Achieving PRESENCE with C.A.R.E.

Interacting with presence is not dependent on being physically present.  What it does rely on, however is C.A.R.E. - Confidence, awareness, resilience and effective communication.

A persistent ‘distraction’ that surfaces for many in executive support is the idea that they’re not visible enough – not having sufficient say, sway, influence or authority – even when expected.  The remote working environment has compounded the issue.  Even if transitioning to a hybrid arrangement, the inability to establish some consistency and cut-through with stakeholders is frustrating.

With influence having an ebb-and-flow effect in terms of impact, the idea that 'presence' cannot be established can be demotivating.  Instead of fine-tuning skills that will get us there, we put this distraction aside and reclaim our focus to get on with the tasks at hand.  But ‘being more visible’ or ‘having presence’ remains in our peripheral until, once again, it distracts us.

We may be getting more familiar with remote work along with the tools and the systems as a whole, but there are still questions on how to communicate effectively with authority. Gauging people's reactions and thoughts has never been more challenging, and establishing our presence in this context is incredibly hard.

C.A.R.E.

We often think having CONFIDENCE means being able to deliver a speech in a roomful of people without a second thought. Or confidently volunteering for a project even though we know very little about it, having gumption, standing up to unfair situations and always knowing just what to say in confrontational situations.

While all these examples may be true for some, confidence is equally powerful when you are positive and approachable and value what you know and respect what you don’t. In other words, you’re confident in your ability to produce results, even if outside the scope of your role and know when to reach out to others who may have different skill sets that complement your own. 

AWARENESS refers to self and other awareness. It’s also called cultural competence. We cover this topic significantly within all the online training courses we deliver because it is fundamentally the most effective way to have cut-through with diverse stakeholders. Strong people skills are the fast track to increasing your visibility.

Being RESILIENT isn’t only a reference to ‘picking yourself up, dusting yourself off and starting again’ in times of disappointment. It means trying to remain pragmatic in challenging times and position our mindset to offer practical solutions rather than to avoid or, worse, add to a problem.  In this regard, executive and personal assistants must be resilient and take an ‘observer’ approach to issues to provide sustainable solutions. 

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION suggests not only knowing how to adapt your communication to the target audience but also knowing how to discern communication styles. A person's communication style will dictate how much information they need or want. It tells you how they prefer to receive information – a discussion, messaging, video, audio or email. It will also dictate the follow-up and follow-through to deliver and to expect.

Mastering advanced communication techniques becomes a powerful skill for any professional. 

The key to developing one's presence lies firmly within the C.A.R.E. framework. The good news is that confidence, awareness, resilience, and effective communication are capabilities that can be readily developed in administrative professionals of all levels. You got this!