Executive Presence for CEOs: Why You Need It and How to Get It

You’re already a CEO. Why do you need to focus on executive presence? As the top leader in your company, you’ll accomplish much more when you radiate a strong executive presence with charisma. The higher you rise in the ranks, the more you need a strong presence to back up your formal authority. Leadership doesn’t emanate from a title—it comes from your ability to take charge of tough situations, influence people, and communicate effectively. As CEO, executive presence will imbue you with all of these qualities and many more.

Why do CEOs need executive presence?

As a CEO, you probably spend much of your time in meetings—where you need to influence people and drive change. If you’re not leveraging a strong executive presence, you’ll be less equipped to spearhead innovation and guide the organization in promising new directions.

As the head of your company, you need to voice bold ideas and act decisively. You need to radiate a commanding presence that guides others through turbulent times. You need to persuade others to believe in your ideas. And you need to articulate insights that will disrupt the status quo. With executive presence, you’ll truly act as a leader in all of these ways. As a result, you’ll inspire and motivate your team to accomplish bigger goals.

For women and marginalized people in top leadership positions, executive presence is especially crucial. It will help you break through barriers and command the respect you deserve.

If you’re CEO, don’t you already have executive presence?

As the CEO, you most likely have at least some executive presence competencies already. But since executive presence comprises a mixture of qualities, most people have room to grow—even high-level leaders. You may have distinct strengths within that mix of competencies—and you may be undermining your executive presence in certain ways.

You probably have a strong understanding of your strengths at this point in your career. However, you may not know exactly how to improve in some areas where you’re moderately effective. And you may have blind spots that prevent you from noticing certain weaknesses that others have noticed as you’ve tackled new types of challenges. Leadership is not static, and like many CEOs, you may be navigating a different set of circumstances than you were when you first accepted your role. It’s important to periodically take a look at how you’re handling those challenges, so you can continuously improve.

Common misunderstandings of executive presence at the CEO level

Unfortunately, some CEOs and other leaders have a misconception of what executive presence actually entails. They may mistakenly believe they need to be aggressive and domineering rather than assertive and influential. But intimidation isn’t really leadership. It doesn’t truly convince, inspire, or build loyalty. In contrast, leaders with executive presence build enthusiasm around initiatives, cultivate strong relationships, and mentor people to success.

Steps for CEOs to develop executive presence

These tips for developing executive presence are tailored to a senior leader’s needs. Leverage them all to gain the power and presence you need in your role.

1. Embark on executive presence coaching, which can help you understand your weak points while maximizing your strengths. A good executive coach will help you understand where you’re starting from, set goals for where you want to go, and craft a detailed plan for getting there. Then, the coach will provide regular advice and guidance along the way.
2. Understand which of the executive presence qualities you most need to develop, using a strong executive presence framework. My 3×3 Executive Presence Model outlines 9 executive presence qualities, as follows: confident, commanding, charismatic, decisive, bold, influential, vocal, insightful, and clear. Zero in on the ones you most need to grow, and focus on projecting them in your meetings and interactions.
3. Learn how the people you lead truly perceive you. Under normal circumstances, they may hesitate to provide feedback. But through a 360 executive presence process review, you can gain their opinions of your leadership approach, learning what is working and what is not.
4. Examine how your leadership landscape has changed since you stepped into your position. Does your job demand new skills that it didn’t require at the outset? Write down a list of new skills your current job requires you to possess.
5. Learn to regulate your emotions. In difficult times (or even on a challenging day), CEOs are under a great deal of pressure. Consider what helps you clear your head and gain back presence of mind. Do you benefit from taking a brisk walk? Shutting the door to have some uninterrupted time to think? Have a go-to practice that you can rely on in moments of overload to keep your cool.

Radiating executive presence begins with making daily changes in your meetings and other interactions. As you become known as a leader with executive presence in your role as CEO, you’ll see your team achieving more ambitious goals—and reaching even higher. And again, if you ever want to work for another organization, you’ll have a proven track record of success.

Your organization depends on you to cultivate executive presence so you can lead your team to greater heights of success. Contact Joel to begin executive presence coaching today or utilize an executive presence corporate training program for your leadership team. You can also purchase his book for your employees Executive Presence: Step into Your Power, Convey Confidence and Lead with Conviction.