As sales and account management professionals, the topic of Executive Presence is important to us for two reasons. First, many of us are at a stage in our career where we want to continue to advance, gain more responsibility, and move into the executive ranks within our companies. Second, in our roles, we need to interact with and present to senior level executives, and we want to be credible in these situations. In each of these situations, developing our own Executive Presence is crucial. 

What is Executive Presence? Here is one definition:

A combination of personality and character traits that make an executive dynamic and credible. 

 What are the factors that help to create Executive Presence? 

There are many different factors, and they can be grouped into 4 categories, including:

• Our appearance
• How we communicate
• How we handle ourselves
• Our confidence

 How can we improve our Executive Presence? 

There are many ways to do so. First, let’s start with a simple exercise. 

• Identify 1-2 people who you feel are great role models of Executive Presence.
• Consider the things they do that make them a role model in your eyes – how they appear, how they communicate, how they handle themselves, the confidence they display, etc.
• Consider the things they avoid doing – the flaws, faux pas, and mistakes they do not make.

 By thinking about these people and listing out the things that make you feel so strongly about their presence, you are creating a model to begin to emulate – the things to do and the things to avoid as you strengthen your own Executive Presence. 

Stay tuned for more ideas to help strengthen our Executive Presence in next month’s Tip.