Better than Botox: Do Mormons have a ‘glow’?
5th November 2012Mustard Yellow isn’t just for Miss Moneypenny
14th November 2012Do you have ‘Executive Presence’?
Executive Presence is a hot topic – especially for women who want to make it to the C-Suite.
Forbes.com recently published an article about the executive equivalent of X Factor – the ability to command a a room, have people listen when you speak, be leaderly. Some say it can’t be taught – you either have it or you don’t. I believe it comes more naturally to some than others, but that everyone can improve if they know where to focus. When an exec is in the hot seat for any variety of reasons, it’s Executive Presence that pulls them through and saves their job and reputation. We know it when we see it (think Steve Jobs) and we know when when it’s missing (think Tony Hayward.)
Coaching execs for over 20 years in comms and presence, I’ve honed in on the Five Facets of Impact approach as a holistic way to view the amorphous ‘executive presence’.
To calculate your Presence factor, get feedback from others on how do you rank in the five facets:
1. Visual – do you project warmth, authority, approachability, competence? Are there other visual attributes related to your discipline or the setting that you need to consider and adapt in your visual presentation? Do you appear well-groomed and put together?
2. Verbal – is your voice engaging, energetic, authentic, pleasant? Do you use volume and pauses with intention when you need to be authoritative?
3. Kinesthetic – do you manage your body language and project an aura that includes and wraps people into your sphere? Do you make eye contact, stand tall, offer a firm handshake? Can you pull them in – whether it’s a group of a thousand, a table of 10, or a 1:1?
4. Sociability – do you know how to make others feel at ease, comfortable, connected to you? Are you able to read the situation and adapt?
5. Presence – Forbes defines this as ‘The ability to project gravitas, confidence, poise under pressure and decisiveness’ along with communication, appearance, speaking skills, and assertiveness.
Dishearteningly, the study finds that fewer women make it to the C-suite because they struggle with the five facets. The rules that make sense and are intuitive to men (white males, in particularly) are a mystery to women, with 81% saying they’re unclear about how to act on the ‘code’ and find it contradictory and confusing.
Women are held to a different standard and we have to have our own playbook to navigate the field. What is intuitive to men isn’t always to us.
Top 5 mistakes women make that de-rail their executive presence:
1 – Foregoing style/makeup entirely.
You need to look groomed (that means washed hair, some makeup even if it’s minimal)
2 – Dressing too sexy or too matronly.
Look at your boss and his/her counterparts. What do they wear? Find the female equivalent and plus up. If it’s a suit – wear a suit or a third piece with your skirt/trouser. If they wear khakis and blue shirts without tie, wear a dress. If they wear jeans, wear nice trousers and a sweater or top.
3 – Over-smile or over-chat.
You don’t have to follow the same rules as you do with women. Allow silence, don’t fill in with chitter chatter.
4 – Not paying attention to accessories.
The pen, phone/PDA, briefcase/bag, watch, etc are how men judge and level one another. Use these status symbols to your advantage, too. When I’m full-on for power I carry my Montblanc, Blackberry (never ever ever bedazzle your phone or have a Calypso ringtone!), Smythson bag and diary, and Cartier watch. It matters.
5 – Not understanding the hierarchy.
Who sits where, for example? Power either sits at the middle of the conference table or at the end – so wait and watch before you sit down. Be aware of the subtle power plays and rituals going on underneath the surface, especially when you’re new to a team, and adapt to fit in and not step on the wrong toes.
Pay attention, get the details right, and you can break through into a c-suite of your own!
Forbes.com recently published an article about the executive equivalent of X Factor – the ability to command a a room, have people listen when you speak, be leaderly. Some say it can’t be taught – you either have it or you don’t. I believe it comes more naturally to some than others, but that everyone can improve if they know where to focus. When an exec is in the hot seat for any variety of reasons, it’s Executive Presence that pulls them through and saves their job and reputation. We know it when we see it (think Steve Jobs) and we know when when it’s missing (think Tony Hayward.)
Coaching execs for over 20 years in comms and presence, I’ve honed in on the Five Facets of Impact approach as a holistic way to view the amorphous ‘executive presence’.
To calculate your Presence factor, get feedback from others on how do you rank in the five facets:
1. Visual – do you project warmth, authority, approachability, competence? Are there other visual attributes related to your discipline or the setting that you need to consider and adapt in your visual presentation? Do you appear well-groomed and put together?
2. Verbal – is your voice engaging, energetic, authentic, pleasant? Do you use volume and pauses with intention when you need to be authoritative?
3. Kinesthetic – do you manage your body language and project an aura that includes and wraps people into your sphere? Do you make eye contact, stand tall, offer a firm handshake? Can you pull them in – whether it’s a group of a thousand, a table of 10, or a 1:1?
4. Sociability – do you know how to make others feel at ease, comfortable, connected to you? Are you able to read the situation and adapt?
5. Presence – Forbes defines this as ‘The ability to project gravitas, confidence, poise under pressure and decisiveness’ along with communication, appearance, speaking skills, and assertiveness.
Dishearteningly, the study finds that fewer women make it to the C-suite because they struggle with the five facets. The rules that make sense and are intuitive to men (white males, in particularly) are a mystery to women, with 81% saying they’re unclear about how to act on the ‘code’ and find it contradictory and confusing.
Women are held to a different standard and we have to have our own playbook to navigate the field. What is intuitive to men isn’t always to us.
Top 5 mistakes women make that de-rail their executive presence:
1 – Foregoing style/makeup entirely.
You need to look groomed (that means washed hair, some makeup even if it’s minimal)
2 – Dressing too sexy or too matronly.
Look at your boss and his/her counterparts. What do they wear? Find the female equivalent and plus up. If it’s a suit – wear a suit or a third piece with your skirt/trouser. If they wear khakis and blue shirts without tie, wear a dress. If they wear jeans, wear nice trousers and a sweater or top.
3 – Over-smile or over-chat.
You don’t have to follow the same rules as you do with women. Allow silence, don’t fill in with chitter chatter.
4 – Not paying attention to accessories.
The pen, phone/PDA, briefcase/bag, watch, etc are how men judge and level one another. Use these status symbols to your advantage, too. When I’m full-on for power I carry my Montblanc, Blackberry (never ever ever bedazzle your phone or have a Calypso ringtone!), Smythson bag and diary, and Cartier watch. It matters.
5 – Not understanding the hierarchy.
Who sits where, for example? Power either sits at the middle of the conference table or at the end – so wait and watch before you sit down. Be aware of the subtle power plays and rituals going on underneath the surface, especially when you’re new to a team, and adapt to fit in and not step on the wrong toes.
Pay attention, get the details right, and you can break through into a c-suite of your own!
