FAQs
What is that “je ne sais quoi” that distinguishes one professional from another?
It’s that certain something where people take notice. It’s a quality that creates a memorable impact, where people want to listen and to believe that person. That ability to take hold of a room by making a confident entrance, immediately engaging with others and forging quick, personal connections. When this person speaks, people listen, because when they speak they are filled with conviction instead of vagueness. You know it when you see it. Some call it charisma – others see it as confidence. In the workplace, it’s referred to as having Executive Presence.
The core characteristics of Executive Presence are: the ability to project confidence, to have poise under pressure and be decisive, to be authentic, to be competent in your expertise and always show integrity in your actions. Also, communication — including speaking skills and the ability to read an audience or situation — is key, as is appearance. Executive presence also means having a clear vision and the courage to pursue what’s important. And lastly, being able to connect with people, read the room and be intelligent with your emotions — all of these contribute to a person’s perceived executive presence.
If you are a serious, driven, professional ready to take the next step in your career and have a vision to move into senior level positions (Director, VP, CIO, CMO, COO, CEO), then you will need to develop your Executive Presence. It’s not enough to have exceptional technical and supervisory skills to be successful at the most senior levels — you need that “je ne sais quoi.” Research shows that leaders who have this quality reach the C-suite more often than those who don’t, and it is especially true for women. The competition is tougher the higher up you go in an organization and it takes an intentional plan to maintain your focus, to prevent yourself from getting derailed by challenges and to consistently have impact across the organization, the community and with customers.
Yes, executive presence can be developed.
If you have the drive, are self-confident, like leading others, have the ability to be open to feedback — open, honest constructive information — and have a willingness to deal with the unpredictable, ambiguous and ethical situations that come with senior leadership responsibilities, then you have the core ingredients of executive presence. Developing executive presence requires demonstrating a commitment to crafting your personal vision and living this vision with passion and integrity every single day. It demands creating and sustaining trust in a way that is consistently authentic so that people will want to follow you. And it means learning and growing with every challenging situation presented. Key to executive presence is to be seen as approachable and engageable. And you will need a plan, continuous training, varied leadership and business experiences, a sounding board-mentor and an executive coach.
- Authenticity – Leading with their personal brand
- Competence – Highly skilled in their field and always remaining current
- Communication Skills – Speaking the language of business, connecting information to the business strategy, being clear and concise, balancing emotions with logic, and always adding value to the conversation. Having the ability to engage and connect with all types of audiences.
- Confidence – Having a high level of self-esteem
- Courage – No fear to speak up or act
- Decisiveness – Confident and proven decision-making abilities, especially under stress
- Emotional Intelligence – Able to read others, engage, manage emotions and build trust
- Integrity – Values are clear and practiced consistently
- Presence – The way one carries and conveys oneself; appearance is consistent with personal brand and current professional business attire
- Vision – Having a personal and business vision lived daily; always taking the initiative to reach goals
There is no direct path or exact timeframe. It’s up to your personal career vision, combined with your goals. And like any long-term goal, it takes time, practice, patience, passion, planning and an unwavering focus and commitment. The answer is simple to explain, but takes work and time to achieve.
The Executive Presence Group is a membership-based organization that provides its members with self directed, researched and relevant content, social networking with like-minded women, the opportunity to ask questions of leadership experts and access to research-based behavioral assessments. You will also have access to experienced and credential executive coaches. You will have all the resources to help you reach your goals.
The coaching process is designed to bring out your best, to enhance your present abilities, sharpen your skills and accelerate your goal to succeed in your career – and all the goals are defined by you. At the heart of coaching is purposeful dialogue. Together, the coach and client establish relevant goals. You as the client are supported, encouraged and challenged as you explore new ideas and options to reach your goals. Assessment tools may be recommended. These assessments will give you a way to learn about your behavior, to become self aware, to identify developmental issues, do problem solving or adjust your perspective according to needs, capability and motivation.
Executive coaches are individuals who, through a combination of education and work experience, help others develop their potential. Executive coaches are part mentor, part challenger, part strategist and part sounding board. The coach will support you while you set goals and work towards achieving whatever goals you set. At the same time, they may offer you insight, will always be a place to safely and confidentially vent your concerns, give you information you may not have, help you identify options and help you sort through challenges. Working with a professional executive coach, you will stretch your capabilities by gaining greater confidence, have more clarity about your situation, recognize more options, integrate new skills and ultimately experience increased goal achievement.
All of the women involved in The Executive Presence Group have experienced the commitment, knowledge, strength and courage that it takes to achieve a senior-level position in a company. They are experts in certain sectors, like IT, Manufacturing, Hospitality, Banking and Insurance. In addition, they all have been certified as coaches through the only sanctioning coaching organization, the International Coaching Federation (ICF). And they are engaging and very collaborative.
As a member, you will have access to the 200+ pages of self-development content, your choice of a behavioral Everything DiSC® assessment, either ED® Workplace or ED® Management for a fee and many coaching programs to fit your needs. You can also get personal answers to your current work-related challenges.
The EPG website has many tools to help develop your executive presence 24/7. The educational content, access to coaches and advice are offered through the website once you become a member. Simply sign up as a member, and you will have access to researched based content, assessments, links to articles and videos, and recommendations to books. In addition, you will have access to Coaches that are ICF certified and are highly experienced to help you achieve your goals.
