporating mental fitness techniques into their training.

The Rewards of a Web-Based Management Program for Your Staff

Making a sensible investment in your employees’ growth will pay off in many ways. Online management programs are one efficient technique for delivering thorough training. With such programs, staff members may learn at their own pace and from anywhere. They also offer flexibility and accessibility. An acclaimed online management program emphasizing leadership presence is available from Corporate Class Inc. It includes a full year of access to interactive learning modules, activities, and quizzes.

Enrolling your staff in an online management program gives them the tools to grow as leaders, gain self-assurance, and improve their executive presence. This promotes personal development and helps the organization foster a healthy culture and increase employee engagement. By supporting your employees’ professional growth, you show that you care about their success and promote a more inclusive work environment.

Corporate Class Inc.’s Solutions

Corporate Class Inc. is a global authority on executive and leadership presence training. They provide various services and programs to enhance workplaces, empower leaders, and positively influence the development of an inclusive and connected society. Their recommendations center on creating a robust and enduring leadership presence, leaving a personal mark on that presence, and mentoring leaders at all organizational levels.

The highly regarded online training for developing leadership abilities is one of their options. This live online program improves participants’ charisma, confidence, clarity, and impact to help leaders and executives master their presence. Participants learn knowledge and skills that help them overcome obstacles, communicate clearly, and build their brands. Leaders can improve their careers and have a solid executive presence by participating in this program.

Additionally, the Positive Intelligence (PQ) framework-based Mental Fitness program is another popular offering by Corporate Class Inc. This program aims to increase participants’ mental fitness and gives them the tools to change their brain activation from negative to positive thinking. Leaders may minimize stress, improve performance, and realize their full leadership potential by investing in their mental fitness.

Investing in thorough training and development is crucial to achieving the benefits of executive presence and leadership. Solutions from Corporate Class Inc. include their online management program, a workshop for developing leadership abilities, and a mental fitness program. These courses equip participants with the information and skills to develop into self-assured leaders and leave a lasting impression on their organizations.

Confident leaders who want to succeed professionally must possess leadership and executive presence. Building a solid leadership presence helps to create a healthy workplace culture, increased employee engagement, and efficient executive leadership. It also boosts your confidence. Managing a multigenerational workforce and encouraging inclusive leadership in the workplace are both essential aspects of leadership and executive presence, and they will be covered in detail in this extensive guide.

Management Techniques for a Multigenerational Workforce

The workforce of today’s corporations frequently consists of workers from several generations, each with their own viewpoints, ideals, and working methods. Employing inclusive management strategies that value diversity and encourage collaboration is necessary to manage a workforce of different generations effectively. Leaders can recognize and use each generation’s capabilities to develop a cohesive and effective team environment.

Corporate Class Inc., a leader in executive and leadership presence, offers its online leadership training program as a solution. This program gives leaders the information and abilities they need to deal with the difficulties a multigenerational workplace culture presents. Participants learn to comprehend generational differences, communicate effectively, and create inclusive teams through interactive learning modules and activities. 

How to Foster an Inclusive Workplace Culture through Inclusive Leadership in the Workplace

A crucial component of leadership and executive presence is inclusive leadership. It fosters an environment that celebrates diversity and advocates for fair opportunities for every worker, regardless of background or identity. Utilizing the talents and perspectives of their teams, leaders can promote employee engagement and boost organizational success by embracing inclusive leadership practices.

Corporate Class Inc. provides several options to assist leaders in acquiring inclusive leadership abilities. Their live online leadership skills and executive presence workshops provide executives with highly individualized charisma, self-assurance, clarity, and impact. Participants learn knowledge and skills for leading inclusively and purposefully, navigating workplace politics, and effective communication. Leaders can improve their capacity to foster an inclusive workplace culture where everyone feels empowered to give their best work by participating in these seminars.

Develop Enduring Leadership and Executive Presence with Corporate Class Inc.

Corporate Class Inc. supports your professional development path if you aim to become a self-assured leader with increased confidence and a persuasive executive presence. They have been enabling leaders since 1984 as a top-tier supplier of superior leadership training. Corporate Class Inc. provides scalable and aligned techniques to assist people and organizations in generating their own unique leadership presence imprint, focusing on developing outstanding leaders and improving workplaces.

Explore the online leadership training program Corporate Class Inc. offers to develop your leadership abilities to the next level and reach your full potential. This self-paced program’s interactive learning modules, exercises, and quizzes are accessible for a whole year and can be finished at your own pace. Additionally, you can improve your educational experience through private coaching, which hastens your leadership development even more.

Take advantage of the chance to gain from Corporate Class Inc.’s leadership and executive presence skills. Get in touch with them to learn more about their offerings, get a price quote, or sign up for their life-changing courses. With the help of Corporate Class Inc.’s tried-and-true leadership training solutions, you can enhance your talent, increase employee engagement, and fortify ties between members of all levels of your organization.

A Guide to Team and Individual Skill Building

A Guide to Team and Individual Skill Building

Developing the skills of individual team members and the team as a whole is essential for any organization’s success. By investing in the development of your employees’ skills, you will help them grow both personally and professionally, which ultimately contributes to your company’s success.

There are several reasons why you want to prioritize upskilling your employees and promote growth opportunities within your company. Not only will it give you a competitive edge that distinguishes your organization from others, it can also enhance employee satisfaction (which leads to better performance), help you attract and retain top talent, and increase overall productivity and efficiency.

