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When you enter a room, do people notice you or do you just blend into the wallpaper? Perhaps if you are late for a presentation, it is a good idea to be obscure but to get ahead in your career and meet the right people, you need to have a presence, and that too an executive presence.
The little things that give you away
Having an executive presence or even a presence doesn’t mean that you have to be larger than life. What it does mean is showing up in the best possible light so that people notice you and what you stand for. It is the little things that make a big difference.
If we were colleagues at work and I were to ask you how you were or how work was going, what would be?
Would you look at me with sad eyes and crib about how things were not going your way? Or would you speak to me confidently and share some interesting work-related information that I could use?
No second guessing who would be welcome at the canteen table for lunch with colleagues!
Here are a few things to consider about your physical presence:
- Does your body language enhance the other person’s impression of your credibility and strength? Or do your gestures, postures and hand movements let you down?
- Is your voice conveying confidence? Are your language, diction and facial expressions congruent? Do you speak clearly and directly without too much hand movement, scratching of the nose or running your hands through your hair?
- Does your hair, makeup, jewelry, perfume, clothes and shoes exude confidence? In other words, does your appearance get you noticed for all the right reasons?
Standing out and above the noise in the office
It isn’t just the physical appearance or activity that will help you stand up above the rest of your colleagues. It is also the proactive steps that you take to demonstrate your value.
Sometime back I shared 3 of my tips to start raising your executive presence, namely,
Knowing your worth and effectively communicating it to others
Overcoming your distaste for self-promotion & learning to promote yourself
Doing more than what you were told to do –being proactive and taking initiative
If you try even one of them, you’ll notice a change in the way you are perceived in the office and hopefully, things have started to move in the right direction.
Additional Resource
Based on my own experience and that gleaned from the experiences of my Career Coaching Clients, I’ve written a Kindle Edition Book Get Noticed! 15 Insider Tips guaranteed to improve your Executive Presence, a comprehensive powerful action-oriented booklet with additional resources and exercises to help get you noticed faster and by the right people in your organization.
These are strategies that my career coaching clients’ use successfully, based on their assessments and discussions with me.
If raising your executive presence and getting your career onto the right path is your goal, then be smart. Play smart with the tips in my book.
Sometimes we need that little push and encouragement to start working in the right direction to achieve our career goals.
All you have to do is click the book cover below, visit Amazon, get your copy and start applying those tips that will work best for you- right now.
GET NOTICED!: 15 Insider Tips guaranteed to improve your Executive Presence
And as always, do let me know how it is going –Comment at the blog or write to me via the connect form. I’m waiting to hear from you!
Ps. Do let me know if you buy my book and tried any of the tips!
Please remember to review The Karmic Ally Coaching Privacy Policy while considering making purchases.
Written by Vatsala Shukla
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I adhere to the Certified Coaches Alliance Code of Ethics and Standards. A copy is available on request.
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I felt compelled to add a personal story. I worked for a government agency. A friend invited me to relocate and get a new job. I said, “Oh I can’t. I don’t have marketable skills. They belong to the agency that trained me & told me what I had to do daily. He said, then take courses til you find your confidence in your own skill level.
I took a course that was teaching others how to change careers. Early on I said, I know all this & can do a better job delivering. Ultimately, I became an evening teacher for our local library system for 10 years with hi praise. Never did move but was happy for the push that had me see my own value.
Thank you for sharing your precious personal story, Roslyn. I know the readers of my blog will benefit from reading your story and the ultimate lesson about how important it is to know one’s value. Being of service and having touched so many lives through your local library system has made all the difference, whether you moved or not.
Always love your articles, such practical advice.
Thank you Keri, for your kind words and encouragment to my pen!
Great blog post and suggestions. As a retired Career Counselor I recognize advice that works. I have to say that without really trying, I was able to distinguish myself from my peers and was selected for graduate school, special assignments, etc. Had a marvelous 30 years helping others at difficult period in their lives. You have much wisdom to provide.
Thank you Roslyn. Standing up above the noise and being recognized for your work and getting good assignments is a great motivator and requires being proactive, which I know you are. Sometimes clients tell me that they don’t have the natural skills and I find myself telling them to learn them by just trying one to get the momentum going.