Executive presence is conceptual in the sense that we cannot buy it off the shelf or order it from an online store. It is not a commodity like toothpaste that promises us “a ring of confidence.” Although it is true that increased personal confidence is one of the hallmarks of someone with executive presence.
Happily, however, we can all develop our executive presence! It starts with the way we think about ourselves and the all-important impressions we make daily on those around us: our managers, our colleagues, our direct reports and not least our external stakeholders. The first and most essential ingredient to executive presence is developing our conscious awareness of self, others and the environment in which we work.
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| Building a strong, confident executive presence is career-accelerating. |
Have you ever realised that you cannot not communicate? Everything we say and do communicates something to those around us. For example, a manager who is always quiet, reflective and deeply listening in the weekly executive team meetings is still communicating loudly. Depending on how the other individuals in the team receive these messages, inevitably thoughts such as, “’she is unsure and timid,’ ‘she is not prepared, ‘she does not contribute at all,’ and ‘why is she here?’ will be in the various heads around the table.
In essence, executive presence is the combined perceptions that others form about us. We can shape these perceptions positively and well. With heightened self-awareness we can shape and manage others’ perceptions of us in the most positive ways.
You may think that developing your executive presence goes against your desire to be authentic at work; that you don’t want to be someone you are not. If you are only starting to develop your presence, or if you wish to modify or radically change your current executive presence, you can do so entirely within the parameters of being ‘authentic.’ You can remain true to your own beliefs, values and strengths as you build your unique executive presence.
Look out for our next article on the WWWWW of Executive Presence (What, Who, When, Where and Why); we will be covering the ‘Who’ of executive presence.
Would you like to enhance your executive presence? People Results offers the Executive Presence Half-Day workshop in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth on a regular basis. Our July workshop dates are:
- Executive Presence for Women - Sydney on 16th July 2014
- Executive Presence for Women - Melbourne on 29th July 2014
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