Executive Presence
By: Jill Mazza, MABC, CPC
Many of today’s professional coaching programs focus on developing executive presence. While executive presence is individually unique and defined differently across industries and organizations, there are certain qualities that coaching clients consistently want to cultivate in the workplace to shape the style of their executive presence. Credibility, trust, authenticity, control, clarity, confidence and flexibility are common. In the coaching space, clients build tactical skills while increasing self-awareness around how emotional and behavior choices create the reality of their professional lives.
Regardless of our title or job description, we are all leaders. In theory, every person is the CEO of their own career. How we choose to lead ourselves and communicate on a daily basis create the foundation for our executive presence.
Think about it. How many interactions do you have in the working environment each day? How many conversations do you have with colleagues, clients, and staff members? How many conversations do you have with yourself? How often are you fully present in these moments and taking full advantage of the opportunities within them?
The moment for executive presence comes at the time of interaction – each time we interact with another person, circumstance, and even our self. With every interaction we strengthen, maintain, or damage a relationship, situation, or our own self-worth. Once that interaction has passed, we cannot get it back and we rarely get second chances to make first impressions.
Every interaction is an opportunity to demonstrate leadership ability, to positively influence relationship dynamics, and to make intentional impacts in the moment. How satisfied are you with how these moments are going lately? Whether you are satisfied or not, it is possible to become more intentional so that you can enhance your executive presence – and operate at maximum potential.
Challenge yourself to objectively evaluate your professional behavior. Identify what changes you want to make so that your daily workplace interactions are more satisfying and productive. Remember, you are your own CEO. Drive yourself exactly where you want to go in your life and career.
© 2012 Jill Mazza. All Rights Reserved.