How do you overcome the challenges of the online environment to lead effectively with head and heart? ROBYN EDWARDS explores.
Presence (noun): the feeling experienced by others that you are really there.
Presence provides the foundation for trust and empathy and, in the context of leadership, it is ‘the ability to connect authentically with the thoughts and feelings of others, in order to motivate and inspire them toward a desired outcome’, according to authors of Leadership Presence, Belle Linda Halpern and Kathy Luber.
In line with the philosophy of the AIS Leadership Centre, the more aware a leader is of their presence, and the more disciplined they are about adopting practices that support it, the more effective they will be at mobilising their community to work together to tackle the complex problems that arise in schools.
Conveying your presence to an online environment takes awareness and discipline.
The pivot to working online has posed a huge challenge to school leaders because the practices we have been using to connect authentically with the thoughts and feelings of those we lead are not available to us. While we can still ‘connect’ and do, using a range of online platforms, it can be bittersweet. The transactional, highly structured and linear form of many online spaces serves to remind us of what we have lost - our humanness; the ability to transform the hearts and minds of others, to create energy through joint action and spaces for ideas and thinking to evolve organically.
The more aware a leader is of their presence, and the more disciplined they are about adopting practices that support it, the more effective they will be at mobilising their community.
It is with this in mind that we offer suggestions to develop new practices for creating a greater (or more effective) presence in the online environment.
Safe spaces: Psychological safety is created when we are explicit about the style, tone and norms to be used. Naming these upfront removes unknowns that can be sources of anxiety.
Time is of the essence: Valuing yourself and others is signalled by starting on time. It also shows that you trust there are valid reasons why others have not yet arrived.
The eyes have it: The sense that you are really there with others is felt when they can see your eyes. Speaking directly to your camera, positioning it at your eye level and being no more than an arm’s length away - as awkward as this may feel - is the technique followers need to feel the warmth of your humanity. Sitting up in your seat conveys calm authority. Enhance this further by framing your face in the middle of the screen and eliminating distractions in the background or on your desk.
Setting the scene: Connection can be nurtured by incorporating 10 minutes of ‘unstructured time’ at the start of the meeting. Consider leading out with an open question and inviting a few people to share or using a break-room option to enable small group conversation around a human question.
Shared experience: Joy and enthusiasm can be sparked when you share a positive story and/or invite others to share their story of joy.
On point: Learning how people are feeling can be achieved through a quick pulse survey. If you use Zoom, try a one-question poll or a one-word answer typed into the chat. Keeping a record of these over time can become a powerful collective story of resilience and capacity.
If you have any tips for communicating with presence online, share them with us @AIS_leaders and let’s keep learning the way forward together.
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