Executive Presence

What is Executive Presence ?

Executive Presence is defined as the "skill, behavior, and personality trait that together motivate and inspire others." Executive Presence help us to stand out in a crowd and from a crowd.

David Mcknight in his book called "The Zen of Executive Presence" describes Executive Presence as a combination of the following four factors -

1. Appearance - The way we dress, groom, act, and even organize our workspace. It should signal confidence and credibility.
2. Behaviors - Our actions and protocols.
3. Communication style - Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in all forms, be it verbal, written, or nonverbal.
4. Virtual Presence - Developing our virtual presence that help us stand out in a 2D video world.

Influential Leaders display Gravitas. How can we display Gravitas ?

Gravitas is the ability to influence others with confidence. Our capacity to attract, charm & inspire others. We can build genuine Gravitas by improving our psychological power. Our ability to self regulate, self efficacy, our positive mood & creativity - all contribute to our Gravitas. The consistent self composure is the key.

There are 4 factors -

1. Passion - Personal Inspiration - inner Clarity & Conviction
2. Poise - Effective Emotional Patterns
3. Perspective - Positive Thinking Patterns
4. Projection - Effective Action Patterns

The above 4 factors must align to make our Gravitas stronger.

How we Look, Talk, Think & Act - all matters.

Our own internal Confidence, sense of Self Worth, our solid Core Values, deepest Core Convictions, ability to Solve Problems, making good Decisions etc. has an impact on our Executive Presence.

Our posture, gestures, body movement, eye contact, facial expressions, overall appearance, Our eloquence, pitch, tone, volume & pace (while speaking), ability to keep our message simple makes our presence stronger. The Precise words we use matter a lot Mark Twain once said that "If I have more time, I write a shorter letter." Our Executive Presence also depends on how directly we communicate. Speaking with Composure, Clarity, Conciseness, Credibility & Candor improves our executive presence.

Our actions shape other people's perception about us. Our energized, motivated, proud, confident, empowered & accomplished self can project a confident image of ourselves. Our ability to remain Calm & Composed in challenging times is important. Our Honesty, Transparency & Truthfulness matters. Our ability to maintain a high level of Self Awareness, ability to exercise civility (being polite & respectful), and maintain diplomacy when dealing with others matter.

Executive Presence is a daily practice. Our executive presence determine our career success.