Executive Presence is considered essential to effectively perform in leadership roles.

Professional advancement to executive roles requires demonstrated knowledge, skill, and competence, coupled with less quantifiable “authenticity,” “cultural fit,” and “executive presence.”

Sylvia Ann Hewlett, CEO of Center for Talent Innovation, conducted 18 focus groups and 60 interviews to systematically investigate behavioral and attitudinal aspects of Executive Presence (EP).

Executive Presence accounts for more than a quarter of factors that determine a next promotion, according to participants, and includes three components:

“Gravitas” – Authoritative Behavior

• • Confidence, composure,
  • Decisiveness,
  • Integrity,
  • Emotional Intelligence: Self-awareness, self-regulation, interpersonal skills,
  • Personal “brand” reputation,
  • Vision for leadership,

Communication

• • Speaking skills:  Voice tone, articulation, grammatical speech conveying competence,
  • “Presence”, “bearing”,  “charisma” including assertiveness, humor, humility,
  • Ability to sense audience engagement, emotion, interests,

Appearance

• • Grooming, posture,
  • Physical attractiveness, normal weight,
  • Professional attire.

Executive presence can be cultivated with Image Management, noted Harrison Monarth.

He advocated self-marketing tactics including:

-Maintaining a compelling personal “brand” to influence others’ perceptions and willingness to collaborate,

-Managing online reputation, and recovering when communications go awry,

-Effectively persuading those who disagree, and gaining followers,

-Demonstrating “Emotional Intelligence” skills of self-awareness, awareness of others (empathic insight).

He focused less on appearance as a contributor to career advancement than Hewlett and Stanford Law School’s Deborah Rhode, who summarized extensive research on Halo Effect.
Rhode and Hewlett acknowledged the impact of appearance and non-verbal behavior on various life opportunities including career advancement.

Rhode estimated that annual world-wide investment in appearance is close to $200 billion in 2010 USD currency, and she contended that bias based on appearance:

• Is prevalent,
• Infringes on individuals’ fundamental rights,
• Compromises merit principles,
• Reinforces negative stereotypes,
• Compounds disadvantages facing members of non-dominant races, classes, and gender.

Executive Presence is widely recognized as a prerequisite for leadership roles, yet its components remained loosely-defined until Hewlett’s systematic investigation, Monarth’s consulting-based approach, and Rhode’s legal analysis.

-*Which elements seem most essential to Executive Presence?

See related posts

• Powerful Non-Verbal Behavior May Have More Impact Than a Good Argument
• Authoritative Non-Verbal Communication for Women in the Workplace
• How Much Does Appearance Matter?
• Developing “Charisma” and “Presence”
• Non-Verbal Behaviors that Signal “Charisma”

©Kathryn Welds