That said, the process of skill building can be challenging and overwhelming, especially for new or inexperienced team leaders. In this blog post, we aim to provide a comprehensive guide on how to effectively build teams and individual skills. We will cover various strategies, such as investing in mental fitness, social selling, and training workshops, which will equip you with the necessary tools to build a high-performing team capable of overcoming many challenges.

The Qualities of a Successful Team

Successful teams work together collaboratively to achieve company goals while supporting each other. Specifically, there are a few key characteristics that these teams exhibit:

  • Shared accountability and ownership: In successful teams, everyone is accountable for the team outcomes, whether they be triumphs or losses. Teams avoid blaming individuals for problems, which reduces negativity and fosters a positive working environment.
  • Goal-oriented: Successful teams have a common purpose that they are working towards. By sharing goals and results, teams can work together towards a common objective which, in turn, leads to greater success.
  • Eager to learn: Businesses change constantly and rapidly and successful teams are those that are able to adapt and learn quickly. When teams embrace new changes and are open to learning new things, they stay ahead of the curve and meet the needs of the business.
  • Diverse: By bringing together individuals with a wide range of experiences, personalities, and characteristics, teams can become more resilient and better equipped to assist customers and tackle problems. Including diverse perspectives can help prevent groupthink, which occurs when teams become stuck in a rut and struggle to find innovative solutions to complex problems. In short, a diverse team can bring a multitude of benefits to your organization, including increased creativity, enhanced problem-solving skills, and improved customer satisfaction.
  • Communicate well: Effective communication is essential for team success. Great teams take this a step further by being open about what works, where an issue is, and sharing opinions on how to improve things. Managers promote positivity and productivity in team communication to help foster a more supportive and collaborative team culture.
  • Support each other: If your team members are happy to help each other, they’re building positive relationships. This can reduce turnover rates and keep projects on schedule, even if issues arise. Teams are also more productive when they get support from you—remember, you’re a part of the team too! Managers play an important role in promoting a supportive team culture by providing support, recognition, and resources to help team members succeed.

Next, we’ll look at a few ways you can build a team with the above qualities.

5 Ways You Can Build a Successful Team

Before we dive into how you can build a successful team, let’s first cover why it’s important in the first place.

​​When team members work well together, they can share their knowledge, experience, and skills to produce better results. They can also provide support and encouragement to one another, which leads to increased job satisfaction and reduced turnover.

Here are five ways you can build an engaged and diverse team:

Understand the Importance of Mental Fitness

The fast-paced work environment can take a toll on employees’ mental health, leading to increased stress, burnout, and other mental health issues. Prioritizing mental fitness can help employees cope with these challenges, leading to increased resilience, better performance, and reduced absenteeism.

To prioritize mental fitness, organizations can implement various strategies. One approach is to offer mental health resources and support, such as employee assistance programs, access to mental health professionals, and flexible work arrangements. Additionally, organizations can create a positive work culture that promotes open communication, regular feedback, and recognition, which helps employees feel valued and supported.

Organizations can also offer workshops and training sessions to promote mental fitness. These sessions can teach stress-management techniques, mindfulness practices, and other coping strategies to help employees manage their mental health. There is also an opportunity for private coaching, and if the coach senses signs of deeper mental health issues, the coach may refer the client to a professional health practitioner such as a psychotherapist and offer guidance on where to seek help.

Implementing policies that prioritize mental fitness can also have long-term benefits for organizations. When employees feel supported, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated, leading to increased productivity and higher retention rates. Additionally, promoting mental fitness can improve the organization’s public image and reputation, which can help attract top talent.

Invest in Social Selling

Social selling is a technique that involves using social media platforms to identify, connect with, and engage potential customers. It involves building relationships with prospects by providing helpful content, answering questions, and offering support rather than relying on traditional sales tactics.

Why is social selling important for organizations?

Social selling is becoming increasingly important for businesses as more consumers are turning to social media platforms to research products and services. By using social selling techniques, employees can establish credibility, build trust, and generate leads that may have been missed through traditional sales methods. In addition, social selling allows businesses to engage with customers on a more personal level, which can lead to increased loyalty and customer satisfaction.

Organizations can help employees improve their social selling skills via training sessions, webinars, and workshops. Employees should be taught how to identify potential customers on social media platforms, how to build relationships with prospects, and how to engage with customers in a way that builds trust and credibility. Additionally, employees should be trained on how to use social media platforms effectively and how to create compelling content that resonates with potential customers.

Organizations can also provide employees with tools and resources to help them implement social selling techniques. These may include social media management tools, content creation resources, and templates for outreach messages. In addition, organizations should encourage employees to collaborate and share best practices to help them refine their social selling skills over time.

Plan Successful Lunch and Learn Programs

Lunch and learn programs are a type of professional development program where employees are provided with a meal while they learn about a specific topic. These sessions are typically held during lunch hours, making it convenient for employees to attend without disrupting their workday. A well-planned lunch and learn program can provide a variety of benefits to both employees and the organization.

A successful lunch and learn program can help to foster a culture of continuous learning within an organization. By providing employees with regular opportunities to learn and develop new skills, organizations can improve employee engagement, retention, and performance. These programs can also help to build camaraderie and foster teamwork among employees because they provide a structured opportunity for staff to interact with one another and build relationships.

