Cultivate Executive Presence to be a More Impactful Leader
By RDBA Contributing Editor Amanda Rubizhevsky, MPH, NC
Executive presence, although hard to define, is necessary to climb the corporate ladder; it can be described as the charisma that compels others to listen and act.
It’s a combination of how you communicate, present yourself, and interact with people, it establishes credibility and engages others sometimes even before you start talking. It’s can be a fantastic combination of magnetism and credibility.
As a retail RD, cultivating executive presence can benefit you in several ways, to gain more influence through job promotions, affecting and leading your team, and to be a greater agent of change through interactions with your community.
To foster a more powerful presence, executive presence, consider the following 6 tips from Jackie Solan of Sloan Communications:
- Be authentic. Authenticity makes it easier for people to relax around you, trust you and be candid themselves.
- Be graceful. How you hold yourself, speak, move, interact and respond under pressure, should set a tone that is calming and impressive. This communicates intelligence and power.
- Make an emotional connection. When you speak, you reveal your thought process, self-awareness and how well you understand and respect your audience. When others experience that you understand what matters to them, they will be drawn to you. Taking the time to prepare for important conversations will help you accomplish this.
- Be an active listener.
- Initiative. Those who reach out, make a good point, hold their ground and make requests and offers, stand out.
- Clarity in your speaking and listening communicates seriousness and respect.
Remember leadership is a skill that is learned and cultivated. Think about the areas where you can improve. Mastery of executive presence is and ongoing process and involves continuous learning. Here is another great article to help you “get in gear” and start learning.
