Are You R.E.A.D.Y For Your Executive Presence?

There are many myths about Executive Presence and one of them is that one should have a certain physical build or frame to have executive presence. In this blog we will explore such myths and look at a simple model to help build your Executive Presence.

Lets start with thinking about a leader who you have worked with and you found him or her a inspirational leader (for a moment forget about Executive Presence).?

What skills did you see in them that differentiated them?? As you think about it you may not be able to fully jot down and exactly list down what differentiated them. What differentiated them is that elusive presence which is termed with many things including the X-Factor, which in the corporate world, we call the Executive Presence.?

Learning executive presence is not about creating an impression, but it’s about crafting the lasting impression you want to leave on others.?

Executive Presence can be hard to pin down and define, even for seasoned C-Suite leaders. They know what it is but may not be clear on what comprises this ‘make-or-break’ leadership skill that’s critical to get promoted to the C-suite.?Sylvia Ann Hewitt, the author of Executive Presence, defines it as “the missing link between merit and success.”?

Let's look at how we can develop our Executive Presence with Crossover Leadership's READY Model.

The READY model is an acronym and for each element I am sharing a set of questions that will help you to introspect and build your Executive Presence:

R- Resonance is the ability to emotionally connect with others.?

• How aware are you of your emotional state when you meet others?
• How ready are you to acknowledge their emotional state??
• How do you find a balance between different emotional states??
• How aware are you of the impact of your past interactions with them?
• How ready are you to fulfill their needs??
• How consistently do you keep up your promises??
• How will you know that you are dealing with the truth about yourself and others?

E - Expression leads to a meaningful exchange of views.???

• What do you say after you say “Hello”???
• How sensitive are you of the language that you use in a particular context???
• How often do you share your ideas??
• How authentic are you in your expressions????
• How ready are you to acknowledge others in your words????
• How comfortable are others with your verbiage?

A - Appearance helps you to shine amongst the crowd of leaders.?

• How well do you “read the room” when preparing to meet your audience?
• How customized and current is your wardrobe to suit different work situations?
• How ready are you to acknowledge the power of your appearance??
• How comfortable are others with what and how you handle yourself socially?

D - Digital presence precedes your physical presence in our technological world?

• How coherent is your digital presence??
• How do you adapt your presence according to the medium that you are using?
• How well do you read the digital cues??
• How can you build synergy between your digital and physical body language?

Y - Youthfulness signifies vitality and the energy that you create.?

• How much of a “can do” attitude do you show??
• How actively do you respond to new ideas?
• How often do people experience liveliness in your expressions??
• How sharp and insightful is your humour?

I am also sharing an insightful Leadership CHASKA webinar on “Executive Presence” with our expert speaker Ravi Chatterjee, Founder & CEO - Aariv Learning Solution.

Executive presence isn’t an inborn trait. It’s a learnable skill that can boost your leadership skills and credibility. Hope you found this article useful.?

Crossover Leadership offers exclusive and comprehensive training programs on Executive Presence. To know more, contact [email protected] or 09885902060, and the team will be happy to assist you.