Executive Presence & Gravitas: Be Confident, Commanding, & Charismatic

What is gravitas?

As one of the three domains of executive presence, gravitas will make or break how you show up in meetings and interactions. Leaders with executive presence exude gravitas whenever they step into a room. This means they radiate an inner power and conviction that causes heads to turn whenever they take the stage or begin to speak. They have an unmistakable charisma that makes others want to be in their presence. This magnetic power draws others to them, whether they’re an extrovert or an introvert. It’s not about being loud; it’s about being self-assured.

Gravitas comprises three core executive presence qualities:

• Confidence.

  Leaders with gravitas emanate self-confidence, showing up as poised and radiating belief in themselves. As a result, others believe in them too.

• Command.

  Leaders with gravitas are commanding in both high-stakes situations and everyday meetings. They step up and take charge when circumstances demand action. Because they radiate capability, others instinctively trust them to lead.

• Charisma.

  Leaders with gravitas make others feel inspired and valued. They energize people and shape their success. People feel good in their presence and want to earn their respect.

These three qualities are the pillars of gravitas in my executive presence model. Together, they create the powerful presence emanated by the most successful leaders.

How can you cultivate this power and presence? Let’s take a look at some of the key tips I share in my book Executive Presence: Step into Your Power, Convey Confidence and Lead with Conviction.

Strategies for developing gravitas

1. Reflect on what is holding you back in these three areas. What self-doubts are you feeling? What fears do you have? Identify them so you can challenge and move past them.
2. Cultivate and surround yourself with advocates. They’ll highlight your strengths and help you become more aware of them.
3. Be the first to volunteer to lead a high-level initiative. Explain what you have to offer as project leader.
4. Step up to the plate to lead the team in solving a problem. Calmly help the group navigate a tricky situation.
5. Own your expertise and take an authoritative stance, speaking with conviction. Drive home your main points.
6. Have a clear vision for change and communicate it to others regularly, linking your team’s work to bigger-picture goals. You’ll grow your charisma as you inspire and motivate others with a compelling vision.
7. Do things that make you feel more confident. Make sure you’re spending a good part of each day doing things you’re passionate about and that leverage your greatest strengths. If you’re not, reprioritize.
8. Exude passion for what you do, conveying enthusiasm for your mission, goals, and daily work.
9. Take smart risks. If you fail, strive to learn from the opportunity. Remind yourself that you can’t develop executive presence by always playing it safe.
10. Embrace conflict, meeting it head-on and viewing it as a learning opportunity. Have tough conversations without delay.
11. Demonstrate emotional intelligence, showing empathy for others by tuning into their feelings.
12. Share plenty of gratitude for others’ hard work, expressing what you appreciate about each individual.
13. Nurture people’s growth, providing personalized support and talking with them about their aspirations.

As you put these strategies to use, you’ll come across as confident, commanding, and charismatic. Even if you have some anxiety, others will perceive you as more capable and self-assured. Moreover, you’ll grow more confident as you take these actions, which will make you feel more comfortable taking command of situations. You’ll also enhance your charisma as you support others’ development and exude passion for your team’s work, making you a more effective leader. As a result, you’ll radiate gravitas—and executive presence—in all your meetings and on-on-one interactions.

You’ll need to push yourself to step outside of your comfort zone as you take these steps. Build up to conveying executive presence at a higher level. Practice speaking with authority to your own team first, and then in front of higher-level leaders. By honing these competencies in situations where you feel more comfortable, you’ll prepare to use them in a broader array of scenarios.

An experienced executive presence coach will help you grow your gravitas, along with your authority and power of expression. Contact Joel to get started an executive coaching or executive presence training program. You can also read through some of his free articles on executive presence to gain more insights or purchase his book for your employees, Executive Presence: Step into Your Power, Convey Confidence and Lead with Conviction.