The Art of Strengthening the Aura of Leadership

“Richard is great, but you know…”. That's what Richard Hendricks' friends and co-workers at Pied Piper said about him. As the founder of the technology company, Richard is respected and recognized skillby all of his friends, but gradually he started to irritate his friends for failing to manage the company properly, which resulted in his removal from the CEO position.

It's a trailer for the third season of the Silicon Valley series, which begins with a classic problem in any company or organization. Companies need the presence of someone with the aura of a leader as well as strong leadership skills.

Actually, what is meant as an aura of leadership? Many people say the aura of leadership is an abstract thing, can't be explained, but we can tell when we see it.

The fact is that this is not always the case. The aura of leadership can be described, which in general is a combination of personal, interpersonal and emotional intelligence qualities, which blends well in a person. The results will show in your work performance, how other people feel when they relate to you, and how effectively you communicate both verbally and non-verbally. All of them make your colleagues, clients or people you've worked with feel the 'Wow' factor.

It should also be noted that the aura of leadership has nothing to do with the expensive clothes you wear, your degree, or often nothing to do with your technical and technical work. skill always brilliant.

To be able to emphasize and strengthen the aura of your leadership, so that everyone can see and feel it, the aura of leadership needs to be spread.

As a leader (or potential leader) you will be constantly evaluated on how well you display confidence, composure, credibility, connection, and charisma.

Well, here are multiple strategies simple but effective way to strengthen and reinforce your leadership aura.

1. Confident 2.0

Confident people (both men and women) can easily motivate people, convince, and make them willing to take risks.

The thing is, even the most confident people are very likely to slip into suffering a crisis of self-doubt. This is where it is important to have a personal strategy.

One of the keys to displaying self-confidence is to change your physical posture. By standing straight, shoulders wide open, and chin lifted. We can recognize someone as authoritative or not, one of them is by seeing someone enter the room for the first time, because our brain will judge a person's power based on the space he takes when he walks.

Another equally effective strategy is to remember your best experiences. Especially when you need to appear confident or are trying to convince someone. Research shows that even thinking about times when you felt physically or intellectually attractive can increase your level of self-confidence.

2. Look elegant with the ability to be calm

The best mantra for being able to appear calm and always able to control yourself in uncomfortable situations, is to understand other people's reactions.

If we feel that the other person or meeting participant is showing displeasure or disinterest through their body language, whether it's a current investor pitching, judges, or even potential clients, can automatically trigger a variety of unwanted feelings. Such as anxiety, self-doubt, and discomfort.

This is enough to trigger stress which results in a response limbic brain to be in fear mode, its reaction is to send the body signal to run. And because you can't run, this will affect your sluggish body language, sweating, and stuttering voice due to irregular breathing.

Important insights into other people's reactions can be gleaned from Don Miguel Ruiz in his book The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book):

“What other people say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dreams. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you will not be a victim of needless suffering.”

3. Build credibility by saying the right words

Credibility is about how you communicate and about body language that aligns with your verbal message, telling the truth, being empathetic, and the effectiveness of your words. In addition, it turns out that the selection of certain words can be effective in boosting credibility.

A study at Harvard proves that. This study asked the subject to interrupt the photocopy queue, the situation was that there were already five people waiting in line. The first subject uses ordinary sentences, such as: "Sorry, may I use the photocopier first?". The result has a 60 percent success rate.

However, when other subjects used sentences accompanied by strong reasons, such as: "I'm sorry, may I use the photocopier first, because it's urgent?". The success rate goes up to 94 percent.

4. Change your focus in relationships

Social capital is the advantage that comes from your social relationships. Social capital is created as a result of the relationships you have with other people. It is a valuable commodity in today's business.

This can start with a change of attitude: relationships aren't about promoting yourself or getting new business. It's about creating or deepening professional relationships.

Try doing this at the event networking next: Enter every conversation with the goal of finding something you can do for the other person. When you take the focus away from promoting yourself and put it on helping others, you dramatically increase your ability to connect professionally with others.

5. Proper body language

The people you've met and talked to won't always remember what you said, but they'll never forget how they felt when they met you. The emotional reactions you can give to other people are more powerful than your words.

My career journey from then until now has required me to meet, sit down, and interview successful people from various industries. Not only those who are in the world of technology and not all of them are young, there are some of them that I meet are very mature.

Although I have been taught as a journalist, that when I meet an important person (successful, high-ranking, whatever you call it), I must remember that the position between me and him is equal.

There is a difference when meeting someone who is successful and very good at their field and meeting a charismatic leader. When I met the first group, I felt that this person was really great and worthy of admiration for his achievements. But when I meet a charismatic leader, what I feel is that I feel great, confident, and accomplished.

The difference is caused by differences in body language. The first group mostly has body language that gives the impression of being confident, strong, and prestigious. While the second group has body language that exudes charisma, is warm, and open.

Then, how to have body language that can strongly influence other people? These include eye contact, smiling and an open posture -- legs not crossed, arms not crossed, palms open or resting comfortably on a table.