How Strong is Your Executive Presence? Take the Quiz to Measure Your Effectiveness

Given the challenges pressuring companies to fast-track their transformation, work must be accomplished differently. The rise of interdependent work means the lone expert is a thing of the past. Upskilling and reskilling are essential for you to stay valuable. Your personal brand reputation must be recognized, trusted, and seen as essential both internally and by customers. Agility, warmth, and influence are crucial, making executive presence indispensable. Take this quiz to see where to invest in your development.

1. How would others describe your executive presence?

A. Lacking strategic impact and consistency (1 point)

B. Moderately effective with room for significant improvement (2 points)

C. Exceptionally strong and consistently impactful, setting a high standard (3 points)

Advice:? Seek feedback from colleagues and mentors to pinpoint where you need to invest time to improve.

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2. How do you differentiate yourself to showcase your unique abilities?

A. Believe that my work should speak for itself (1 point)

B. Occasionally highlight my abilities but lack a cohesive, strategic approach (2 points)

C. Able to showcase my distinctive skills and achievements, standing out among peers (3 points)

Advice:? Design a personal branding strategy that consistently demonstrates your expertise and accomplishments.

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3. How effectively are you building sponsorship within your company to support your career?

A. Minimal sponsorship support within my organization (1 point)

B. Developing sponsorship relationships but know I need more champions (2 points)

C. Attract strong sponsorship with influential advocates actively supporting my career (3 points)

Advice:? Schedule check-ins with potential sponsors to keep them informed of your progress and successes.

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4. How would you rate your level of influence and persuasion with your business partners?

A. Limited ability to influence and persuade key stakeholders (1 point)

B. Moderate influence with occasional successes in persuasion (2 points)

C. High level of influence and consistently persuasive, driving significant impact (3 points)??????????

Advice: Invest time in understanding their interests, motivations, and pain points. Personalize your communication.? ?

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5. How comfortable are you in presenting to C-Suite audiences?

A. Frequently feel anxious and lack confidence in these high-stakes settings (1 point)

B. Somewhat comfortable but still experience noticeable apprehension (2 points)

C. Highly comfortable and confident, able to engage effectively and effortlessly (3 points)

Advice: Practice presenting to senior leadership in small settings. Seek timely feedback to improve your delivery.

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6. How do others perceive your personal brand across professional platforms (e.g., LinkedIn, company website, industry events)?

A. Understated and inconsistent across different platforms (1 point)

B. Viewed as somewhat recognizable but lacking strategic alignment (2 points)

C. Recognized for my expertise and thought leadership reflecting my experience (3 points)

Advice: Conduct an audit of your brand across the board. Does it consistently communicate your expertise?

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7. How effectively do you manage your own emotions and understand the emotions of others?

A. Can personalize, become emotional or impatient when my ideas are challenged (1 point)

B. Manage my emotions but need to improve on understanding others' emotions (2 points)

C. In control and understand others' emotions, navigating complex dynamics (3 points)

Advise: Expand your EI by practicing empathy, active listening and monitoring your interpersonal interactions. ?

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8. How would you rate your decision-making abilities under pressure?

A. Frequently struggle to make effective decisions and must have the time to analyze (1 point)

B. Can make effective decisions but then more likely to second guess my decisions (2 points)

C. Consistently make timely decisions under pressure, showing exceptional judgment (3 points)

Advise: Review past successful decisions, look for patterns, use decision making frameworks and challenge yourself.

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9. How well do you communicate a clear vision and demonstrate strategic thinking?

A. Very tactical but struggle to articulate a clear vision and strategic thinking (1 point)

B. Communicate vision and strategic thinking but lack consistency (2 points)

C. Clearly articulate vision and attract followers with my strategic thinking (3 points)

Advice: Articulate a compelling vision by aligning it with broader organizational goals. Share frequently to all levels.

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10. How resilient and adaptable are you in the face of setbacks and changing circumstances?

A. Often struggle to bounce back from setbacks and adaptability to changes (1 point)

B. Able to show resilience and adaptability but could improve my confidence (2 points)

C. Naturally resilience and adaptable in all situations, thriving amidst challenges (3 points)

Advice:? Adopt a growth mindset. Embrace lessons learned from setbacks.? Select a mentor who can support you.

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Scoring

10-16 points: High Need for Improvement

·???????? Analysis: Significant gaps in your executive presence. Focus on developing emotional intelligence, decision-making, vision communication, resilience, and interpersonal skills.

·???????? Next Steps: Seek out a coach.? Engage in professional development programs, and actively ask for feedback to identify and address specific areas for growth.

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17-23 points: Moderate Need for Improvement

·???????? Analysis: Some aspects of executive presence are in place, but further development is needed.

·???????? Next Steps: Work on strategic differentiation, sponsorship-building, and confident engagement with key stakeholders. Seek mentoring with successful senior leaders to gain insights and advice.

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24-30 points: Continue investing in your development to stand out and be noticed.

·???????? Analysis: You have a solid executive presence.

·???????? Next Steps: Refine your strategies for even greater influence and impact. Seek stretch assignments to further hone your leadership skills.

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Executive presence is not about imitation but about showcasing your authentic strengths, qualities, and character. Let your personal brand become a statement of your expertise and a testament to your uniqueness. Recognize the opportunities to strengthen the areas where you scored lower and continue to build on your strengths. Consider working with an executive coach to develop a personalized improvement plan. I’m interested to know – What insights did you get from this quiz?