To plan a successful lunch and learn program, it is important to choose topics that are relevant and interesting to employees. Inviting expert speakers or leaders in the field can also help to add credibility to the program and make it more engaging. Providing a variety of food options and accommodating dietary restrictions is also important, as it can help to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees. Moreover, consider virtual lunch and learn programs. These programs can be held at minimal cost and without the need for travel, making them an efficient and convenient way to foster a learning culture in any organization.

Corporate Class Inc. offers sought-after training workshops to help your employees develop their leadership skills. These workshops are delivered as either 60-minute or 90-minute lunch-and-learn programs and can be customized to align with your corporate goals.

Our lunch and learn programs are highly interactive, engaging, and delivered using neuro leadership coaching techniques. Rather than being typical lunch and learn sessions, our programs are designed to inspire participants to discover their own leadership capabilities and set personal goals for continued development.

Try Team Workshops

Team workshops offer a variety of benefits for organizations and their employees. First and foremost, they provide a structured environment for teams to collaborate, brainstorm and problem-solve together. By bringing team members together in a workshop setting, they can leverage each other’s strengths and expertise to come up with innovative solutions to complex challenges.

Workshops also help to build stronger relationships among team members. By working together in a hands-on setting, participants can get to know each other on a more personal level and develop a deeper sense of trust and camaraderie. This can lead to better communication, increased morale, and a more cohesive team dynamic.

In addition, workshops provide an opportunity for professional development and learning. Through skill-building exercises and educational sessions, team members can enhance their knowledge and expertise, which can ultimately benefit the organization as a whole.

Finally, workshops can be a fun and engaging way to break up the monotony of the workday and boost team morale. By incorporating interactive activities and team-building exercises, workshops can create a more positive and energized workplace culture.

Break Down Gender Biases In Leadership

Studies have consistently shown that companies with more women in leadership positions tend to have better financial performance, higher employee engagement, and stronger workplace cultures. Furthermore, promoting gender diversity and equality is not just a moral imperative; it is also good for business.

Unfortunately, gender bias is still prevalent in many workplaces, from pay disparities to a lack of advancement opportunities. This can have a negative impact on the career prospects and earning potential of women, as well as on overall workplace morale and productivity.

To combat gender bias, it is essential for companies to actively promote and support women in leadership positions and to implement policies and practices that ensure equal opportunities and fair treatment for all employees, regardless of gender. This can include initiatives such as mentoring and coaching programs, flexible work arrangements, and diversity and inclusion training.

Ultimately, creating a workplace culture that values and promotes female leadership and eliminates gender bias is both the right thing to do and it is also critical for the long-term success of any organization.

There you have it — five awesome tips you can use to build a more diverse and successful team.

If you want to take it a step further, consider seriously investing in team workshops. At Corporate Class, we offer a variety of workshops, lunch-and-learns, coaching, and assessments to help you build a more inclusive workplace filled with confident employees.

Contact us to find out more.

How to Plan A Successful Lunch and Learn Program

Lunch and Learn Program

A lunch and learn is a fun and beneficial combination of a learning and social event. It helps businesses to maximize professional development, build skills and engage in a little laidback team building too. They are short, training-focused programs that can take place during your attendees’ lunch break, enabling them to enjoy a meal and pick up new information and skills before returning to their desks to continue their work. How should a business go about planning and hosting a lunch and learn? Here are five steps to get your first lunch and learn underway.

Create Surveys to Decide on the Topic

The first step is to decide on a good topic. First, find out what your employees feel they need to learn more about. Ask for feedback – even better, send out a survey asking the team what kinds of topics they would like to learn about. Decide what you want to achieve as a team. You can focus on team development or business goals or even life skills. Good food will always act as an incentive and the point is for the team to acquire real skills and knowledge that will benefit them in doing their work. 

Keep the Discussion Open

Both prior to and during the lunch and learn, be sure to foster an atmosphere of open discussion and collaboration. Fostering this kind of open atmosphere will help staff members to engage with the subject matter and ensure that the learning material sinks in and makes a positive difference in work performance.

Find A Good Presenter

Aside from good food, a lunch and learn should also feature an engaging, knowledgeable speaker who can get the information across in an entertaining way. Remember that people are giving up their lunch break to attend the session, so make it worthwhile. A dynamic and engaging speaker, together with a good spread, will help ensure that staff members see the session as time well spent and thus make the best of what they learn. 

Food Is A Priority Too

Speaking of food, be sure to cater well and offer your staff something enticing. Along with the survey on the subject matter, ask everyone about their dietary preferences and then splash out a little on a great spread that will make team members glad they passed on that sandwich they could have brought from home or the takeout they would normally buy.

Choose An Appropriate Frequency

How often should you host a lunch and learn? That depends on you and your goals. It could be something you need to do on a quarterly basis, once a month or once a week. It depends on what needs to be taught, how much information there is to cover, your budget, and your business objectives. Choose the frequency that is most appropriate to your training strategy. 

Corporate Class Inc. is a global authority in leadership coaching and empowerment. We strive to develop exceptional leaders and assist organizations in developing effective leadership approaches. Based in Toronto, and with a worldwide presence, we have helped to nurture mindful leaders since 1984. Contact us to find out how we can help you host an enjoyable and edifying lunch and learn.

An Introduction To Being A Great Leader

An Introduction To Being A Great Leader

Interested in becoming a great leader?

