What is an executive presence?
Executive presence is the ability one has to give off a general sense of confidence, poise, dignity, credibility, and decisiveness at their place of work. The term can also include the characteristics needed to be a sound leader within an organization.
Those with a strong executive presence tend to work well under pressure and can communicate clearly and effectively. It’s all about the persona that lets others around the individual know they’re in charge and capable of leading a team. Having an individual with a strong executive presence in an organization can boost employee morale, productivity, and engagement, which can be measured using employee engagement software.
Executive presence traits and abilities
Those who have a strong executive presence will usually exhibit the following traits and abilities:
- Inspiring and empowering others
- Focusing on important tasks
- Speaking charismatically
- Articulating a clear vision or point
- Telling great stories with elaborate details
- Exhibiting confidence in all types of situations
- Working calmly in high-stress or high-pressure situations
- Teaching or educating others on how to think and problem-solve
- Exhibiting high emotional intelligence
Those who can master these traits can better build trust-based relationships with coworkers, clients, customers, and partners. Additionally, they can develop engaged and empowered teams that are able to achieve a high level of productivity while inspiring others to go the extra mile to be successful.
Benefits of having executive presence
When an individual has a strong sense of executive presence, they will likely experience certain benefits.
- Having a strong executive presence can determine whether or not an individual is given specific opportunities or responsibilities.
- No matter the size of a company or the industry it’s within, important decisions are made and leadership opportunities are given to those who exude confidence and have positioned themselves to be a key player in company-wide decisions.
- Those who are commonly perceived as a leader within an organization have a better chance of advancing within a career path. These skills and qualities within an individual can be tracked using career management software to promote career development and employee growth.
- Individuals with executive presence can use their demeanor and communication skills when helping others to achieve their goals, which will enhance workplace productivity.
Best practices to develop executive presence
To develop a strong and impactful executive presence, individuals can focus on specific best practices.
- Project confidence: In addition to what an individual says, a lot rides on how something is said, too. When speaking, those wishing to develop an executive presence should use strong eye contact and posture, while also having appropriate facial and vocal expressions.
- Establish communication skills: An individual should be able to communicate clearly and concisely. Doing so is crucial to gaining respect and having a positive influence in the workplace.
- Form connections: Being able to engage and connect with others in a way that makes everyone feel comfortable is an important part of growing executive presence. How someone reacts and responds using both verbal and non-verbal cues can help build a connection and establish someone as an effective leader.
- Cultivate credibility: The language used when speaking to others can positively affect credibility. Avoiding filler words when communicating with others will only distract and decrease an individual's credibility. Speaking with strong conviction can boost executive presence.
- Develop emotional intelligence: It’s important when building an executive presence that an individual can control and be aware of their emotions. Being able to keep emotions in check and respond with professionalism can go a long way in advancing a career. Individuals with high emotional intelligence are also usually effective and empathetic communicators.
- Convey charisma: With strong listening skills and the ability to remain focused, being able to convey charisma to the people one works with can establish trust with and demonstrate leadership qualities.
- Creating a signature style: Leaders with executive presence have a style that is unique to them. Without the need to imitate or mimic others, it comes down to each individual's mannerisms, communication styles, and what they’re passionate about.
Mara Calvello
Mara Calvello is a Content and Communications Manager at G2. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Elmhurst College (now Elmhurst University). Mara writes content highlighting G2 newsroom events and customer marketing case studies, while also focusing on social media and communications for G2. She previously wrote content to support our G2 Tea newsletter, as well as categories on artificial intelligence, natural language understanding (NLU), AI code generation, synthetic data, and more. In her spare time, she's out exploring with her rescue dog Zeke or enjoying a good book.
