Executive Presence: 8 Characteristics and Tips for Developing It

Indeed Editorial Team | Indeed | 3/31/22

Although executive presence may seem like a natural ability that predisposes some professionals for the executive suite, it’s more often an important skill that takes hard work to achieve. Essential to developing this important trait is gaining an understanding of the unique characteristics that make up an executive presence. It can also be beneficial to understand why an executive presence is important in the workplace. In this article, we define executive presence, including its characteristics and benefits, and provide tips for improving it in the workplace.

What is executive presence?
Executive presence is the combination of personality and character traits that make a dynamic executive. It’s the ability to inspire others to be assertive in their roles through the consistent demonstration of confidence and clear leadership. Executive presence allows leaders to understand their team member’s needs in correlation with the needs of the business.

An executive presence is composed of many individual characteristics that are essential to good leadership. When combined, they make an executive who can become the driving energy of a company. For this reason, employees with executive presence skills are often in leadership positions.

Click here to read the 8 characteristics of executive presence on Indeed.

By MIT Sloan CDO
MIT Sloan CDO