Your Executive Presence

3 Major Focus Areas?to Become a Charismatic Leader

(Originally appeared in the January 17th, 2024?'Across the Board'?digital publication, a Board Director, Board Advisor, C-Level, and Business Leader publication reaching 48,000+ exceptional business leaders in over 70 countries with articles focused on leadership, strategy, and governance topics - sign up here)

We hear it quite often. "The CEO has great executive presence." "Of all of the Director candidates, this one?conveys the best executive presence." "Our top 3 candidates are equal in capabilities and experience, however?candidate 2 has the best executive presence."?It seems that executive presence is a highly?important skill?to possess for career advancement - and most?would agree.?For many, a version of the famous quote stating, "I can't define it, but?I know it when I see it," is common when describing this worthy skill. In this article, we will together?attempt to identify, define and hone?your executive presence... so you can directly leverage it for your advancement.

In today's leadership environment, much more study has been invested in identifying, defining and honing executive presence due to its importance. ?

Executive Presence: A?combination?of people skills, character traits, and dynamic leadership capabilities that drives?decisive action, clear?communication, and confident?leadership of?a team or company.

Leaders with executive presence are commonly described as charismatic and?inspirational -?and importantly,?memorable. Essentially, they have the ability to inspire confidence in those around them, including all levels of an organization as well as the Board. "Leaders with great executive presence are commonly?able to?present ideas that offer?actionable insights,?where the team understands their merits and can move forward with high energy,"?states Barry G. Moss, Non-Executive Director, Real Estate, & Financial Expert. "During difficult times for a company, this type of leader is also able to focus?management on a brighter future after successfully maneuvering through the current environment." Executive presence has graduated from simply a leadership nice-to-have to what seems to be a requirement for organization success.

Yes, it's true that many articles have been written in recent years attempting to explain where to focus your efforts to "learn"?and apply executive presence (i.e. Gartner, Forbes, Business Insider, etc.), all of which have been helpful and?interesting, but this may be one of the rare cases where a?more informal summarization is infinitely more helpful.

Most of the published articles regarding executive presence touch on common traits or skills witnessed?in truly great leaders with exceptional presence. These include charisma, confidence, competence, composure, conviction, conciseness, command, character, connection, credibility and clarity. All important focus areas, but it does seem as if multiple writers?received?a memo instructing?that all executive presence words?must begin with a "c." Nonetheless, an important listing.

There are some?in the list of?"c" that profoundly stand out for me. In the numerous Nominating Committee consulting engagements I am involved with yearly, commonly building out the nominating process and performing stages of the candidate vetting, including interviewing, there are a few which are nonnegotiable. They are simply too important to the effectiveness, efficiency and camaraderie of the Board to ignore - and I am laser focused on ensuring that I draw out indicators of these areas in an interview?as soon as is humanly possible.

These executive presence?standouts include composure, credibility and clarity. Let's dig a little deeper into these 3.

• Composure -?Remaining calm and in control of yourself: This includes self awareness, deep understanding of others, ability to control your emotions, and being able to recognize emotion in others while simultaneously managing your response. In the IBDC.D program we classify this much more deeply, due to its importance,?in what we call our Behavioral Predisposition teachings, which includes the combination of emotional intelligence (EQ), mindfulness intelligence (MQ) and adversity intelligence (AQ), among others. Although this is tough to evaluate during an interview, as most of these?truly can only be?witnessed and?tested during a crisis, it is quite easy to ask a candidate how exactly they retain their composure in high-stress and heated scenarios. The response to this question cannot be faked. Are you prepared to give a detailed approach outlining?your thought process and measured?actions, or will you simply offer platitudes to satisfy the question? ?
• Credibility - Being trusted and believed in: When you speak or offer an opinion, does your reputation and presence uplift you? Is there conviction backed in experience to support your words? One would hope so. Your credibility is also highly dependent on your delivery. Does the language you choose to deliver your content support the message and desired outcome? Have you avoided filler language?such as "um" or "uh" throughout your delivery? Have you inspired your listeners and avoided minimizers such as ?"just thinking out loud,"?"sort of," "just," or "this may not be a great idea, but..."?Confidence is extremely?important in making an impact.?In the IBDC.D program we additionally correlate your credibility to what's called your "Career Trifecta." A great Career Trifecta looks for focus and balance in expertise (what you know), experience (how you've applied it) and proof (outside qualification or certification). This balance of focus can truly show that you have a strategy for your career. It is highly common for someone to exhibit great strategic ability in the boardroom when they have previously?exhibited great strategic ability in their personal Career Trifecta. ?
• Clarity - Clearly and effectively communicating (I would also have to include Conciseness here - staying on point and being direct): Your ability to clearly communicate, in a concise manner, is imperative in your quest to command attention - the proper attention, of course.?All too often someone with amazing credentials undermines themselves in a matter of minutes through wandering discussions?or verbose communication. Off point equals lack of executive presence.?Personally, I look for a place to hide when trapped in these scenarios, but a dark corner is not always available or convenient to escape to. If I had to classify the biggest mistake I witness in the undermining of someone's executive presence?it is by far a lack of clarity. Additionally, this is a very tough obstacle to recover from once experienced by a captive audience - they don't forget and in the future?will create "guardrails" when requesting your input on anything. These guardrails indicate lack of respect for your input mainly due to your inability to communicate clearly and concisely. Remember the definition of concise:?brief, but comprehensive.?Many executives and Board Directors in our Performance Coaching?offering specifically request guidance and help in elevating their executive presence. Commonly, the biggest hurdle is the simple understanding that "less is more"?and learning?that verbosity kills executive presence. Be the leader who practices a verbal roadmap (introduction,?discovery, planning, execution, closeout) with factual content, allowing for interjection, and feel the respect of your audience.

It is a relief to many that executive presence can indeed be learned and practiced, but its importance must first be fully understood. Aim to be the leader who hones this skill and then teach it to others. They, along with their organizations, will owe you a "thank you" many times?over.

Have you evaluated your Executive Presence?

Reach out?to learn more?through?our Board Director Education & Certification program, plus?Consulting &?Advisory?offerings,?and?International Speaking Tour topics.

Mark A. Pfister - Non-Executive Director | Board Director |?CEO |?Chief?Board Consultant?| Corporate?Strategist |?Board Macro-Influencer?| Speaker?| Author www.PfisterStrategy.com

About the Author: With a strong focus in Strategy, Governance, and Technology / Cybersecurity, Mark A. Pfister is CEO & Chief Board Consultant of M. A. Pfister Strategy Group, an executive advisory firm that serves as a strategic advisory council for executives and Boards in the public, private, nonprofit, and private equity (PE) sectors. He is also Chairman & CEO of Integral Board Group, a specialized Board services &?consulting company, as well as Founder & CEO of the International Board Director Competency Designation (IBDC.D) education and certification program, a Board Director certification course recognized globally. Mr. Pfister is a 'Board Macro-Influencer' and his success has been repeated across a wide range of business situations and environments. He prides himself on being a coach and mentor to senior executives and Directors. In Board Director circles, Mr. Pfister has earned the nickname 'The Board Architect’..............<< read full bio here >>

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