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Running head: LEADERSHIP PRESENCE
Leadership Presence
Joseph Koontz
EDLP 708: Leadership Presence
Virginia Commonwealth University
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Leadership presence can be learned, if a leader is willing to be self reflective and
honest about his or her strengths and weaknesses. King George VI learned this in his
attempt to overcome a severe speech impediment in The King’s Speech (Hooper, 2010).
King George VI recognized the importance of his role and the impact his messages
conveyed.
The King’s Speech (Hooper, 2010) tells the story of how King George IV came to
be king of England and his role at the start of World War II. The king had to give a speech
to reassure his people at a time when his country was entering into war. The king had a
speech impediment, but with the help of a trusted friend and speech therapist, he was able
to deliver his speech and reassure the nation. The king depicted a leadership style that
Halpern and Lubar (2003) would classify as a conceiver. The king needed the people to
rally around the war. He needed them to understand that there were going to be hardships,
but together they would prevail. Halpern and Lubar (2003) state the conceiver approach
“works best when a group needs to rally around a distant goal.” (p.63) In this case, the
distant goal was the end of a world war. The king knew that in order to exhibit the
characteristics of a conceiver, he would need to be inspiring, confident, and reassuring.
The king knew this would be difficult with a speech impediment and that he could not
conquer that on his own.
What resonated with me about my own leadership presence after watching The
King’s Speech (Hooper, 2010) is the importance of a support team. According to George,
Sims, McLean, and Mayer (2007), “authentic leaders build extraordinary support teams to
help them stay on course.” (p.6) King George VI relied on his wife and his speech
therapist. He was not the king when he was around them. They both called him by a
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nickname, Birtie, and they were the only ones who would be completely honest with him.
They also would not let him quit, even during difficult times. I see this being an important
lesson for me at a critical time in my career. I have just been named the principal of an
elementary school. I realize I need to find someone on my leadership team that I can have
that type of relationship with for support. As a leader I know I need someone who will
help me stay the course when times are tough and who will be completely honest with me
about the decisions I make.
Making authentic connections with people is a central theme in Halpern and
Lubar’s text Leadership Presence (2003). In the early twentieth century, King George VI
used the new invention of radio to reach his subjects. Today, I need to use a myriad of
communication channels to make connections with my staff and stakeholders. Face to face
communication, phone, and email all require different approaches, and I need to be
mindful of the verbal and nonverbal messages I am sending in each of those mediums.
Whatever the form of communication, I need to make sure I am making an authentic
connection with people. According to Halpern and Lubar (2003), one of the best ways to
be authentic is to be present. It is important to be in the moment, listen to what people are
saying, and respond in a genuine way. This is not a skill that comes naturally to me. I am
easily distracted and I tend to try and complete many tasks at once. As a leader, I need to
be cognizant of this and force myself to stay in the moment when I am leading my
constituents.
King George VI understood the importance of leadership presence. He understood
his role as king required him to act a certain way and present himself in a way that fit the
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title. Being the leader of a school building is no different. I need to be aware of my
presence at all times in order to project confidence and consistency.
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References
George, B., Sims, P., McLean, A. N., & Mayer, D. (2007). Discovering your authentic
leadership. Harvard Business Review, (Feb.), 1-9.
Halpern, L., & Lubar, K. (2012). 2003. New York, NY: Gotham Books.
Hooper, T. (Director). (2010). The king’s speech [DVD]. United States:
The Weinstein Company.