Let's Talk: Executive Presence

As an Executive Coach, I am honored to work with CIOs and CTOs across various industries and market sizes.?? You don't reach the C-Level technology office without being pretty darn smart. Being smart is never enough to assure effectiveness. Depending on the leader's goals and situations, I use a few tools to help us quickly get to the root of the opportunity to improve effectiveness. One of my favorite tools is the BTS Executive Presence Index.

Instead of jumping into explaining what it is, let me tell you a story of why and how it helps.

?No one would disagree that Charles Hill was the smartest guy in the room, especially Charles himself. As the Chief Technology ?Officer of Clinical Software Applied Pharmaceuticals (CSAP), Charles is a brilliant and innovative technologist with multiple patents and has developed essential software for the company. His love for science and technology goes beyond his work; it shapes his identity and values.

But Charles' intelligence also created problems. His confrontational style and propensity to micromanage created bottlenecks and conflicts in the workplace. His interaction problems don't stop within his team; they also affect his relationships with peers and CSAP's leadership team. He's known for not being very supportive, which makes his team members and colleagues reluctant to trust him.

Despite his sharp mind, Charles isn't invincible to biases and irrational decisions, something he would ideally love to avoid. This paradox is part of the exploration in this article, where we apply insights from the Bates ExPI assessment to improve Charles' leadership skills. Specifically, we will focus on how to manage his behavioral triggers and build trust among co-workers.

It has been noted that being a leader is more than just managing daily tasks. Leaders guide us to new places and create vision. A term often associated with this aspect of leadership is 'Executive Presence' (EP).

EP is not only about "owning the room" and certainly is not about charisma or looking the part. It involves the qualities that a leader possesses to inspire and make people act.

These qualities are grouped into three broad dimensions: character, substance, and style.

CHARACTER affects people's connection with the leader and includes a leader's authenticity, integrity, concern for others, restraint, and humility.

Character?is?an overused and often misunderstood word, but in the context of leadership, character is one's inner core, made up of facets shaped by temperament and early life development. Character is the most foundational level of the leader as a person, but it's also the least observable. It's made up of courage, optimism, integrity, discretion, and priorities. Leaders need to not only identify and clarify personal values but also behave consistently with them as they lead the organization.

SUBSTANCE, which affects credibility, includes a leader's practical wisdom, confidence or bias for action, composure under pressure, resonance, and vision.

Substance?is reserved for facets of presence cultivated over time, a kind of maturity specifically relevant to the social role of senior business leaders. These traits tend to integrate and bring one's character and virtues into play as a leader. Substance encompasses wisdom, confidence, composure, and strategic leadership, as well as attunement to the needs and concerns of their stakeholders. Leaders with style but not substance may be perceived as "empty suits.”

STYLE, or the approach to execution, includes a leader's appearance and readiness, intentionality in aligning actions, the inclusion of others in decisions, the quality and quantity of interactivity, and assertiveness in managing conflicts.

Style?is the most overt behavioral manifestation of communicative leadership. It's the first impression people make– based on image, mannerisms, and interpersonal behavior. Whether we like it or not, the style must be congruent with what people know and believe about a leader and their role in the organization. With some leaders, perceived problems with style may prevent people from appreciating their underlying substance and character. We may "tune out" or "write off" a leader based purely on relatively superficial observations about style.

Within these dimensions are 15 distinct facets that are proven to make up a leader's overall presence and level of influence.

Using these dimensions and associated facets, we can provide leaders with feedback and identify points of impulsivity. Designing your leadership style takes thinking of each facet as a piece of a puzzle; together, they provide self-awareness. With increased self-awareness, leaders can learn to control their reactions and demonstrate restraint and composure.

Charles has always been quick to react, especially when questioned. Some of his triggers stem from an 'over-strength' in certain areas. For example, his vast professional competence and commitment to his field led him to treat his expertise as a personal value. Any questions about his professional conclusions were seen as an attack on his integrity, often leading to defensive reactions.

Throughout the coaching process, Charles was made aware of his triggers. By doing so, he learned to respond intentionally rather than react impulsively. This improved his ability to interact with his colleagues and build trust.

Trust is key to a leader's ability to influence and can be of two types: relational and transactional. Relational trust is formed through strong connections and mutual understanding, while transactional trust is more measured and is based on the actions of the other person.

Building trust was a focal point in my work with Charles. We found that combining components from both relational and transactional trust can help create more effective leadership traits. This combination of trust-building elements allowed Charles to work constructively across disciplines during a crucial transformation and growth phase in CSAP.

In conclusion,

Executive presence has long been acknowledged as a critical factor in leadership. However, its definition has often been mysterious and subject to diverse perspectives. As a result, leaders have received feedback on presence without a?road map for action that connects clearly to business objectives.?The default assumption is to equate presence with appearance and presentation skills. While these factors are important, they make up only a small piece of the "executive presence puzzle" that helps leaders sustain goal-directed action in an organization.

Executive Presence Insights (ExPI)? can better our understanding of individual behavior in many business areas. Insights into the biases and mental habits we all possess can provide leaders, like Charles, with ways to effectively shape their leadership behavior.

Leaders need to look at the big picture to put the puzzle together but have to see the details to make the pieces fit. The BTS Executive Presence Index? takes executive presence to a higher level of seeing the detail that makes up the big picture. ?Through extensive research in leadership, communications, psychology, and social action theories and literature,?we've clarified executive presence as a?three-dimensional character, substance, and style model. Within these dimensions are 15 distinct facets that are proven to make up a leader's overall presence and level of influence.

If you are curious as to how ExPI might provide you with the insights that will make a difference in your influence, feel free to set up a complimentary Discovery Discussion using my O365 Booking tool. ?

In the meantime, have a great week!?Thanks for reading Let's Talk Tech Leadership!

Warm Regards, Mary