Become the Real Deal: The Proven Path to Influence and Executive Presence

11

Too Little

The Ghost

Invisible at the wrong time

“I look bored!” Kelly said. I'd just showed her footage of herself in a rehearsal interview we'd taped, and she was dismayed to realize that she wasn't coming across the way she intended. Instead of looking excited about the big opportunity that lay ahead of her, she looked downright unfriendly and disinterested.

Kelly and I were preparing for her big break. Her artwork was beginning to attract a lot of attention and would soon be featured at a major worldwide event. She'd have the chance to be interviewed by journalists from around the globe, and an opportunity to spark further interest in her work—if she could learn how to balance her outer presence.

Kelly expressed herself powerfully in her art. Unfortunately, in person, she was invisible.

If we couldn't warm up her outer presence, Kelly risked having her interviews left on the cutting-room floor. She'd be cast aside at the very event that should have been the time and place for others to get to know who she truly was.

Everyone would see her work, but nobody would see her.

What Too Little Looks Like

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had an outer presence issue, too. He had a series of meetings with Wall Street analysts in May 2012, prior to his company's initial public offering. He wanted to garner $5 to $10 billion from the land of pinstripes and button downs. And he showed up wearing ...