From the course: Administrative Professional Tips

Executive presence

From the course: Administrative Professional Tips

Executive presence

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- Do you want to take command of every room that you step foot in? Do you want to have the ability to draw others to you? Well you can. You do all of these things by practicing executive presence. Executive presence is the ability to project confidence, composure, and engage others in such a way that you move them to act. These are all the traits that are important if you want to be considered for a promotion, be seen as a leader in your organization, be given greater levels of responsibility, and motivate staff members. According to one article on the subject, June Mandala, contributor to the Business Insider, states that there are seven traits that we can develop in order to be seen as a strong professional who displays executive presence. These traits are ones that I have found helpful in my own professional practice. I have dubbed them the seven Cs, and they are: composure, connection, charisma, confidence, credibility, clarity, and conciseness. Let's take a look at each of these in more detail. Composure is the ability to control your emotions, recognize emotions in others, and manage your response to them. Awareness is the key to strengthening this trait. When you are in highly charged situations, you must remain cool. Connection is the ability to engage others when you communicate so that you make them feel comfortable. The best way to connect is to understand your communication style challenges, how to overcome them, and how to read and adapt to the style of others. Charisma is having the ability to draw others to you. You can do this through strong listening skills and staying in the moment. By doing so, people with whom you are communicating know that you are solely focused on them and not distracted by anything else. Confidence is being sure of yourself. You can exude confidence by having good posture, strong eye contact a voice with good pitch, volume, and pace, and choosing your wardrobe carefully. Credibility is being trusted and believed in. This can be strengthened by the language you choose to deliver your words. You should remove fillers language such as um, uh, and so as they detract from presence. Also, be a person of your word at all times. Clarity and conciseness in your communications is critical. Your point must be clear. Otherwise, you won't be able to command attention. You should ask yourself, what is my message in 10 words or less? If you can't articulate it to yourself, you are not ready to communicate it to others. In my present work environment I have found that since I have mastered executive presence, I'm treated like a team member. I'm included in decision-making and kept abreast on priority issues. I am even trusted with highly sensitive information. It's a good idea to have some trusted advisors that are willing to provide you feedback on how well you exhibit executive presence in a variety of situations. These trusted advisors would be professional colleagues who are exposed to your interactions within the work environment. It could be your boss, a peer, or someone from a different department that you have a good rapport with. This information will help you own your skills so that you are achieving the results you desire. You can begin to strengthen your executive presence today. By practicing behaviors to enhance the areas covered here, you will be seen as a competent leader who is determined to be in their full potential.

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