Executive presence: the what, the why, and the how.

Edition 27 of Forward+

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1 big idea worth considering.

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“I want to have more executive presence.”

It’s something I hear often from clients, and on some level that statement has always bewildered me. It bewilders me because as a former executive, and having been surrounded by executives for many years, this elusive “executive presence” has looked completely different from person to person.

It’s akin to humility. You know when someone has it, but you can’t pinpoint exactly why.

Executive presence is often cited as the quality that separates successful leaders from the rest. But what is executive presence, and how can you develop it? How can we make it practical and actionable?