Category Archives: Executive Presence

Do your leaders have executive presence? If they don’t, how can they get it? They can’t realize their full potential as a leader without it. But the good news is that executive presence can be learned. These articles show employees how to convey confidence, command respect, and exude a professional magnetism that influences others. You’ll learn new strategies on how to come across with conviction, be assertive, and lead with gravitas.

Executive Presence Communication: 17 Confident & Clear Ways to Speak

Communication and executive presence are closely linked. Discover 17 tactics to speak up, be vocal, insightful, and clear, and elevate your executive presence communication.

Communication is one of the three foundational domains of executive presence, which I term “Expression.” This domain centers on how well leaders communicate. In other words, if you want to show up as a leader with executive presence, you must master the art of communication.

Let’s take a look at the three elements of communicating with executive presence, which I describe in my 3×3 Executive Presence Model.

How Leaders with Executive Presence Communicate

Three elements of expression determine how effectively leaders communicate:

Ability to be vocal in meetings and interactions. Propensity for conveying insights that raise the level of discussion. Aptitude for speaking clearly and concisely.

Having executive presence means being vocal, insightful, and clear.

First, as a leader, … Continue reading Executive Presence Communication: 17 Confident & Clear Ways to Speak

Understanding Executive Presence – Gravitas, Authority, & Expression

Three central elements imbue a leader with executive presence. Understanding them fully will allow you to cultivate each one. This will demystify what executive presence is and help you create a development plan for growing it.

3 Domains of Executive Presence

So, what are these three elements? I’m referring to the three domains of executive presence that I outline in my 3×3 Executive Presence Model:

Gravitas Authority Expression

This model provides a framework for understanding executive presence. You can view gravitas as who you are, authority as what you do, and expression as what you say. To understand executive presence, you need to know what each of these elements means and what it looks like in practice. Let’s take a birds-eye view of each one of them now.

Gravitas The 1st Element to Understanding Executive Presence

Gravitas is the powerful presence a leader with executive presence exudes. … Continue reading Understanding Executive Presence – Gravitas, Authority, & Expression

25 Must-Read Executive Presence Articles That Will Inspire & Guide You

Do you want a more in-depth understanding of executive presence—or even a basic sense of what it means? These executive presence articles offer actionable insights to help you master leadership presence and grow your career. Learn exactly what executive presence is and how it will be the not-so-secret ingredient to your success.

I’ve grouped these executive presence articles by topic, so you can easily find multiple informative articles on key issues related to executive presence. That way, you can take a deeper dive into the topic of your choice.

Whether you’re looking for insights on how to build executive presence or want to know how it impacts leadership, each article provides valuable takeaways.

Why Executive Presence Matters: Key Articles on Leadership

If you want a clearer idea of what executive presence is and how it will benefit your career, these articles are for you.

1. 10 Key … Continue reading 25 Must-Read Executive Presence Articles That Will Inspire & Guide You

5 Ways Executive Presence Shapes Professional Success

Have you seen colleagues rise above you in the ranks, even though they have no more talent than you? They most likely got promoted because they are beginning to emanate a strong leadership presence. As a result, senior leaders instinctively felt they could trust them with enhanced responsibilities and knew that others would follow their leadership.

Executive presence is critical to professional success, whether you want to reach the next level or excel in your current role. It serves as the key differentiator between those with a high level of talent and those who have what it takes to become top leaders. And this holds true both in-person and in online executive presence environments.

Let’s explore why executive presence plays such a vital role in a leaders’ professional success. Branding you as a next-level leader.

By radiating strength and capability, … Continue reading 5 Ways Executive Presence Shapes Professional Success

8 Critical Steps to Craft an
Executive Presence Development Plan

An executive presence development plan is essential for cultivating executive presence. This plan will structure your efforts, ensuring you’re focusing on your most critical areas for growth. Importantly, this plan will prepare you to excel not just in your current role, but in any future position as well.

How to create this development plan and begin improving your executive presence? Begin by targeting specific executive presence competencies that you’re most lacking. These are the areas that are currently undermining your executive presence. No matter how well you’re doing in certain other areas, they’re holding you back.

Here are 8 crucial steps to take in identifying areas for growth and crafting an executive presence development plan. 1. Take a Self-Evaluation

You can begin identifying these areas of greatest need by taking an executive presence self-evaluation. In my book Executive Presence: Step into … Continue reading 8 Critical Steps to Craft an
Executive Presence Development Plan

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 … Continue reading Executive Presence & Gravitas: Be Confident, Commanding, & Charismatic

Maximize Your Executive Presence Strengths & Address Your Weaknesses

Executive presence isn’t one single quality—it’s an amalgamation of qualities that together give a leader a particular power and presence. Hence, as leaders assess their level of executive presence, they typically realize that they have strengths in some areas of executive presence and weaknesses in others.

In other words, evaluating your level of executive presence doesn’t mean just concluding, “No, I don’t have executive presence,” or “Yes, I am starting to display executive presence.” Rather, it means determining the specific executive presence components you’re lacking—as well as the ones you possess.

Executive presence strengths

Executive presence is made up of the following 9 qualities, grouped under the 3 domains of executive presence:

Gravitas Confident Commanding Charismatic Authority Decisive Bold Influential Expression Vocal Insightful Clear

You may already have strengths in some of these areas. A self-assessment, feedback from others, and executive presence coaching can help to … Continue reading Maximize Your Executive Presence Strengths & Address Your Weaknesses

Expand Your Executive Presence by Growing Your Influence—Discover How

What is the relationship between executive presence and influence?

Having executive presence will dramatically expand your influence. Once you accrue a solid amount of executive presence, you’ll be appointed to positions that allow you to leverage your influence. You’ll build your credibility and expand your network as you take on these new opportunities, which will further grow your influence in turn.

How will cultivating executive presence grow your influence?

Influence is one of the 9 vital executive presence qualities, so as you cultivate executive presence, you’ll focus specifically on growing influence. Moreover, there is an interplay between influence and other executive presence competencies. Influence does not exist in a vacuum; developing other qualities like confidence, charisma, decisiveness, and insightfulness will also increase your influence.

For instance, as you lead higher-level projects, you’ll make your skills more widely known and respected. You’ll show others … Continue reading Expand Your Executive Presence by Growing Your Influence—Discover How