Skills Development Resources

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲? Of all the topics people ask me about, executive presence is near the top of the list. The challenge with executive presence is that it’s hard to define. It’s not a checklist you can tick off. It’s more like taste or intuition. Some people develop it early. Others build it over time. More often, it’s a lack of context, coaching, or exposure to what “good” looks like. Here’s what I’ve learned over the years, both from getting it wrong and from watching others get it right. 1. 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 People early in their careers often feel the need to prove they know the details. But executive presence isn’t about detail. It’s about clarity. If your message would sound the same to a peer, your manager, and your CEO, you’re not tailoring it enough. Meet your audience where they are. 2. 𝐔𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Executives care about outcomes, strategy, and alignment. One of my teammates once struggled with this. Brilliant at the work, but too deep in the weeds to communicate its impact. With coaching, she learned to reframe her updates, and her influence grew exponentially. 3. 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 Every meeting has an undercurrent: past dynamics, relationships, history. Navigating this well often requires a trusted guide who can explain what’s going on behind the scenes. 4. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 Just because something is your entire world doesn’t mean others know about it. I’ve had conversations where I assumed someone knew what I was talking about, but they didn't. Context is a gift. Give it freely. 5. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 Early in my career, I brought problems to my manager. Now, I appreciate the people who bring potential paths forward. It’s not about having the perfect solution. It’s about showing you’re engaged in solving the problem. 6. 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 Every leader is solving a different set of problems. Step into their shoes. Show how your work connects to what’s top of mind for them. This is how you build alignment and earn trust. 7. 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Years ago, a founder cold emailed me. We didn’t know each other, but we were both Duke alums. That one point of connection turned a cold outreach into a real conversation. 8. 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 Before you walk into a meeting, ask yourself what outcome you’re trying to drive. Wandering conversations erode credibility. Precision matters. So does preparation. 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 Executive presence isn’t about dominating a room or having all the answers. It’s about clarity, connection, and conviction. And like any muscle, it gets stronger with intentional practice.

I've tried 100s of time management techniques.  This is by far my favourite: I used to work 80 hrs/week and call it "productive." When really I was: - Attending pointless meetings - Fighting countless small fires - Being involved in every decision Now I work less than 70% the time and get 4x as much done. The Eisenhower Matrix helped me get there.  It teaches you to categorise tasks by importance and urgency. Here's how it works: 1. Do It Now (Urgent + Important) Examples: - Finalise pitch deck before investor meeting tomorrow. - Fix website crash during peak customer traffic. - Respond to press interview request before deadline. Best Practices: - Attack these tasks first each morning with full focus. - Set a strict deadline so urgency fuels execution. 2. Schedule It (Important + Not Urgent) Examples: - Plan quarterly strategy session with leadership team. - Map long-term hiring plan for next 18 months. - Build a personal brand content system for LinkedIn. Best Practices: - Protect time blocks in advance. Never leave them floating. - Tie them to measurable outcomes, not vague intentions. 3. Delegate It (Urgent + Not Important) Examples: - Handle inbound customer service queries this week. - Organise travel logistics for upcoming conference. - Update CRM with latest sales call notes. Best Practices: - Build playbooks so your team executes without confusion. - Delegate with deadlines to avoid wasting time. 4. Eliminate It (Not Urgent + Not Important) Examples: - Tweak logo colour palette again for fun. - Attend generic networking events with no ICP fit. - Review endless “best productivity tools” articles. Best Practices: - Audit weekly. Cut anything that doesn’t compound long-term. - Replace low-value busywork with rest, thinking, or selling. If you are always reacting to what feels urgent,   You'll never focus on what matters. Attend to the tasks in quadrant 1 efficiently,  Then spend 60-70% of your time in quadrant 2.    That's work that actually builds your business. Which quadrant are you spending too much time in right now?  Drop your thoughts in the comments. My newsletter, Step By Step, breaks down more frameworks like this. It's designed to help you build smarter without burning out. 200k+ builders use it to develop better systems. Join them here:  https://lnkd.in/eUTCQTWb ♻️ Repost this to help other founders manage their time.  And follow Chris Donnelly for more on building and running businesses. 

26% of your promotion depends on executive presence. But no one explains what those words really mean. "She lacks executive presence" might be the most frustrating feedback ever. Because it's rarely followed by what to actually do about it. I've coached hundreds of leaders through this exact challenge. Here are 7 ways to build executive presence: 1. Practise Strategic Silence ↳ Leaders who listen first command more respect ↳ Ask: "What are your thoughts?" - then pause 2. Simplify Complex Ideas ↳ Complex language often masks insecurity ↳ Replace jargon with everyday language 3. Calibrate Your Reactions ↳ Overreacting undermines your credibility ↳ Ask yourself: "Will this matter in 6 months?" 4. Bring Solutions, Not Just Problems ↳ Leaders are remembered for solving problems ↳ Never raise an issue without at least one solution 5. Own Your Authority ↳ Undermining phrases erase years of hard work ↳ Remove words that weaken your message: "just," "kind of," "I think maybe" 6. Own the Room ↳ Your physical presence speaks before you do ↳ Sit tall and take up your full space at the table 7. Expand Your Influence Beyond Your Role ↳ Broader influence gets you bigger opportunities ↳ Volunteer for cross-functional projects Executive presence isn't about changing who you are. It’s about showing up as your real, confident self. ♻️ Repost to help your network ➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

