Our Archive

Blog Archives

Dropinceo > Blog > 2022 > December

How Executive Presence is the Game Changer to Get to the C-Suite

Executive Presence is often not discussed as part of performance reviews or even 360 feedback, but is an unspoken necessity to be perceived as ready for the C-Suite. Even this article I link to “Are you a Leader Struggling with Executive Presence”  only speaks to the physical attributes of how you show up to give presentations which alone won’t cut it. Contrary to executive coaches or image specialists who work mostly on the external presence, only a few will discuss the internal presence which I find is more critical. Want to learn more? Read on…

Write down your answers to these questions which qualify how you will project yourself into our community

  • Why do I lead and what type of leader am I?
  • What am I most passionate about
  • What am I willing to put money down on that if we followed would make a difference
  • How do I see the world differently
  • What do I believe in that I would pursue, even if I wasn’t paid for this work. 

I never had coaching while I was in corporate (so many of us don’t get that opportunity) and it was only after I sought coaches as a business owner that I arrived at presence. How do I know I “arrived”. Every time I show up at a networking event, introduce myself on a new team or speak on a podcast, I have the same talking points and people know what I stand for:

  • I guide C-Suite Leaders of Today and Tomorrow to navigate challenges with confidence
  • I do this because I want them to struggle less and do more of the things they want to for themselves or with family, friends and community
  • I assess organizations through the CEO’s Compass with focus on Peace of Mind vs. Results to get back on track

When I show up now, people will actually comment I have great presence. They love how I introduce myself and they know what I’m about. This can be you as well.

Write down your responses to the questions you pose and ask yourself if you have clarity? Could you talk about these insights every time you show up? Does it give you confidence when you speak? 

Post your responses in a prominent place to remind yourself. Practice applying them. What response did you get from the audience you were trying to influence?

If this exercise intrigues you, but you’re still not sure how to apply, send me your responses and I can leave you a voice message on my thoughts. You can also DM me on Linkedin. Are you ready to take action? I’m here to support you.

Conclusion: You don’t need a new haircut, wardrobe or communication training until you understand who you are and why you exist to make a difference. The rest is complementary to the entire package of executive presence. 

If you find this article helpful, I would be forever grateful if you shared with a friend. I can also subscribe them to the newsletter if you give me permission. Just message me back. 

Wishing you happiness, health and great memories as we enter the holiday season.

-Deb

Read More

How finding “Fa La La”​ can help you get through tough times!

While most of you know me as Deb Coviello, The Drop In CEO, behind the curtain is a person that simply wants to spend more time with my family, friends and community. I love having the time to plan and prepare meal experiences that bring people together and create memories. Christmas time is a time I celebrate knowing I can do all of those things and I can say “Fa La La”. I’ve added a link to my cookie photo in this article to take you to my personal Facebook Page so you can follow me, my family, my dog Reagan and curling. I think it’s important that we take the time to get to know each other more personally so when we do come together, the work is so much more meaningful and fun. Connect with me and let me connect with you as well on your favorite personal social site. But what about “Fa La La”? Read on to learn more…

A few years ago, I was panicking to get all the Christmas shopping, cookie making, decorating and couldn’t find enough hours in the day. Don’t even ask about the Christmas cards; they’ve now become New Years cards if I’m lucky! Anyway, this particular year, things were falling apart, breaking, forgotten presents etc. and I was getting down on my self. Then out of nowhere when I didn’t know what else to say, I said “Fa La La” and threw my arms up. It was an expression of “Oh well”, that didn’t work and as a way to shrug it off and laugh at the situation. So every time things don’t go as planned, I simply say “Fa La La”

This expression became a “thing” for which my mother bought me a shirt that says “Fa La La” and showed me she cared enough about my mishaps, but also supported me as I celebrated life’s imperfections and the ability to move on. I say “Fa La La” now to you and ask for forgiveness for every time I misspoke on my podcast, mixed up my words, said it was 2020 when it was 2022, for forgetting to call you back, missing a meeting or being late paying a bill. It was because I was probably focused on the most important thing in the moment for which getting it right was less important than being in the moment. 

So my gift to you this week is to think about when / where you’ve been having challenges that ever so slightly bring you down and ask yourself how relevant is it in the grand scheme of enjoying life? Sometimes we give those little things too much relevance for which not only did something happen or not happen. It’s time to shake it off, say “Fa La La” and you would be surprised how quickly you forget about it and move on to enjoy the things you love to do.

