6-minute read
Calm, decisive, good listener, great communicator, self-aware, trustworthy, strategic, open-minded, respectful, motivational, confident, and a good sense of humor.
These characteristics of great leaders were captured in a recent session with a group of high-performing (and delightful!) global emerging leaders. We began the session by expressing the leadership ideal before discussing strategies for honing the professional presence that defines them as credible and trustworthy managers.
The group immediately noticed that none of the descriptors represent technical skills; each trait is human and relationship-based, which means anyone can build a professional presence regardless of title.
At its core, professional presence is the ability to operate on two planes. The first is relating well to others, building trust and motivation, communicating confidently, and being open-minded to new ideas. The second is the capacity to see beyond the day-to-day work, analyze multiple factors, generate ideas, and set strategic direction. While you may already possess some of the aspects of professional presence, others, once identified, can be nurtured and developed as you gain mastery over your work.
Professional presence is learnable.
Building a professional presence as a goal is good for your organization, career, and clients. Organizations value professional presence because developing talent from within creates a strong succession pipeline. Building these skills leads to higher job satisfaction for individuals, which Gallup cites as a primary driver of employee retention and stability. This is why competencies like communication, collaboration, and critical thinking are tracked in performance reviews and recognized in daily interactions. Retention creates organizational, cultural, and financial stability, which makes clients happy.
Here, we will outline three key areas of professional presence and offer strategies for building yours.
Core Elements of Professional Presence: Gravitas, Communication, Appearance
Gravitas
What it is: Being seen as trustworthy and leading with confidence, poise, and composure.
What it looks like at work: Gravitas is…
Attending a meeting and being fully present.
Building on the ideas presented.
Making measured decisions that represent maximum client benefit.
Not freaking out when unexpected complications arise or a competitor makes a bold move. Being confident and including others in ideation.
Building trust by connecting with people personally, supporting their growth, and being a go-to advisor or mentor.
Being self-aware enough to own mistakes.
What you can do now: Take the Mind Tools confidence quiz to understand where you show up as confident and where you don’t. Choose two areas of gravitas you want to build or expand. For getting started, the low-hanging fruit is asking about client benefit to understand the purpose of a decision and sharing expertise as a mentor or go-to advisor.
Communication
What it is: Connecting with people. Clearly expressing ideas, being concise and leading with the outcome sought, listening actively, being open-minded and curious, and expressing empathy.
What it looks like at work: Strong communicators…
Don’t use filler words like um, like, you know, and so.
Read the room and respond in a way that will get the best result.
Use curiosity as the motivator for productive conversations.
Listen actively and ask questions before offering their point of view. This allows them to hear the whole message before inserting ideas.
Lead with the outcome when asked for advice.
What you can do now: Practice listening to hear instead of listening to respond. When in a conversation, understand if you are listening to get information, understand a key point, learn, connect, or win. Your outcome will determine your interaction. Ask open-ended questions that begin with What, How, When, and Where (Use why questions with caution as, depending on the context, they can create a defensive reaction).
Challenge yourself in your next meeting to ask a question, field an idea, or ‘Yes, And’ a colleague.
Appearance
What It is: Expressing confident nonverbal cues to create trust and relatability and being visible in meetings and with colleagues.
What it looks like at work: Appearance looks like…
A confident demeanor. First impressions are formed in seconds, so appearance matters. Dressing appropriately for your office culture.
Practicing strong nonverbal cues like good posture and eye contact.
Showing up and being present at meetings.
What you can do now: Pay attention to your voice. If it rises at the end of a sentence, that tone signals that you are unsure of your opinion. Modulate your voice to keep a consistent tone throughout. This is not speaking in a monotone; modulation is a tonal range that communicates confidence. Pay attention to nonverbal cues like eye contact, posture, and nervous habits, and improve where needed. Increase your visibility by speaking up in meetings (with something relevant, please!) and being more visible with colleagues.
If this sounds like a lot of behavioral curation, consider this. In every interaction of every day, whether social or at work, we consciously or unconsciously spend a lot of time tailoring how we show up in the world. Here’s proof: If you’ve ever said, “I’m really not up for this, but I’m doing it anyway,” or “I can’t wait to do this,” you are curating yourself.
Highlighting these three key areas of professional presence will help you focus on how you curate yourself at work. Strengthening your gravitas, communication, and appearance increases your job satisfaction and chances of promotion. In the shorter term, you’ll be more attentive to the environment around you and able to react better in the moment.
Building a professional presence is an ongoing activity. Over time, these practices will become subconscious responses and the foundation of your leadership style.
Enjoy curating you.
Thank you for reading.
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