Discovery leadership masterclass series with Frank Adu Anim: Executive presence

…leading with competence

Do you care if your leader is extroverted or introvert? It is often said that, when ones absence does not mean anything, his presence has no meaning. In the corporate world, executive presence is a term you may hear a lot which describes the credibility that goes beyond the title, the power of one’s voice which is immeasurably important and necessary for leadership performance and success. It is important to note that, an organizations true leaders are the individuals who leverage their influence to make things happen and cultivate change. To be the most successful, one must learn how to manage and lead through influence not power, authority or title. By this, high performance organizations place a large emphasis on developing executive presence among their leaders.

The questions are that, do you want to lead a big team to achieve a difficult target? Do you want to lead high-visibility projects that make a difference? Want to be in a boardroom when important decisions are taken? Want to be the leader that your juniors aspire to be? Then you need to have executive presence to achieve these goals.

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that executive presence is a function of personality being charismatic or extroverted or some kind of characteristic which one may or may not possess. Executive presence is the ability to articulate thoughts clearly, influence and lead a team and make progress in one’s corporate career.

Executive presence is about one’s ability to inspire confidence in his team that you’re the leader they want to follow, inspiring confidence among peers that you’re capable and reliable and, most importantly, inspiring confidence among senior leaders that you have the potential for great achievements. From a company’s perspective, executive presence is what they want their leadership team to have and cultivate. It is a skill that is deeply coveted and highly rewarded.

Obviously, leaders come in all different shapes and sizes but the one common characteristics is the ability to communicate clearly. However, not all leaders have followers but all leaders ought to have vision that challenges the status quo, that creates growth, that generate valuable new results. Again, not all great leaders are great communicators but it is imperative great leaders have the flair for better communication in order to break into and perform optimally at the leadership level. Most great leaders are lifelong learners and that they have the confidence they need to have a great executive presence.

Got executive presence?

Executive presence is often confused with generic leadership qualities. But, it is incorrect to classify it as such. Elusive as it is, if we are to understand ‘what is executive presence’, we must first ascertain how executive leadership is hired. Why does someone get hired as an executive? Is it because of their degrees? Does their experience count? Do they have a great network of recommendations? All of these matter but over and above this, there is an X-factor that companies look for in their senior executives. In the absence of a definition, that X-factor is executive presence.

What holds a lot of leaders back is the lack of inner excellence which is communicated to mean personal flaws such as procrastination, avoiding confrontation, a short attention span, perfectionism, tactless remarks, weak resolve, overreacting, criticizing, chasing the wrong gratifications, or not following though

What is Executive Presence?

As a concept, executive presence is highly intuitive. It is neither easy nor fair to quantify it using absolute metrics. For instance, you can easily say whether a leader has a good eye for numbers or great communication skills. But, you cannot know if a leader has executive presence without observing him or her over a period of time in different situations. Hence, when someone asks ‘what is executive presence’, most people find themselves searching for the right words.

Needless to say, it is a fairly recent concept that has evolved to meet the requirements of modern-day leadership. Executive presence is about your ability to inspire confidence in your subordinates that you are the leader they want to follow, inspiring confidence among peers that you are capable and reliable and, most importantly, inspiring confidence among senior leaders that you have the potential for great achievements.

Obviously, no man or woman attains top leadership position, lands an extraordinary deal or develops a significant following without the combination of confidence, poise and authenticity. One key differences between an effective leader and an ineffective one is executive presence.

Why is a strong executive presence necessary?

Want to lead a big team to achieve a difficult target? Do you want to lead high-visibility projects that make a difference? Want to be in a boardroom when important decisions are taken? Want to be the leader that your juniors aspire to be? If your answers are in the affirmative then, you need to have executive presence to achieve these goals.

To break into the leadership team and function optimally in a company requires the ability to have executive presence. Moreover, from a company’s perspective, executive presence is what they want their leadership team to have and cultivate so that they are able to consolidate the teams effort for better success.

Building your Executive Presence

Kings, heads of government, and corporate executives have control over thousands of people and endless resources, but often do not have mastery over themselves. From a distance, larger-than-life leaders may look firmly in control of their businesses and their personal behavior.

Gavitas

Does your word hold value in your workplace or among peers? Would people think twice before cross questioning your statements or second guessing your decisions? If the answer to these questions is yes, then congratulations. You have gravitas. Essentially, gravitas is a sum of the weight of your personality and the confidence you exude in your demeanor. It is important to remember that gravitas is not inborn, it is a carefully cultivated skill.

