What Separates the Best from the Next Best?

As part of an engagement with a financial services association here in Washington, I recently gave a presentation titled Effective Techniques for Speeches and Presentations to about 25 people in a leadership program the association runs for mid-level managers identified as rising stars at their companies. It was a group of very smart people, mostly in their early-to-mid 30’s.

I arrived early and sat through a session in which a management consultant did Q&A with a CEO in the industry. It was a sophisticated discussion, with good participation from the group on a number of issues including ways to maintain company culture in times of great growth and managing millenials. I want to emphasize these were thoughtful, capable people.

As the program leader closed the session for the day, she pointed out that her reason for adding a section on speeches and presentation to the agenda was driven by the responses to over a hundred questionnaires sent to the Presidents and CEOs of companies in the industry. When asked what makes the difference between the most outstanding candidates for promotion to management positions in their companies and the next level of candidates, the overwhelming response was: the ability to communicate and deliver outstanding presentations.