Leadership is a crucial component of management. Managers can help organizations maintain productivity, boost collaboration, and achieve organizational success. Great leaders don’t put themselves before others. Instead, these leaders are humble and possess other qualities like:

  • Self-sacrifice
  • Fantastic communication skills
  • Ability to take responsibility for their actions
  • Determination
  • Resourcefulness
  • Empathy
  • Mindfulness
  • Passion
  • Honesty

An effective leader also helps sync departmental goals with overarching organizational objectives. They will also ensure all office workers are well-trained and equipped to perform their duties and work effectively and efficiently. Leaders also provide team members with the necessary resources to perform their tasks, including time knowledge, equipment, software, and more.

In this blog post, we’ll cover why leadership is essential in the workplace, how you can improve on these skills, and four leadership abilities every great leader should have.

Why Is Leadership A Critical Skill

Leaders set examples for their team members. As a result, organizations with great leaders can inspire employees to follow a particular path filled with ethics, productivity, transparency, and accountability.

Leaders are there to provide guidance, boost team morale, and help the team achieve goals while simultaneously helping the organization achieve long-term success.

Here are a few other reasons why leadership is an essential skill in the workplace:

1. Provides Focus And Drives The Team Forward

Leaders help teams stay focused on the task at hand and help them achieve their goals by clearly defining them and outlining how they can get there. Leaders should also motivate team members to stay on track and work productively by setting reasonable deadlines and targets. Leaders can help teams avoid bottlenecks and roadblocks by consistently monitoring employee progress and providing solutions before any challenges turn into problems.

2. Empower Team Members To Work At Their Full Potential

A good team leader is familiar with the team’s strengths and the capabilities of every team member. As a result, these leaders assign tasks that take advantage of every team member’s strengths, leading to a well-executed project. Good leaders encourage team members to communicate and collaborate, fostering strong company culture, and boosting teamwork. As a true leader, you should also provide feedback, praise employees, and empower them to work harder and improve their skills. 

3. Takes Responsibility For Decision-Making

Being a great leader means being able to make tough decisions — even in challenging situations. The decision you make needs to benefit the team and the project. As a result, you need to have a good balance of emotional and logical reasoning when making crucial decisions. Additionally, if the decision leads to poor results, great leaders take responsibility for their actions and devise solutions. They don’t shift the blame onto others. 

3 Challenges Leaders Face

You must understand that leadership and middle management can be tough to become great at leading people. As a result, you must prepare for any challenges you might face. 

Here are three challenges leaders face:

1. Earning The Trust Of Your Employees

It can be challenging to earn the trust of anyone, especially if that person had negative experiences in the past. As a leader, you need to gain the trust of your team members, so you can work together with accountability and transparency. You can boost trust in the workplace by communicating with employees, maintaining eye contact, sharing personal experiences, and showing interest in their careers and personal lives.

2. Dealing With Pressure And Stress

Leaders often have to make difficult decisions. Sometimes, these situations can be stressful – for example, firing employees, selecting a candidate for a role, or telling an employee that they have to move departments because they’re not performing well. 

Naturally, some people will take things personally and have a bit of resentment towards you. 

Leaders also have to excel under pressure. As a result, you need to have excellent stress management skills. 

3. Managing Difficult People

You’ll often come across employees who might not share the same values, interests, or work ethic as you. But great leaders don’t use these differences to create conflicts. Instead, they find ways to work together with every employee while maintaining their core values.

4 Skills A Great Leader Should Have

Having exemplary management skills can help you become a successful leader and lead your team and organization to success. Fantastic leaders understand how to motivate their team, connect with team members, and encourage employees to grow and improve their weaknesses. Additionally, the ability to recognize your own mistakes and improve on your shortcomings sets mediocre leaders apart from exceptional ones. 

Remember, anyone can sit in a fancy office and delegate tasks. Only the best leaders can inspire team members and significantly impact the organization from within. Great leaders are essential for high-performing companies since employees who work under fantastic leaders tend to be more engaged, motivated, and productive. 

So without further ado, here are four skills every great leader should have:

1. Open Communication

One of the essential leadership skills is effective and open communication — with team members and other stakeholders. According to Sanjay Patoliya (the founder and director of Teclogiq), leaders need honesty and transparency. This way, team members will follow suit and complete projects ethically and honestly. Honest leaders can also improve the level of trust within a team and boost team morale.

Additionally, great leaders invest time in understanding their employees and the communication each team member prefers. For example, some team members prefer face-to-face communication, while others prefer email. Showing employees that you’re paying attention to their needs can motivate them to work harder and contribute to the organization’s goals. 

2. Ability To Change

Fantastic leaders have the emotional intelligence to understand that change is inevitable. As a result, great leaders can embrace change and adapt to challenging circumstances. So instead of preventing change and maintaining consistency, embrace the innovation that change brings.

In addition to embracing change, great leaders need to be open to new ideas and encourage employees to voice their opinions. When brainstorming, allow every team member to speak up and present ideas. Don’t deem an idea unviable without fully exploring it first. Showing employees that you value their thoughts and opinions can boost employee engagement, productivity, and innovation.

3. Clear Expectations

As a leader, you need to set clear expectations for your team. Ensure these expectations align with individual employee goals. Once the objectives are set, encourage employees to ask questions and provide constructive feedback. 

