{"id":130,"date":"2024-11-21T13:43:52","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T13:43:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinco.ie\/?p=130"},"modified":"2024-11-23T17:03:38","modified_gmt":"2024-11-23T17:03:38","slug":"how-to-improve-your-executive-presence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinco.ie\/?p=130","title":{"rendered":"How to improve your Executive Presence"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Executive Presence is a term that\u2019s thrown around quite loosely and is often the reason given to explain why someone didn\u2019t get a big promotion.\u00a0 It\u2019s rarely explained well to the individual, is very intangible and they don\u2019t really know what to do next.<\/p>\n\n

So \u2026 what is Executive Presence?<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s our ability to convince and inspire confidence in others that they are looking at someone who is \u2018important\u2019 and someone who is \u2018going places.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0 Imagine you are in a room and a new person walks in.\u00a0 In a few seconds, you will \u2018size them up.\u2019\u00a0 What are they wearing, do they look confident, what is the tone of their voice, etc.?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Based on elements like this, you will make a rapid \u2018call\u2019 about whether this is a senior person or not.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Here\u2019s a quick example :\u00a0 you\u2019re in the Boardroom with a number of other people and a person you don\u2019t know comes in (man or woman).\u00a0 They are wearing a sharp, freshly cleaned suit.\u00a0 Their shoulders are back, they are standing tall and they walk in with a confident air.\u00a0\u00a0 They move towards the top of the room and turn towards the group.\u00a0\u00a0 They scan the room making eye contact with everyone and in a very assured and positive voice, they say \u201cHi everyone, my name is \u2026, so nice to meet you all.\u201d \u00a0They sit down, face the group, continue to smile and make eye contact.\u00a0\u00a0 All of this might take 30 seconds.\u00a0 So, what \u2018call\u2019 did you about this person as you contemplated the scenario?\u00a0 You might have thought \u201cwow, they\u2019re cocky\u201d but you also probably considered that this is likely a senior person and that you were interested to tune into what they were going to say in the meeting.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Why do you need to improve Executive Presence?<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0It\u2019s really only important if you want to operate at a senior level.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve been told you need to do something about your Executive Presence and you choose not to change then it\u2019s likely career will hit a \u2018ceiling.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0 Every company\u2019s culture is different.\u00a0 Maybe in your company, the senior people all wear shorts and flip flops.\u00a0 When you look deeper, you will find that there are common attributes that all of these Executives have.\u00a0 It\u2019s almost like a \u2018club.\u2019\u00a0 If you don\u2019t have those attributes too then you are deemed not to have Executive Presence and won\u2019t be allowed into the \u2018club.\u2019\u00a0 This may seem unfair but they are part of the unwritten \u2018rules of the promotion game.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0 If you want to move up the ladder, you need to play the game.\u00a0\u00a0 If you choose not to and you feel it\u2019s unfair, then that\u2019s ok but don\u2019t become frustrated when those senior promotions don\u2019t happen for you.<\/p>\n\n

Here are our Top 5 Tips on how to improve your Executive Presence :<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 \u00a0Rate your current level of Executive Presence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cNo man or woman attains a top job, lands an extraordinary deal or develops a significant following without the heady combination of confidence, poise, and authenticity that convinces the rest of us that we are in the presence of someone who is the real deal\u201d <\/em>\u2013 Sylvia Ann Hewlett<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n

It\u2019s important to establish where you are starting from.\u00a0 There are many elements to Executive Presence but consider these 5 as you self assess :\u00a0\u00a0 Gravitas, Confidence, Communication, Assertiveness and Appearance.\u00a0\u00a0 Score yourself on a scale of 1 \u2013 10\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (1 \u2013 significant weakness,\u00a0 10 \u2013 significant strength).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Here are some definitions that should help :\u00a0<\/p>\n\n