Crafting Leadership Influence | Storytelling & Personal Branding @ Leading Automotive Group

Program

Overview

In automotive leadership, technical expertise and operational excellence are table stakes—the real differentiator is the ability to influence, inspire, and connect with diverse stakeholders through authentic communication. Future leaders must master not just what they say, but how they say it, and more importantly, how they present themselves as credible, trustworthy leaders worth following. The challenge lies in developing genuine executive presence that goes beyond superficial polish to create lasting impact.

A leading automotive group recognized this imperative and developed the Storytelling & Personal Branding program for their M-Band cohort—senior managers destined for key leadership roles. The organization needed future leaders who could communicate with gravitas, build their professional reputation strategically, and influence outcomes through the power of narrative and authentic self-presentation. This intensive two-day workshop combined proven business storytelling frameworks with practical personal branding strategies, ensuring participants could immediately apply these capabilities in their leadership responsibilities.

2-Day

Workshop

18+

Participants

First-Time

Managers

Fun Learning

Activities

Topics

Covered

The program addressed the complete spectrum of leadership communication and personal brand development through carefully integrated modules that built both competence and confidence.

Communication Foundation: Fundamentals of Business Communication covering purpose-driven messaging and understanding synchronous versus asynchronous communication modes for maximum leadership impact across different contexts and audiences.

Narrative Mastery: The Art of Storytelling exploring the power of stories in leadership, mastering the S-C-R framework, developing compelling narratives, and strategically using emotions and anecdotes to connect with and influence diverse stakeholders.

Executive Communication: Presentation Skills focusing on verbal and non-verbal effectiveness, impactful body language, message clarity, and developing the communication presence that commands attention and respect in leadership settings.

Leadership Presence: Executive Presence development covering the essential elements of gravitas, credibility, and authenticity that distinguish genuine leaders from mere managers in high-pressure automotive industry environments.

Strategic Self-Presentation: Personal Branding including building “Brand You,” aligning personal values with professional goals, and leveraging social media platforms strategically to enhance leadership reputation and influence.

Relationship Building: Professional Networking strategies for expanding and sustaining meaningful professional networks, plus crafting compelling elevator pitches that open doors and create opportunities for career advancement.

Program

Impact

Throughout this intensive two-day experience, senior managers transformed their approach to leadership communication from functional messaging to strategic influence, developing capabilities that would distinguish them as they advanced into senior leadership roles.

Strategic Communication Mastery Participants gained a structured, repeatable approach to business storytelling that made their communication significantly more engaging and persuasive, enabling them to influence outcomes more effectively across all stakeholder interactions.
Authentic Executive Presence Leaders developed greater awareness of their personal brand and acquired clear, actionable steps to enhance their executive presence, moving from unconscious self-presentation to strategic leadership positioning that builds credibility and trust.
Confident Leadership Communication Real-time practice with storytelling techniques and elevator pitches substantially boosted participants’ confidence and authenticity in leadership conversations, enabling them to communicate with greater impact in high-stakes situations.
Cohort-Wide Influence Standards The program created a shared language and approach to leadership influence across the entire M-Band cohort, ensuring consistent communication excellence and establishing higher standards for leadership communication throughout the automotive group.