12 Who You Must Be Now
OUTLINE STAGE
This chapter contains rough notes and planning materials. Content development has not yet begun.
- Opening (2 pages)
- The difference between a good executive and a bad one is presence in chaos.
- When the site is down, orders aren’t going through, and everyone is frantic, your job is to project calm.
- Executive Presence (2–3 pages)
- How presence sets the tone for the room.
- Why people need steadiness more than technical solutions from their leader in the moment.
- The Mask You Put On (2–3 pages)
- You may be terrified, angry, or uncertain inside.
- Outwardly, you must show control and composure.
- The mask protects your people and gives them confidence.
- Becoming the Mask (2–3 pages)
- Over time, the mask shapes who you are.
- The act of consistently projecting leadership makes you more of a leader.
- You grow into the role, even if it wasn’t natural at first.
- Service Over Self (2–3 pages)
- This isn’t ego or acting — it’s service.
- You are who your people need you to be in the moment.
- Leadership is about putting aside private feelings to steady the group.
- CEO Call-out (1 page)
- CEOs: if your CTO walks into the room and the tension rises, you’ve got the wrong leader.
- Presence should lower the temperature, not raise it.
- Closing Reflection (1 page)
- You don’t get to be “authentic” in your private panic.
- You get to be who the role demands, and over time, that becomes who you are.
- Leadership is wearing the mask until it is no longer a mask.