I found this superb book on Executive Presence by Slyvia Ann Hewlett!! And this is worth its weight in gold!!
– It’s based on solid research – polls and interviews with senior leaders
– It looks at 3 main important components that adds up to presence – Gravitas, communication, appearance
– It further dissects those components and allocates percentage of importance of each for both men and women
And trust me! They are so practical and proven that you just cannot not follow them!
The book cites data from the research conducted by Centre for Talent Innovation in 2012. The research involved surveying 4000 graduate professionals, 18 focus groups and some 50 interviews to deconstruct executive presence and to what extent each component matters for men and women in the corporate world.
The findings for each are clearly laid out in the images in the book – which I have shared here.
GRAVITAS: THE FIRST DIMENSION OF EXECUTIVE PRESENCE
Gravitas is the core characteristic of executive presence.
62% of the leaders polled agreed to this quality being important in giving people the heft and weightiness to take on bigger responsibilities. Gravitas is a combination of all the qualities in the image below.
Photo credit – from Hewlett’s book Executive Presence
Strong qualities like decisiveness, confidence under fire, EQ, integrity create the image of a strong leader.
From Margaret Thatcher to Hilary Clinton – every strong personality has exhibited these qualities to create a presence of her own!
HOW TO DEVELOP GRAVITAS
✅ Surround yourself with people who are better than you. This will help complement your skills
✅ Stick to what you know. Back up your ideas with data
✅ Show humility. Own up to your mistakes
✅ Smile more. Smiling projects happiness and likability. And people like to work with people they like
✅ Avoid these blunders – sexual impropriety, flip flopping, racial comments, lack of integrity, bullying
Have you seen someone make heads turn by the power of their gravitas?
COMMUNICATION: THE SECOND DIMENSION OF EXECUTIVE PRESENCE
Sylvia says that communication is a thing that is “always on”- in everything one says and does.
Communication for leaders does not mean just formal presentation skills. It broadly includes
✔️The art of making conversation
✔️Writing effective emails
✔️Even casual comments you make
✔️Non verbal communication
The image below shows the components of communication that matter for.
Image credit – from the book Executive Presence
The most important part of effective communication is and ability to command a room. It all boils down to how well you connect with the audience.
HOW TO ACE COMMUNICATION TO DEEPEN YOUR PRESENCE
– Eliminate filler words like “err…”, “um..” “like” when you talk. Using these words affect your credibility
– Widen your small talk. Read a lot and be aware so that you can strike a conversation and contribute to any topic
– Cultivate your voice. Sounding shrill goes against women and affects their presence. Tone it down with practice
– Make eye contact. Don’t get lost behind props like lists or slides.
APPEARANCE: THE THIRD DIMENSION OF EXECUTIVE PRESENCE
This is a tricky but interesting one!
Although only 5% of the senior executives interviewed said appearance was important. Overall data shows that appearance is key in the way the other 2 components – your gravitas and communication – are evaluated.
You need to “look” the part. And dress up for the position you want and not the one you are in.
Image credit: From the book Executive Presence
The top component of appearance – as you can see in the image – is grooming.
Nails, hair, clothes – all put together in a way that shows you are in control. It shows effort to look the part.
Physical fitness is another important part of projecting yourself as a leader. you should be able to power through meetings without having to catch your breathe.
Appearance is tightrope especially for women! Too little make-up and you don’t stand out. Too much and you lose credibility.
Under-dress and you are not leadership material. Show too much skin and you aren’t taken seriously.
Being overweight goes against women, while not being tall goes against men. If you are challenged in the height dept, ladies, heels can help you beat that disadvantage!
HOW TO NAIL THE PERFECT APPEARANCE
The book has an entire chapter on the tightrope that women have to walk in all three areas of presence. She also goes on to talk about how lack of feedback on one’s appearance, especially for women makes it hard for them to improve.
I highly recommend this book for anyone – men and women (but especially women) who wants to work on their presence and power to climb up the ladder in their career.
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