Simple Gestures And Their Oversized Power For Executives

Simple gestures enhance power for all. For executives though, they have oversized power. Executives though forget or discount this. It’s hard for many to see that their mere presence has power all its own. They often don’t need to do anything.

Examples of Simple Gestures With Oversized Power

For instance, on a business trip, I met a bank president from Williston, North Dakota. He had just heard a presentation I gave about influence. He wanted to share his thoughts. His daily regimen consists of walking through his bank saying good morning to each employee.

The impact this had on his people was his main point of emphasis. It had been quite an eye-opening experience. It surpassed his expectations. He went on to say that it’s so easy to forget the value of these simple gestures. The daily demands of the job overshadow them.

With an employer, I delivered training. I could always guarantee a successful segment when I had an executive do a half-hour question and answer. Regardless of the executive’s speaking skills, it produced top marks from the participants. It stunned one popular executive when participants requested pictures with him.

Other examples include remembering names and personally thanking someone. Many others exist like this that don’t cost a cent. All they do is leverage the executive’s personal power.

Tapping Personal Power

Simple gestures give a profound return on investment for executives. People not only appreciate them. They love to talk about these experiences. This causes an executive’s power to radiate throughout the organization. They dramatically enhance informal organization power.

Considering such simple gestures don’t cost a cent, the return on investment is astronomical. Yet, many executives don’t tap this power. They leave it inert.

The most powerful tools we have are the ones God and nature gave us. No one can take them from us.