The Secrets of Leadership Presence

7 skills you can practice to build trust and boost your impact 

Chris was feeling resentful. He had been working nonstop for the last 15 years to climb the Corporate Ladder. He was sharp and was known for having the answers.

But he didn’t have a clue why he wasn’t getting promoted.

What Chris didn’t see was that his leadership presence was sorely lacking.

It's easy to feel frustrated if you’re not advancing. All too often, management will give some kind of a lame explanation for why you didn’t get the promotion…not enough headcount, not the right time or the most unhelpful “you’re not ready”…

What management is not telling you is that you don’t have the leadership aka executive presence you need to advance. You can be confident, smart, and charismatic but still lack the qualities that make others want to follow your lead.

If you’re still reading this article, you know this is something important.

Let’s face it: Leadership presence is the new leadership. The workplace is rapidly evolving, and people who want to be leaders of the future need to have leadership presence.

But most people are confused about what leadership presence actually is. It’s illusive, vague, squishy and not clearly defined. Or they believe that leadership presence is something you're born with: you either have or don't have.

But fortunately, this isn't true. Leadership presence is a skill that can be learned.

Let’s start with a definition:

Leadership presence is characterized by being confident, articulate, and insightful. It’s the ability to make those around you feel confident and trust you. It’s about having a strong sense of self-awareness and understanding your own strengths and weaknesses. It’s the ability manage yourself and your responsibilities effectively and with grace. And about being able to communicate your vision clearly so people will follow you anywhere.

Said differently, it’s possessing high IQ and high EQ.

Here are 7 skills that you can start practicing today:

1)     Learn the communication skills of being intentional, clear and concise

Start by getting clear about the things you want and need in your work or for your team. If you're not intentional, those who are will take over and try to direct your future for you. To connect with your team, partners, management you must be intentional about what you want and need to say. Great leaders are great communicators. They can cast a vision of what success looks like.

If you know your communication skills could use a boost, here are a few things you can practice: Work on being concise. Get to the point. Give your recommendation in one sentence versus ten. Know your values and use them to guide the choices you make. For a deeper dive, check out Indeed’s list of The Top 10 Communication Skills for Career Success.

2)     Own your strengths - and weaknesses

One of the best things you can do is be aware where you’re strong and where you’re not. And own them both. Strong leadership presence requires confidence. And strong confidence comes from aligning yourself with work where you excel and delegating where you’re not.

Don’t be humble about your strengths and skills. And don’t try to cover up something you’re not good at. It's important to know them so that you can have a better idea of where to focus your efforts. If you haven’t yet identified your strengths, VIA Character Strengths is a fabulous resource.

3)     Master your emotions

This is one is a biggie for most leaders. Strong leadership presence requires that you know your emotional triggers. It demands high E.Q. And more importantly, when you hit that heated moment in the conversation, you know how to respond with grace versus react. We all have emotions, but that doesn't mean we are in control of them.

Emotional immaturity can be, at best, a limiter because people don’t like to work with you. Or at worst, a wake of emotional destruction within your team. Soft skills of empathy, compassion and humbleness are equally important to the leadership presence equation.

4)     Be aware the energy you bring into the room

It's important to be aware of your energy levels. Said differently, be mindful. Leaders command attention. As such their energy (for better or worse) can be contagious. If you’ve had a bad morning, meeting, result, take a breath and reset. To be clear, I’m not talking about putting on a happy face. Take a moment to notice whether you’re feeling like a victim, have a kneejerk to rescue your team or default to persecuting those who aren’t ‘doing it right’. Victim, rescuer or persecutor all carry an energy that limits you.

The skill here is energy management. You can choose to change your state. This is a skill that strong leaders understand and practice. Brett Steenbarger produced an excellent article on the subject in Forbes, Cultivating the Essential Ingredient In Leadership: Energy

5)     Build strong decision making skills

Leadership presence includes the ability to make those around you feel confident and trust you. Strong decision making is a way to inspire this trust. Different leaders get to decisions in different ways. Some need the data and analysis first, others need to know the strategy and how the pieces fit together. Waffling, blaming, making excuses, changing your mind 100x are all examples of a weakness in decision making skills.

Know what you need, and clearly communicate your recommendation or decision. Don’t take things personally if you get resistance. Learn to make tough decisions without being afraid of confrontation.

6)     Ask for feedback

Strong leadership presence requires self-awareness. Asking for feedback on your work and leadership can be humbling but it’s an incredibly powerful tool. This also requires the skill of taking feedback in the spirit of self-improvement not a trigger for discouragement (see skill #3 above). It’s a great way to flush out perceptions and get constructive input that'll help you improve and grow. It may shed light on a blind spot or two you weren’t aware of.

So welcome feedback. It's the best way to get an honest opinion about your work.

7)     Learn to process your stress

Let’s face it. Leaders are always under pressure and stress. Staying calm under pressure and stress is what separates those who have leadership presence from those who don’t. Great leaders know what they need to process the stress. And they use these tools. Healthy practices are a priority because they understand the need to bring their A-game every day.

Anyone can show up well under normal circumstances. How you show up under stress is what matters. When you’re under stress, you are physiologically kicked into fight or flight. Your emotional brain takes over. And all the other above facets of leadership presence are compromised. That makes this point a Big Deal.

If you’re not certain how to process your stressors, Psychology Today has outlined 62 Stress Management Techniques, Strategies and Activities. Hopefully there will be a few out of the 62 that resonate for you. :-)

In sum, you don't need to be born into privilege or power; anyone can develop leadership presence through intention, practice and self-reflection. It's a skill that can be learned.

If you want to work on your leadership presence, reflect on the list of seven skills above and ask yourself…

·      Where am I strong?

·      Which areas need improvement?

·      What skills do I need to focus on?

·      Where can I find the support or mentorship to help me learn?

·      How much time am I willing to invest in developing these skills?

If these questions feel daunting, reach out and let me know. Leadership coaching helps you develop your own unique style of leadership and confidence so you can become more influential in every area of life - at work, home and community. I help you move through the 4-stages of leadership from being invisible to visible; from visible to vocal; from vocal to leading; and finally leading by example.

The end goal? Authentic authority as an inspiring leader who others will naturally want to follow.

Julie Schaller is president of Julie Schaller Career Growth Coaching. She helps leaders get great jobs and advance their careers. Chat with Julie about your leadership presence and career here.

Julie’s mission is to help professionals realize their potential, love what they do and create a positive impact in their lives, careers and community.