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COMMAND PRESENCE
We know it instantly when somebody has it. And we know it when somebody doesn’t.
Our brains are programmed to pay attention to whatever someone with command presence says or does. It does not matter much if this person is your doctor, or plumber, or teacher, or president. Chances are that those who possess such presence have somehow earned it, although when it falls into the wrong hands (or minds!), it may be put to terrible use. Bernie Madoff comes to mind, but we all know examples of people unworthy of our trust when their false intentions are revealed.
Animals waste no time establishing their command power, or pecking order. For those who challenge, it will either be a fight to the death or being ostracized from the flock. Human beings know that these aspects of behavior exist in our own kind as well. In that way we are not too different from the animal kingdom. But we usually deny these aspects — not that denial makes them go away.
One of Norway’s leading experts on complementary medicine told me about his experience with an especially gifted practitioner of the healing arts. He said that when she looked at him, he felt as if she was looking right through him; he felt her attention like a force field. When he attended one of her client visits, he observed how quickly she found the real cause of the visit, how that brought on an extraordinary emotional response, and how she worked to rebuild the client’s life after the catharsis. She was an authentic and effective healer, and her skills are not easily taught.
But I have seen this skill in a large number of people. When people seek help, it is usually about their marriage or family, their work, their friends, or their economic situation. That’s what takes most of their time. They signal their real and true reason for their visit by the indifference to the other areas of their life. A gifted therapist will find the real reason quickly. And that is what brings on catharsis. Working on the root cause of their problem is always the quickest way to heal. Discussing how that should be addressed causes a relief so profound that progress comes quickly, and often with dramatic results.
My friend John Scherer uses 5 questions for his exploration of spiritual potential.& Doctors use patient history and multiple tests to make the correct diagnosis of disease. A good CEO, sensing that something may be wrong with a trusted employee, will ask the simplest of questions: “How is the family?” The World Health Organization has found that the best way of starting a conversation about health is to ask, “How do you feel?”
Researchers have established frequency distributions for the conditions that cause most people to seek help. Knowing them, the healing and helping professional is forearmed. Diagnosing those who seek help for other conditions, is a great challenge. The single most effective weapon here is to know the right questions, and to listen to the answers. And I mean listening in the broadest sense: language, body language, tone of voice, defensiveness, agitation — all communicated by the human voice, or by gestures, micro muscle movements or body position.
Let’s now turn the question around: What are the qualities that characterize people with command presence?
If you talk to them, you have their full attention. They listen to what you say. They accept your point of view, and your right to say it.
They establish a common bond — usually by touching you — physically or with words, and you now share a degree of intimacy.
If you discuss a personal problem with them, they will offer to help, and the good ones will find a way to actually do so. If you then accept their help, and it works for you, they will be genuinely pleased on your behalf.
Now think about this: They have influenced you in a manner that is likely to change your life. You may or may not have command presence, or the power that goes with it, but you may choose to behave as if you do. Remember: You have seen how people with command power act.
And then you will find that you have it.
Command power is a great responsibility. But there is no more noble quest than to help people in the best way that you can.
So, here is the secret question that opens the world to you: How can I help?
And then help.
You will find that life does not get much better.
And you will have earned your command presence.
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Tor
Dahl
&
Associates
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Our process helps companies achieve extraordinary improvements in operational effectiveness, quality, customer service, employee satisfaction and bottom-line results. |
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Leading, innovative companies understand the power of productivity as the strategy for achieving greater corporate performance and bottom line results. Yet, most companies do not apply a systematic and rigorous process for realizing their untapped productivity potential. 80% of all corporate initiatives focus instead on efficiency improvements that are not tied to overall growth objectives and do not produce any breakthroughs in performance. Productivity improvement, on the other hand, is so highly leveraged that even small increases can dramatically affect revenue, cost effectiveness and profits, while raising employee satisfaction and customer delight. For publicly held companies, stock prices and market capitalization can increase dramatically. |
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Tor Dahl & Associates is the world leader in
this "new" field of productivity. We have
debunked the old myth that productivity takes
away jobs and that it is only concerned about
"doing more with less". Our successful
productivity strategy is rooted in the
fundamental belief that productivity is about
removing barriers to individual performance,
freeing up resources from unproductive processes
and reallocating those resources to higher yield
activities that support organizational growth
objectives. It is a positive method that leads
to greater earned competitive advantage,
increased job satisfaction and positive employee
engagement, rather than job losses and
downsizing.
Contact us to find out how we can help your
organization. |
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| For other recent articles and postings related to our work in productivity, please refer to http://blogs.sas.com/beyondbusiness/index.php?/archives/6-Reinventing-business.html for a discussion of the benefits of tapping into the wisdom of the organization and http://www.thedialogue.org/uploads/LAA/Daily/2010/LAA100407.pdf to read about Latin America’s challenges vis á vis productivity. | ||
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