I’m heading out shortly to finish Christmas shopping, buy some food because my mom is visiting for a month and my daughter comes home from Italy tomorrow. But I’m also buying ingredients to make Christmas cookies and enjoy memories with the people in my life. If I forget an ingredient… Fa La La. If there is traffic that slows me down… Fa La La…if don’t get to the vacuuming before people arrive… Fa La La.

So here is your challenge: Start saying Fa La La and turn mishaps into fond memories!

Wishing you happiness, health and great memories as we enter the holiday season.

-Deb

No alt text provided for this image
Read More

How fixing a light bulb can solve world peace… or close to it!

I don’t often talk about my husband Dan, but he’s the center of today’s story! He’s been my partner for over 33 years and while marriage is a challenge, we find a way to make it work. He knows having the house functioning well is the key to my happiness and hence Coviello World Peace! Read on because there is always a life lesson in everything I write!

“Honey, the kitchen light is out over the island, can you fix it?”. “Dan, the front spot light went out in front of the house, can you fix it?”. “Hey, when you have a minute, can you replace the light in my pantry?”. These requests to help give me light is actually a laughing matter for us as some lights are always blowing out in the house!  While he could let the honey-do’s pile up and usually there is no safety issue or urgency to any light replacement, he knows over time it builds up my frustration. And so goes the saying: “Happy wife, happy life!”. Sound familiar? Dan knows that while fixing a light is only a small act of kindness and sometimes necessary, he also knows in the bigger picture, life will be more peaceful if he tends to these small requests. 

Now I said there is a life lesson in all of this silly little story about how my marriage works, but hang tight as I finish the rest of the story. When Dan fixes the light over the kitchen island, it enables me to cook for the family and read the recipes without reverting to cheater glasses! When Dan fixes the spotlight on our home, it adds to my joy of seeing our beautiful home properly lit up. When Dan fixes the pantry light, I can see my inventory and more efficiently make meals for my family. It’s all about creating community and the things that give us pleasure in our lives. When Dan tends to the small things, the rest of our life is peaceful (most of the time!). 

So what does this have to do with you? As always, I revert to my purpose of helping C-Suite leaders of today and tomorrow navigate challenges with confidence. And why is this important? Because I want you to struggle less and enjoy the things you like to do with yourself, friends, family and community. Simple and straight forward. I now ask if you are taking care of the little things that you need to improve your confidence, capacity or capability? Of have you delayed that in favor of urgent matters and procrastinate on serving the most important person; yourself. Sure, you can delay building up your skills, but for how long? Letting it slide too long may result in a poor performance review, missed opportunities or not being respected for the value you bring? And then, peace evades you.

If you know me personally, I’m not a Debbie downer at all. I’m an optimist and everyone of you that I’ve personally met, I’ve seen the value in who you are and potential for much more. I try to inspire you to think differently at every moment and take control of your situation. Getting a good review, raise or promotion is always good, but ultimately you want peace of mind in all aspects of your life. Just like changing a light bulb and keeping the home in good order; you deserve the same. Why not invest in yourself like my husband Dan takes care of the light bulbs?!

Thank you for reaching the bottom of my article! Can I be of more service to you?

Read More

3 Reality Shifts That Will Change the Trajectory of Your Career

“Deb, do you have a minute?”, “Deb, can I ask you a question?”, “Deb, I’d like to bounce something off of you” are some of the things people are saying to me recently.  When the universe speaks to me, it’s clearly a sign that more of you are having the same challenges. There are important #RealityShifts that I want to share with you based on these recent conversations for which may change the trajectory of your 2023 career goals. Ready to read on?

Before I share the reality shifts you need to make, I want to give you some context of why these stories are the trends I’m seeing in talent as they struggle to break out and be the leaders they were meant to be. While the media & guru’s push the narratives of the “Great Resignation”, “Silent Quitting” or “Work from Anywhere”, are these really the topics we should be speaking about? I believe the root cause of all these Trends is a growing phenomenon called the â€śHuman Awakening”.

We are realizing the energy we’ve invested in a corporate conformist society has taken a toll on who we want to be in pursuit of purposeful work. While we’ve enjoyed the experiences and resources of a traditional corporate pursuit, we are getting very, very, very restless about the work we were meant to do and how do we rediscover the person we once were. At the core of all these recent encounters is a yearning to do something different, but they are stuck for which I want to share some insights.

