Executive presence—which I define as the “signals” you send when you engage in your workplace interactions—is a critical component of leadership development and women’s leadership. By powerfully combining your executive voice with your leadership substance, character, style, and vision, executive presence encapsulates all of the ingredients of effective leadership.
This is why SHAMBAUGH’s “Women in Leadership and Learning (WILL) Program and our eWILL coaching and development training program for women leaders incorporates training on executive presence, and why it’s a key part of our executive coaching and leadership coaching. In WILL, we define executive presence as: “The combination of behaviors and attitudes that enable you to clearly and confidently express your ideas and influence others.”
One of my articles on executive voice and presence was recently published by Harvard Business Review as a video, which gives a visual highlighting our five coaching strategies to add a more strategic executive voice to your leadership toolkit.
Leading in a hybrid environment calls for demonstrating a suite of executive presence strategies that our executive consultants use in our leadership coaching and workshops. By leveraging these strategies whether you work in the office, the boardroom, or in a hybrid arrangement, you can maximize your potential as a strategic leader:
Be Conscientious in What You Say
Conscientious communication is at the core of executive presence, and effective leaders keep this fact front and center regardless of where they are working. In many instances, it’s easy to jump in and say what’s top of mind without thoughtful preparation. Be a purposeful communicator, and before you engage with others or your team, consider these three questions:
- What is the result I want to achieve?
- What key points do I need to make?
- How should I say it to get the results I want?
Be Thoughtful in How You Say It
When you communicate, be intentional and concise. Stay on point and speak with clarity to avoid rambling to a tuned-out room or Zoom meeting. How you say it also involves your perceived confidence level, which you can reveal through the energy and passion you project when presenting ideas and opinions. Communicate authenticity through your tone, posture, expressions, and eye contact—and this is doubly important when on videoconference to ensure that others connect with you. Purposeful conversation is not just calling out what’s not working but being curious, listening to others, and being open to constructive feedback whether in person or in a virtual environment. Be intentional about connecting the broader range of ideas so you’re equipped to create a better outcome for all involved.
Know Who to Say It To
Relevance and context when speaking to your audience are also important components of executive presence. Understand how different people, roles, and departments fit into the organization, and factor these insights into your communication. Executive voice is about more than simply using the right words—you must understand, strategically, to whom specific messages can be directed most effectively.
Be an Active Participant—Time When You Say It Appropriately
Whether you’re part of a meeting or connecting one-on-one with someone in your group, be aware of what else is happening within the organization or with specific employees that could affect the timing of your message. Understanding the right timing shows respect for others and can help build trust. Be on the lookout for social cues that might lead you to suggest postponing an important discussion for another time if your audience seems distracted.
Show Up Strategic
To establish credibility and be persuasive, speak the language of business by linking your new idea or view to the business strategy. Be clear and concise, and demonstrate a sense of purpose by sharing your perspective—but back it up with facts. Take time to listen to others, then ask a strategic question that supports the central business objective and intent for the meeting. Lastly, when communicating a difficult or complex topic, make it understandable by translating it into storytelling. Sharing a good story is another way to connect with others, find common ground, and build trust.
If you or your team have experiences with this topic or advice that you’d like to share about it, please reach out to me at info@shambaughleadership.com.
Link to our offerings to learn more about Rebecca’s Keynotes, SHAMBAUGH’s Executive Presence Coaching and Development Offerings, Women in Leadership Programs and Solutions, Executive Coaching for Men and Women, and SHAMBAUGH’s Women in Leadership and Learning (WILL) Program.
Rebecca Shambaugh is President of SHAMBAUGH Leadership, and Founder of Women in Leadership and Learning. Rebecca is a contributing writer to Harvard Business Review, the HuffPost, and a TEDx speaker. Rebecca has been featured on CNBC, Forbes, Training Magazine, and US News and World Report. She is author of the best-selling books It’s Not a Glass Ceiling, It’s a Sticky Floor and Make Room for Her: Why Companies Need an Integrated Leadership Model to Achieve Extraordinary Results.