Executive Presence with Joel A. Garfinkle

“Someone with executive presence has a reputation for making things happen, and they are respected as an authority. They earn people's respect, not because they demand it, but because they command it,” explains Joel Garfinkle. Joel is one of the top 50 executive coaches in the entire United States. He is a successful author of 11 books and 300 articles on leadership. Today, Joel brings his 23 years of executive coaching experience to the table to talk about the importance of executive presence.

It is not enough to just lead with authenticity. A leader must also exhibit a strong executive presence. This presence is all about radiating confidence, speaking with gravitas, and maintaining a perception of competency at all times. This tends to come easier for extroverts, as they are often the ones speaking up the most in meetings. To really showcase an executive presence, you must trust yourself to participate in meetings fully, let your ideas be heard, and stand up for your convictions.

Leaders with executive presence get farther in their careers, because they are perceived as being worthy of both trust and respect. There are 9 competencies for determining executive presence. Learn more about how to build an executive presence, so that you can lead with authenticity, confidence, and competence.

• “Good presence is really about radiating confidence in your interactions and in many situations that you enter. So it's communicating with conviction and clarity, not having ambiguity or hesitancy in what you are trying to say. It means being a bold and decisive decision maker, and coming across as really competent and professional.” (6:14-6:40 | Joel)
• “Someone with executive presence has a reputation for making things happen, and they are respected as an authority. They earn people's respect, not because they demand it, but because they command it.” (6:42-6:55 | Joel)
• “Having a strong foundation of executive presence, as your leaders are moving into middle management and beyond, is really important.” (12:24-12:33 | Joel)
• “Extroverts do have an advantage in displaying executive presence, they seem more confident and at ease with people and in their interactions.” (17:15-17:24 | Joel)
• “The key thing for introverts is to stop self censoring yourself and trust yourself to participate in a dialogue during meetings.” (18:49-18:58 | Joel)
• “When 400 CEOs were asked how they choose their next level leaders, 89% of them said they looked for one particular trait. And that was executive presence.” (34:14-34:25 | Joel)