Unlocking your Executive Presence by Beth O’Neill

“In its simplest terms, executive presence is about your ability to inspire confidence” 

 

“Inspiring confidence in your senior leaders that you have great potential, [inspiring confidence in your team that they have great potential] and inspiring confidence in those you lead that you’re someone they want to follow.” 

 

 

The foundation of executive presence is belief. Belief in your ability to lead, and belief in the people you are leading. This mirrors coaching, which is why I train people in both a coaching approach to leadership and in executive presence. 

 

“Without your own belief that you can own the room - and your desire to own it - the room is already lost” - Viv Groskop, How to Own a Room 

Through my work developing leaders, and as seen in the Harvard Business Review on the New Rules of Executive Presence, three key areas emerge when discussing executive presence; Gravitas, Strong Communication and Personal Brand. For each of these areas below I’ve included an application suggestion and further reading to help you embed the knowledge and grow your executive presence. 

 

1). Gravitas. Importance and seriousness, causing feelings of respect and trust in others 

 

Decisiveness: feeling equipped to make decisions and communicating with conviction and authority 

Application: practise making low risk decisions to build up confidence 

 

Adaptability: being able to adjust your plans when required 

Application: C-me colour profiling is one of my favourite tools for learning how to adapt. Get in touch to get your personalised profile. 

 

Integrity: leading with honesty, trustworthiness and respect. 

Application: extend trust and empower others in their roles - see Stephen M.R.Covey’s work on building trust 

 

Inclusivity: treating everyone on your team with equality and respect 

Application: co-create a set of ground rules in your meetings so members feel safe to contribute and challenge - see Timothy Clark’s work on Psychological Safety 

 

2. Strong communication. The ability to communicate in an engaging, empathetic and persuasive manner 

 

Command: commanding a room with a warm, yet confident presence 

Application: when you start a meeting (in-person and online) be visible, sit or stand with feet hip width apart, give eye contact and imagine welcoming people into your home 

 

Asking effective questions: asking open-ended questions to get buy-in and unlock potential 

Application: adopt the 7-minute rule to get everyone engaged within 7 minutes of a meeting by asking ‘what’, ‘how’ or ‘who’ such as: “what are you most looking forward to today?” 

 

Active listening: being emotionally intelligent, empathetic and listening to what’s not being said 

Application: during a meeting, share what you sense or see, “I’m sensing some hesitation towards this idea, what do people think?” I love Nancy Kline’s book, Time to Think that helps us understand the power of greater listening and thinking. 

 

Succinctness: communicating your subject matter clearly without unnecessary words 

Application: avoid verbal justifications such as ‘just’ ‘actually’ ‘kind of’ ‘like’ ‘erm’. In Tara Mohr’s book, Playing Big you’ll find more on this topic. 

 

3. Personal brand. What people say about you when you’re not in the room. 

 

Purposeful: knowing your why, using your values as guiding principles and inspiring others with your knowledge 

Application: consider being a thought-leader in your organisation, sharing expertise and ideas in meetings or blogs to establish credibility, gain visibility and influence others with new thinking 

 

USP: celebrating what makes you unique, playing to your resilient strengths and encouraging others to do the same 

Application: write out your strengths, including hidden strengths, and try to adopt then more in your role 

 

Authenticity: being authentic and communicating authentically 

Application: be vulnerable by sharing your story, owning mistakes, asking questions and asking for feedback. I recommend researching Brene Brown if you’re interested in exploring vulnerability 

 

The ‘executive’ look: presenting yourself in a polished yet authentic way 

Application: wear clothes that look good on you and that you feel great in. You could do a personal styling session, personal colours palette test or ask a friend or colleague for their advice 

 

 

What’s one area that you can lean into to grow your executive presence? Is it establishing ground rules in your team meetings, cutting out filler words, or writing a blog for your organisation? Taking small steps can make a huge difference. 

 

If you want to practise your executive presence with like-minded female leaders, why not join the Women in Leadership programme? 

 

The programme is for female leaders, managers, HR professionals and in-house coaches helping you to own your seat at the table and empower your people. 

 

Our next cohort launches online on Thursday 3 October 2024 from 3-5pm and we meet fortnightly for 10 sessions. The programme includes a C-me colour profile, one-to-one coaching support, an e-learning platform and private online community space. 

 

To book your space, register here: https://www.bethoneillcoaching.com/women-in-leadership 

 

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Beth O’Neill is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and certified C-me colour profiling facilitator. 

 

Beth is the Founder of Beth O’Neill Coaching and Co-Founder of SMUK London, a lifestyle studio in Belgravia London where she hosts SMUK Life, a regular women’s breakfast workshop. 

 

Beth has worked with female leaders from a range of companies and sectors including Amazon, Google and Recognised.