According to Amish Shah, president of ALTR Created Diamonds, great leaders communicate a company’s vision and mission and explain how every team member’s goals fit into that overarching objective. Leaders can keep their team motivated and inspired by helping employees realize how they can contribute to organizational goals. Clear expectations and plans make tracking progress, identifying bottlenecks, and celebrating achievements easier. Additionally, leaders must communicate how individual goals contribute to the organization’s objectives. As a result, every employee needs to understand how their tasks support the company’s success.

4. Self-Reflection

Employees need constructive feedback to improve on their weaknesses and grow. But employees aren’t the only ones who can benefit from feedback. As a leader, encourage your team members, mentors, and colleagues to give you feedback on your leadership skills and progress. While it may be difficult to self-assess, talking to your colleagues can help you learn more about your leadership style and what you need to work on.

How To Develop Your Leadership Skills?

Here are three ways you can improve your leadership skills:

1. Volunteer For New Tasks

If you want to learn new skills and thrive during challenging circumstances, you must volunteer for new tasks when your manager or supervisor asks for additional help. Doing so will help you learn to remain calm and collected when facing new duties. It’ll also help you learn to gather information from credible resources, helping you complete tasks more efficiently. You can apply this to your leadership role since managers often face difficult situations and must find ways to adapt to change while making sensible decisions. 

2. Teach And Share Information With Others

Teaching team members and employees can help you practice patience, understand other people’s opinions and perspectives, and increase your knowledge on the topic. Additionally, when you’re teaching a beginner, you’ll need to reorganize the information and present it in an easy way to consume and understand. Doing so will help you understand the subject matter differently. You can apply this skill to your leadership style. Leaders need to communicate with all team members; sometimes, this requires re-organizing information and explaining things simply so all team members can understand.

3. Understand Your Strengths And Weaknesses

Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. This way, you can make the most of your strengths and find ways to improve on your weaknesses. For example, if you’re a charismatic leader who excels at socializing with team members, use this skill to motivate others when completing a project. On the other hand, if you struggle to come up with new ideas or think outside of the box, you can improve this skill by practicing brainstorming sessions.

Another way you can improve your leadership skills is by getting leadership coaching. Coaching can also help discover areas where you need improvement and help you achieve your leadership goals. 

If you want to improve your leadership presence and skills, check out the workshops we offer at Corporate Class. In this highly-acclaimed live online leadership skills development workshop, you’ll learn what it takes to develop and master your “presence” as a leader or boss. Interactive and powerful, you’ll walk away with insight and tools to help establish a high level of personal charisma, confidence, clarity, and impact. This practical leadership workshop has been delivered to Fortune 500 companies worldwide and is designed to support continued advancement and upward mobility.

Who should attend?

  • C-Suite Executives
  • Senior Leaders
  • Anyone in a management position
  • Anyone who wants to improve their leadership skills

Contact us today to improve your leadership skills and become a thoughtful and productive leader!

Ways To Tell If You Are A Great Boss

Ways To Tell If You Are A Great Boss

An experienced manager knows how to inspire and motivate their team. They also understand the importance of getting to know their team, sharing credit for wins, and knowing when it is time to coach, mentor or provide timely feedback to team members.

Here are a few other ways you can tell you are a fantastic boss:

You Are Prepared To Coach

A good boss knows they need to step in and coach their teams and when they can remain on the sidelines and let people figure things out on their own. 

Managers hire employees who have the relevant skills and expertise to thrive in specific positions. As a result, bosses rarely need to teach employees how to do their jobs. However, managers can teach employees about the company culture and processes. When managers provide employees with the relevant training to help them succeed in their roles, employees feel more capable and confident. Moreover, they will be more willing to ask for help and recognize when they’ve made mistakes.

You Can Take The Blame

Bad bosses will shift the blame onto team members when a project or task goes wrong. However, a good boss can admit that they made a mistake and help teams move forward from failure.

Additionally, some bosses think that admitting mistakes and imperfections will make them seem weak and lose the respect of colleagues. But the opposite is true. Owning up to mistakes can encourage your team to trust you more. Good bosses are positive role models for employees. As a result, they can encourage employees to adopt the same values and approach workplace challenges the same way. 

You Deliver Honest Feedback

Nobody is perfect and we all have room for growth. As a result, it’s crucial for leaders to give employees constructive feedback. Great bosses know how to deliver honest feedback that can help employees grow and improve their skills. 

You Get to Know Team Members

Great bosses understand that it’s important to bond with their entire team and colleagues. Spending time with employees outside of the office can help them trust you more and feel more engaged at work. You can build relationships with team members by greeting them whenever you see them at work, attending team-building events, and initiating casual water-cooler chats. Ensure you remember details about your employees. This shows them that you care and you can bring up those specific details in future conversations. Additionally, remember to share information about yourself as well. Doing so will help you connect with your team and let them know that you are only human!

You Give Autonomy

Great team leaders avoid micromanagement by showing team members that they trust their judgment and capabilities. Such managers ask for feedback periodically and offer assistance when needed. Additionally, ensure you don’t limit your staff to one way of completing a task. Instead, celebrate employees who come up with new systems or processes for tasks, especially if it boosts productivity and efficiency. 

If you want to improve your leadership presence and skills, check out the workshops we offer at Corporate Class. In this highly-acclaimed live online leadership skills development workshop, you’ll learn what it takes to develop and master your “presence” as a leader or boss. Interactive and powerful, you’ll walk away with insight and tools to help establish a high level of personal charisma, confidence, clarity, and impact. This effective leadership workshop has been delivered to Fortune 500 companies around the world and is designed to support continued advancement and upward mobility.

