First impressions can be important in leadership and often leaders may say, or do, the wrong things which leads to them making a bad first impression. One particular good first impression that many leaders want to make is: how to come across intelligent? In this post I will share three simple steps on how to achieve that.
Step 1: Listen before you speak
Far too often, a person in a position of leadership, will walk in to a room and start dictating on how and what needs to be done. This style of behaviour only has a significant impact in times of crisis. In most cases, this behaviour just puts people on the defensive – imagine a parent dictating to a child.
In order to be perceived as more intelligent and a better leader, listen first. Listen to the opinions of others, the feelings of others and understand all of the facts before making a decision. This way, you can better craft your statements and make more informed decisions.
Step 2: Display Confidence
Now when I speak about confidence, I don’t mean puff out your chest and acting like a big shot. I mean that you must trust in yourself. When you trust in yourself, even if you’re wrong, will automatically lead to people perceiving you as more confident. And, if you are wrong, admitting that and listening to the knowledge of others will also make people perceive you as a more adaptable and confident leader. This is because you are openly dropping your ego and displaying trust in yourself.
Step 3: Speak clearly and concisely
How many times have you been in a meeting with a very intelligent person but, when they try to make a point they just ramble on and on and on? Eventually you get bored and start to doubt if this person actually knows what they are talking about. If you take the time to craft your words and focus on speak clearly and concisely, people will understand you better and have more faith in what you have to say.
These are three simple steps that cost you nothing but, a little bit of effort. When you take to the time to listen first, trust in yourself by dropping your ego and speak clearly and concisely, then not only will people perceive you as more intelligent, but you will develop great levels of trust with them. This will result in you becoming a better leader.
Thank you for reading, JT
