Executive Presence

We get quite a few questions, especially from younger employees and from members of Employee Resource Groups or ERGs about executive presence. What would you say are the top three things people need to have for executive presence and how can they develop them?

Yeah, this word about executive presence, I think that has changed over time. I remember as a first-time VP, there was so much emphasis around gravitas. You have to have a certain gravitas. And I think that’s still true today, but I really feel like we’ve evolved as a society here in terms of, I love this term, “Be your authentic self.”
So, I would just say that there is a balance in terms of executive presence. I wouldn’t lean so much towards having a certain gravitas. There is a balance of that gravitas, but also being very authentic, and making sure that you can connect with people at every level, right? There’s a way to communicate with the board of directors, there’s a way to communicate with executive management. But there’s also the capability to communicate at any level in the organization, and be relatable, be empathetic.
So, I just would say that in this world of executive presence, just to make sure we’re not leaning so much on a certain gravitas, but there’s also a level of authenticity that goes with that gravitas as well.