Test copy Harrison Monarth, the author of Executive Presence: The Art of Commanding Respect Like a CEO* once said, “Talent and skills are important, but they alone won’t take you to the top of your organization. People who reach these highly influential positions deeply understand the power of perception.”
Learn why executive presence is important. This is where the concept of Executive Presence comes into play. How you dress, interact with coworkers, approach projects and even carry yourself are all facets of Executive Presence. If you’re looking for a raise, a promotion, or even just to be more highly regarded in the workspace, the best thing you can do is focus on developing your Executive Presence.
What is Executive Presence?
Being an executive is not only about being powerful, influential, charismatic and having a personal brand that connects with others and aligns with the organization.
Although these are attributes that can be applied to most successful executives, Executive Presence is really all about how you communicate, how you show up for your team and your approachability.
If you’re not authentic or if you’re trying too hard to be something you’re not, people can see it. If you’re just playing at truly stepping into your power as a leader – as opposed to actually doing it – you are more likely to come across as a person who is not approachable, or worse, arrogant.
Likewise, if you’re all about the almighty dollar, the title and getting to the top as quickly as possible, that shows. Your team will see it and get turned off.
A lot of people don’t want to be in the limelight or have a fancy title. They don’t care about all that. They love what they do and where they’re at in their career. If you acknowledge your people, listen to them carefully, and make them feel great about their contribution, you encourage an atmosphere of collaboration and camaraderie, which makes for a productive and effective team.
Someone who can inspire their team in that way is certainly someone with Executive Presence.
A Good Leader Makes a Great Team
Zig Ziglar once said, “You will get all you want in life if you help enough people get what they want.” This is true everywhere you go, not just in business. Here’s a good example of what I mean: My husband had a small team working for him on an important project. One day, the father of one of the employees died unexpectedly from a heart attack.
Why Executive Presence is important
My husband said to the employee, “Don’t worry, the work will all get done. Go take care of your family.” The employee left for the day, but she still felt torn about leaving the team with this important project. She came back to work the next day.
My husband wanted the team to know that above all else, he cares about his people. So he insisted that she take care of herself and her family first. He told her that the team would have her back and insisted that she go home.
This simple gesture showed the employee that her boss understands some things are more important than work.
Having compassion for your employees goes a long way in fostering dedication and loyalty in your team. And when you have a loyal team, things tend to work in your favor.
Promote Your Promotability
Having Executive Presence is one of the greatest contributions you can make to your leadership potential. It doesn’t guarantee access to a promotion, but the absence of it will certainly restrict your promotability. This becomes more crucial as you move up the career ladder.
For those who want a leadership position, looking and acting the part is very important.
Here are four pillars of Executive Presence:
- First Impressions
- Communication Skills – smile and look confident
- Gravitas means a respected leader
- Appearance defines your brand
If you would like to learn more about how you can integrate the pillars of Executive Presence into your work style, download my Exeuctive Presence Questionaire to set up a time to speak with me one-on-one.
It’s amazing how good leadership can encourage employees!