X-Factor or Executive Presence.

Interesting and abstract concept, but is it real?

As you climb the corporate ladder and come to a point where your performance in your current role has been “above expectations”, but you are not promoted with a decision maker saying that “You lack executive presence.”

Is it real or is it flashed on your face to say, “you missed the boat but thank you for what you are doing and keep doing it”?

What is Exec presence – gravitas (means what he/she says), ability to inspire, personal magnetism, clarity of thought and vision, knowledge, personality, nature, combination of many of the above, let’s explore.

We were recently in a “know my leader” session with a charismatic Australian leader, he had gone through the same objection handling of executive presence rather successfully, so we asked him his secret sauce.

He said to create that presence, he had to find and get involved in something that was bigger than he thought he was capable of handling (he called it the platform), he participated in the advisory council of the decision maker of the country and while he often struggled with self-doubt when in the company of Nobel laureates on this advisory board, he soon brought the full power of his organization and his industry acumen to the table to add value to the decision maker and more so to himself, as it helped him build his reputation besides his executive presence.

Indra Nooyi, once said that to be a leader is a calling, you should not do it because it is a job, you’ve got to be involved in it with your head, heart and hands.

On this women’s day let’s look at some other stories.

Sita is an excellent story, she as a child lifted the famed Shiv Dhanush with her little finger, whilst playing with her sisters, a feat that no one in the palace had achieved. King Janaka proclaimed that Sita would be wed to the man who could lift and string the Shiva Dhanush (Shiva's bow) and so the story goes... The point being that Sita (born with such strength and power), could have turned the Ramayana story on it’s head by utilising a small percentage of the physical strength that she possessed, but she demonstrated the value of staying calm and taking hard road even when she had options. Sita bravely raised both her children without complains. She chose her battles and did not hesitate to step back when her purpose was served, leading me to a rather simplistic view that at times your presence is not purely to show your strengths but to drive a message.?

Napoleon Bonaparte called by some as the God of war, would have struggled as a soldier given his physical prowess, but he inspired a loyalty in his men that was second to none. You could argue that behind Napoleon’s success as a leader came absolute power as the head of state and of the military, which gave him complete control. However, his personal leadership (tactics of improvisation and adaptability) came to the forefront in his reaction to "what cannot be planned for."

Wellington even remarked that ‘his presence on the battlefield is worth 40,000 men’. Bonaparte’s own experience as a corporal gave him a view of what motivated the soldiers and he maximised that by promising them what they most wanted. Some historians have suggested the lack of delegation limited his achievements, however, his complete personal oversight of every detail prepared him and his army for a better and faster reaction to the situation, which was decisive.

The stories of ?Sita, Napolean, Lal bahadur Shastri, Mahatma Gandhi and others clearly establish that physical attributes do not necessarily add to your Executive presence, it is the strength of your convictions and values which are key.?

Moving to cricket, Ganguly captained a side which had the greatest batsman of his time in Sachin and arguably the greatest bowler in Kumble, both Sachin and Kumble later went on to captain the side but not with the success of Ganguly, making us conclude that you don’t have to be the best, you need to have the ability to get the best out of the best.

In conclusion, my favorite quote, In a letter to Robert Hooke in 1675, Isaac Newton made his most famous statement: “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants”.

As leaders to build your executive presence, find a purpose bigger than your biggest achievement, find your giants and motivate them to give more than 100% and you will find your true North.