“It is executive presence — and no man or woman attains a top job, lands an extraordinary deal, or develops a significant following without this heady combination of confidence, poise, and authenticity that convinces the rest of us we’re in the presence of someone who’s the real deal. It’s an amalgam of qualities that telegraphs that you are in charge or deserve to be.”
― Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success
When you walk into a room at work are people naturally drawn to you? When you sit at a meeting table, do others ask to hear your thoughts? When there’s a decision to be made, do people seek our your ideas?
Being a good leader requires more than just knowing how to do your job. Developing Executive Presence is that often intangible ‘it’ factor leaders convey while interacting with others, whether in formal or informal environments, in all modes of communication, and in all settings. Most leaders with good executive presence have received professional executive presence coaching or have gained tips.
Executive Presence is often thought of as the magic factor in leadership. It’s the ability to exude a strong sense of poise, confidence, decisiveness and authority. This person is confident and capable of taking others forward into a desired future. There’s no doubt who’s in charge.
When developing Executive Presence, you automatically strengthen your leadership personal brand, which means that others perceive, think, and feel about you as a leader, which is a critical to success. The best leaders know that Executive Presence can be developed, cultivated and practiced just like any other career skill. If you are working hard and are an expert in your field, polishing these factors might be the missing link to take it to the next level.
A good place to start is to identify where you are at in each of the below areas and then work with a coach to build your ‘Executive Presence’.
- Personality: It is what people see and experience about you quickly if not immediately. It consists of your image, mannerisms, and behaviours. You demonstrate your personality in the way you carry yourself, interpersonal interactions and while communicating.
- Authenticity: No matter how charming and charismatic you are, if your authenticity does not come through, there will be dissonance. At your core are your personal traits and values that define you and are unique only to you. This is the foundation which is observed in consistent behavior.
- Substance: It is the mix of “knowing your stuff”, clarity of purpose, and living your values. If leaders have personality and style but no substance, they may be perceived as ’empty suits’.
Everyone has the ability to develop Executive Presence through coaching over time. When you do, you will enhance your professional reputation and improve your chances to move to the desired next level in your career. It will truly shape the future of your career. Executive Connexions help you with all that! We provide executive presence coaching, training, tips.
What Is Executive Presence?
Executive presence is a merge of a person’s personality, capability, and skills that once combined make the right impressions. Leaders with an executive presence attract people by their leadership, their mannerisms and their communication skills. To be successful, they drive results by influencing others. Leadership experts know to help their executives develop executive presence with courses, training programmes & workshops.
