Executive Presence: Keys to Impactful Leadership

You might wonder how to impact others with your executive presence and leadership, especially when working remotely. It's essential to be visible and memorable, to influence, connect, and motivate others.

Is it as easy as it sounds?

Your executive presence speaks volumes about you. Your interest in others, how you connect with emotions, and create authentic collaboration and commitment. It influences your words, making others feel comfortable and valued, and prompting them to act. Project a leadership with an open mindset and inspire the energy that moves others to make things happen.

I know reading this, you might question if what I say is easy. Especially when many of us are still working virtually, and you feel that if they can't see you, how can you positively influence others?

When you speak to others, whether it's a face-to-face, virtual, or phone meeting, it's important to first do the following:

Ground your feet firmly on the floor, feel the earth pulling you down. It doesn't matter if you're sitting or standing, virtual or in person. What matters is that you feel that grounding force and awareness of what you're doing. Keep your torso comfortably straight. This opens your posture for energy to flow correctly, allowing you to not only transmit energy but also receive it from the people you interact with.

Often, people forget to be conscious of these postures, and this is just the first step. There are more considerations, such as your open or growth mindset. This involves constantly learning from others and the challenges you face, and continually seeking new challenges. When you anticipate what will happen, what will be said, or what you expect as a result based on unilateral recognition or impact, where you're the only one benefiting, the energy gets cut off, and you stop influencing others. You stop being present, and your intention can stray from what truly matters.

This happens when you want to sell for a sale or commission and forget the impact on the other person. Or when, in a project, you fail to convey the benefit to your team and only seek your own recognition or show that you did well. When you interrupt with negative words instead of actively listening. The power of executive presence is influencing others to create collaboration and commitment to fulfill the organization's values and drive everyone towards a common good. It's not just your effort and result; it's that of everyone around you.

When people work only to fulfill obligations without full commitment, it's not entirely their responsibility. It's because in your power to transmit with the right words and a well-established purpose, organization leaders forget they depend on their teams and that people are the most important asset for things to happen.

I invite you to create a supportive community by influencing with your executive presence, with a leadership that connects, seeks to continue learning, and lives in the present, not on autopilot. Ask yourself, what's your biggest challenge that's preventing you from projecting the leadership that's so necessary today?