Executive Presence summary

Consider America’s series of social crises over the past decade: the dot-com bubble, 9/11, fraud scandals, the mortgage meltdown. It’s no surprise then that people praise the ability of a leader who is able to stay cool, calm and convincing amid a crisis.

Gravitas, according to well over half of the leaders surveyed by the author, is at the core of executive presence. It’s that je ne sais quoi quality that makes some people seem like born leaders. Gravitas signals to the world that you have what it takes and can handle serious responsibility.

Can you be compassionate and make ruthless decisions at the same time? Most of us would say no.

But is this true? Not necessarily. Good leaders can and should be both compassionate and capable of making tough calls.

How do people know you have gravitas? It’s all about the way you “talk the walk.”

A 2012 analysis of 120 financial spokespersons found passion, voice quality and presence were the characteristics that made a persuasive speaker, while content was rarely a deciding factor.

Whether you’re in a TV studio, a concert hall or the team hang-out space, your executive presence enhances your ability to capture and mesmerize your audience. How hard can it be?

According to Suzi Digby, a British choral conductor, you’ve got to be fast: you only have five seconds to “touch the audience” or get them to engage with your message. Use this moment to show yourself as completely human. Don’t overshare or indulge in confessions, but unveil just enough of your core to create a connection between your listeners and you.

According to respondents in the author’s survey, appearance isn’t quite as vital as gravitas and communication. Still, appearance does have a role to play in your executive presence, because your gravitas and communication skills are filtered through it.

The truth is that nobody will bother to assess your communication skills or your ability to make decisions if your appearance shows you don’t know what’s going on. But if you look sharp, people will be far more receptive to what you have to say.

There’s plenty of research proving the point that intrinsically attractive people have it easier. They get hired for jobs more, earn more money and even tend to get better verdicts in court than their unattractive counterparts.

But just because you might not look like a movie star doesn’t mean you can’t have executive presence. Primarily, it’s about embodying fitness and wellness.