Someone in your company may have recently been promoted to a leadership position. This person successfully competed against other qualified candidates, some of whom were probably just as experienced and smart.
As often happens in judging one candidate over another, the decision most likely came down to degrees of “executive presence.”
Presence: Often referred to as “bearing,” presence incorporates a range of verbal and nonverbal patterns (one’s appearance, posture, vocal quality, subtle movements)—a whole collection of signals that others process into an evaluative impression of a person. ~ Karl Albrecht, Social Intelligence: The New Science of Success
In this day and age, executive presence comes in all shapes and sizes, including some you wouldn’t normally recognize. Who would have thought, 30 years ago, that Bill Gates would command it?
Would Mark Zuckerberg, the 26-year-old founder of Facebook, have stood out as a high-potential CEO? But as one of the youngest men ever to be named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, he certainly has presence—albeit a “Gen Y” version of it.
An Internet search on executive presence reveals definitions and advice on everything from dressing for success and patterns of speech to more fundamental issues of emotional and social intelligence.
As it turns out, everyone’s definition of the term seems to differ. But planning your career and determining your leadership development needs shouldn’t be left to guesswork.
11 Aspects of Executive Presence
Most people aren’t born with executive presence. They develop the requisite skills with experience, maturity and a great deal of effort.
This article examines eleven qualities that contribute to executive presence and how you can cultivate your own presence and so that others perceive you as a high-potential leader.
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This is a brief synopsis of a 2000 & 1000-word article suitable for consultants’ newsletters for executives and leaders in organizations. It is available for purchase with full reprint rights, which means you may put your name on it and use it in your newsletters, blogs or other marketing materials.
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The complete 2,000 word article includes these important concepts:
• Searching for Executive Presence
• 11 Aspects of Executive Presence
• Storytelling for Professional Success
• What Really Matters
• 6 Steps for Building Executive Presence
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Some executives are uncomfortable using power or office politics, viewing them as the dark side of workplace behavior. They believe morale and commitment erode when politics dominate the environment.
But research clearly shows that being politically savvy and building a power base pay off.
Sources of Influence
There are three sources of influence in an organization: positional, relational and personal:
- Positional power: Your title and job status confer some level of formal authority.
- Relationships: Informal power stems from the relationships and alliances you form with others. If you do a favor for someone, the law of reciprocity impacts your relationship.
- Personal: Some people generate influence based on their knowledge, expertise, technical competencies and ability to articulate ideas or a vision that others will follow. Your communication skills, charisma and trustworthiness help determine your personal power.
Open to Influence
Executives and managers who are open to peers’ and subordinates’ input garner greater respect than those who resist others’ influence. An openness to influence demonstrates trust and respect, which become reciprocal and contagious.
You can offer goods and services to a potential ally in exchange for cooperation: technical assistance, information, lease of space or equipment, a plum assignment and the like. Understanding what others want or value is crucial.
Avoiding Power
Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and author of Power: Why Some People Have It—And Others Don’t, cites three barriers that cause executives to shy away from using power to extend their influence.
This article examines three ways people avoid power, why power is so important to success, persuasion tactics, and practical steps for leveraging office politics in an ethical manner.
———————————————
This is a brief synopsis of a 2000 & 1000-word article suitable for consultants’ newsletters for executives and leaders in organizations. It is available for purchase with full reprint rights, which means you may put your name on it and use it in your newsletters, blogs or other marketing materials.
You may also modify it and add your personal experiences and perspectives.
The complete 2,000 word article includes these important concepts:
- Sources of Power
- Open to Influence
- Currencies of Exchange
- Power without Authority
- Avoiding Power
- Fair Play?
- Persuasion
- Office Politics
——————————————————————————–
If you are a Content for Coaches client and your account is current, no need to order. Send me an email to confirm that you wish to use this article for your next newsletter.
All others please use the order links below.
Order Links to purchase this article:
a. Text, 2000-word Article with Full Reprint Rights, $79 –
Power, Politics, and Persuasion
Sept10-105a 2000-word article, reprint rights
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Power, Politics, and Persuasion
Sept10-105b 1000-word article, reprint rights
