Let’s talk about your leadership presence.
Our presence, choices and success in life, career and relationships often depend on our belief in ourselves. Is our presence and are those beliefs hardwired and fixed or are they adaptable? In my learning it can be a bit of both. Looking at people who seem very capable and who have a certain leadership presence, what do we see? Words that come to mind are a balanced self-assuredness, courage, confidence, determination, awareness, and flexibility. Now how do we get there? Looking at my own life I know that my leadership presence was closely linked to my beliefs about myself and the stories I told myself. The moment I started to reflect and became more aware, my stance in life literally felt more powerful and balanced. Let’s break this down a bit more…
First up: what is presence?
Peter Senge et al. in their book called “Presence” tell us “that the core capacity needed to access the future is presence: being fully conscious, aware in the present moment, able to listen deeply, being open beyond one’s pre-conceptions and historical ways of making sense, letting go of old identities and the need to control.
James Scouller, author of the book the three levels of leadership produced the following YouTube video (8.42”) on “what is presence?”. He sees “presence” as an inner phenomenon with an outer effect. Reaching into the essence of what it takes to be a human being. He speaks about how our presence reveals itself to others. And he also touches on how you experience your own presence. He talks about the root of presence and the words “inner wholeness” and “inner peace and serenity” definitely resonated with me. See what resonates with you?
How do you define leadership presence ?
Among the many definitions the following one spoke to me the most: leadership presence is the ability to connect to others in an authentic way, to be able to build confidence in others, and inspire and motivate them into action. Leadership presence is a valuable characteristic that can make you a more effective leader. It is a combination of many different characteristics and skills. Leaders who develop strong leadership presence know how to influence other people. They lead by example with positive attitudes, and they are able to create a positive work environment. When placed in a positive environment, employees are likely to thrive and increase the success of the organization.
"Leadership presence is the ability to connect to others in an authentic way, to be able to build confidence in others, and inspire and motivate them into action"!
What four factors drive leadership presence?
Research shows that there are 4 key factors that can drive your leadership presence: purpose, perspective, poise, and projection.
- Purpose: as in understanding your purpose in life and being aligned with this as well as being clear about the purpose of your team, and the organization you work for.
- Perspective: as in creating a leadership vision and energizing your team.
- Poise: as in being grounded and dignified in your appearance and communication.
- Projection: as in projecting inward and outward confidence. The way you present yourself impacts the impression you make.
When these four factors align, it is said that your leadership presence will shine despite challenges you might face.
What else could help you develop your leadership presence?
Developing a strong leadership presence involves investing in your personal development, improving your skills, and establishing new habits:
- Increase your self-awareness by paying more attention to the beliefs about yourself and the stories you tell yourself to explain certain events in your life.
- Develop your emotional intelligence by developing your ability to manage and understand emotions, both of yourself and other people.
- Pay attention to how you physically show up in your personal and professional life. Research shows that 93% of our communication is conveyed through body language and tone of voice, so this is definitely an area to pay attention to.
- Learn how to adapt to different situations. Always leave room for the 20% unexpected. On a daily basis.
- Keep a positive attitude in order to influence the people you lead.
- Communicate effectively as you are responsible for engaging, informing and directing your team(s). Consider also sharing your passions.
- Seek advice when needed. Leaders that continue to learn from others demonstrate humility which is also an important leadership skill.
Is there a difference between leadership presence and executive presence?
The term “executive presence” first appeared in Sylvia Ann Hewlett’s book “the sponsor effect”. It is a fairly recent concept that has evolved to meet the requirements of modern-day leadership. And it is a concept that has not been studied sufficiently or talked about in great detail. Forbes, in their article titled “Executive Presence: what is it, why you need it and how to it” describes executive presence as follows: “executive presence is about your ability to inspire confidence – inspiring confidence in your subordinates that you’re the leader they want to follow, inspiring confidence among peers that you’re capable and reliable and, most importantly, inspiring confidence among senior leaders that you have the potential for great achievements”. According to Forbes there are 4 pillars of executive presence: communication skills, confidence, charisma, & professional image. As you can see there is of course a certain overlap between leadership presence and executive presence.
What is another name for leadership presence?
While looking for synonyms that describe leadership presence in a different way, the following words are suggested: captaincy, coaching, guiding, encouraging, shepherding. In other words, your attitude and behavior exude that you are capable, well-balanced, deserving to be respected and followed.
What are the 5 C’s of leadership presence?
According to Oxbridge, all effective leaders have five traits in common, also called the “5 C’s of leadership presence”: Clarity, Confidence, Courage, Commitment, and Compassion. By mastering these five C’s, you can enhance your ability to influence, inspire, and lead others. Developing your leadership presence requires self-reflection, continuous learning, and deliberate practice. Developing a strong leadership presence can increase your employees' trust in you, enhance your workplace productivity and cultivate a positive work environment. Leaders with a powerful presence can effectively lead an organization, encourage employees and contribute to success.
What is an effective presence?
An effective presence is a presence that builds trust. Now how to we build trust? According to Charles Feltman, there are 4 elements to building trust: being sincere, being reliable, being competent and showing care. I will unpack this more in a future blog.
From my own experience I would say that the key skill to having leadership presence is the ability to connect to people. And how do we make that connection happen? By showing up in an authentic way, meaning being linguistically, emotionally and somatically aligned.
I am a senior Leadership and Executive coach specialized in helping Leaders and Executives enhance their presence, and generate more connection and possibility.
If you feel this is the right time for you to explore what could be, do get in touch as your aspiration is my mission.
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