Executive presence is bridging the gap between merit and success

Sylvia Ann Hewlett

Between 85 to 90% of an iceberg’s volume is under water, which means that what we can actually see is only one small part of a much bigger mass.

In the same way, Executive Presence (though vital for professional success), isn’t necessarily tangible or in plain sight. Yet, a lack of this quality either consciously or unconsciously affects how others perceive our performance, no matter how talented or deserving we are. As author Antoine de Saint-Exupery would say “what is essential is invisible to the eye”.

Women in leadership today already face a mountain of challenges. As they become more time poor and competition increases they are finding their technical knowledge, hard work and the drive that got them to where they are today is no longer enough.

Something else is needed to get them where they want to go tomorrow.
If you’re a woman in leadership, at some point in your career the discussion has likely alluded to your executive presence. In this discussion, there is a vague or ill-defined expectation of what you need to do to develop. You know you are being judged on your presence as well as your performance.

Whilst many women understand that Executive Presence is critical to propelling them to the top, our experience has demonstrated that many women fail to fully reach their full potential because they get stuck on the how.

So how do you leverage this elusive quality to make an impact and drive outcomes?

The first step is understanding what executive presence is. In many organisations, executive presence is a mysterious ‘X-factor’ – it’s important, but how is it improved?

The Ascension Group is dedicated to supporting women to increase their level of executive presence. We make it clear and simple around the actions you can take looking at:

We have two pathways that are tailored to elevate your executive presence through our Discovery, Learn and Apply frameworks

Review Internal – exploring leadership traits and behaviours for professional growth (through 360 or proprietary diagnostic tools).

External – Identify and align consistent and appropriate messages to complement and empower your image, brand and style

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