Tired of endless meetings and pointless emails? High-performing teams have cracked the code. Ever noticed how some teams just "click" while others struggle with endless back-and-forth? The secret lies in how they communicate. After all, we spend 88% of our time at work communicating. After working with diverse teams for 20 years, I've identified 10 core principles that can transform your team's communication: 1. Quality over Quantity: Less talk, more impact. 2. Clarity Above All: Ensure your message is crystal clear. 3. Consistency Builds Alignment: Repeat key messages across all channels. 4. Active Listening: A Two-Way Street 5 Cultivate Small Talk: Strong relationships fuel effective communication. 6. Storytelling: Engage and Inspire 7. Transparency Fosters Trust 8. Embrace Feedback as Growth 9. Mindful Body Language: Your body language speaks volumes. 10. Establish a Push/Pull/Exchange System: Empower your team to share and receive information effectively. These principles go beyond just sending emails. They're about creating a culture of open, honest, and impactful communication. What are your top communication tips? Share in the comments below! And follow me Oliver Aust for daily insights on leadership communications.

📢 UNEP FI just updated their fully open-source Sector Impact Matrix, identifying sector-specific risks and opportunities linked to sustainability issues across 1,000+ sectors! The Matrix was developed with the Impact Management Platform (IMP) and peer reviewed by leading standard setters, banks, investors, and asset managers.  This is helpful because most materiality assessments treat sectors as one size fits all. A tool like this one that maps impact drivers and affected parties for a variety of sectors saves valuable time.  𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘅 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀:   • Positive and negative impacts on people, society and the natural environment mapped for 1,000+ sectors    • All sector-impact associations fully explained and referenced   • New data points included for each sector-impact association: affected parties, impact drivers, value chain position, associated risks and opportunities   • Powerful new interactive search functionalities  The Matrix aligns with numerous sustainability frameworks including TNFD, TISFD, ESRS, GRI, and ENCORE. See the full list below.  𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘅:   • Financial institutions and investors can strengthen materiality assessments, disclosures, and client or investee screening and due diligence processes    • Corporates can improve product and service development    • Data providers can supplement sector analysis, benchmarking and ratings    • Sustainability professionals can use this for internal research and to support efforts towards interoperability  Sustainability issues are complex and interconnected, the Matrix is an essential resource in navigating these.  Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/eDRkAHys United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Impact Management Platform #sustainablefinance #decisionmaking #materialityassessment #impactmanagement  

“Sales is not relevant to me, I am in [Function other than sales].” Raise your hand if you've ever thought this way. I would be the first one to raise my hand - dismissing sales as irrelevant to my role in tech. Early in my career, the very word 'sales' conjured images of a sleazy car salesman trying to sell me unnecessary options for my new vehicle. As my career progressed, however, my perspective started to shift. I realized that sales is far more than just transactions and numbers. It's about building relationships, understanding deep-seated needs, adding value and offering meaningful solutions. Sales acumen, I discovered, is like financial literacy – a universal, indispensable skill that transcends job titles, experience levels and functions. To demystify sales and showcase its broad relevance, I reached out to my friend Aaron Norris, a former Principal Account Exec at Amazon Web Services. He is now dedicated to advancing the careers of Account Execs, focusing on long-term happiness, health, and wealth. Here are 5 invaluable tips he shared with me on how sales skills can benefit any role: 1. Discovery: Identifying and understanding your customer's top priority challenges and designing unique value-adding solutions is critical in sales. This is not a one-time effort rather an ongoing process of research, obtaining insights, collaborating and establishing feedback loops to deliver the right solutions and delight customers. 2. Stakeholder Engagement: Adapting the narrative, style, channel and frequency of messaging enables sellers to effectively engage with and obtain buy-in from internal and external executives, technical, and business stakeholders at various levels. 3. Influence: Effective influence in sales hinges on clear, honest communication and a deep understanding of customer needs and team dynamics. It's about building trust by consistently delivering on promises and showing commitment to customers’ and colleagues' success. This approach not only drives decision-making but also strengthens team collaboration, accounting for their unique skills, needs and interests. 4. Resilience: Navigating a high-pressure and target-driven environment, sales professionals often face rejection and must rebound after losses. To remain composed and resilient during challenging times, they prioritize customer focus, engage the executive team early, and make decisions with a long-term perspective. 5. Relationship Building: Building authentic relationships in sales requires prioritizing your customers' success over closing a deal. It involves becoming their most trusted advisor by investing time in building the partnership, understanding their goals and strategy, providing value at every opportunity, and celebrating their wins. Looking for additional insights on the topic? Follow Aaron. He posts daily on the topics of enterprise sales, personal development and leadership. PS: Just for a bit of fun, share a ‘sales horror story’ below!

