Yes, there is one now; and I have them on sale at a discount! Here’s how to order:  

Of course, I say this in jest. Why?

Prospects and my clients often call me mystified by the elusive concept of executive presence and wonder if there some quick way to overcome the perception that they carry about their lack of it, particularly before some significant presentation, meeting, or a major promotion. Of course, there is no quick way to mantle yourself with executive presence; it is something that takes careful cultivation and focused hard work (see Fig.-1). Although some people seem to have this “gift” that they carry with them to their benefit, it is not something that is bestowed upon you or vouchsafed for someone to carry around as they navigate through their leadership challenges; it is a carefully nurtured attribute that requires focus, dedication, awareness, and constant vigilance.

Before we get into the “how” of executive presence, let us define it in terms that make easy to understand it: Executive presence can be defined as that certain je ne sais quoi—an undefinable quality—that makes it easy for you to influence others in the way you persuade them with your thoughts, actions, and communication. Executive presence, thus, becomes a major asset for any leadership role that requires you to carry out your mission, even when you do not have direct authority over those who must cooperate with you on that mission.

As distinguished from charisma—yet another mysterious quality that is often bandied about for leaders who are able to charm their way to get what they want—executive presence is a studied and acquired skill. In my view, charisma is often a divinely conferred power or gift. It often stems from a capacity to inspire devotion and enthusiasm; it can be your aura or your energy. Cult leaders often use their charisma to lure their followers to do what can often be otherwise considered as outside the moral guardrails.

How does one cultivate this “power” of mantling themselves with executive presence? What are some secrets that allow those rare individuals who carry this mysterious quality about them? Which of those attributes are readily adaptable to enhance your own executive presence?

Here is my take on how to get there:Stop the Maundering: One of the most common problems I encounter with many of my clients’ challenges surrounding executive presence is that they are maundering through their careers—even their lives—hoping to run into some miraculous encounter that will change the trajectory of their existence. Few even believe that a mysterious agency will discover them and uncover some unique gift that they do not know that they have and change their whole life in an instant because they will see something in how they perceive you. This is a mere fantasy; only you can define who you are and how you want others to see you. In other words, unless you yourself do not know what your gifts are do not expect someone to discover them for you! Although in some rare cases of exceptional gifts, outsiders need to recognize them and convince the person so gifted of their value. Often, too, people have to then work on their gifts to further their power to make them valuable to others.

Now that we have disabused this notion of executive presence being a nurtured (not natural) phenomenon, let us look at this framework for what it takes to build your executive presence, one element at a time, and how to go about it. The main idea behind this framework is that executive presence is a practiced skill (much like how you can practice a growth mindset).

There are 4Cs that form the outer shell of this framework: Conviction, Communication, Community (your audience), and Confidence. The intersection of each pair of circles create yet another four influences that further reinforce what goes into making your Executive Presence (EP)—the Venn diagram of all these intersecting areas—work for you. Let us now look at each of these eight elements in greater detail:

1. Conviction: Behind any message or motivation a leader must show conviction of their beliefs or ideas. This conviction stems from a combination of their expertise in the area of their activity, how they are able to formulate the idea that they need to covey, and how they package that idea to convey its full impact to convince their audience (Community) to buy into it. Passion around their topic and their ability to articulate that topic with energy all go into this element, which is critical to establishing your credibility to influence your audience.
2. Communication: This element deals with how a leader is able to communicate their idea fluidly by understanding what objections the community may hold against their proposal and finding ways to preemptively overcoming those objections with the right stories, examples, metaphors, and structure they use to deliver their message. Audience-appropriate language, understanding audience receptivity to certain ideas because of their predisposition, and the manner in which the message is presented (humor, stories, anecdotes) are essential part of this element.
3. Community: This is your audience that you are trying to influence to change their minds by how you present to them your idea. Collectively and individually most audiences come to such sessions with their biases, predispositions, and preferences. Some of those may even have to do with your likability. Having a deeper understanding of where the audience is coming from by doing some research and investigation can help the leader make their case in a more compelling way than merely lobbing your message with the hope that it will work on your audience. Sometimes, you may have to “pre-sell” your message to some key members of that community so that they support your position during your pitch.
4. Confidence: This is how you carry yourself when presenting your message to your audience. A quiet, confident manner of presenting to the audience can greatly enhance the impact of the leader’s message than when the leader comes across as diffident and easily confused as they roll out their script.
5. Flow: The concept of Flow stems from the work of Dr. Mihaly Csikzentmihaly, a psychologist who proposed that when the challenge you face is matched by your skills then you are in the flow. If the challenge exceeds your ability, then you feel anxious; when the skills exceed the challenge you face, you get bored. The reason for Flow to appear at the intersection of your conviction and your communication is because the former presents the challenge you must overcome, and the latter presents the skill you have to deal with that challenge. When your ability to communicate matches your conviction then you are in the Flow and the audience can respond to your blissful state positively.
6. Empathy: When you connect with the Community’s needs (pain) and are able to communicate that you understand that pain you are showing your empathy for them to buy into your idea. This is why a strong understanding of your audience to your connecting with them with empathy is critical to getting their agreement to what you are proposing.
7. Connection: This is critical element where your confidence plays the right part in your ability to influence your community. Too much confidence can come across as arrogance causing you to lose your ability to connect with your audience. On the flip side, diffidence may cause your audience to lose faith in what you are proposing. The trick is not to get rattled but to stand in front of your audience with just the right amount of self-confidence that you are able to sway them in your favor. Additionally, knowing when to stop talking is critical to this connection; the right body language, pace, and script can help you build that strong connection with the audience.
8. Gravitas: This is the je ne sais quoi—the undefinable—that we mentioned early in this blog. Your conviction and your confidence go into giving you the gravitas that propels you to the finish line of your ability to persuade your audience. It is a quality, albeit elusive, that is a practiced skill.

So, there you have it; this is the “pill” that you must know how to take, not just now and then, but to be aware of it every waking moment of your life. Executive presence is a practiced skill and is something anyone can acquire by understanding its eight components and what it takes to get there.

Good luck!