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4 Signs You Lack Executive Presence and How to Earn it Back

Dan Rockwell

This guest post is written by Joel Garfinkle, the author of Executive Presence: Step Into Your Power, Convey Confidence, & Lead With Conviction.

Executive presence is an elusive quality. When it’s lacking, you notice. A leader who lacks executive presence stands out for all the wrong reasons, sabotaging their presence and power.

I asked over 1,400 leaders which behaviors most undermine executive presence, and the survey results revealed these 4 behaviors:

  1. Indecisive
  2. Quiet
  3. Timid
  4. Too verbose

4 signs you lack executive presence and how to earn it back:

#1. Tentative decision-making.

Earn executive presence by taking the plunge.

Make decisions once you have close to 70% of the information Within that window, you have enough info to make an educated decision, but you’re not waiting so long you’re stalling.

#2. Rarely speaking up.

Leaders inspire confidence when they speak up appropriately. Set a goal for how many times to speak in a meeting.

You could decide to speak up three times:

  1. Make a comment you prepared ahead of time.
  2. Ask a question.
  3. Voice a thought that comes to mind in the moment.

With practice, speaking up well comes naturally.

#3. Unassertive and passive behavior.

Earn executive presence by presenting ideas assertively and persuasively.

Great ideas – presented poorly – languish in a headwind created by feeble presentations. If your idea is worthy, give it the opportunity to make a splash instead of a fizzle.

#4. Rambling on and on.

You undermine executive presence when you compulsively speak with no clear purpose.

Pause to accentuate key points.

Rushing and rambling devalues ideas. Well-placed pauses add eloquence to your speech. In between pauses, stick to the most essential points instead of going down one side tangent after another.

Earn a new level of respect by:

  1. Making timely decisions.
  2. Speaking up intentionally.
  3. Presenting assertively.
  4. Pausing after key points.

Which of the above suggestions do you find most relevant?

Still cuious:

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Joel Garfinkle is the author of Executive Presence: Step Into Your Power, Convey Confidence, & Lead With Conviction. Subscribe to his YouTube Channel which has 200+ actionable 2-minute inspirational video clips and visit his website for 300+ articles on leadership development. You can reach him directly at Joel@GarfinkleExecutiveCoaching.com

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