The allure of Executive Presence

We instantly know when we are with someone with executive presence. They have this combination of gravitas, communication style and appearance that signals leadership. The author and researcher Sylvia Ann Hewlett sums this up beautifully:

“It is executive presence - and no man or woman attains a top job, lands an extraordinary deal, or develops a significant following without this heady combination of confidence, poise, and authenticity that convinces the rest of us we’re in the presence of someone who’s the real deal. It’s an amalgam of qualities that telegraphs that you are in charge or deserve to be.”

I argue, however, that executive presence is more than just telegraphing or signaling to others that you are in charge. Rather it is fully embodying leadership that leaves no doubt you are in charge. Executive presence is the rare state when all aspects of leadership are in perfect balance and a leader operates from a point of equanimity.

This rarified state is difficult to describe so let’s take a different approach. We have all worked for leaders who don’t quite have the poise, the carefully balanced series of attributes that creates executive presence.  Intuitively we know what executive presence is by what it is not.

Great leaders balance two primary tensions. The first is the balance between getting things done – the task – with the humans that are involved – the relationship.  The second is navigating the complexity of an uncertain external environment while operating from a place of intentionality and discernment.

Those with executive presence operate from the point of balance between these two tensions. Let’s explore a few examples of where this did – and did not – happen.

Get things done while honouring relationships

The ‘task’ side of our work is described by a wide range of words including performance, outcomes, accountability and goals. It is about progress and achieving things. It motivates people as we all get an endorphin hit from a ‘job well done’. Whereas the relational focus is how we feel when we achieve these things. As humans, we are physiologically wired to belong and when we feel this isn’t the case then it is incredibly demotivating.

One of the most common reasons why leaders don’t have executive presence is when they focus too much on the task and not enough on the relational aspect of their role.  This is especially common in technical experts who are rapidly promoted to senior roles and see leadership as ‘something they have to fix’. Many years ago, I worked with a government owned corporation where the new CEO had a mandate from the board to make sweeping changes. With very little consultation and ignoring most contemporary approaches to change management, he implemented his changes. Suffice to say there was significant fallout from the lack of focus on relationships.

But too much focus on relationships undermines executive presence. People want their leaders to chart a path forward and create a compelling narrative about what they are going to do in the future. Another CEO we worked with, this time the head of an industry association, had a real ability to build and nurture strong relationships. Over time, however, his team struggled with the lack of clarity about what to do, the slowness at which things got done, especially with the seemingly excessive consultation that took place on just about every matter. His narrow focus on making sure relationships were okay started to have the opposite effect as people just wanted to get things done.

Treading through uncertainty with intentionality

Responding in an intentional way to the contextual demands of our role requires a delicate interplay between scanning the external environment while monitoring one’s own emotions and psyche. It is easy to react to things but difficult to consistently respond in an intentional, measured way.

A marketing executive we coached was described as a supportive leader who got things done and spent a significant amount of energy managing external stakeholders and navigating the ‘high context’ environment that this organisation was in.   She was well liked and effective but bounced around from one thing to the next.  People experienced her as unpredictable and reactive. Because she didn’t operate from a deeper inner place of equanimity it undermined many of her other traits.

On the other end of the spectrum was the CEO of a financial services organisation who was one of the calmest people I have ever met. So calm in fact that it manifested as a lack of curiosity about the external environment and a risk-averse attitude to new ideas. He tolerated the conversations, but rarely did these conversations result in action.  Those around him felt that his primary technique was to use the ‘ostrich-strategy’ - ignore it and it will go away.

The alchemy of executive presence

People aren’t born with executive presence, they develop it.

In my experience, the inner capacity of leadership is the hardest to learn. Operating from an inner place of equanimity requires humility and contemplation. It involves being comfortable with ourselves, ever vigilant and reflexive about our thoughts and actions. To truly build executive presence in a way that reflects who you are (some would use the word authentic) then start here.

First, ruthlessly protect your wellbeing. If you are not physically and emotionally strong then it is almost impossible to respond generatively to those challenges you face daily as a leader.

Second, build mechanisms into your working rhythm that allow you to reflect on how you are responding to those things around you. This may take the form of journaling, mindfulness or reflective walks.

Third, listen attentively and with curiosity to those around you. Deeply listen to the space between the words of others. There is great meaning to be uncovered in what is not being said which you pick up from the mannerisms, pauses, energy and nuances when you deeply listen.

Being truly present inspires others. It instills confidence and trust. It is the hallmark of all great leaders. But not all leaders have sufficient courage to tread this path of development. Perhaps you do.