Executive Presence

7 Steps to Expand Your Influence and Increase Your Impact

Award-Winning Entrepreneur and Executive Coach, Amy Throw, talks about the importance of Executive Presence for female entrepreneurs and gives us a seven-step plan to help us unlock our leadership potential and equip others to develop their own Executive Presence.

We’ve all heard the term “Executive Presence” and know it’s important but what does it mean? Executive Presence is more than about looking good in a suit. It’s an attitude that exudes confidence, competence, and intelligence. Executive Presence is critical for female entrepreneurs.

In 17 years of coaching entrepreneurs, I’ve seen a consistent theme. We can lack self-confidence. We overthink, second guess ourselves and worry about how others perceive us. This can make it difficult for us to lead with confidence. Developing Executive Presence starts with building your confidence. The 7 steps outlined in this article are based on my Full Circle 7 Method ™ of Executive Presence and will help you discover your inner CEO and become the leader you were born to be!

Step 1 - Develop Gravitas

Gravitas is a word that translates as dignity and impressiveness. It is a virtue along with kindness, hard work, self-worth, and sense of humour. The weight of your dignity must be balanced with an ability to lighten up. Too dignified and there’s no fun or joy. Too light and no one listens because you are not taken seriously.

Gravitas includes knowledge, purpose, and passion - and they all work together. Leaders must know their business and be up to date on industry trends. This is a given. A leader with gravitas is also driven by purpose and passion. In Simon Sinek’s famous Ted Talk, “Start with Why,” he says others aren’t inspired by WHAT we do or HOW we do it. They are inspired by our WHY. The WHY is our purpose.

What we do must be motivated by purpose. Once we tap into our purpose, the passion will flow, and passion persuades. Master gravitas and you will command respect and attracts others wherever you go!

Step 2 - Cultivate Three Types of Intelligence

Every person has a different set of intellectual gifts. Knowledge about your product or industry is foundational to executive presence. But knowledge isn’t enough. You must also have emotional intelligence, social intelligence, and self-awareness. These 3 intelligences are the foundation of executive presence.

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to recognise, understand and manage our own emotions and recognise, understand, and influence the emotions of others.

Social Intelligence develops from experience with people and learning from success and failures in social settings. It is often referred to as “tact,” “common sense,” or “street smarts.”

Self-awareness is the ability to see yourself clearly and objectively. We develop self-awareness through reflection and introspection.

Step 3 - Mind Your Mindset

Psychologist Carol S. Dweck states that those with a “fixed mindset”, believe that intelligence is static and those with a growth mindset believe that intelligence can be developed. Executive Presence requires a growth mindset. A growth mindset starts by managing negative thoughts before they take control. When we model this to others, our influence grows.

Investing in your personal development and becoming a lifelong learner is part of a growth mindset. This mindset gives you an edge, unlocks potential and improves performance. Once you have mastered your own mindset you can help others develop a growth mindset and they can do the same. This creates a positive ripple effect in your business and in the world.

Clear communication is a foundation of Executive Presence

Step 4 - Protect Your Brand

Your brand is more than the clothes you wear and the colours on your logo. Brand is the trifecta of dress, decorum, and demeanour.

Leverage the first impression of others by dressing in a way that communicates your brand. Brand also includes how well your body language and your voice communicate your brand to the world. A confident tone of voice will project brand power in any situation. Good posture, a robust handshake and eye contact are the finishing touches.

Step 5 - Communicate with Clarity and Confidence

Clear communication is a foundation of Executive Presence. Leaders must be able to engage and activate others when they communicate. Whether you are crafting an email, a formal presentation, or leading a web meeting, mind what you say and how you say it. Leaders with Executive Presence devote time and energy to plan their communications.

Did you know only 7 percent of meaning is communicated with our words? According to UCLA Professor Albert Mehrabian, 38 percent is through tone of voice, and 55 percent through body language. Leaders with Executive Presence are mindful of tone, especially in email and text. They make sure that their body language is consistent with their message.

Step 6 - Be Authentic

A leader with Executive Presence is authentic. Authentic leaders are aware of their strengths, their limitations, and their emotions. They show their real selves to others. Their public and private behaviour is consistent. They don’t hide their mistakes or weaknesses out of fear of looking weak.

The authentic leader knows her strengths and leverages them. Authenticity includes identifying what makes you unique. It also includes being aware of your liabilities and blind spots. There are many assessments available to help leaders discover strengths and liabilities. A few that I’m experienced with are the HOGAN, Clifton Strengths, and the Extended DISC.

Authentic leaders can inspire people to pull together, work hard, and communicate. They inspire because they stay true to their own values. They know who they are, and they don’t let anyone keep them from deciding what they know is right.

Step 7 - Cultivate Equanimity

Equanimity is rarely discussed and a key to Executive Presence. Equanimity is evenness of mind and the ability to stay calm especially under stress. It involves detaching from emotions to maintain your composure under pressure.

The leader ALWAYS sets the tone and models the behaviour in an organisation. And this impacts communication, collaboration, environment, and performance for the entire team. Equanimity cannot be under-rated.

If you’re a leader, I trust that this article delivered insight into what it takes to be an effective one. The seven steps in this article will help you tap into your inner CEO and become the leader you were born to be.

Take a moment to reflect on which step impacted you most, but don’t stop there! In the next week, make an action plan developing your Executive Presence. How will you help others develop theirs? Share it with a colleague and set up a plan for accountability. I would love to hear your plans. Message me on LinkedIn to share your thoughts. www.linkedin.com/in/amythrow

Let’s keep each other accountable so we are all successful leaders together. Cheers to your growth!

To discover your areas of strength and growth opportunities, take our assessment @ www.amythrow.com/full-circle-7-assessment/

Amy Throw is an Award-Winning Entrepreneur, Executive Coach, Author, Speaker and Founder of the Amy Throw Group. Creator of the Full Circle 7 Method™ to Executive Presence, she helps women unlock power, ignite performance and lead with authority. With 25 years of sales, leadership, and personal branding experience, Amy has helped countless women gain confidence and unleash their powerful presence. www.amythrow.com