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10 Key Objectives of Executive Presence

A recent Gartner survey asked business leaders which leadership skills they thought made the most difference in the business world. “Executive presence” came in second on a list of 20 options. A study by the Center for Talent Innovation, a not-for-profit research firm, found much the same results. Twenty-six percent of the 268 executives surveyed believed that executive presence was a significant factor in getting promoted into a leadership role. The term executive presence is relatively new, and it is not even found in most dictionaries, but it is, nonetheless, a “buzzword” that has gained much attention in business circles in recent years. Good synonyms might be “personal presence” or, better, “leadership presence.” The basic concept is that your demeanor and actions leave the impression on others that you are a “true leader,” who is worthy to be respected and followed. There is a popular misconception that executive presence is purely innate, something you are born either with or without but can never develop. While the skills involved in projecting a strong executive presence are more natural to some than to others, they can certainly be learned and developed over time. To help those who are in–or who aspire to–leadership …

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