If you close $50k+ deals, I have news: Sales is not a numbers game. Sales is a skills game. 7 skills that grow your income without burning out on the volume game: 1. Finding 'the need behind the need.' Great salespeople dig under the surface. When buyers share their problems, they listen. But then they follow up with: "What's going on in your business that's driving that to be a priority?" THAT gets to the true priority. 2. Quantifying customer pain. No measurement, no money. Quantifying pain does three things: a) justifies the spend b) creates urgency c) helps your customer appreciate the magnitude of the problem. Try asking: "What metric is suffering as a result of these challenges?" 3. Creating champions. A great champion runs through brick walls to get the deal done. They sell your product internally when you're not in the room. Indeed: Salespeople don't close deals. Champions do. A league of champions is like a magnetic force for closing deals. 4. Business acumen. The best sellers in the world are actually businesspeople that happen to know how to sell. Don't just improve your SALES acumen. Improve your BUSINESS acumen. Senior execs will respect you 10x more than reps who only know the latest sales techniques. 5. Executive conversations You can close five-figure deals without this skill. But if you want to close six, seven, and eight figure deals? You better have gravitas when it comes to 'facing off' with senior execs. They're direct. They use plain language. They're efficient. 6. Negotiation. Negotiation is a 'threshold' skill. That means it makes almost all of your other skills more valuable. Becoming a great negotiator will pay dividends the rest of your life. Dig in and master it. 7. Writing. Clear writing indicates clear thinking. Sloppy writing indicates sloppy thinking. Your job as a seller is to persuade and communicate. Become a master of every medium that involves: - sales calls - written word - group presentations What skills would you add?

Time stops being your own the moment you become CEO. I remember taking over London radio station Kiss FM years ago. (The youthful demeanour in that photo didn’t last long 👶🏻 😂) In my first week as a CEO, my calendar filled up faster than a Glastonbury headline slot. Everyone wanted a catch-up or “just a quick word”. I spent so much time reacting to other people’s priorities that my real job - leading the company - got buried beneath the noise and it took me weeks to regain control of my own agenda. Here are four strategies that I still use today when I feel the outside world leaning in too far: 1. Turn your calendar into a fortress Block out “deep work” time every week for strategic thinking and high-impact work. Treat these blocks like your most important meetings. 2. Shrink your default meeting times Most meetings expand to fit the time they’re given. Set the calendar default to 30 minutes instead of an hour. You’ll be amazed at how much more productive they become. 3. Make stakeholders work for access Create clear communication rules with board members and investors. Regular updates are fine, but limit how often you’re available for drop-ins or last-minute calls. 4. Say no - without apology As CEO, your most powerful tool is focus. Politely but firmly decline anything that doesn’t align with your top priorities. Saying no isn’t selfish; it’s leadership. Master these, and you’ll feel a little less like the company’s busiest person - and a lot more like its most effective one.

Digital transformation isn’t about tools or platforms, it’s about people. Technology only delivers value when the workforce has the skills, confidence, and support to use it effectively. Organisations that are seeing real impact are taking a deliberate, people-centred approach: • Assess opportunities by benchmarking skills against business priorities • Select scalable solutions that blend trusted platforms with in-house expertise • Engage leadership by positioning learning as a driver of transformation • Phase the rollout, starting small and scaling through structured hub • Celebrate progress to build momentum and confidence • Embed for impact by integrating learning into onboarding and career paths When learning is continuous and connected to outcomes, transformation lasts. Discover how Kimberly Clarke successfully established a culture of continuous upskilling, ensuring everyone is aligned to the learning and business strategy. https://lnkd.in/egwcj2ZF How are you putting people at the center of your digital transformation? Pluralsight #digitalTransformation

Over the last week I've been writing feedback to applicants who didn't get onto our graduate sustainability consultancy scheme. A recurring theme is that many brilliant candidates feel they need a master's degree to break into the field. I wanted to share some advice I've been giving these candidates, as I completely understand that postgraduate study isn't accessible to everyone, and I don't want only those who can afford further study to be eligible. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲 ➡️ 90% of applications are industry-agnostic ➡️ Differentiate yourself through deep knowledge of built environment sustainability challenges & opportunities ➡️ Follow key LinkedIn voices, read industry reports, ask questions directly 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 ✅ UN sustainability courses (UN SDG:Learn) ✅ Ellen MacArthur Foundation circular economy modules ✅ Generation UK Sustainability Project Officer programme ✅ Student membership of ISEP / RSA for resources and networking 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗴𝗮𝗽 ✳️ There's a shortage of sustainability professionals confident in facilitation and behaviour change ✳️ Free courses exist - this could be your differentiator 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 (for built environment sustainability professionals) 📖 Doughnut Economics (Kate Raworth) 📖 Any of Rob Hopkins’s books 📖 The Good Ancestor (Roman Krznaric) 📖 Citizens (Jon Alexander & Ariane Conrad) 📖 Braiding Sweetgrass (Robin Wall Kimmerer) 📖 Material World (Ed Conway) 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 🗓️ FutureBuild 🗓️ Footprint+ 🗓️ local Eventbrite sustainability events. Many industry events have free or heavily discounted tickets for students. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) offers brilliant full- and part-time courses, as well as distance learning options. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺?