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Mastering the Art of Executive Presence

Written by: Roger Ingbretsen

Article Overview: As an executive you virtually live in a fishbowl. People are constantly observing you and forming opinions about your capabilities. You must constantly and genuinely mold these opinions about who you are, and what you can accomplish.You must master the art of executive presence.

Mastering the Art of Executive Presence

For today’s executive, both the spoken and unspoken expectations have risen substantially. Executives are judged by more than just results. They are also judged on how they present themselves to others on and off the job. How they perform and are perceived while they perform, are almost as important as the results they attain.

Everyone from the Board of Directors to the employee on the loading dock, to customers and community leaders, have expectations for individuals in executive leadership roles; the higher the position, the greater the expectations. A combination of business savvy, leadership, confidence, competence, and social acumen project an image of someone who should be taken seriously and who has the ability to influence others. As an executive you virtually live in a fishbowl. People are constantly observing you and forming opinions about your capabilities. You must constantly and genuinely mold these opinions about who you are, and what you can accomplish.

Without speaking a word, the actions of an executive speak volumes. The way you walk through an office or into a meeting, and the ease you demonstrate when shaking hands and initiating conversations are all under the scrutiny of others. The words you choose the tone of your voice and yes even the cloths you wear all combine to paint a picture of your executive presence. Research conducted by S. C. Gatton & Associates showed that Executive Presence is comprised of five areas:

• Knowledge & Experience
• Leadership Savvy
• Advanced Communication Skills
• Executive Image
• Social Acumen
• I would add a sixth: Financial Acumen

“Mastering the art of executive presence” requires two important breakthroughs. First, a willingness to “assess and understand yourself” and explore the way others may perceive you. Second, is the desire to “master your strengths, talents, behaviors and skills,” so they can enhance, alter or confirm those perceptions.

These two major breakthroughs most often require having a strong mentor, a close and honest confidant or an executive coach, all of who are capable of providing you the assessment and feedback required to be successful in today’s organizational environment.

You may think executive presence is easy to see and hard to define; however, it is not as much of a mystery as you might think. Executive presence is not about fluff or first impressions; it is about the belief or feeling about you, which develops over time based on other individuals’ experiences with you. When you do the right thing for the right reason, communicate clearly and succinctly, build trust, open up business opportunities and create professional and financial success, you are well on the way toward creating executive presence. The following 25 elements will help you master the art of developing a powerful executive presence.

25 Steps To Help You Develop Your Executive Presence

1.Continually demonstrate that the knowledge and experience you offer are of value to the organization.
2. Be a contributor, rather than an observer, at the planning table.
3. Realize that your self-confidence and abilities will be constantly tested and scrutinized.
4. Develop the ability to see underlying relationships and get at the meaning beneath the surface.
5. Distinguish the important factors in a situation from “noise.”
6. Craft a compelling story of the organization’s challenges and opportunities.
7. Learn who the important players are in the organization and in the customer base and know what issues matter to them.
8. Be politically adept, leveraging relationships with people to address problems and take advantage of opportunities both inside and outside of the organization.
9. Do and say what is right, not just what is expedient or what others want to hear, even if it is at substantial personal risk.
10. Foster passion among your staff and build a sense of enthusiasm for the work at hand.
11. Continually develop your influence and persuasion skills.
12. Set a course for others to follow toward a strategically important vision and goals.
13. Act with bold decisiveness when there is a difficult decision to be made.
14. Emphasize solutions rather than hurdles.
15. Articulate business needs and guide the organization to better processes and solutions, tactfully challenging your colleagues’ positions, when necessary.
16. Tap into all lines of communication to get the information you need.
17. Be able to quickly and accurately understand the subtleties others inject into conversations and to act accordingly.
18. Know how to bridge generation gaps, gain commitment from all stakeholders in your communication and deal effectively across functional units within the organization.
19. Present an informed and credible message to the executive team, especially designed to quickly and concisely address their concerns and obtain consensus.
20. Master the ability to present unfavorable news with undaunted assurance for the future.
21. Provide steadfast confidence when driving the organization in a new direction, and convey a new vision with a zest for results.
22. Learn to meet through effective communications, the expectations of your direct reports, peers, senior executives and the board of directors.
23. Use courtesy and etiquette to make guests, customers, and employees comfortable in any situation so you can create engaging, open conversations that move relationships forward.
24. Use electronic communications appropriately so you can connect as easily in the virtual world as you do in live conversation.
25. Read cultural and regional differences so you can respond appropriately and keep relationships inside and outside of the organization positive and open.

An executive presence is about creating a consistent image of you as a compelling force both inside and outside the organization. You must become very adept at using your ability to influence others not by title or authority; but, by your professional magnetism to motivate others to positively shape and attain the desired outcome needed for organizational success.

The requirements for developing executive presence are clear. You need to continually build your credibility along with your “wow” factor. People respect and gravitate toward those leaders who walk into a meeting or social event and attract intense, positive attention. You need to be personally accountable for developing your executive presence if you are going to become the leader that others want to follow.

Related Articles
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  Developing Executive Presence - What Really Matters
  Develop Your Executive Presence
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Article Tags: board of directors, cloths, communication skills, community leaders, competence, conversations, executive image, executive presence, financial acumen, fishbowl, forming opinions, gatton, leadership roles, perceptions, scrutiny, shaking hands, stro, talents, tone of your voice, willingness



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