Cultivating Executive Presence

Executive presence is the ability to command respect and influence through your personal style, behavior, and communication. It is the combination of factors that enables you to effectively lead and inspire others, both within and outside of your organization.

As leaders, it is important that we cultivate our executive presence in order to be effective in our roles. This means being confident, decisive, and authentic, as well as having a strong sense of purpose and vision. It also means being able to communicate clearly and effectively, both in person and through virtual channels.

But executive presence is not just about personal style or charisma. It is about building trust and credibility with those around you, and inspiring others to follow your lead. It is about being a role model and setting the tone for the culture of your organization.

In short, executive presence is critical for effective leadership and driving results. It is something that we should all strive to cultivate and improve upon, no matter what level we are at in our careers.

Here are a few suggestions for inspiring others to follow your lead:

1. Be clear and concise in your communication: Clearly articulating your vision, goals, and expectations will help others understand and buy into your vision. For example, if you are leading a project, make sure to clearly communicate the scope, timeline, and deliverables to your team. And state WHY the vision, goals, and expectation are important and how the team or employees fit into the bigger picture.
2. Practice active listening: Showing genuine interest in others' ideas and concerns can help to build trust and credibility. During team meetings, make an effort to listen attentively to what others have to say and ask clarifying questions. By truly listening, you are demonstrating that you truly care.
3. Lead by example: Your actions and behavior set the tone for the culture of your organization. Demonstrate the values and behaviors you want to see in others. For example, if you value honesty and transparency, make sure to be open and transparent in your communication with your team.
   Do you know what your values are or the values of your organization?
4. Foster an inclusive and collaborative environment: Encourage open dialogue and collaboration, and create opportunities for team members to contribute and take ownership of their work. For example, during team meetings, solicit input and ideas from all team members, and encourage team members to work together to come up with solutions.
5. Recognize and reward progress and achievements: When I conduct 360 assessments, this is where I get the most feedback from Direct Reports. There never seems to be enough of either of these coming from their leaders. So make a point to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions and successes of your team, and provide regular feedback and support to help them grow and develop.
6. Empower and delegate: Trust your team members and give them the autonomy to take on new challenges and make decisions. This will help to build their confidence and skills, and show that you have faith in their abilities. So delegate tasks and responsibilities to team members and give them the freedom to approach tasks in their own way, as long as the outcomes align with the overall goals of the project. 

Use these suggestions to help you along your leadership journey. If you have any questions or would like to set up a discovery call to learn more about how executive coaching can develop your own leadership skills, please don't hesitate to reach out at [email protected].

Best regards,

Polly