Just finished reading Kristi Hedges’ excellent Power of Presence.  Kristi is someone I’ve thought better and better of as I’ve gotten to know her better, and the book is really good: not repetitive, down-to-earth writing, straightforward information on the how of being a better leader that’s quite useful.

One chutzpah-ready idea (among many!) from the book, which resonates with earlier experience I had as a consultant: no matter where you enter the stage, be interesting when you get on it.

People aren’t paying attention to anything nowadays that doesn’t demand their attention, and nothing squanders attention – even when the audience has no choice but to pay it – like mealy-mouthed, equivocating, or plain old dull talk.  It’s worth giving a fair amount of effort to how to be interesting: in meetings, when you speak, when you want to be heard and win people to your point of view.

It’ll be an Intervention for April, I think.