By Lynn Baker
Executive Presence is often described as having the X Factor in business! It refers to those seemingly intangible attributes that exceptional business people display, over and above their academic qualifications.
Executive Presence describes those people who walk into a room and everyone turns to look at them, when they speak people listen and when they lead, others follow! These people command authority – exude energy that is magnetic and possess charisma that is captivating! Their appearance is impeccable; they present themselves with confident composure, perfect poise and an exceptional ability to develop relationships of trust.
Executive Presence has captured the attention of business schools around the world and prompted numerous research studies to establish exactly what the X-factor is. The probing question was, are some people just born with it and can it be learned?
Studies by Harvard University, Stanford Research Institute, and The Carnegie Foundation indicate that while academics are essential, over 85% of one’s career success can be directly attributed to social skills, all of which can be developed.
So what is Executive Presence? – In essence it is Perception Management – carefully managing the impressions that others have of you. This is done by creating a powerful personal brand, combined with effective communication and relationship management skills, all perfectly packaged with an impeccable personal appearance, perfect posture and confident composure.
The Executive Presence presentation is for those who aspire to improve themselves both personally and professionally.
During this fascinating one hour presentation we explore the concept of Executive Presence, why we need it and how we get it. Using examples of people who have it such as Barrack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Nelson Mandela and many more, we look at the 6 step model to developing Executive Presence:-
Competence – Developing business acumen
Credibility – Developing a Personal Brand profile
Characteristics – Confidence, charisma, humility, authenticity
Connection – Building strong relationships for success
Communication – Developing effective communication skills
Credence – Putting it all together and presenting yourself as a professional
