What is Executive Presence and what can you do to enhance it?

Executive presence can be better understood through behaviors and perceptions

Have you ever gotten the following feedback?

• "You are not ready for the next level yet. We can discuss this again next year."

• "You need to speak more/less in meetings."

• "You are too aggressive/too soft" 

If you have ever been held back from a promotion (or haven't been offered a role) because you failed to demonstrate leadership potential, you may have an executive presence ("EP") problem.

First, what is Executive Presence?

My investigative journey started a few years ago when I was first asked to teach a course on EP.

I had a hard time making sense of this term, so I decided to interview successful executives from different industries and countries to identify qualities that contributed to EP.

A plethora of additional ambiguous terms emerged: self-confidence, decisiveness, speaking truth to power, transparent communication, carefully managing perceptions, authenticity, and treating people with respect. 

One thing became clear: there was no universal understanding of EP among even the most seasoned executives.

I turned to business literature to look for answers.  I came up with three different ways to think about one’s EP.

1. Corporate View: Work on your image

Economist and founder of the Center for Talent Innovation, Sylvia Ann Hewlett, shares in her book Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success, the following definition:

“Executive presence is the 'it factor,' a heady combination of confidence, poise, and authenticity that convinces the rest of us we are in the presence of someone who’s going places. [..] Executive presence is not just a measure of performance. Rather, executive presence is a measure of image: whether you signal to others that you ‘have what it takes,’ that you are leadership material.”

In Hewlett’s universe, there is an objective set of desired behaviors that you could emulate to project a strong EP. Her research highlights that according to corporate leaders, EP rests on three pillars: gravitas (67%), communication (28%) and appearance (5%).

2. Psychological view: Work on yourself

Famous Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy, in her bestselling book, Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges, takes another approach:

“Presence is the state of being attuned to and being able to comfortably express our true thoughts, feelings, values, and potential.”

Cuddy’s presence is built from the inside out. When you have a high level of awareness and confidence in who you are and what you represent, you project this confidence to others. Cuddy has demonstrated that humans are psychologically attuned to this type of behavior and treat this authenticity with respect, according to her research.

3. Actor’s view: Build authentic connections

Former actresses turned executive coaches, Kathy Lubar and Belle Linda Halpern, present the third definition in their book, Leadership Presence: Dramatic Techniques to Reach Out, Motivate, and Inspire:

“Leadership Presence is the ability to connect authentically with the thoughts and feelings of others, to motivate them and inspire them towards a desired outcome.”

Lubar and Halpern draw on the actor’s toolkit, demonstrating that leadership presence involves effectively tapping into your own experiences and, through storytelling, helping others relate to you, thereby connecting with you on a deeper level.

What is the right approach then?

All three definitions are helpful as you work to improve your leadership skills.

• The corporate view forces you to investigate how EP is defined by your organization and management team and identify where you have advantages and disadvantages.

• The psychological view requires some soul-searching and self-assessments to understand your own strengths, passions better, and what matters most to you.

• The actor’s view implies that you need to map out your life story and identify the experiences that shaped your leadership style and turn them into stories and lessons learned that you can share to connect more deeply with others.

Bringing all of the above together will help you become a more effective leader.

What if the feedback you get seems unfair?

Given that the definition of EP is not universal, it can easily become a "go-to" term to hold an employee back from a promotion. It's also important to note that research shows that women are more likely than men to receive vague feedback about their performance and qualifications—and be held back by it.

When you receive vague feedback about your EP, push back to better understand the definition that your evaluator is using in his or her decision criteria. If you are still unable to get concrete answers and suggestions for improvement, try to better understand if you have a gap in how you are communicating your skills and potential. Sometimes, it is really not you, but them.  Knowing that is also useful for your future career decisions.

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