STYLE is commonly used to describe a person’s wardrobe or way of presenting themselves. A more accurate and complete definition of style is: “a way of doing things.” It’s also about how you influence others and how you inspire others to take on those tasks. Perhaps you know leaders whose presence and energy are so contagious that they can shift the entire energy of a room. Your style matters greatly in driving organisational change. This doesn’t mean you have to be an introvert or an extrovert. It’s about how you engage with others.

The Characteristics that make up your Style are:

1. Authenticity– this is the quality of being real, genuine, transparent, and sincere in one’s relations and interactions with others. Often, we judge a person’s authenticity by the passion and commitment they have for what they say and do.
2. Impressions– these are a lasting memory of someone after they have left. Impressions are based on how others perceive your authentic, physical and emotional connection with them. Your impression on others matters because it sets the terms of how people will interact with you.
3. Image – your image is one of the first things people will associate and remember about your presence. It’s your concept of yourself. This concept is developed by the collection of external messages that you communicate (intentionally or not) about yourself. We communicate these messages not just through our appearance, but through our actions, our speech and our lifestyle.

If you would like to enquire on how I can help elevate your executive presence, please get in touch: or call me on 0405 440 366.

Melissa Lewis, Founder of The Ascension Group works with high-performing women to unleash the power of their Executive Presence for greater visibility, reward and influence. As the founder of The Ascension Group, she has inspired thousands of exceptional women to commercialise their talents by taking their brand substance, character and personal style to the next level. A pioneer in the personal branding space, key to Melissa’s ‘special sauce’ is the Bates Communication ExPI^TM Assessment tool, the world’s first scientifically-validated way of measuring executive presence, which she has brought to Australia. She has worked with organisations and leaders from KPMG, Telstra, Amex, Bendigo Bank, CBUS Superannuation, Eventbrite and Coles.