How To Build Executive Prescence
Demystifying Executive Prescence
Executive Prescence has such a mystery around it. What exactly is it ? How does one develop it? Some people seem like they were born with it, some learn and improve, and others struggle to grasp it. Having worked with many executives and people in the c-suite for the last 2 decades, I identify as that person who didn’t have it, although learned about it and improved over time. It was a necessity of the role I had.
There have been several micro and macro experiences that helped me develop executive presence. One such pivotal experience helped me realize the importance of having (EP). About 10 years into my career, I was invited by my boss (who was also my advocate) to join him in an important meeting in a different city, with a new set of executives. Some of the names were familiar to me but most were new to me. We were all sitting in a large sleek conference room. Most of them outranked me in terms of position, and barely acknowledged my presence. When I looked around the room, not only was I the only woman, but also the only person of color. I felt that familiar knot of nervousness. This wasn’t the first time, but it was always there in such situations where I questioned if I belonged in a room. My boss started out the agenda, which I vaguely remember now. What I do remember is every time we talked about the product, I attempted to answer the questions, as that was the main reason I was invited to this meeting as the product expert. The questions would then get redirected to my boss, almost as though I didn’t exist. With every question redirected to my boss, I wanted to shout, “I know this better! Ask me!”. My voice stayed silent, but inside, frustration built with each passing moment. Walking out of that room, I knew something had to change. I couldn’t continue feeling invisible. That day, I realized that if I wanted to excel, I had to develop the presence that commanded attention and respect—something I later recognized as having executive presence.
That moment and many others became a turning point for how I conducted myself in meetings. Over the years, I made it my mission to learn the art of executive presence. I improved my executive presence by becoming more self-aware and intentional about my growth. In my last role as a Head of Product, I had experienced being part of the management team that made many strategic and hard decisions. Also, I had many experiences during the M&A process to represent product, in a way my 10 years younger self couldn’t have even imagined the rooms (physical & virtual) she got to sit in and get invited to. And I know from the way people treated me, that I was valued and my opinions and direction mattered to those around me. I felt heard for the most part when talking about my teams or products.
In my quest to explain this to a group of women I was recently coaching, I turned to research so that I could express these experiences through data. What I learnt is there is an art and science to EP. This article written by Sylvia Ann Hewlett in Harvard Business Review is based on surveys and has new data on EP. According to her research, executive presence boils down to three key elements:
Gravitas - How you act
Communication - How you communicate
Appearance - How you appear
Based on the study and the article, I simplified this in a way it feels bite-sized and digestible for me. I also, bolded the categories I feel are actionable and something people can work on their own to improve their EP. I wasn’t surprised about how communication plays such a key role in this, and it never gets old on me to ask myself how else can I improve on my communication skills. Even though I teach webinars and host workshops on this topic, I know I have room for improvement. I am just getting started as a public speaker and a storyteller.
Its is promising to see how self-aware many senior ICs or mid-executives are about developing their EP. If you’re ready to start building your executive presence, here are two questions to explore and journal on so you can become better:
What are my strengths when it comes to EP ?
How could I improve my current EP by 10% ?
In 3 months look at your answers and ask #2 again. Over time, you’ll be amazed as how you’ve built your executive presence.