What is the most pressing leadership skill development need you personally have?

Our reader poll today asks: What is the most pressing leadership skill development need you personally have?

• I want to improve my executive presence 22.40%
• I want to be a more inspiring leader 19.80%
• I want to be more decisive 11.45%
• I want to be more strategic in my thinking 20.31%
• I want to get better at developing my team members 18.75%
• Something else 7.29%

Being an inspiring presence. 42% of you report wanting to improve your presence and ability to inspire your teams. A big part of that is authenticity. The more authentic and comfortable you are with who you are, the easier it is to build trust. Trust, in turn, inspires commitment from your team. When you’re being you and being authentic, it’s easier to communicate because you don’t have to memorize a script or focus on putting on appearances. You can just connect directly with your audience which then demonstrates more compelling executive presence. The next time you have to communicate with team members, try going in unrehearsed, set aside any fears you have, and just speak directly. Pay attention to their reactions. You might be surprised by how quickly you connect with them and how your straightforward message can inspire action.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 240,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.