Cultivating a Powered Presence

Written By Kailei Carr

Over the past decade, I have worked with many leaders around the world on developing and strengthening something that can significantly impact career momentum: presence. So what is Presence? Presence is essentially the energy you bring into the room and how you are perceived by others. For leaders, it is about your ability to inspire confidence and action in others. Many call this “Executive Presence,” though I want to acknowledge that the term Executive Presence has been seen as unclear and nebulous, and may be triggering to some. Many marginalized groups have experienced being passed over for promotion or advancement at work because they “don’t have it,” while also not receiving clear feedback on what they need to do to “get it.” I have also found that many women of color I’ve worked with, in particular, have felt the need to place even more emphasis on their image and appearance to avoid criticism and judgment. 

As Minda Harts mentioned in an article on Chief, “Many women of color have to dress more formally than their colleagues and spend more money on visual cues, like hair, nails and accessories, to signal executive presence. This creates more physical and mental labor for those who are on the margins at work.” This can be disheartening and frustrating. 

I personally prefer the term “leadership presence” and have developed my own methodology, called Powered Presence, which is essentially the demonstration of leadership abilities, competence, authority and ease starting from a place of personal power and authenticity. From my experience working with more than 1000 leaders over the years, I want to share with you three things that I’ve learned about presence:

1. You have to be present in order to have presence. Think about someone who has strong presence. Do they appear frazzled, unfocused or consumed by their thoughts? Chances are, your answer is “no.” Though we often think about presence, in this context, as something that is external, presence absolutely starts from within. A leader with strong leadership presence has the ability to engage with others in the present moment, which contributes to their ability to access emotional intelligence, communicate effectively and respond to what is happening around them with a clear head. The most important practices around presence, I believe, are those that bring more mindfulness and awareness to the present moment. What does that look like? Setting an intention before you walk into a meeting. Taking a conscious breath before you go into a conversation. Thinking about what you want to get out of a meeting or presentation before it begins. So be present, engage with the moment and, most importantly, get out of your head. 

   
   

2. Having a powerful presence starts from a place of authenticity. I call this your “Personal Power” – the unique combination of attributes, strengths, experiences and ability to impact. But what I find in this “Insta-culture” we are in is that many of us find ourselves faking it or over-emulating others we admire. The problem is, when our energy goes into being like others, we minimize our impact. I remember hearing a story about how Oprah Winfrey, when a young local newscaster in Tennessee, did her best to imitate her idol, Barbara Walters. She would try her best to speak and sound like her when she delivered the news. Well, this resulted in her mispronouncing Canada (and instead pronouncing it as Ca-NAH-dah) as she read the teleprompter during the news. Though she was mortified, it was a learning experience because she realized the mistake happened because she was not being herself. Neither she nor Barbara Walters would have pronounced Canada in that way, but Oprah trying to be how she thought Barbara Walters would sound resulted in that embarrassing moment. When we are able to tap into our personal power and who we are at our core, we are able to show up as our most powerful selves. When we try to be like someone else, the best we can do is become a knock off. Not to mention the wasted energy required when pretending to be someone we are not!

Some of the questions you can ask yourself to get to your personal power are: 

• What are your strengths (both innate and learned)? 

• What do people come to you for the most? What energizes you? 

• What impact do you want to make through your work and in your leadership?

• What experiences have shaped who you are? 

The combination of these answers will reveal your personal power -- it is like your unique fingerprint that fuels your presence.

3. Having a strong presence requires alignment from the inside out. We only have seven seconds to make a first impression. Our image, body language and appearance all provide visual cues of who we are before we are able to demonstrate it through our actions. In fact, research shows that 50% of our communication comes from non-verbal communication like eye contact, body language, appearance, etc. And though we can change that impression over time if we have a bad day, it’s to our benefit to show up in alignment with what we want to communicate the first time. As you gain clarity on what your personal power is, think about: when I am  feeling at my best, how would I communicate? How would I carry myself? How would I engage with others? What would my appearance be like? This inside out approach (while also considering the environment you’re in) can be a guide to developing your presence.

Presence does not have to be a vague, nebulous thing that some people have and some people don't. If you are intentional, purposeful and present, your presence can help you make the impact you desire. 

To hear my recent episode on Power Presence on the Beyond the Business Suit podcast, listen here.