Executive Presence - Practical tips for you

It was after a long time I read a book in print since kindle had moved me to eBooks quite some time back. This book ‘Executive Presence’ has been special as it was autographed and sent to me by the author Shital Kakkar Mehra herself.

All organizations follow a pyramidal hierarchical structure. Not everyone makes it to the top. I am sure you would have seen people who are technically competent not always making the cut. It is very clear and documented by now that technical competence may not be a big differentiator amongst the candidates for senior positions. Richard Lobo, Group Head, Human Resources, Infosys Ltd is quoted in the book,’…when evaluating candidates for senior-level positions, we often find them equally competent in terms of profile and career accomplishment…while I am not discounting the importance of subject knowledge or professional expertise, executive presence does offer a competitive edge.’

Through the book ‘Executive Presence’, Shital introduces and details P.O.I.S.E – a formula for assessing and developing executive presence. Executive Presence is Shital Kakkar Mehra’s third book. She is India’s leading executive presence coach and has personally trained more than 45000 professionals including CEOs across Asia. 

Executive presence is the mysterious ‘it’ factor of leadership. Having this trait makes the leader present himself in a powerful and influential way with her employees as well with clients and external stakeholders. She inspires confidence, influence and engages effectively with internal and external confidence. The stakeholders feel her ‘presence.’

Who is this book for? This is equally valid for people who are executives and who want to be executives. That should include most people who are reading this blog. I recall one of my ex-boss’ words, ‘To be an executive you should start looking like one.’

Now, let’s get into POISE formula and its relevance.

P – POISE . It is interesting that Shital starts with poise. Poise is about refining your body language. Unfortunately, people give the least priority to this element. I have been also guilty of getting this wrong. By this time, we all know that our non-verbal behavior gives lot more away than our verbal behavior – the words we say. However, we usually don’t give much importance to our body language though we take much cues from the body language of the person sitting across or the person on the video call. Shital also talks about micro-expressions - e.g. that fleeting glance, pursed lips, the slight dropping of the jaw etc. Leaders use powerful, controlled and open gestures. Shital gives practical tips on attire, reading eyes, effectively using pauses etc.

O – ONLINE PRESENCE – As you can imagine, this factor has gained more important especially in the last several months. The author talks about the importance of building your personal brand even on Social Media platforms. It is important to be consistent when it comes to influencing online networking platforms. I am sure you can think of executives who do this right and some others who don’t get this right.

I – INFLUENCER PRESENCE – Influencer presence needs a high level of self-awareness. Good leaders gain the trust of the stakeholders – internal and external; motivate and inspire the employees to be part of something bigger. In this section, Shital talks about leaders leaning on the strength of their convictions to influence. They show the ‘executive maturity’ in handling objections, saying no, speaking up at the same time being humble and vulnerable. You will find excellent tips on ways to say NO (something that does not come naturally in the Indian culture).

S – STAGE PRESENCE - We have seen many leaders who have a great stage presence. Their enthusiasm is usually contagious. Public speaking skills play a big part in this. Stage presence does not just end at public speaking skills though.

E – ENGAGEMENT PRESENCE – this section is about building relationships. Leaders’ conversational skills go a long way in engaging effectively with team members, peers, networking events etc. The author has several tips on starting conversations, topics that could be used etc. An important area handled here is internal networking which is usually not given much importance.

The book has been liberally blessed with quotes from several senior executives that validates her approach. But, the best part of this book is the practicality of the suggestions. The author has not just given a formula POISE to structure your path towards executive life and beyond. Shital does not keep the book at a theoretical level. She goes into each part of the formula, explains the parameters/components that make that part up and details specific actions you can take to get there. This means, you can refer the book at various situations e.g., you are going to a networking event, you want to say NO to someone

I would recommend ‘Executive Presence’ to someone who is keen to make a difference at his or her work.

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Disclaimer : Views expressed above are mine and do not represent those of my employers.

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