Start describing yourself as how you change lives & businesses

A new acquaintance of mine wants to elevate their side gig to full time pursuit as they think of retiring. They love both careers, but one is pulling them towards more purposeful work. During our casual brainstorming sessions, they describe what they do in terms of functional title: Coach, Advisor, Consultant. The problem with this, is you put yourself in a box with the thousands of others that label themselves as a title or function.

To stand out from the crowd, I recommend you describe yourself in how you change lives and business. Rather than saying I’m an Executive Leadership Coach, start saying “I help talented leaders rediscover their passion for play and make work fun again”. Wow! That’s certainly different and differentiates you from everyone else.  Think of it as a living Eulogy of what people would say about you when you’re not there.  

Start speaking as if you were in the next role you aspire to

I would be rich if I could monetize every person who shared their story with me about “I’m not this”, I’ve never been in that role, I can’t be that because I don’t have this” …Ugh, please stop saying what you’re not, but start speaking as if you are! Then if there are gaps, you address how you’ll fill in those gaps.

A colleague of mine is in career transition, and they are reflecting on what they’ve done and seeking new opportunities in what they have done in the past. They don’t see themselves as the next level higher such as the president or CEO of a company. They kept focusing on what they are not and not listening to who they are already qualified to be. I jolted them by saying, you’re already acting at the next level, but you don’t realize it. They stopped dead in their tracks and said they never thought of themselves in that way.

When we think about the skills we bring to the table, the title is simply a validation that we have everything we need to be successful. Where there are gaps, we are resourceful in bring in subject matter experts to advise us.

Could you shift your mindset and start thinking about yourself in the next role and the qualities (not qualifications) that are needed? Do you have most of the skills already and can picture yourself in the role? I can tell you that magic starts to happen as your mind shifts to a new persona. You have been the only you have been holding yourself back. Could we stop doing that and start being the person in your next role?

Start bringing who you are outside of work into your work

An old colleague of mine reached out to me who is thinking of a career transition. They know I’ve been through the same process and wanted to have a chat with me and pick my brain. They shared in advance some assets that floored me when it came to describing their history. Far different than a resume or website was the richness of color and their life passions which they brought forward in the copy. They were marketing a human being, rich with stories and pursuits vs. a resume of qualifications. They were interesting and fun and a person I would want to have a drink with and want to learn more about.

So why is it we go to work and check the human at the door? Yes, we’ll talk about our weekends with the kids and their soccer matches over coffee, but after these cordialities, its’ back to the grind. There’s a deeper message in bringing the human into the workplace far more than before. It’s about being authentic in your gifts and imperfections. It’s about discovering what makes you unique & interesting to others. It’s about being the human that comes naturally vs. conforming to a formal structure. I’m not saying you should be crazy, silly & reckless in the workplace, but stop being someone who you’re not!

I have recently started talking about Curling, Podcasting, writing a book, blogging, cooking, having 3 kids in Europe and everything that I’m passionate with anyone and everyone who I meet. I’m far more interesting to others than being â€śThe Drop In CEO”, a coach or business advisor. I’m letting myself be myself, which to some it’s called a “Personal Brand”, but we are unique in that way. When we conform to ways of working like everyone else, we lose ourselves. When we position ourselves as the collective of all our passions & pursuits, we become much more interesting, and doors open. We are no longer that resume that goes in the “No” pile but move into the “Interesting” pile.

The shift is to start being the person who you already are into work, so we no longer have energy shifts into who others expect us to be. People might not like who you are or won’t find you interesting. But then you can determine if this is your tribe or should you be someplace else. It’s a risk worth taking to change the trajectory of your career.

Now let’s talk about you. Do you have questions about the trajectory of your career and don’t know who to talk to? Consider The Drop In CEO Collective where I bring together passionate leaders who want to make a difference, but need support. In the Collective we learn new skills, strategically network with others seeking the same goals and you get spot coaching that is complimentary. Now ask yourself, are you work investing 60 minutes a month into your career? Are you stuck and need someone or a group to bounce ideas around. I’m extending this offer to you and if you’re interested, message me so I can share an invite only link to attend. #askDeb

Are you ready for making a reality shift in your career or will you continue to follow the societal imposed trends? Take control now and let me part of your path forward and creating your 2023 career goals.

Until we meet, be well!

-Deb

Read More