Developing Executive Presence: A Practical How-To Guide

Whenever Jamie Dimon speaks about the economy, people listen.

As CEO of JPMorgan Chase, Dimon has evolved from a traditional banking executive into a statesman laser-focused on helping shape the national conversation around economic policy.

Dimon commands attention not just because of his position but also because of his well-polished executive presence — both online and IRL — that projects gravitas and credibility in any forum.

Executive presence: What is it?

Executive presence is the qualities and skills that enable leaders to inspire confidence and influence others, whether that’s in a conference room, a media interview, or a LinkedIn feed. More than simply having a C-suite title and requisite experience, executive presence is the special sauce that enables leaders to show up and command attention.

To increase the chances that your executive brand is well-rounded, seek out external feedback to identify gaps between how you hope you’re perceived and how you currently come across.

The pillars of executive presence

There are 4 key pillars of executive presence:

1. Gravitas — the quality of seriousness and importance — is the central tenet of executive presence, according to 67% of senior executives. While hard to define, its impact is undeniable.
2. Communication skills come next, with 28% of executives agreeing that strong communication skills indicate whether a candidate is leadership material.
3. Online and digital footprint is also essential. Increasingly, executives are assessed by how they show up in search results, on answer engines like ChatGPT, and on social platforms like LinkedIn. The image you project online directly influences your real-life prospects, and vice-versa.
4. Appearance — how you look and how you present yourself — matters less, with only 5% of execs agreeing that it’s a key factor in executive presence.

Leaders with strong executive presence come across as competent and trustworthy, the type of person you’d want steering the ship during a crisis.

How to build your executive presence

Despite what you might think, executive presence isn’t something you’re born with. It’s a set of skills you can build and refine.

It’s worth the effort. If you’re interested in advancing your career, you need to enhance your executive presence. According to a study from the Tracom Group, 92% of HR professionals agree that executive presence is an important part of leadership. What’s more, 77% of respondents said that candidates with high levels of executive presence advance faster in their careers.

So how exactly can you go about building your executive presence? Let’s take a look.

Identify your executive brand

The first step of building your executive presence is identifying your executive brand. This involves what you stand for as a leader and the qualities you want others to think about when they see and hear you. It’s the narrative you hope to project day in and day out.

Once you understand what your core message is, drill down into who you want to reach and why. Is your audience senior leadership? Is it a specific type of business buyer? Are you trying to attract top talent or land new clients? Each of these groups may respond to different elements of your brand, so it’s important to not cast too wide a net here.

When you understand what your brand is and what your ideal audience looks like, you can ensure that your executive presence is authentic and relevant.

To increase the chances that your executive brand is well-rounded, seek out external feedback to identify gaps between how you hope you’re perceived and how you currently come across. Tools like the personal branding canvas and resources like a personal branding agency can be particularly helpful at this stage.

Master your communication skills

Executive presence requires strong communication skills. While what you say matters, how you say it is usually even more important. Unfortunately, 91% of employees say that their bosses aren’t great communicators — something you’ve got to work on if you want to improve your executive presence.

Leaders with high executive presence speak clearly and confidently. Instead of beating around the bush, they get straight to the point, avoiding filler words and jargon that most regular people don’t understand.

In addition to your tone of voice, it’s also important to pay attention to nonverbal communication. Your body language matters just as much as the words you say and the tone you use. If you’re slouched over in a chair and are looking down without making eye contact with your audience or the interviewer, your message won’t have as much impact.

Beyond speaking, your written communication skills also have an impact on your executive presence. Are the blogs you write and the emails you send clear and concise? Do you use the right tone when engaging your team internally or writing an external-facing blog post?

By strengthening your communication skills and being consistent with your messaging, you can earn the trust of your team and your audience.

Increase your visibility, IRL and online

You can’t build influence and expand your reach if no one hears from you. Take a proactive approach to raising your executive presence within your organization by volunteering to lead meetings and pitching in on high-visibility projects.

You can also increase visibility externally through a combination of LinkedIn posts, earned media, bylines, blogs, and podcast appearances, among other things. These platforms enable you to telegraph your executive presence while showcasing your thought leadership.

Try to secure speaking engagements at conferences, workshops, and webinars to demonstrate your expertise while bringing your executive presence to a wider audience. The more people encounter your voice and your ideas, the faster your influence grows.

Executive presence isn’t something you build for a couple of months before moving on to the next project. It’s a living skill that evolves over time.

3 next-level tips to maximize the impact of your executive presence

As you continue developing your executive presence, use these three tips to maximize the impact of your efforts.

1. Leverage social media as a tool to extend your executive presence

Since you can’t be in every office and conference room at once, use social media to amplify your executive presence and make sure your message gets out to more people. According to LinkedIn, there are 8.2 million C-level executives on the professional social network, which means you need to be on the platform, too, if you want to attract other business leaders.

As you start increasing your activity on LinkedIn, share thoughtful insights about what’s going on in your industry, and chime in on trends your audience cares about. Remember, consistency is key. By regularly posting articles and engaging with your audience, you can build trust while increasing visibility.

In addition to talking about work and your industry, don’t be afraid of sharing authentic content documenting what life is like behind the scenes and personal reflections you’ve made. With the right approach, you can transform your executive presence from something people experience when they’re standing in the same room as you to an ongoing stream of your executive brand and leadership identity.

2. Use AI to develop your executive presence

Would you be surprised to learn that you can use artificial intelligence to boost your executive presence? From accelerating content creation to adjusting the tone in written content and prepared remarks, AI can help you enhance your executive presence and make sure it aligns with the messages you ultimately want to convey.

Believe it or not, AI can also help you solve the problem of only being able to be in one place at one time. Well, sort of: Some CEOs are using AI to create their own AI avatars, which lets them generate personalized video messages from written prompts without having to record them. It’s an easy way to get your face out there more without having to put in tons of time.

3. Measure results, seek feedback, and continue to iterate

Executive presence isn’t something you build for a couple of months before moving on to the next project. It’s a living skill that evolves over time.

As you begin making moves, measure the impact of your executive presence. Are you being invited to be a part of key conversations in your industry? Is your thought leadership content getting more traction on LinkedIn? Are journalists and reporters getting in touch to use you as a source for a story or segment?

No matter how much traction you’re getting, you can always do better. By working with an experienced personal branding agency, you get access to the tools and methodologies you need to orchestrate a successful executive presence pivot. Plus, you’ll also have a team of experts at your disposal who can help you fine-tune your executive presence as the data rolls in.

Since leaders who have the strongest executive presences are those who treat it as an ongoing commitment, always look for feedback and iterate accordingly. That’s how you cultivate an executive presence that accomplishes exactly what you’re setting out to achieve.

Learn more about how a personal branding agency can help you sculpt an executive presence that grows your audience and increases your public stature.

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