Cultivating Executive Presence - Emerging Nurse Leader

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN

A few years back, I participated in a highly selective national leadership development program. Shortly after starting the program, I asked about the selection process. The initial screening was done based upon information that candidates submitted about themselves along with references. From the initial group of candidates, finalists were selected and flown in for an onsite interview with the National Advisory Board. This interview was a critical part of the process. One board member told me that at this point – they were looking for the “it” factor – carefully observing each candidate from the moment they entered the room. They took note of how candidates dressed, what they said, how they said it and their ability to take command of the room during the interview. When he described the “it” factor to me, I realized that what they looked for at this point was executive presence. This is an intangible quality in leadership and has been described as the x factor. Some leaders are naturally born with executive presence but others need to work at cultivating it. The higher you go in leadership – the more important executive presence will become as a selection factor.

What is Executive Presence

Sylvia Hewlitt is a researcher and author of the popular book Executive Presence. From her work, she has identified 3 components of executive presence. The first and most important is How You Act and whether you demonstrate gravitas in your role. Leaders with gravitas are knowledgeable, confident and decisive. The second component of executive presence is How You Speak. Leaders exhibiting executive presence are good communicators both verbally and non-verbally. They carefully watch how well they are connecting with their audience, keep their communication brief and look for ways to engage others. The third component is How You Look or your dress, appearance and grooming. Of the three, this is the least important but Hewitt points out that these flash judgments are made quickly within 250 milliseconds and once made, they tend to stick.

Cultivating Executive Presence

Fortunately, executive presence can be cultivated if you are willing to learn new habits and work at them. Here are some important action steps:

1. Find a coach – we often have blind spots about ourselves and only through the eyes of others can get a clearer picture. Find someone who you respect that demonstrates executive presence and ask for their help.

2. Dress the part – it is often said that if you desire an executive role, begin dressing like one even before you seek the position.

3. Become influential – study leaders who exude a “wow” factor and are easily able to influence others. You must have a point of view, be willing to express it in a way that respects the opinions of others and engenders trust.

4. Develop your emotional intelligence – leaders need to have their emotions under tight control and maintain their composure when confronted with challenging situations. Grace under pressure is a skill that needs to be cultivated.

5. Exude confidence – to be taken seriously in any executive leadership role, you need to believe in your own abilities, use authoritative tones and display positive body language by standing tall, shaking hands and making eye contact.

Most of us do grow and develop some executive presence on our leadership journey. But this is also a quality that we can jump start by being much more intentional about how we are perceived.

Read to Lead

Hewlitt, S.A. Executive Presence. New York: Harper Collins; 2014.