Your To Do List

I admit it. I live and die by my To Do list. Nothing fancy – just a $2 spiral bound notebook filled with lists of things to do. Categorized and prioritized…work and family items included. It’s a reflection of my busy world. I take great tactile pleasure in scratching items off the list, only to add a few more at the end. Looking back through these notebooks gives me a sense of accomplishment and reinforces my goals. I can clearly see the strides I have made professionally as well as the passage of time with my kids.

Do you have a To Do list? Do you share it with others – specifically your work colleagues and management team? Most of us only consider our goals and accomplishments during the annual review process. But what if you started a To Do list for your professional goals? Call it an Action Plan for Success.

This Action Plan is an important step in managing your personal brand image. How do you want to be perceived as a leader? What words do you want others to use when they describe you? When you communicate, do you send a message that is often more powerful than your actual words? With a little advance planning – and some help from others – you can make great strides to advance your personal brand image and leadership quotient.

Your Visuals

First, consider the visual aspects of your brand. Evaluate what’s working well with your eye contact, hands, stance/posture, facial expression, gestures, movement and energy. Do you enter a room with high energy, a happy countenance and open gestures? Or do you stand toward the back of the room with arms folded and a frown, clearly expressing your dismay at being in another meeting? How does this shape others’ perception of you?

Set goals for growth in these visual markers and engage a couple of colleagues to rate your progress. Is your facial expression positive? Is your stance engaging? Chart your progress over several weeks and you’ll likely see some improvement. Then check those things off your To Do list!

Your Voice

Next, let’s evaluate your voice. Are you saying the right words but no one can hear you? Or, are you so monotone that no one pays attention? The volume, tone, inflection, and projection of your voice is important when sharing that brilliant idea. Sprinkling in appropriate pauses, adding emphasis and some variety will keep your audience tuned in. Ask a team member to listen during your next presentation with these elements in mind. Note areas for improvement and keep track of your goals. Check in with your team members for signs of progress. And mark those things off your To Do list.

Your Words

Finally, are your words working for you? When you speak, do you succinctly communicate your ideas and requested actions? Does your audience leave a meeting – or a conversation – with a clear understanding of what you wanted to convey? Consider these verbal components the next time you’re in a high stakes conversation:

• Are you connecting with the audience?
• Do you have a “headline” idea – and did you communicate it clearly?
• Are there stories/examples that support your headline idea?
• Are your words organized in a logical manner?
• Do you transition effectively from one point to another?
• Does your visual language match you message (see previous points)?
• Are you using impact words that drive action?

I encourage you to develop an Action Plan to address your visual, vocal and verbal efforts. And work that Action Plan over several weeks, checking things off the list and adding feedback from others. After a few months, I hope you will be able to look back at your To Do list with a sense of accomplishment. It feels good to check things off – doesn’t it!