{"id":9015,"date":"2023-08-10T23:13:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-10T23:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/leadership\/how-to-improve-your-executive-presence-balance-advocacy-and-inquiry\/"},"modified":"2023-08-10T23:13:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-10T23:13:00","slug":"how-to-improve-your-executive-presence-balance-advocacy-and-inquiry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=9015","title":{"rendered":"How To Improve Your \u201cExecutive Presence\u201d? Balance Advocacy And Inquiry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Most of us occasionally struggle with when to talk and when not to talk. When to share a point of view, when to ask a question, or when to just listen.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve never struggled with this question yourself, there\u2019s a good chance that the people around you wish you would! Think about your experiences in meetings, in the boardroom, or even just catching up around the water cooler. Certainly, there are people you wish would speak up more and share their ideas\u2026 as well as people you think should let someone else get a word in.<\/p>\n

Knowing when to talk and when not to talk has a lot to do with effective interpersonal style and that often-quoted concept of \u201cexecutive presence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most managers in today\u2019s corporations have received years of training in being problem solvers. Some have learned how to press strongly for their views and won\u2019t hesitate to speak their mind quickly. Some prefer to pull back into silence to work through things quietly; they may want some time to reflect and analyze before speaking up.<\/p>\n

But as we take on more responsibility in organizations, we must contend with ever more sophisticated situations where there isn\u2019t necessarily any one correct answer. Here, success requires getting a wide variety of stakeholders, often with competing desires, to come to a mutually agreeable outcome. In these situations, the best results are achieved when we are able to brainstorm cooperatively and work together to create new insights.<\/p>\n

The people who are most effective in these situations are those who can effectively balance the modes of ADVOCACY and INQUIRY.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Advocacy<\/em><\/strong> relates to \u201ctelling,\u201d and it usually means pressing for a particular position, course of action, or set of principles. When we advocate,<\/em><\/strong> we are trying to persuade or argue for a point of view or conclusion. Inquiry<\/em><\/strong>, on the other hand, relates to “asking,” and the point of inquiring<\/em><\/strong> is to understand the position of the other side, rather than immediately seeking to change minds or opinions. (As the Prayer of St. Francis famously put it, \u201cto seek first to understand, and then to be understood.\u201d)<\/p>\n

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Most people have a natural preference for either the advocating or inquiring style: one or the other tends to be our \u201cdefault.\u201d Some of our stylistic choice may be based in education or profession: law and education often teach advocacy, whereas journalism and social work lean more on inquiry. Some researchers have suggested that in certain situations men may be rewarded more for advocacy, and women for inquiry; other researchers have traced styles to cultural differences in different parts of the world. But whatever the causes, it\u2019s generally observable that some people tend to ask more, whereas others tend to tell more.<\/p>\n

However, in most management and leadership roles, a conscious and thoughtful balancing of advocacy and inquiry usually leads to the best outcomes and represents the most adaptive and successful leadership styles.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Start by asking yourself \u2013 honestly \u2013 which is your natural or preferred style: asking or telling. If you have doubts, ask your direct reports or, better, your spouse or significant other. If the feedback from others is that you tend more toward one style than the other, make an active attempt to adopt the opposite style on a more frequent basis. If you feel the urge to make a conclusion, ask an open-ended question instead. And if you usually find yourself asking questions (either aloud, or to yourself), try taking a stand and pushing for an outcome.<\/p>\n

One way to better balance advocacy and inquiry is to pause, suspend your own assumptions, and ask questions to understand what the other person believes. \u201cBefore I share my point of view, I\u2019d really like to understand how you see things.\u201d (In these situations, the strong \u201cadvocates\u201d among us may have to work extra hard to bite our tongues and hear the other side out.) Once you have laid out your reasoning, encourage others to challenge it: “Here\u2019s my thinking and here\u2019s how I have arrived at this conclusion. How does that sound to you? What makes sense and what doesn’t?\u201d Of course, if you ask for a response, you must then listen to it carefully and consider it prior to arguing against it.<\/p>\n

As you work to optimally balance your advocacy and inquiry, (recognizing that different situations call for different proportions of each) remember that there are also dysfunctional forms of both advocacy and inquiry. For example, some people may skew the inquiry process by relentless interrogating, without showing empathy for the person being questioned. Similarly, advocacy can feel oppressive if the advocate simply dictates her point of view, while refusing to share her reasoning process. It\u2019s all about the balance.<\/p>\n

The following are a few more specific ideas and suggestions for improving your skills in advocacy and inquiry:<\/p>\n

Tips for Improving ADVOCACY<\/strong><\/p>\n

Make your thinking process visible\u2014or, as my chemistry professor used to say, \u201cShow your work!\u201d<\/u><\/p>\n