Who should attend?

  • C-Suite Executives
  • Senior Leaders
  • Managers
  • Anyone who wants to improve their leadership skills

If you want to improve your leadership skills and become a great boss, contact us today!

Why Is Company Culture So Critical?

Why Is Company Culture So Critical_

Company culture is about how things are done within an organization. This includes the organization’s shared values, attitudes, goals, and practices. A company’s culture also determines how employees and leaders interact with one another, the type of values they hold, and the decisions they make. 

Company culture is also known as organizational culture, corporate culture, or workplace culture. Some of the main components of company culture include the work environment, the company’s vision, and mission, leadership style, ethics, code of conduct, expectations, and more. 

Why is company culture so important?

A positive work culture ensures that the organization’s employees and employers have consistent values and goals. This can also improve employee well-being and engagement. Additionally, if you work in a company where the culture aligns with your own values, you’ll develop better relationships with coworkers and be more productive.

Here are a few other reasons why company culture is critical to an organization’s success:

Your Company’s Core Values Are Displayed

A company’s culture usually reflects its core values. How your company manages operations, workflow, teamwork, and your customers represent your organization and the type of employees you attract. In other words, your company’s culture showcases your company’s beliefs. 

However, it can be difficult for leaders to build a solid and successful company culture when the organization’s values and vision don’t align. For example, if your organization has core values related to environmental commitment and sustainable development but puts profit before environmental stewardship, you’ve got a problem.

Employees will start to view the company’s core values as empty promises and this might lead to employee disengagement.

Employee Engagement Increases

An organization with strong company culture is driven by clear expectations and goals. Clear goals can motivate and inspire employees to be more productive and engaged. Engaged employees usually have a stronger connection to the organization and its people. 

A healthy culture also attracts better talent and boosts retention rates. This is because the employees feel like they belong to the organization, making them less likely to churn or look for other jobs. The added bonus is that your teams have better synergy, and you can save on hiring costs!

It Creates A Stronger Brand Identity

An organization’s culture represents its public image and reputation – how a company interacts with its internal and external stakeholders impacts how people view the company. If the organization has a poor company culture, customers might not want to do business with them. Additionally, it’ll be challenging for the organization to attract the right talent.

Employees’ Performance And Wellbeing Are Improved

Employees tend to be more productive and happy when they work in an enjoyable environment. Additionally, when employees feel connected to a company and its vision and mission, leaders tend to see higher productivity rates, improved accountability, and better team morale.

Moreover, organizations with a poor company culture tend to see higher absenteeism rates. 

Why?

When leaders neglect their employees’ well-being, employees are more likely to feel stressed and get sick. They’re also more likely to make mistakes.

If you want to improve your company culture, visit the Corporate Class website. We offer a 1-day workplace well-being workshop where our corporate well-being experts teach participants what it takes to build a culture of employee well-being to sustain high employee performance. Participants will walk away with insights, tools, and skills to build resilience and thrive in the face of stress and uncertainty.

So what are you waiting for?

Contact us today and build a solid company culture!

Women In Leadership: Why It Works So Well

Women In Leadership_ Why It Works So Well

Gender should never determine someone’s leadership abilities. Instead, companies should look at an individual’s personality traits, leadership abilities, and gravitas. This way, they can appoint leaders who can lead by example and inspire their team. 

Unfortunately, women usually aren’t encouraged to assume leadership positions in organizations. While the gap between men and women in leadership roles is decreasing, there’s still a massive disparity between them. In fact, according to a 2019  study conducted by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey, women only hold 21% of C-suite positions!

Women are excellent leaders who have the relevant soft skills to help them excel in their positions – sometimes even surpassing their male counterparts. Additionally, women are often more communicative, empathetic, and great listeners  – all these qualities make them exceptional leaders.

Here are a few other reasons why more women should be in leadership positions:

Women Regulate Work-Life Balances Efficiently

Women are effective leaders because they can balance professional and interpersonal skills. This also makes them effective mentors since they can easily form open and communicative relationships with the people they work with. For example, it’s usually less intimidating to approach a woman leader if you have a sensitive question or personal request.

Women leaders are also usually more empathetic and care about their employees’ home and work lives, helping employees have a healthier work-life balance.

Women Are Strong Communicators

Women leaders are effective communicators. Most women leaders can explain clear expectations to their team for a certain project or event. This way, teams can complete the project without any confusion. 

Additionally, women leaders often find a way to strike a balance between requirements and creativity. As a result, they can give instructions to teams and not in a way that hinders their creativity and opinions. This is crucial for creating an inclusive work environment where employees feel valued and engaged. 

Women leaders often use their effective communication skills to build relationships with team members, employees, superiors, and clients. 

Women Have High Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to recognize and understand your emotions and that of others. When you have high emotional intelligence, you’re able to understand, use, and manage your own feelings and effectively communicate and empathize with others. Lakshmi Raj, Co-founder, and Co-CEO of Replicon believes that emotional intelligence comes more naturally to women than men. 

In order to create a productive and inclusive work environment, leaders need to demonstrate emotional intelligence. This way, they can diffuse conflicts and manage stressful situations with ease.

Women Are Team-Orientated

According to Katharine M. Nohr, Principal, Nohr Sports Risk Management, the women she’s worked with typically show more passion, enthusiasm, and willingness to serve their teammates and be served by others. She also mentioned that the work environment feels more collaborative, democratic, and family-like – and with a solid leadership presence. 

