Tuesday’s Titles by Julie Ryan 

July 2024 

Opening Your Presence: Presenting the YOU You Want Others to See – by Greta Muller 

We all have at one time, or another experienced some nerves in presenting to large or even small audiences. There are dozens of books on personal presence and presentation skills, and many are excellent offering superb advice on voice projection, body language skills and so on. This book has received critical acclaim because its author, Greta Muller addresses personal presence and impact from the inside-out. Over two decades of coaching and mentoring senior leaders, she believes the following to be true. 

• Authenticity:  Superficial changes to personas go so far, Muller encourages readers to embrace what is true and unique to us and prioritising this over changes that are only visible to others, gives us a much greater chance at presenting in a way that is real and authentic to ourselves 

• Self-awareness: Muller advises that creating personal presence can only be sustained if we take time to better understand ourselves. Once we understand our personal preferences for communication and how we wish to interact with others, the book offers great advice on how to navigate social dynamics with more confidence and honesty 

• Personal brand: There is much talk nowadays about ‘personal brand’ and the author gives a practical interpretation of the holistic nature of what this really means. By cultivating our inner confidence and resilience, we can enhance our outward presence which in turn, enhances how we project our best selves and our personal brand that we wish others to see.  

This is a practical book and a great resource for anyone wishing to explore opening their presence up for others to experience. 

Good Power: Leading Positive Change in our Lives, Work and World – by Ginni Rometty 

Good Power is a book written by a leader who made history as the first ever female CEO of IBM. Ginni Rometty’s book is a blend of memoir, leadership lessons, and very practical ideas.  

Under her leadership IBM reinvented 50% of its portfolio. When AI and cloud computing were topics reserved only for technologists, the company established leadership in quantum computing.  

Rometty shares her journey to the top and how her personal resilience was borne from a challenging childhood as the eldest sibling in a financially strapped single parent family. She argues that how we lead is as important as what we achieve. She introduces the concept of good power as something that is available to everyone regardless of rank or title. It refers to the ability to influence positive change for us and others and she maintains good power transcends self-interest and focuses on the collective well-being and sustainable progress. 

Rometty offers principles for change that underpin authentic leadership and include: 

• Prioritise service: She shares that prioritising service to others over self-service is central to change. She leans into the concept of servant-based leadership which flips the hierarchy of power 

• Followership: To drive positive change, the leader must create a compelling reason in others to act. This can be achieved by inspiring confidence and belief in your vision 

• Sustainability: Rometty offers good advice on how to balance innovation with timeless values. She also shares views on ethical decision-making and using technology responsibly for positive impact 

Rometty is well known for her Skills First Movement, a talent strategy that prioritised people’s skills over role hire. During her leadership, IBM stripped a third level degree from 50% of its job openings emphasising skills-first recruitment and development. She argues that career paths are built on people’s adaptability and willingness to learn.  

This book celebrates resilience and is full of humility, passion, and conviction from a world-class leader.