Take The Guess Work Out Of How Your Presence Is Felt By Others

Most professionals and business owners have spent considerable time defining their brand, yet they haven’t spent any time understanding their ‘presence.’ Do you have a strong presence? Not sure? You are not alone.

A recent study published by the Centre for Talent Innovation (CTI) reported that women find feedback about professional presence so contradictory and confusing that 81% didn’t know how to act on it.  Developing this elusive quality can be particularly daunting for minorities and women. The study further reported that women find feedback about executive presence “hopelessly contradictory.” Can you relate?

This is definitely something I have found to be true in my last 7 years of working with intelligent and driven women, especially in male-dominated industries. My research has indicated that many women are being misunderstood, which has interfered with how they are perceived in an organisation.

I have worked with hundreds of executive women in Australia. Most often, I hear:

  • “People with lesser qualifications are getting the roles I am capable of doing.”
  • “I feel vulnerable because all my efforts are being overlooked, maybe I don’t belong?”
  • “How do I get recognised and rewarded for the work I am doing?”
  • “How do I earn more money without struggling so much?”
  • “I am feeling invisible when I am in a room full of men and tend to lose my voice.”
  • “How can I stand out in a way that’s true to me and get the recognition I deserve?”
  • “My wardrobe isn’t making me feel confident or allowing me to make the impact I need to be taken seriously.”
  • “How do I present myself like a woman who means business?”

If you are seeking advancement in your career, developing your own presence will be very useful. It helps others take you seriously, identify opportunities for you and trust you to make good decisions.

I studied in Boston so that I could bring back my learnings about the Bates ExPIᵀᴹ 360 feedback Assessment Tool. It provides insights into how you are perceived versus your intentions, and allows for:

  1. A complete understanding of how people view your executive presence in terms of your strengths and areas of development;
  2. Insights into how to leverage your strengths in an authentic way to advance your career and make you a highly effective leader;
  3. Clarity about how to move forward as a leader by experimenting with new approaches that will enhance your leadership presence; and
  4. Readiness to go out and apply what you have discovered to real-time business challenges.

Get in touch today to find out the actual data and insights so you can forge a clear path to greater presence in your career.

For more information about Bates ExPIᵀᴹ, please email me at or call on 0405 440 366.

ABOUT MELISSA LEWIS

Melissa Lewis, Founder of The Ascension Group is regarded as the leading expert on ‘the power of a woman’s presence’. She works with female talent to elevate their Executive Presence so they can achieve the career rewards and recognition they deserve. At the heart of her work is the knowledge that it’s not a lack of talent holding them back, but the way they are perceived by others. Her tailored approach includes using the world’s only science-based assessment tool for Executive Presence, (Bates Communications’ EXPITM) her own proprietary diagnostic tool PQ® (Presence Quotient), workshops, keynote speaking, image consulting and one-on-one coaching. She has worked alongside leaders from organisations such as KPMG, Telstra, Amex, Bendigo Bank, CBUS Superannuation, Eventbrite, Coles just to name a few.