To succeed in business, you need more than intellect and a strong work ethic. Selling your ideas and getting promoted depend on “leadership presence.” If you’ve have seen strong leaders in action you know what I mean; they have a certain something that is often hard to define, a way of communicating, of presenting themselves. I identified it long ago. Then, as I was honing a training class on the topic, I discovered I wasn’...

We often equate negotiating with a labor versus union situation or negotiating the terms of an acquisition. However, we are continually negotiating at work. Examples include: Getting more resources—people/ budget Project deadlines Hiring employees Being promoted Getting an interesting project Delegating to someone over whom you have no formal authority To increase your success in negotiation: 1. Increase your self-confidenc...

One obstacle that women create for themselves in Corporate America is not asking for what they need. At a conference I attended, a female CEO told the story of how when she became CEO, the men lined up outside her office to ask her to be their mentor. She said not one woman did; she had to go out and initiate the mentoring relationships with women (which most CEOs will not take the time to do!) At one of my recent leadershi...

What group makes up half of our population, yet less than 20% of corporate officers in Fortune 500 companies? What group holds half of all management and professional positions in the United States, but less than 5% of the CEO positions in the Fortune 500? Women!Moreover, studies have shown that companies with the highest representation of women (top 10%) on their top management teams had better financial performance than d...