Want to be a better leader ?. . .Take a deep breath !


What is power ? Where does it come from ? How do you access it when you need it ?

Power is the ability to focus energy effectively.
Energy follows attention and focus.

According to the late leadership expert Peter Drucker, “The primary task of a leader is the mastery of his or her own energy.”

The true nature of change is wild energy. The best leaders don’t attempt to control the winds of change, but like sailors, they control themselves and seek to capture the power that is present in unfolding situations.

All extraordinary leaders exhibit deep presence under pressure. Barak Obama gave us a recent example with his courageous speech on race. Not only was there wisdom in his words, but even more striking was his calm under fire. My mother used to call it ‘carriage’ or comportment and emphasized erect posture. The military calls it command presence and they develop it at the War College. Barak has it naturally. Not only did he address a highly charged issue over which he had been attacked, but he did it with a deeply rooted authenticity and dignity, a deep presence.

Most of us would be happy to achieve such poise in our daily lives, let alone under the hot lights of election media scrutiny? But how? After my thirty years of research in high growth corporations and coaching numerous top executives, it all comes down to this: intentional and focused breathing generates deep presence on demand. That translates into being received by others as a grounded and powerful leader.

Next time you are in a high pressure situation, try this technique. Point your attention into your own breathing. You commonly hear people say if you are nervous, “take a deep breath.” This is a step in the right direction. But to take it a step further, especially right in the midst of a critical and pressure packed moment, you can do more.

Sense your breath and where it flows in your body. Take the breath deep inside into your core body. As you release it, sense the flow radiating from your heart back out into the world. Do that just once or twice slowly, and you’ll back down the adrenaline rush and settle into a more comfortable state where you can focus on what really matters.

You’ve probably seen professional athletes like golfers standing over a critical putt or basketball players on the free throw line doing the same thing. Leadership presence is the ability to demonstrate deep awareness and presence when engaged in difficult circumstances. So next time you find yourself in a critical leadership moment, try taking a couple of deep, intentional and focused breaths. It will make all the difference in how you are received.