Future female leaders: the power of presentation

LISTEN First impressions count. You have anywhere between just a tenth of a second and seven seconds for someone to formulate an opinion of you. For them to decide whether you are trustworthy, whether you know what you are doing, whether you are a good leader and whether they should do business with you. In real life, you can do this through the clothes that you wear, the way you walk into a room, the presence you have, how you sit, stand, use your hands, the tone of your voice. There are  hundreds of little ways that you can show your audience – whether that is one or 1,000 people – who you are and what you are all about. In a world where we have been meeting and presenting via Teams and Zoom chats, that first impression has been harder to make. But it is not impossible. That is one of the challenges that this year’s cohort of Future Female Leaders has had to face. But for Cluttons’ Lucy Whitfield (right), DLA Piper’s Katie Jacobson (left) and Grosvenor’s Nicola Wood (centre), it’s a challenge they now have the tools to overcome. “One of the key things to come out of the training is learning more skills and being able to apply them to our day-to-day lives, and that’s all about communication and how to structure your message,” says Wood. “While you’re online, you’re still being seen. While it’s tempting to have your camera off and shy away in your day pyjamas, it’s actually really important to bring your game face and make sure that people are listening and engaged with what you’re saying.” Cluttons’ Whitfield, who has recently come back to work after a period of furlough, says she’s become much more aware of how she presents herself as a result of her future leader training, particularly regarding eye contact, which can be hard to maintain on video calls. If you are trying to lead and trying to be listened to, say the Future Female Leaders, being present and making sure you are engaged as well as engaging is a vital virtual skill. “I think leading in times of uncertainty and periods of change is really exciting, and I think it’s definitely allowing us to really drill down into listening to our teams and being mindful of the challenges that everybody’s facing,” says DLA Piper’s Jacobson. “There’s definitely a new-found appreciation for work colleagues and even processes at work. And I think everybody is learning a lot more about their teams on a personal basis and the way in which they like to work.” There are so many people who don’t have a say or enough of a voice in the development and planning process at the moment. I really want to be able to open up that conversation and allow more young people to be involved in that process – Nicola Wood, Grosvenor Jacobson says that the need to make your presence felt in order to engage effectively from a distance is enabling people to be much more authentic in their relationships with both colleagues and clients. All the Future Female Leaders are hopeful that this new-found openness and the ability to communicate more effectively – and authentically – with people will be a lasting legacy of the lockdown experience. Whitfield is hopeful it will make surveying a more attractive profession to the next generation, Jacobson wants to share her learnings with her team to create a new vision for the future, and Wood wants to use the industry’s leap forward in innovation to create a more inclusive built environment. “This has been a brilliant opportunity to build the skills of people that are already in the industry and amplify their voice and messages,” says Wood. “But there are so many people who don’t have a say or enough of a voice in the development and planning process at the moment. I really want to be able to open up that conversation and allow more young people to be involved in that process, and ultimately, the future of the places that we are going to be building for them.” To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@egi.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @estatesgazette