Leaders know what they should be doing, so why do some find it difficult to do? When a leader knows the preferable behavior, why stick to an old pattern and fail to perform as desired? The answer is that each of us has two selves: one self is thoughtful, circumspect, and rational (the inner executive), and the other self is habit bound, impulsive, and emotion driven (the inner elephant). In sum, gravitas is the confidence, decisiveness, inclusiveness, respect for others, vision and integrity one exudes in relationship with people.

Appearance

Nowadays, to be seen as leadership material, executives are expected to reveal who they fundamentally are by how they appear. By appearance, I am not referring to good looks or lack of it neither is appearance about beauty or glamor. It is also not ones personality. Appearance is how you present yourself, willingness to show up in person, fitness and authenticity at any given place. Most of the rules that govern appearance are unsaid. However, it is imperative to remember that a suit and a tie does not inspire confidence. How you wear your suit is the measure of your appearance. If you want the right appearance, know what works for you.

Also, the setting or culture of a workplace has a lot to do with how your appearance might have to change. You cannot turn up in a banking services organization for instance in a casual wear. The trick is to know what to wear when and how to carry whatever you wear like it was the designated dress code for the day.

Communication skills

When we are speaking of communication skills in the context of ‘what is executive presence’, it is important to define some ground rules. You do not have to speak with eloquence to impress but need to speak with confidence and in a concise manner to convince. Always need to have data to back up what you say. You need to be able to convince your peers and seniors that your plan will work and is the best possible way forward.

Your team should be inspired by your confidence as you boost their morale and give them achievable goals. If you can do all this, you are an effective communicator, which takes you one step closer to having great executive presence.

How to develop executive presence?

Interestingly, executive presence is described as a ‘skill’ and not a ‘trait’. It is a skill that can be learned and has to be cultivated to become your second nature. But, how do you learn to have an executive presence? Here are some helpful steps:

Have a Vision and communicate it clearly

A leader should have a clear vision of where they want to go and know how to communicate it in a way that motivates their team. It is essential to know the details of your strategy as well as have a big picture vision. If you aspire to leadership roles, it’s crucial to project yourself as reliable and experienced person on whom others can depend. This allows you to communicate with your team clearly.

Articulate your vision and ideas clearly

Most great ideas die a tragic death in the absence of clear articulation. You might have a great idea but you need to convey it to your peers and team in the clearest possible way. Only then will your idea see the light of day. Let nothing be lost in translation.

Build Communication Skills and listen more

Giving instructions with a good attitude inspires your colleagues to carry out their work efficiently. Leaders get used to talking a lot so much so that they sometimes forget to listen. But listening really helps develop your executive presence. It makes your team feel seen, heard, understood and valued.

Use time as a weapon

Especially with C-suite executives who are always strapped for time, the brevity of thought is very important. At most high-level meetings, one may get five minutes or less to convince the room that their idea merits. How fast you convince people to see value in something is a big part of executive presence.

Operating effectively in high-stress situations

Many people can come up with a business plan when the market is favorable and they have had plenty of time to do their research. But only people with great executive presence can come up with a great plan even in crisis situations like recessions or pandemics and make it work. How effective you are in a stressful situation is a mark of your leadership presence.

Knowing yourself and your leadership style

There is no set way to be a leader. In fact, there are many different leadership types. As a leader, you should know that you are unique and bring that novelty to the table as a bonus. Knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses is the first step to becoming an effective executive.

Be aware of how you are perceived

While self-knowledge will give you confidence, it is equally important to know how people see you. A leader who does not have his or her finger on the pulse of the team or company or is unaware of his or her reputation is disconnected from reality.

Using your body language like a tool

Do you tap your fingers when you are stressed? Does the rhythm of your breathing change when you are over-committing? Your body language might reveal what you don’t with your words. And be rest assured, people will notice these minute details about you in a highly visible role. Thus, tame your body and mind so that your body language bellies nothing but sheer calm.

Executive presence is one of those things that you take time to notice in someone. However, if someone doesn’t have what it takes, you will notice immediately. This important filled with lessons for leaders on resolving the inner struggle between impulse and self-discipline, between blind reaction and big picture wisdom. Dozens of proven exercises will empower you to direct yourself and others more productively. To lead with executive presence, leaders ought to sharpen their gravitas, lead to show appearance and to effective communicate rather than letting their unwanted behaviors have their way.

 

Frank is the CEO and Strategic Partner of AQUABEV Investment and Discovery Consulting Group. He is an Executive Director and the Lead Coach in Leadership Development and best Business Management practices for Discovery Leadership Masterclass.

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