Executive Presence
“Executive presence is credibility that goes beyond a title.” -Tom Henschel
What is Executive Presence? What does it mean to you? Do you have it, and if you don’t, how do you learn it?
Executive presence is not about landing an extraordinary deal, or a measure of performance. It is a measure of image and influences the decisions that give leaders access to opportunity.
There’s a saying in leadership, “All the important decisions about you will be made when you’re not in the room.”
Whether it’s a decision about an important opportunity, a promotion, or an assignment to a high-visibility project, you won’t be in the room. Opportunities you gain depend on the confidence you’ve inspired in the decision-makers. The greater and more significant the opportunity, the more important your executive presence is.
As a leader, others examine us under a microscope at all times. Executive Presence is one of the most significant building blocks for new possibilities for an executive. Practicing executive presence allows us to shape the professional environment around us and create effective and respectful relationships.
What is Executive Presence?
Forbes defines it as your ability to inspire confidence in others that you’re a leader they want to follow, who is capable, reliable, and has potential for great achievements.
Harvard Business Review defines it as the quality of a leader that makes those around them feel that they are in control, confident and willing to lead others.
A definition is just the start, but what are the aspects that define and establish Executive Presence?
Exploring again Forbes and Harvard Business Review, there are a few aspects that can help frame Executive Presence on a deeper level.
Forbes describes 7 ways to develop executive presence:
Have a vision and articulate it well. Those with Executive Presence know how to create and communicate a compelling vision. this requires flexing based on your seniority, as well as being able to communicate it in any circumstance whether it’s a three-minute elevator ride, with a senior executive, an offsite with your team, or dinner with important stakeholders.
Understand how others experience and perceive you. Gain an understanding of how you are perceived by gathering input from mentors, peers, supervisors, and subordinates. This becomes increasingly important as you ascend to more senior levels and gain a larger span of control.
Build communication skills. Invest time in building communication skills and work to become an excellent communicator across every medium.
Become an excellent listener. Engaging others with your full attention, asking great questions, and exploring ideas with curiosity exhibit self-confidence.
Cultivate your network & build political savvy. Recognize that organizational politics are neither good nor bad, but instead something to understand and learn to navigate with influence and a network of relationships.
Learn to operate effectively under stress. Learn to maintain a calm, even-keeled, composed, well-prepared composure at all times. This demonstrates the confidence that as a leader you can take on more.
Make sure your appearance isn’t a distraction. Pay attention to your appearance and what impression it may send especially at the level you aspire to reach.
Harvard Business Review introduces 4 key aspects of developing executive presence:
Project Positive Body-Language. Notice the body language of those at the level you aspire to reach. Instead keep your chin up, lean forward and pay attention, and avoid slouching or crossing your arms. These small queues matter to others.
Delegate and hold accountability properly. Clearly articulate expectations and goals, build trust and ask questions to help the team find solutions versus providing all the answers.
Ensure Emotional Connectedness. Learn to recognize and control feelings, while remaining authentic and honest.
Ask for Advice or Coaching to Get Better. Seek advice to help uncover blind spots and develop steps and action plans that will help increase executive presence.
As you’ve likely seen in the above, there are several common themes to executive presence, and can be simplified into three universal dimensions of Executive Presence:
Appearance (how you carry yourself)
Communication (how you speak)
Gravitas (how you act)
Closing Challenge: Self-awareness is the first step of executive presence. This week look around and observe executive presence. What do you notice? Take notes and start to train yourself to first observe, then understand, then apply.
Executive Presence is highly intuitive and difficult to pin down. It ultimately boils down to your ability to project self-confidence, a sense that you can take control of unpredictable situations, make tough decisions and hold your own with other talented and strong-willed members of the executive team.
If this is what is required, what style and what behaviors combine to signal that level of self-confidence to others?
Remember that small steps equal great progress.
“Self-awareness is at the heart of executive presence”
Leadership Styles discussion and takeaways from a past live Learning to Lead event
The 6 most common leadership styles covered in Daniel Goleman’s book, Leadership That Gets Results
What is your leadership style quiz - a short quiz to assess what leadership style is
Leaders who coach are creating better workplaces, and so can you - A Ted Talk that unpacks how coaching leaders are creating better workplaces
“What Every Body is Saying” - Joe Navarro, a former FBI counterintelligence officer and a recognized expert on nonverbal behavior, explains how to "speed-read" people: decode sentiments and behaviors, avoid hidden pitfalls, and look for deceptive behaviors. You'll also learn how your body language can influence what your boss, family, friends, and strangers think of you.
“You are the artist of your life” Journal
Journaling is a powerful leadership tool to unlock ideas, release stress and anxiety, and reflect on your past while looking to the future. This journal is a tool to remind you that you are the artist of your life.
➡️ Available now!
HBR’s “On Managing Yourself”
This month's must-read for leaders is a compilation of vital Harvard Business Review articles focused on self-management. The book emphasizes the importance of self-reflection, urging professionals to recognize their core strengths and values as the bedrock of success. Designed to maintain engagement and productivity throughout one's career, it's an invaluable guide for leaders seeking sustained personal and professional growth
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