April 16, 2009
Q. The executives our firm represents are smart and experts in their fields. But they fall short of the mark in commanding the attention and respect they deserve from others. There’s something missing, and it’s holding them back. On your website you state that you counsel executives on presentation skills and executive presence. I expect that presentation skills means teaching people how to give a memorable speech, but what’s executive presence?
A: You are right about presentation skills. McCarthy
Blanchard helps executives and emerging leaders make the most of a speaking opportunity, board presentation, media interview or legislative testimony. We also coach them on executive presence. In short, we help people look and act like leaders.
Executive presence is a quality that people instantly recognize but find hard to define. It is a differentiating factor that often advances people in their careers or holds them back.
We believe executive presence is a whole package of qualities, but primarily three: appearance, confidence and communication skills. Good leaders embody all three.
Appearance is not only how you dress, but how you sit and stand, how you enter a room and how you carry yourself. Each person can develop an executive presence that fits his or her own individual style with regard to dress, but a person with executive presence walks, stands and sits tall and is poised in all situations.
Having an air of confidence is critical to executive presence. Body language comes into this in a big way. A confident person smiles easily and appropriately, looks people in the eye, listens attentively and shakes hands assertively.
Good leaders are good communicators. Good communication skills are the third part of the executive presence package. You need to be able to speak and write concisely, persuasively and memorably.
I’m sure you can think of people who have executive presence. On the world stage during the recent G20 meeting, both President and Mrs. Obama showed us how executive presence looks. The president exudes it in all three areas. So does she. Mrs. Obama prefers a trendier style of dress than her predecessors, but it fits her and she carries it off well.
Paula Blanchard Stone and Patty McCarthy are partners in McCarthy
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