How to Develop Executive Presence to Succeed as a Leader

Executive presence is a critical skill for a leader's success. Leaders with a presence show up authentically and are confident under their own skin. That's why many people say, "Executive Presence - We know when we see it."

What is Executive Presence, then??

Executive presence could be subjective and depends on each person and organization to define. To make it easier to understand, I'd like to introduce Executive presence as a combination of factors contributing to someone's confidence, credibility, and influence in a professional setting.

It includes how a person communicates effectively, shows confidence, demonstrates sound judgment and decision-making skills, possesses appropriate body language and demeanor, maintains poise under pressure, embodies integrity, inspires trust, and has personal charisma.

Every leader needs executive presence as it reflects how others perceive them and can influence team performance and engagement. Leaders with strong executive presence have the ability to influence decisions and create positive change in their teams and organizations.

What is Not Executive Presence??

Executive presence is NOT one specific skill. It's also NOT a set of skills that can be acquired overnight. It cannot be achieved through a single action or activity, such as a personal makeover, a LinkedIn profile revamp, or a body language training course. Every personal development program can contribute to gaining a leader's confidence and presence. They also take time to implement and learn to get good at.?

Do you feel overwhelmed by these great qualities you might need to acquire to gain executive presence?

If that's a yes, I have great news. You only need to hone in on a few qualities that help you bring out the best of your qualities and authenticity to start gaining YOUR executive presence.??

5 Factors that Contribute to Executive Presence

Many factors contribute to a leader's strong executive presence. According to the Bates Model of Executive Presence , there are 15 elements that comprise a holistic executive presence competency.

In her book ‘Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success,’ Sylvia Ann Hewlett shared that "how you act (gravitas), how you speak (communication), and how you look (appearance) count for a lot in determining your leadership presence."

In this article, we will focus on the 5 main factors, based on my experience as an executive coach, that can help leaders boost their executive presence.

Confidence:?

Confidence is crucial in helping a leader gain more presence. When leaders are confident in what they do, they feel in control. They feel that they can find a solution. A leader with confidence will not rush to react to situations but will take their time to respond with a decision and with clarity.?

Body Language:?

Nonverbal communication can significantly impact your perception and develop a positive impression. Dr. Albert Mehrabian, a renowned psychologist, shared his in-depth studies, commonly known as the 7-38-55 principle that only 7% of communication occurs through speech. In comparison, 38% and 55% are attributed to vocal delivery and body language. Leaders should pay attention to their posture, hand gestures, facial expressions, and other forms of body language when communicating with others.?

Verbal Communication Skills:?

According to Prof. Mehrabian , verbal communication has a 7% power when communicating. A leader can't leave verbal communication to chance. Clearly conveying and communicating ideas is critical to gain an executive presence. This includes speaking well in public, writing concisely, and engaging in meaningful conversations with people from all levels of the organization.

Professionalism:?

Professionalism is how well a leader shows up, such as dressing appropriately for the occasion, having a polished demeanor, and displaying integrity and respect in all interactions, such as always turning on their camera via a zoom call. Most leaders in organizations start with this factor when they want to improve their executive presence, as it can be an easy fix.

Emotional Intelligence:

Being aware of emotions, both yours and the awareness of others can help you better navigate difficult conversations or tense situations. It also enables you to better connect with people on an emotional level which can be beneficial in building relationships with colleagues or customers. Leaders with a high level of emotional intelligence have the ability to make employees feel safe and engaged through effective verbal and nonverbal communication.?

Tips for developing your Executive Presence.

1. Assess Where You Are - in your current leadership development journey based on the 5 factors above. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest in your confidence of each factor.

2. Identify your challenges - Your challenge will differ from your peers. There's no need to compare your scale. Your executive presence is personal and unique. As a result, your challenge could be that you need to be more confident in speaking up or having difficult conversations, while your peers could have other challenges, such as low team performance resulting from low influence.?

3. Develop Your Strategies - You can develop your own executive presence development strategy based on your assessment scores and the identified challenges. Alternatively, you can work with an executive coach to help facilitate the process.?

Creating your own executive presence-building strategy could result in taking a public speaking class, learning more about your leadership styles and blindspots, improving your body language, practicing active listening, or including meditation in your daily routine to slow down.

Whatever your strategy to develop a strong executive presence looks like, focusing on ONE thing to get better at before you tackle the next will help you maintain your progress and momentum.

Although it seems difficult to develop, executive presence can be developed through greater self-awareness and practice. Like any habit, it takes time to develop a strong executive presence. The benefits of executive presence are worth it for a leader to start building from gaining confidence, achieving career success, and making a more significant impact.?

To your success,

Nannapat?

P.S. If you are a LEADER looking to develop your Executive Presence and need support from an executive coach, email me at [email protected] to discuss possibilities and resources available for you.?