Peak Performers by Tiffany Uman

How to build your executive presence

October 23, 2023

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Executive presence is a critical aspect of career advancement and leadership, influencing how others perceive and respond to your authority, vision, and communication.

It is more than just projecting confidence; it is about mastering the art of communication, cultivating gravitas, and building credibility that inspires trust and respect.

By exuding a commanding aura and demonstrating a clear vision, peak performers hold a strong executive presence that can more easily garner support for their initiatives, paving the way for successful implementation of strategic goals and transformations.

They recognize that it is something they need to engrain in their day-to-day behaviours that reinforce their own ability to operate effectively and with great impact.

Executive presence is, in large part, your ability to direct, lead and inspire teams to move towards unifying goals and positive outcomes while encouraging them to bring out their best.

"Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others." - Jack Welch

Ultimately, executive presence serves as a vital differentiator, enabling peak performers to stand out amidst their peers as capable, trustworthy and dependable leaders.

Here's how.

Don't neglect this.

Like most things in life, building your executive presence does not happen overnight.

It requires intentional, thoughtful action.

In fact, it creates a compounding effect that only grows stronger in impact and influence amongst your peers and leadership team members.

And yet, there are 3 key areas that most professionals neglect in terms of importance when it comes to doing this:

→ Body language mastery: Often overlooked, body language significantly impacts how others perceive your confidence and authenticity. It is as important, if not more important, in how you interact with others and project yourself in your work environment.

→ Authenticity vs. image crafting: Balancing authenticity with the need to cultivate a professional image is crucial, as an overly contrived persona can come across as insincere and forced. You do not want to create a façade but rather a true representation of who you are and how you make others feel.

→ Emotional Intelligence: Building executive presence goes beyond surface-level charm and demands emotional intelligence to connect genuinely with your team and stakeholders. This is what will take your connections and relationships to a new level of trust, credibility and openness. Leading with empathy and kindness will allow others to feel safe and supported.

"Fake it till you make it" simply will not work here.

You cannot fake your way through executive presence. This is something others will feel and perceive from you through your daily actions (and inactions).

Let us make sure you get it right.

3 strategies to build your executive presence

1/ Master the art of persuasive communication

A key aspect of persuasive communication lies in the ability to articulate ideas with clarity and conviction, ensuring that messages resonate with your audience and inspire action.

By crafting compelling narratives that align with strategic objectives and addressing the concerns of various stakeholders, you can build credibility and foster a sense of trust within your teams and your broader work community.

Here are 4 simple ways to implement this effectively:

→ Hone in on your storytelling skills by emphasizing narratives that evoke emotions and inspire a shared sense of purpose among team members. Craft concise, impactful messages that resonate with your audience's needs and aspirations.

→ Tailor your messages to specific audiences, acknowledging their unique priorities and concerns to establish a genuine connection and build rapport. This will help them feel heard and understood, and allow you to get more buy-in regarding your decisions and recommendations.

→ Integrate visual aids and compelling data into presentations to enhance the persuasiveness of communication, providing tangible evidence to support key arguments and initiatives. It is hard to deny data and facts, so use this to your advantage vs. "I feel" statements.

→ Practice active listening to understand viewpoints and concerns, demonstrating empathy and fostering meaningful connections. This also creates a conducive environment for forward-thinking dialogue and collaboration.

By consistently adapting communication styles to different contexts you face, you will position yourself as influential and as a respected figure within your role and company.

2/ Cultivate an authentic leadership style

Authentic leadership emanates from a genuine alignment between a leader's actions, values, and beliefs, fostering an atmosphere of transparency and credibility within an organization.

By staying true to your principles and demonstrating consistent behaviour that reflects your core values, you can inspire your teams to work towards a shared vision with a heightened sense of purpose and dedication.

Authenticity also fosters an environment of psychological safety, encouraging open communication and constructive feedback, which ultimately leads to increased employee engagement and a more positive work culture.

Integrating an authentic leadership style into your executive presence requires a deep understanding of your values and an unwavering commitment to upholding them.

Here are 4 steps to put this into action:

→ Self-reflect and identify your core principles and beliefs, and then align these values with your decision-making processes and interactions with others. For example, if respect is one of your core principles, then this can translate in how you interact, speak with and collaborate with all levels of hierarchy in your company, ensuring all voices are heard equally.

→ Foster a culture of transparency and honesty so you encourage open dialogue and constructive dissent, nurturing an environment where diverse perspectives are valued and integrated into day-to-day dynamics and decision making.

→ Embrace vulnerability and acknowledge your opportunity areas as it demonstrates humility and a willingness to learn and grow, ultimately fostering an atmosphere of trust and empowerment within the organization. This will also bring a much needed human side to your interactions with others that will allow them to feel more connected with you.

→ Lead by example to show you are not afraid to get your hands dirty and drive the business forward. Never be above the work. Show your colleagues, teams and senior leaders that you walk the walk and encourage others to do the same.

3/ Nurture strategic relationships and supporters

Building robust relationships and cultivating a network of supporters is a pivotal element in fortifying your executive presence.

By investing in meaningful connections with stakeholders, peers, and subordinates, you can establish a strong support system that not only provides valuable guidance and feedback, but also advocates for their vision and initiatives.

Nurturing these relationships involves active engagement, empathy, and a genuine interest in understanding the needs of others, creating a reciprocal environment where mutual support and collaboration thrive.

Additionally, by fostering a culture of inclusivity and sense of belonging within the team, you enable a more cohesive and motivated workforce that is committed to achieving collective goals and driving organizational success.

Leveraging these relationships, you harness diverse perspectives and insights, facilitating informed decision-making and strategic planning that aligns with the company's broader goals.

Furthermore, through mentorship and coaching, leaders can cultivate a culture of continuous learning and development, nurturing future leaders and fostering a legacy of excellence that perpetuates long after their tenure.

→ Pro tip: Pay attention to those in your company with a strong executive presence. How do they behave towards others? What top traits describe them? How do they bring people together? How do they exude influence? What do they do distinctively differently vs. less performing leaders? What do you respect about them? What would you want to emulate?

This exercise is extremely helpful because as you tap into what you observe in what your organization values in their high-performing leaders, you can then better determine how to start showcasing more of this yourself.

Peak performers leverage their relationships and supporters to learn how they too can elevate themselves in the eyes of others.

How will you build your executive presence?

Building executive presence is an ongoing process that demands self-awareness, adaptability, and a genuine commitment to personal and professional development. By reinforcing the strategies shared above, you can enhance your executive presence as a peak performer and leave a lasting impact in your organization and industry now, and over time.

You've got this!

This week's mission is designed to elevate your executive presence at work. Dedicate uninterrupted time to answering the questions below and leverage these reflections to influence your day-to-day actions and longer-term strategies.

1/ Elevate your persuasive communication skills:

Of the 4 action steps outlined including storytelling, tailored messages, visual aids, active listening, decide which 2 are your biggest opportunity areas right now.
From here, determine 1 core action step for each this week to improve in this area.
At the end of the week, do a self-evaluation on how you performed in those moments vs. prior to implementing these shifts. Be as specific as you can in your observations and use this as a roadmap for continued improvement moving forward.

2/ Self-reflect on your core principles and beliefs:

What are the top 5 that easily come to mind?
How will you ensure to showcase these in your leadership style?

3/ Observe your company's senior level leaders:

What top traits would you use to describe them?
Do you notice commonalities of these traits among multiple leaders in your company?
How do they exude influence?
Now, use this as inspiration for what you want to emulate in further building your executive presence based on what the company values at that level.

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