How to Build Your Executive Presence

Idea

People are usually confused about executive presence but it’s actually very simple.

Executive presence is the confidence that people have in you. It’s the confidence that your direct reports have in your leadership; the confidence of your peers and the folks around you knowing that you’re reliable and competent; and the confidence that senior leaders have in you that you are ready for the next opportunity and the next role.

So, the question is, how do you develop your executive presence?

Well, first, let’s figure out what it is. First of all, it’s how you show up in the room, or your gravitas. Second, it’s how you communicate, how you speak, and how you read the room and listen. And number three, it’s how you look. Do you look the part of an executive in your organization?

Example

One of my clients, Paula, was dying to be a Vice President. She had everything that she needed. She was strategic. She was well-liked. She was a good person to get a lot of things done. She was also operational. So, what was preventing her from getting to the next level?

It turned out that she had kind of a nervous flutter when she spoke to groups. She even had a nervous laugh that would show up in one-on-ones with senior executives or in group situations.

In addition, she would say “no” all the time. For example, “No, I agree with you” or “No, we should do that.” Strangely, it painted her as negative even when she was agreeing with others.

So, I helped her to observe both her behavior and the way she spoke, and helped her calm down and feel more confident in different situations. She was able to reduce her nervousness and become more calm, centered and confident in various different kinds of meetings.

She got promoted to vice president, which was great. But more importantly, she learned how to use the tools of executive presence to help her influence those around her and be more effective in her organization.

Action

So, what I’d like you to do is three things:

1. Get input and feedback on your executive presence. People have an experience of you. They may not be telling you, but they will tell you if you ask. How do you show up in terms of your executive presence? Where do you have deficiencies and where do you excel?
2. Make sure that your communication is crisp. When you use short, declarative sentences, it helps advance your executive presence. Also, your voice should go down at the end of sentences.
3. Look around you and observe how senior executives look. There’s a certain uniform in every organization. And if you want to be seen in a senior role, you have to mirror that uniform.