While women make fantastic and inspiring leaders, they’re often not given equal opportunities as their male counterparts. As a result, women remain underrepresented in leadership positions and in the political field. According to a survey conducted by Pew Research Center, 40% of the participants believe higher standards for women and lack of readiness by companies to hire women for leadership roles are major reasons why there are so few women in leadership positions. 

At  Corporate Class we strive to  support women leaders and for that  reason we offer a two-day customizable executive presence workshop for women.  This way, women can expand on their leadership skills and take the political and business world by storm!

Women in Fortune 500 companies have participated in this inclusive and interactive program. Women who attend this workshop will learn how to project confidence, surpass barriers, and voice their opinions. This way, they can accelerate their career, lead by example, and inspire their teams!

Who should attend this workshop?

This workshop can be customized for all levels:

  • High-potential and emerging leaders
  • Senior management
  • Established leaders

Note: This program offers a safe and open space for women, transgender, and non-binary people. We work together to create an inclusive experience.

If you want your company to have more women in leadership, contact us today!

Leadership And Executive Presence

Leadership and Executive Presence

Executive presence refers to the characteristics and personality traits that make a dynamic influential leader. A great executive inspires others to be assertive and leads by example. This entails demonstrating a humble confidence and excellent leadership skills. Executive presence can help you get your dream job, a promotion, close a deal, and more. The Center for Talent Innovation’s research makes it clear that Executive Presence has emerged as compulsory for aspiring leaders and that the “lack of Executive Presence will definitely impede your ability to get as far as you want to go.” 

How can you improve your executive presence skills?

Stop overthinking it! 

Here are five effective and proven ways you can build a strong executive presence.

Master The Use Of Body Language

Body language can have a significant impact on leadership presence. Generally, ensure you look relaxed and display confidence. 

Here are some other tips:

  • Make eye contact: Making eye contact can help you make connections while you speak and get your message across. When speaking to others, eye contact helps you appear self-assured and let other people know that you are listening to them.  Without the right amount of eye contact, people might think you’re distracted, disengaged, or even dishonest. Noticing their eye color is a good way to practice making eye contact. 
  • Mind your posture: If you keep your arms folded in front of you while giving a speech or talking to others, it can make you seem closed off, making it difficult for people to connect with you. Instead, keep your arms at your side or use your hands and arms to aid what you’re saying. If you don’t know what to do with your hands, imagine you are holding a ball in your hands.
  • Watch your facial expressions: Leaders with executive presence use facial expressions to convey their emotions. This involves smiling, laughing, nodding, and frowning. Communicating your emotions through facial expressions shows people that you’re human, helping you build better connections.

Practice Great Communication Skills

It’s not uncommon for people to speak softly during meetings in an attempt to sound relaxed and “laid back.” The problem with doing this is that you won’t grab anyone’s attention or project authority. As a result, ensure you use an energetic voice that can help you create connections and credibility. 

Fantastic communication skills are also important for conferences, team discussions, presentations, and more. To ensure you sound confident, consider using a lower tone, slow down the rate of your ideas — not the rate of your speech, and avoid word-fillers (like, um, so, etc.). Replace word fillers by becoming comfortable with pausing. Silence creates anticipation. 

Think Strategically

Thinking strategically can set you apart from the crowd and your competitors. You can lead strategically by asking the right questions and focusing on the pros and cons of every new opportunity. You should also evaluate the consequences of decisions for the future and never rush to judge a situation, person, or data. Instead, always ask questions, observe the data thoroughly, and most importantly: listen to others’ opinions. As the leader you have the final say. First consider others’ points of view and evaluate the implications. 

Make The First Move

Great leaders know how and when to make the first move. This applies to networking events, business conferences, everyday meetings, and more. Don’t wait for people to approach you and introduce themselves – take initiative and introduce yourself! You also want to try to make introductions between others at work who may have things in common, like goals, interests, and more. In other words, be the liaison to help others work together. Doing so can help you build a stronger and more engaged team. Being proactive in social and business settings also helps you build better connections and helps you become the person “who knows everyone” and whom “everybody knows,” and wants to know.

Take Leadership Courses

If you want to become a successful leader, talk to an advisor today. We offer an executive presence training program for anyone who wants to accelerate their career and transform into the team leader they aspire to become now! By signing up for this program, you’ll learn how to foster an inclusive leadership environment, connect authentically, build confidence in yourself and others and become more influential. 

Who is the program for?

  • C-Suite executives
  • Senior leaders
  • High potentials
  • Anyone in a management position

Contact us today to improve your executive presence skills today!

Dare To Lead: Taking The Initiative To Become A Boss

Dare To Lead_ Taking The Initiative To Become A Boss

A boss is the owner or manager of a business or organization. The boss is usually responsible for company goals and objectives. Among the other tasks managers are accountable for, they are also required to make crucial hiring decisions, delegate tasks to different teams, and oversee the progress of projects.

You can be a boss in most fields of work. But not everyone has  the necessary skills and expertise to become a great boss. You have to have vision, self-discipline, gravitas, emotional intelligence, and much more.

As you can see, there are certain leadership skills that bosses need to have in order to be inspiring role models and lead their teams and organization to success. 

