Dr. Vas Srinivasan
ThreeFish Consulting
Executive Presence (EP) or as some people call it Leadership Presence is one of the most discussed attributes when you look at a leader today. As a coach, very often the ask from the organization is that a leader needs to exhibit his/her presence to be effective and successful. Many of my coachees end up taking this as a coaching goal and have been very successful in developing it with effort and perseverance.
Executive Presence is described in various ways by many people. But Sylvia Ann Hewlett has articulated it in the simplest and yet powerful way in her book. Sylvia considers three attributes that contribute to Executive Presence:
- The way you act (gravitas)
- The way you talk (communicate)
- The way you look (appearance)
The author goes on to say that studies show 67% executives said Gravitas is a must have, 28% said Communication is important and only 5% said Appearance matters.
What makes up gravitas? Top aspects include: Confidence & grace under fire, Decisiveness & showing teeth, Integrity & speaking truth to power, Emotional intelligence and Vision & Charisma. She gives specific examples illustrating how various leaders across a wide spectrum displayed gravitas.
Hewlett goes on to describe how her experience in life taught her about the importance of Communication. Top communication traits include: Superior speaking skills, Ability to command a room, Forcefulness & Assertiveness, Ability to read a client/a boss/ a room, Sense of humor & ability to banter, Body language/posture. If you’re a businessman, technologist, researcher or a teacher, the ability to communicate your thoughts with clarity is paramount.
Although, Appearance is not as highly ranked trait compared to the other two, ignoring it can lead to creating the wrong impression. When we talk about appearance, we’re not talking about being very beautiful or handsome. Top aspects of Appearance include: Being polished & groomed, Physically attractive, fit, Simple stylish clothes, Being youthful & vigorous.
I have recommended this book to many of my coachees and they found it very useful. Many of them implemented the tips given in the book and it helped them to exhibit and improve their executive presence.
