How to Build Executive Presence by Mastering Presence

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Some people naturally have a lot of presence. When they walk into a room, heads turn and you feel their energy. It is usually delightful to be around these people.

I spent years working on being more present while training in theatre and improv. I studied how to get out of my head and fully into the moment.

So, when I started working in corporate and pivoting from my life as an artist, I found this whole concept of "executive presence" confusing.

These people sure didn't strike me as particularly interesting compared to those I had known in my past life.

Executive? And presence? Corporate felt so dull, so much less present than what I was used to.

And yet, there were those who had the right kind of executive presence. The kind of corporate leaders who made me think I had made the right choice forgoing my acting and singing career for endless decks, meetings about meetings, and share reports.

Okay, I digress.

A lot of the content on executive presence doesn't actually talk about the presence part of it. The part I know well.

It's how you show up when you're fully present and not in your head.

Most people think executive presence is about the right look, clothes, voice, and tone. They forget that a big part of it is actually just presence.

Here are the lessons from my first act that helped me in my second. In other words, here is how you can leverage presence to have impeccable executive presence.

Be fully present

The first lesson is, you guessed it — be present!

The biggest difference between those who lead with executive presence and those who don't is that they are actually there, wherever they are. They are less in their heads.

They're not rehearsing what to say next or overthinking how they're coming across. They're listening, observing, and engaged. You can feel that they're present.

Try this: Be where you are. Feel the space around you. Before you speak, take a breath. Drop into the moment and feel the chair beneath you, your feet on the floor, your hands on your lap or the table. Focus fully on what's being said instead of what you're going to say next.

Read the room

A big part of bringing your presence into a room is becoming ridiculously aware of it — the room, that is. I know, stay with me here.

One of the speakers on our Pivot, Grow & Thrive panel recently mentioned she's uniquely talented at reading people — their micro-expressions and their body language. She’s constantly reading people in every meeting.

Yet, so many leaders run meetings on autopilot without paying any attention to the room or the people in it. They sit back in their chairs, arms crossed, disengaged, eyes glazed, just waiting for their turn to speak. People feel that immediately.

To bring your presence into a room, you have to start by paying attention to the room.

Notice how the energy shifts when certain people walk in. Who naturally commands attention? Who doesn't? What's the dynamic between the leaders? That awareness is what allows you to lead the room and not just sit in it.

Try this: Before your next big meeting (the kind where your executive presence tends to slip out the back door before the meeting even starts), arrive ten minutes early. Walk around. Find a seat that doesn't make you shrink and sit in it. Look around. Get comfortable being there. Be in that room.

As a stage performer, one of the most powerful hacks I learned was to get to know the space before the show. Walk it front to back and side to side until it feels like yours. Do the same in any room you walk into. Ideally before the others arrive. 😉

Don't pretend to be someone else

You are one awesome kick-ass human. Your flaws and quirks are what make you a great leader.

Your presence is uniquely yours. Your energy, your aura.  There is no one else like it. Own that. There is no single type of great leader. Great leaders are themselves.

You don't need to act like Sheryl Sandberg or Oprah Winfrey to have great executive presence. If you're more Type B — a little messy, more laid back, and heart led then embrace that. We are all exhausted by copycat leaders who fit neatly inside the box.

You won't check every box and you are not supposed to.

It's actually refreshing when someone brings a wildly different energy to the table, delivers results, and does it as their full self.

I was lucky to work with leaders like that. Six-inch heels every day with outfits straight off the New York Fashion Week runway? Yes! I had a boss like that who absolutely crushed it. She led a team of superfans and drove insane business results. She didn't fit in at all. We loved her more for it.

Research shows leaders who are authentic build more trust and stronger teams. People don't connect with perfect. They connect with real.

Try this: Notice where you're "performing" at work and then dial it back. Say things in your own voice, not in corporate jargon and certainly not in the voice you think a leader is supposed to have. It's far more about substance, credibility, and the value you create than the fancy words you use.

Executive presence isn't built by adding more layers of who you are not. It's built by removing all the layers you piled on trying to fit the mold.

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