Restraint: It Helped to Lack it...Until You Got Promoted
We analyzed a set of survey results of 12 leaders who have taken our multi-rater assessment, the ExPI™. At first glance, this is a diverse group. They work for about six different companies in roles that range from manufacturing and supply chain to talent development and consulting. The industries include aerospace/defense, chemicals, non-profits, payment processing, and industrial equipment. The gender mix is pretty even.
All of that said, there has been almost uncanny recurring theme for this latest batch of folks. The vast majority of them received a low rating from peers, direct reports and supervisors in the facet of Restraint—or in the related facet of Composure… or both.
We define Restraint as the degree to which a leader is perceived as calm, deliberate, and reasonable rather than excitable, impulsive, and dominated by their emotions. In other words, does the leader come across as more “Ready, Aim, Shoot,” rather than simply “Shoot!”? Composure is similar but reflects whether a leader is seen as steady in times of crisis or change, generating light instead of heat.
The somewhat surprising string of low scores in these qualities prompted the question: “What is the story about all these leaders in need of Restraint?”
Well, there are a few possible stories here. It could be pretty simple. Within our database of over 14,000 surveys, Restraint is the lowest-rated facet in Character and the fourth-lowest overall of the 15 facets of executive presence, so statistically you might expect to get occasional periods where five or more leaders in a row have it as one of their two development themes. We’ve had stretches where it feels like everyone is working on Vision, for example—another facet that tends to have low mean scores.
Upon deeper reflection, though, it seems that Restraint is more likely to be a quality that emerges as a need when a leader hits an inflection point. We work with many senior leaders and high-potential leaders, and one observation that has emerged is that in fact there are times when these leaders are promoted due to their lack of Restraint.To understand this, when we look again at this group of 12 leaders who are low in Restraint, we see they are rated highly in many other important facets of executive presence:
- Confidence – Being decisive and having a bias toward action, not analysis paralysis
- Practical Wisdom – Delivering relevant insights based on subject matter expertise
- Appearance – Showing up prepared, energetic, looking “ready for the game”
- Integrity – Having a high bar for themselves and others, and walking the talk
- Authenticity – Sharing your thoughts and feelings openly and genuinely
If you’re looking to promote someone, you probably are going to pick a smart, driven person who knows their stuff and gets things done quickly as opposed to someone who is slower to act.
Then what happens after this person is promoted? Their new role demands that they slow down to create room to engage others by asking them questions, listening to them, being open to their ideas, and getting into real dialogue with them that leads to alignment and execution. It’s no longer so much about them, but how they appear to others.
As such, a lack of Restraint now becomes an impediment to influence. In the open-ended comments section of their assessments, these 12 leaders were readily acknowledged to be passionate, decisive, forthright subject matter experts. The other side of the coin is that they’re not as likely to come across as calming, inviting, approachable, inclusive, or aware of what their stakeholders are thinking and feeling. And the more senior these leaders become, the more they will need to get work done through others rather than themselves. Communication and influence essentially become a leader’s most important skill set.
It’s a classic ‘what got you here, won’t get you there’ story, really. In this case, in fact, ‘what got you here’ can start hindering your ability to rise any higher unless it’s addressed.
The good news is that Restraint can be developed. It’s a case where learning why and how to slow down will definitely speed up your ability to engage, inspire, align, and move people to act.
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La maggior parte delle riunioni di vendita non fallisce.
Semplicemente non porta a una decisione.
Ed è lì che si perde valore.
I clienti di oggi sono più informati, più selettivi e hanno meno tempo.
Non hanno bisogno di altre presentazioni di prodotto.
Hanno bisogno di conversazioni che li aiutino a stabilire le priorità, decidere e andare avanti.
Eppure, il 58% delle riunioni di vendita non riesce a creare valore reale.
Non perché i venditori manchino di capacità, ma perché le conversazioni non sono progettate per far avanzare le decisioni.
“I clienti non agiscono su ogni esigenza che riconoscono.
Agiscono quando qualcosa diventa una priorità.”
In questo breve executive brief scoprirai:
- Perché la maggior parte delle conversazioni informa… ma non porta all’azione
- Cosa spinge davvero i clienti a stabilire priorità e muoversi
- Come creare urgenza senza compromettere la fiducia
- Il passaggio dal presentare soluzioni al facilitare decisioni
- Cosa distingue le conversazioni che si bloccano da quelle che accelerano il progresso
Se i tuoi team stanno affrontando trattative bloccate, decisioni ritardate o un pipeline lento, questo brief ti aiuterà a capire il perché e cosa fare in modo diverso.
Scarica l’executive brief e scopri come progettare conversazioni che portano davvero a decisioni.
A maioria das reuniões de vendas não fracassa.
Elas simplesmente não levam a uma decisão.
E é aí que o valor se perde.
Os clientes de hoje estão mais informados, mais seletivos e com menos tempo.
Eles não precisam de mais apresentações de produto.
Precisam de conversas que os ajudem a priorizar, decidir e avançar.
Ainda assim, 58% das reuniões de vendas não conseguem gerar valor real.
Não porque os vendedores não tenham capacidade, mas porque as conversas não são desenhadas para impulsionar decisões.
“Os clientes não agem sobre todas as necessidades que reconhecem.
Eles agem quando algo se torna prioridade.”
Neste breve material executivo, você vai descobrir:
- Por que a maioria das conversas informa… mas não gera ação
- O que realmente faz os clientes priorizarem e avançarem
- Como criar urgência sem prejudicar a confiança
- A mudança de apresentar soluções para viabilizar decisões
- O que diferencia conversas que estagnam daquelas que aceleram o progresso
Se suas equipes estão enfrentando negócios estagnados, decisões atrasadas ou um pipeline lento, este material vai ajudar você a entender o porquê — e o que fazer de diferente.
Baixe o material executivo e aprenda como desenhar conversas que realmente impulsionam decisões.
La mayoría de las reuniones de ventas no fracasan.
Simplemente no llevan a una decisión.
Y ahí es donde se pierde el valor.
Los clientes de hoy están más informados, son más selectivos y tienen menos tiempo.
No necesitan más presentaciones de producto.
Necesitan conversaciones que les ayuden a priorizar, decidir y avanzar.
Y, sin embargo, el 58% de las reuniones de ventas no logra generar un valor real.
No porque los vendedores carezcan de capacidad, sino porque las conversaciones no están diseñadas para impulsar decisiones.
“Los clientes no actúan sobre cada necesidad que reconocen.
Actúan cuando algo se convierte en una prioridad.”
En este breve informe ejecutivo descubrirás:
Por qué la mayoría de las conversaciones informan… pero no generan acción
- Qué es lo que realmente hace que los clientes prioricen y avancen
- Cómo crear urgencia sin dañar la confianza
- El cambio de presentar soluciones a facilitar decisiones
- Qué diferencia a las conversaciones que se estancan de las que aceleran el avance
Si tus equipos están experimentando acuerdos estancados, decisiones retrasadas o un pipeline lento, este informe te ayudará a entender por qué y qué hacer diferente.
Descarga el informe ejecutivo y aprende a diseñar conversaciones que realmente impulsen decisiones.