So in addition to fantastic time-management and problem-solving skills, here are four other traits a great leader has:

Create A Network

All bosses need to build good working relationships with the people who can help complete projects and achieve business goals. The people involved in operational networks include employees, superiors, internal players who can either support or block a specific initiative, and key outside stakeholders such as customers, suppliers, and distributors. Bosses who can create an effective network can boost coordination and cooperation among all stakeholders. This also boosts trust among all interested parties and speeds up project timelines and ultimately performance. 

Inspire Your Team 

One way leaders can inspire their team is by giving back positive and constructive feedback. This way, employees know how well they are performing at work and understand what they need to improve on. You can do this by providing immediate feedback once a project is completed – explain what went well and what could have been done better. This feedback can stimulate employees to do better and keep them motivated. 

Another way you can inspire your team is to lead  by example. This means taking responsibility for your own actions and your team’s actions and leading with respect and impartiality. 

Encourage Transparent Communication

Leaders need to have strong problem solving skills and this entails encouraging teams to communicate openly. This way, everyone can express their concerns and voice their opinions without fearing that they may lose their jobs or expose someone else’s mistakes. Open communication can help teams get to the root of matters quickly, generate ideas effectively, and come up with solutions to pressing problems. To do this, leaders need to be able to facilitate constructive dialogue between employees and teams, making everyone feel safe and heard. This is crucial for employee conflicts since leaders get both sides of the story. This way, they can map-out a path toward a viable and fair solution that works for all parties involved. 

Think Like A Boss

Here’s how you can think like a boss:

  • Have a vision: A true leader has a clear and ambitious vision that can help them set relevant goals and guide their career. 
  • Be competitive: Staying competitive can help you excel at everything you do. It will also help you stand out from competitors who are equally or more skilled than you. 
  • Be persistent: The best managers are persistent and work hard in everything they do to achieve success. Determination and persistence can’t be replaced by education and expertise. 

If you want to become a successful leader, talk to an advisor today. We offer an executive presence training program for anyone who wants to accelerate their career and transform into the team leader they aspire to become now! By signing up for this program, you’ll learn how to foster an inclusive leadership environment, connect authentically, build confidence in yourself and others, and become more influential. 

Who is the program for?

  • C-Suite executives
  • Senior leaders
  • High potentials
  • Anyone in a management position

Contact us today to become a boss who leads with compassion and respect!

The Benefits Of Having A Positive Intelligence

The Benefits Of Having A Positive Intelligence

What is positive intelligence?

Positive intelligence is a new skill that measures how often your mind acts in your best interest. Your mind should be your best friend, but unfortunately, it can also be your worst enemy (self-sabotage). 

For example, if your mind is encouraging you to complete a task to meet the deadline, then it’s acting as a friend. However, it’s acting as your enemy if it’s telling you to forget about the deadline and go out with your friends!

Think of it this way: going to the gym is crucial if you want to maintain your fitness, improve your immune system, mental health, and flexibility, right?

The same can be said for your mental strength.

You need to exercise your mind and train it to channel positivity during stressful or challenging situations if you want to be able to deal with stress properly and achieve your goals.

Nobody can escape stress when they’re working – there are deadlines, the fear of performing poorly, the fear of losing your job, the fear of being late, and more. 

Fortunately, by working on your positive intelligence, you can experience sustained improvements in both your wellbeing and performance.

Boosts Team Productivity

Positive intelligence can also help boost productivity in one’s personal and professional lives.

In fact, a study of over 2,75,000 people revealed that higher positive intelligence leads to higher salary and greater success in work, marriage, health, sociability, friendship, and creativity.

Positive intelligence is crucial for managers in the workplace since it can encourage team leaders to perform duties with empathy, sympathy, and mindfulness. This skill will also help leaders provide strong social support to employees. This way, employees can excel during stressful periods and perform to the best of their ability. 

Research also shows that happy employees:

  • Are 31% more productive
  • Achieve 37% higher sales
  • Are 3 times more creative
  • Are 40% more likely to get a promotion
  • Are 10 times more engaged

Employees can also provide social support to team members by:

  • Helping others when they need it
  • Engaging in creative problem solving
  • Inviting coworkers for lunch
  • Greeting people with a smile and eye contact

Changes How You View And Deal With Stress

Developing positive intelligence can alter your relationship with stress and how you handle challenging circumstances. 

Although your positive intelligence saboteurs are sometimes there to help you avoid trauma, danger and stressful situations, they also have a negative impact on how you deal with stress and other negative feelings. 

Fortunately, by developing your positive intelligence, you can figure out what environments and situations trigger stressful responses from your body and mind. Positive intelligence can also help you get your body and mind back to a calm and rational state when dealing with challenging circumstances. This way, you can avoid that common feeling of “fight or flight.”

If you want to improve your mental fitness today, visit the Corporate Class website.

We offer a 1-hour Webinar on Mental Fitness for professionals and teams. The webinar is based on Shirzad Chamine’s positive intelligence book and will help you learn how to improve your performance and mental wellbeing.

Who should attend this webinar?

  • Managers across industries (business, engineering, product, finance, etc.) who are looking to become better leaders.
  • Human Resources and Learning & Development Professionals looking for innovative coaching-at-scale programs to improve wellbeing, engagement and performance in their organizations.

What will you learn?

If you’ve ever experienced mental stress, anxiety, or frustration while handling difficult tasks and relationship challenges, this webinar will help you tackle those feelings and find a way to move forward.

Sign up for our Mental Fitness webinar today to experience the benefits of positive intelligence.