Making Your Mark – 5 Key Interactions To Elevate Your Impact With Senior Leaders
Updated: Jul 27, 2023
Written by: Stephen Krempl, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Navigating the world of corporate dynamics can often feel like stepping into a labyrinth. With complex organizational hierarchies and limited opportunities to interact with senior management, many employees think their professional prowess is stifled when limited when opportunities are few and far between. This article aims to empower individuals to make the most of these limited interactions, highlighting five pivotal situations to pay attention to and leverage for maximum impact.
The five crucial situations
Senior leadership is the gateway to career progression, and they typically encounter you in five key scenarios. These are the stages on which you perform, and they range from private settings to more public forums:
One-on-One Meetings
Team Meetings (small functional or large-scale gatherings like town halls)
Conference Calls
Business Presentations
Company Socials
While the advent of remote work has transformed how we engage, the significance of these situations remains unchanged. Irrespective of the medium, the potential for impact persists – your one-on-one calls, team discussions, large-scale video calls, online presentations, and even pre-meeting banter all serve as opportunities to shape perceptions. Many are company socials, really?
Yes, even company socials. An ability to converse effortlessly, whether it's about in-depth strategic discussions or lighter non-work-related topics, can significantly influence your visibility among senior leaders. So, if you're scratching your head at the mention of company socials, it's time to reconsider.
The lasting impressions you make
As an aspiring senior leader, excelling in these scenarios is crucial to your success. Your interactions during these moments form the first recall point when your name comes up in higher circles. Were you the silent observer or the incessant talker? Did you maintain a positive demeanor, or were you the constant complainer? Negative impressions can stick, such as continuous complaining during town hall meetings.
Senior leaders often don't see your daily grind – they may not know about the early mornings or late nights. What they do remember, however, is their last interaction with you, be it in person or remotely, within the context of these five situations.
How to stand out
In understanding the importance of these interactions, you can begin to formulate an approach to make a lasting positive impression. This involves honing skills essential for confident communication, creating personal connections, and distinguishing yourself in a crowd, covered in my book The 5% Zone – Visibility Strategies that Gets You Recognized and Rewarded in Any Organization.
So, you've decided to amplify your visibility within your organization. In that case, this article serves as a stepping stone towards achieving that, creating a more profound impact every time you interact with senior leaders in those five situations.
Stephen Krempl, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Stephen Krempl is an international trainer, global keynote speaker, bestselling author, and corporate communications coach. He has worked with thousands of leaders in over 30+ countries. His career spans 25 years in Fortune200 companies, Starbucks Coffee Company (CLO), Yum! Brands (VP of Yum University and Global Learning), PepsiCo Restaurants International and Motorola. He helps leaders stand out and get noticed in their corporations even in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. He has authored nine books including his latest, Positively Negative – How To Turn Negative Messages Into Positive Ones.
