Building Your Executive Presence

Whether you are an experienced professional or a seasoned industry executive, it is often told that good leaders have a distinct presence. We all know when we’re in the presence of a distinguished leader. While some people have a natural knack for portraying a leadership image or presence, you'd be surprised how much executive presence can be learned and further polished. This article will explore various aspects of building your executive presence.?

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Key aspects of building your executive presence?

It is essential to understand that there is no generic ‘good leader’ that exudes executive presence. Every leader worth their salt has worked hard on building their brand image and stood firmly on their identity. So, you must carefully examine what you naturally like and what you identify with instead of trying to imitate someone blindly. Making use of and further improving on what nature has given you will enable you to radiate your personality.?

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1. Articulate and present a (great) vision during conversations.?

As a leader, it is vital to be able to inspire your employees and co-workers when talking with them. You must know how to?present your ideas in an exciting and interesting way . Not only do you need to have the vocabulary to do so, but you also need to have the right energy when delivering your talk. If you aren't excited, your employees definitely won't be!?

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2. Become aware of your key strengths and learn to leverage them?

Every leader has their strengths and weaknesses and one of the key reasons why you should be aware of them is due to the fact that your employees are definitely going to be noticing them. Therefore, you need to?make an assessment that is as objective as possible . By enhancing your strengths and mitigating your weaknesses, you will be the inspiring leader your workforce can count on.?

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3. Master your body language?

Regardless of how articulate you are in your speaking script; people might not perceive your leadership presence till you come across as confident and energetic. It would be in your best interest to work on your body language viz. straight posture, head held high, firm handshake, confident steps, etc. These are subtle indicators that others subconsciously notice in us and hence they play a significant role in how they perceive us.??

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4. Empathetic (active) listening?

A key trait for all good leaders is not to be ‘tone deaf. Else there’s a risk that you could become self-centered and narcissistic. In order to be regarded as an elegant leader, it is mandatory to develop good listening skills. When you need to deal with challenging times in your organization, these listening skills will be very helpful. ?

5. Practice emotional regulation?

Emotional regulation doesn't mean that you become a ‘cold robot’. What emotional regulation means is that you need to keep tabs on your emotion.?This not only includes emotional intelligence ?but also emotional management & impulse control. A leader can’t be effective if every little thing triggers them and makes them dramatically express their emotions. Therefore, you must be able to identify/ examine what drives your feelings and thereby learn to control your impulsive reaction to it. Like with approachableness, people who can control their emotions seem calm and collected to others. This is vital for your executive presence.?

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6. Make sure your appearance is appropriate for the work settings/ business situations?

While you need to work on the inner aspects outlined so far; you need to address your appearance too! To present yourself as an effective leader, you must look at the part. If you have a knack for fashion, feel free to choose your clothes. And if you don't, then feel free to get professional help for outlining a wardrobe and setting you up with a clothing style that will suit your personality.??

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In summary, I want to emphasize that building an executive presence is vital for anyone who wants to climb up the career ladder.?