Developing Leadership Presence
When we are excellent at our jobs, we are asked to step into leadership positions, often without training. One leadership skill that often seems the most difficult for new leaders to develop is a leadership presence.
We expect leaders to have a strong presence to communicate and uphold an organization's culture and standards. Nearly every problem and achievement in an organization ties back to the quality of the leaders. Part of how we judge leaders comes from intangibles centered on presence, like confidence and calm.
As a new leader, you may have realized you need a new set of skills and to develop a leadership presence. As we improve leadership presence, we build trusting, open relationships. We can listen to differing opinions and ideas to identify and solve problems that move the organization to action.
One-size leadership doesn't fit all situations. Leadership presence and skills constantly need to be nurtured and improved to continue to work effectively.
A leader with an ineffective presence hurts your organization's culture and profits. When employees do not feel connected to and motivated by their leaders, they may check out mentally or leave. These are a few impacts poor leadership presence can cause:
Lost productivity
High turnover
Reduced profits
Increased mistakes
Safety issues
Increased healthcare costs
Conflict
Missed opportunities
What is Executive Presence?
Executive presence used to be all about walking the walk and talking the talk to display your power over others. Developing executive presence meant to distance yourself from your reports and put yourself on a pedestal above them. The executive presence definition of the past centered around charisma, assertiveness, and performance.
Not anymore. Modern leadership presence is about our ability to connect, motivate, and inspire others to make the right decisions for themselves and the group to have an impact.
Brené Brown defines a leader as "anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential." From my seat as a leadership coach, the term "executive" leaves out many people who have leadership responsibilities to customers, teams, and operations.
Leadership coaching and developing an executive presence have traditionally been reserved for executives and senior management. According to the Global Leadership Forecast, an astounding 90 percent of first-time leaders feel unprepared for their transition to a leadership role. In today's complex environment, we need everyone to have leadership skills, including developing a positive leadership presence that inspires and motivates others.
What Is Leadership Presence?
So, what is presence? It's how we present ourselves to the world and the perception that others have of that presentation. It is the outcome of our mindset and behaviors. The leadership presence definition is not about surface qualities like clothing and image.
I prefer to use the term "leadership presence" when discussing the growth mindset and authenticity needed to show up for your team.
To develop a modern leadership presence, we need to change our mindset by unlearning the controlling perceptions of executive presence and learning to be more observant, adaptive, and open to learning from others. Authentically practicing empathy, doing the hard work of living into your values, and being thoughtful in your responses isn't an act.
The goal is to become more self-aware of your physical body, relationships, tone, emotions, and how those things affect the people you lead. The ability to connect your thoughts, feelings, and actions leads to more honesty and authenticity.
Why is Leadership Presence Important?
Leadership presence is important because it provides clues to employees about who you are. If a leader cannot deliver thoughtful communication or can't let go of perfection, people don't trust them.
Suppose employees do not feel like they trust you. In that case, they may not disclose an issue, causing a safety problem, a mistake, a missed opportunity, or loss in productivity that can de-motivate the team and reduce profits.
When a leader projects vulnerability and leads proactively and strategically, they can effectively make decisions, delegate, and hold people accountable during challenging times. These leaders model and respect boundaries, support collaboration, practice gratitude and celebrate wins.
How to Improve Leadership Presence
When you are a leader, you are responsible for developing your own skills and the skills of your employees. Leadership is relational, and one of the most complex parts of being a leader is having difficult conversations and giving and receiving feedback to diverse people.
If you aren't sure how others perceive you and want to improve your leadership presence, it's a good time to ask for specific feedback. You can ask, "What does leadership presence look like to you?" "What is the perception of my leadership?" "Are there positive examples you can share?" and "What changes do you think I could make?"
You can start with my top recommendations on how to improve presence and create a trusting environment for your team.
Be a Learner
Just because you are smart doesn't mean other people view you as credible—place value on learning and curiosity. Leaders don't always have all the answers, and it takes creativity and the collective knowledge of a diverse group to solve a complex problem. Encourage learning from mistakes and taking thoughtful risks to explore new ideas. Be sure to nurture healthy striving, creating habits, and skill development.
Build Relationships
Relationships are a two-way street. They require empathic listening and curiosity. Provide coaching through hard conversations and normalize the necessary discomfort and vulnerability. Model having clear, honest, and kind communication. Make it clear that asking for what you need is expected at every level.
Empower People to Lead
Developing presence isn't all about the leader. Behaviors that inspire and motivate others are highly valued. Coaching is an underdeveloped skill in leaders and is critical to creating a pipeline of new leaders. Provide resources and support the growth of others. Allow people to make decisions and have autonomy about how they work. Celebrate quality work and accomplishments. Encourage participation and sharing of ideas to identify the best solutions.
Practice Emotional Regulation
Your ability to manage emotions, especially under pressure, is an essential piece of leadership presence. It takes self-awareness to connect with what you are feeling, thinking, and doing. Practicing meditation, mindfulness, and breathing exercises help us stay in the present moment rather than imagining the future or reliving the past. Creating a sense of calm in yourself will help the people around you manage their emotional reactivity.
Clear Communication
Sharing ideas, your vision, and organizational values with multiple audiences is part of being a leader at any level. Understand your audience and the context when communicating. Clearly state your idea, share your thought process and ask for the advice or feedback you need to move your idea forward. Avoid jargon and tell stories that help people understand a concept or resolution. Please pay attention to your pace, tone, and volume so you aren't rushing or talking at a low volume, making it harder to hear you. Be sure to use inclusive language.
Create a Feedback Culture
Feedback helps everyone improve, including negative feedback. Respect each other and talk to people, not about people. Give praise and use positive examples to build strengths in the team. Ensure feedback is actionable, meaning it is a specific action that a person can practice and improve instead of attacking a person's character. Give concrete examples of specific behaviors you would like to change. Stay kind and in the development mindset.
Ready To Improve Your Leadership Presence?
If you're ready to increase your leadership presence, leadership development coaching can provide you with the support you need. I work to bring out the best in you so you can take on the challenges you face as a leader.
Let's talk. Contact us today to discuss where you'd like to grow and how we can support you in navigating a path forward.