Recently, I met with a senior leader who engaged me to work with a high potential member of the team he viewed as a potential successor. The problem is that this potential only shows up at important functions and meetings. Otherwise, he may be there somewhat physically but definitely not present at all mentally. My point is that every time you are in front of someone you must be in the moment. Often you are judged in everyday situations rather than the high visibility ones. How you engage everyday both visually and verbally are keys to building positive relationships which lead to success in every aspect of business and social intercourse.

Do you ask yourself what you want to accomplish when you walk into a room? What is it you want the world to know about you? What first impression are you creating?

Often, when I ask one of these questions to a client I receive a puzzled look. For myself, I seek approachability combined with an “I am in charge” presence. It projects with a confident walk, a smile on my face and contemporary and understated dress that connects me to the world.

How about you?

Often, folks ask if they should get a custom suit or shirt made instead of buying off the rack. The reason is that they want clothing to fit their body shape perfectly. If you had an unlimited funds and the time to find the right custom clothier this can be done.

Recently a comment was made about Hillary Clinton’s clothing. Some say it is better than the colored pants suits (that looked like a rainbow of popsicles) she used to wear. This year, some say she looks like a CEO and others say the clothes appear too homemade. The real issue is probably her lack of time and the job of always being on stage everyday while on the campaign trail.

Also, Hilary wants to make sure it is not about her clothes, first, and secondly, her body type adds pounds in front of the camera. Most of her clothing has been tailored for her but it appears that she lacks the time to always get it right. My hope is that her go-to person for her “look” is taking notes and watching videos so the clothing gets adjusted to ensure it fits and moves right. Hillary’s preferences also count for a lot. My thought is that she wants to feel good 24 hours a day. Hillary has my vote in that she gets it right about 80% of the time.

A critical component of an insightful leader is coaching. Motivating and inspiring those on your team to make decisions that help make a difference is a wonderful gift.

It’s valuable to gather team members or peers to see the bigger picture so they are working together to understand multiple viewpoints. Asking appropriate questions that answer who, what, when and where is the first thing. The next coaching skill is critically listening to words and intent. It’s rewarding to observe and help people think a situation through and gently guide them to a decision they can own.

Recently, I was asked why communication skills matter when you only have five minutes to meet with senior leaders to discuss a project. Quite frankly, when I was asked, I was taken aback. Five minutes is a long time— a lifetime in some arenas!

You want to make an impression that says I am the person you want  in your world. To do that, how you sound, look and speak is critical. Given that you look, dress and act the part, the next step is to determine what point you want to get across in your five minutes of exposure.

Consider something like this: “This project meets the needs of this research or… this project tells us what we need to do to move forward.”  Bring your best self to the table. When you can do this – it shows you are a leader.

• Look the part
• Be confident
• Know what you are going to say in one complete sentence. Then wait for a response

Number two is a lesson from an expert who should know better from the countless times I helped men and women pack for business and pleasure. When it came to packing for myself, my own advice took a trip to forgotten land! Bringing us to lesson two- remember the do’s and don’ts of packing.

Don’ts
Don’t pack with the idea that you will be attending similar events during the entire trip
Don’t pack for one-season weather
Don’t pack a wardrobe you have not tried on

Do’s
Do pack for multiple different events, whether they include hiking, dining at a five-star restaurant or eating at seaside café
Do pack for different temperatures, from the very cold, to the very warm and for precipitation, rain and possibly snow
Do pack only things you have recently tried on to ensure they fit
Do pack outfits and multiple colors that coordinate with each other

Do these things and you will not be traveling fashion disaster!

Recently I had a program that could have gone a lot smoother. Though some of what happened was out of my control, following is what I learned from the experience in the form of dos and don’ts:

Don’ts
– Commit to cutting a presentation to 45 minutes when it is originally set at 60 minutes (requested because the organizers ran out of time)
– Shoehorn 65 people in a room built to hold 50
– Allow the room temperature to get so hot you can see participants sweating

Dos
– Always have easy access to your laptop or make sure an audio technician can help by sitting next to the projection equipment and / or computer
– Leave the plug in cords in an open space so you can remove items quickly
– Give the folks a chance to remove their jackets (and try to get an engineer to lower the temperature!)

It is easy to get caught up in issues not related to team objectives. Often, in teams, we get caught up in differences of opinions between members. People then begin to separate because folks are taking sides. As the leader, you must stay out of the drama and let the parties involved resolve their differences. It is natural for team members to expect you to solve the problem, instead, insist they resolve it themselves. They may or may not come to a resolution but if they don’t, they may just agree to disagree which is fine.

It is easy to select peers for a team because they possess similarities to you in thoughts and in backgrounds. However, the most productive teams and best work situations are ones where everyone comes from different backgrounds and even processes information differently. For example, it’s good for those who like to socialize to team with task-driven folks. It encourages different points of view. Too many companies reorganize by numbers and by what appears good on paper instead of really communicating with all affected parties. Working with different thoughts from disparate viewpoints creates more dynamic and productive outcomes and that’s beneficial for all stakeholders.

In a recent New York Times article, the President of International Markets at MasterCard, Ann Carins, suggested that team chemistry was not about everyone being the same type but to ensure that every team member understands what each other brings to the table. If they can challenge each other, be respectful and maintain a safe environment, it will bring out the best in each of them as well as in the team results.