316: The 4 C's of Effective Leadership Presence

Have you ever been told you “lack executive presence” but never received a clear explanation of what that means? You’re not alone.

For many mid-career professionals, this overused buzzword becomes a frustrating barrier to promotions and leadership opportunities.

In today’s episode of The Mid-Career GPS Podcast, John Neral challenges the outdated definition of executive presence and offers a fresh framework that makes leadership expectations more actionable and achievable.

Instead of relying on vague notions of confidence or “looking the part,” John introduces the concept of effective presence; a practical approach built around four key principles:

• Clarity – Communicate ideas simply and ensure expectations are understood.
• Credibility – Build trust by following through and backing up your words with action.
• Connection – Relate authentically to colleagues at every level of the organization.
• Consistency – Provide stability through dependable leadership behaviors.

You’ll also learn how to reframe feedback when someone questions your presence. By asking the right questions such as: “What specifically would you like me to do differently?” Then, you can turn vague criticism into concrete steps that strengthen your leadership reputation.

If you’re navigating a competitive job market or aiming for your next promotion, this episode will help you stop worrying about whether you “look the part” and instead focus on creating impact through authentic and effective leadership.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why “executive presence” is an outdated and biased concept.
• How effective presence helps mid-career professionals stand out in today’s workplace.
• The Four C’s that define effective leadership presence.
• How to turn vague, unhelpful feedback into actionable career guidance.
• Why consistent communication and results matter more than polish.

Chapters

• 0:00 Unpacking the Executive Presence Myth
• 3:21 Redefining Presence for Today's Workplace
• 8:21 The Four C's of Effective Presence
• 14:06 How to Define Your Leadership Style
• 17:37 From Vague Feedback to Actionable Steps
• 19:48 Episode Closing and Newsletter Invitation

Transcript

John Neral: 0:00

Today, you and I will delve into a topic that gets thrown around a lot in leadership conversations and often leaves people scratching their heads. That topic is executive presence. I wish you could see me do the air quotes on that one. Maybe you've been told you need more of it. Maybe it's even been the reason you were passed over for a promotion. But here's the truth executive presence is one of the vaguest, most overused terms in today's workplace, in my opinion. And the problem is, no one can quite explain what it really means or how you're supposed to demonstrate it. In this episode, I'll break down why executive presence is confusing, outdated, and what presence actually looks like in today's job market. Most importantly, you will learn how to show up with clarity, credibility, connection, and consistency because that's what makes people trust you, follow you, and promote you. So if you've ever wondered, do I have executive presence? Stick around. By the end of this episode, you'll know exactly how to create it for yourself every day. Let's get started. For many mid-career professionals, as you are trying to navigate through an organization and increase your management and leadership responsibilities, more than likely you have been hit with the term executive presence. And here's the problem I know with it. The phrase has become this corporate buzzword that can look very differently across different organizations and for different leaders and executives who tout what they believe executive presence should be. It's often used to pinpoint specific behaviors. But unless you're asking the right questions of your leadership or your mentors or sponsors who are on your journey around your leadership, if you don't, it creates this level of confusion and frustration because executive presence can sound very subjective or even elitist. For example, if you've ever been told you don't have it, meaning you don't demonstrate the executive presence we're looking for, and you're not given the guidance on what that's actually supposed to look like, how can you do it? The traditional definition for executive presence was often defined as confidence, decisiveness, clarity, persuasion, and of course, looking the part. To me, in some ways, that seems very outdated, and on even some level, sexist. While these things still matter, particularly the confidence, decisiveness, communication, and clarity, the over-emphasis on looking the part creates this bias around age, gender, sexual orientation, and race. And it feels and we know it to be outdated in today's diverse hybrid workplace. Look, there may be attempts to dismantle DEI across a lot of organizations, but DEI doesn't go away. We still represent a diverse, dynamic workforce that when we're talking about something that is supposed to be this unifying moniker across an organization about executive presence, I want to offer you it is your responsibility to get clarity on exactly what the expectations are for that executive presence that you are expected to demonstrate. And then, of course, you then determine whether or not that actually aligns with your North Star or your core values about what that executive presence is supposed to be. In today's job market, especially if you are trying to apply for positions at a leadership level or in a leadership position, I want to acknowledge that companies need adaptable leaders, not just quote unquote polished ones. The executive presence isn't about what you have in terms of gaining the corner office. It's about how you influence. And even how you influence without authority as you are climbing that corporate ladder or climbing that ladder to those visible leadership positions within your organization, in which you garner the credibility and the trust because of what you do, how well you do it, and also how you make people feel. Have you ever worked in an organization where you were scared of the leader or the executive, or you were hesitant to speak up because you felt as if they intimidated you, or better phrasing, they did intimidate you? I have. And it's one of those things that you can sit there, and I remember this for myself going, that's not the leader I aspire to be. And so we start thinking about how we choose to show up, how we protect and promote our brand, and what being a leader actually means for us. In a hybrid work environment or even a remote working environment, executive presence on Zoom can look very different than it does in the boardroom. But being vague about what executive presence is, it makes it this kind of encompassing or catch-all reason for why someone may even be held back from a promotion. If I were actively interviewing for a senior or executive level position right now, and I was asked in an interview to describe my executive presence, I would most certainly want to have rehearsed and practiced an answer that defines specifically for me what that means. How do I show up as an executive day in and day out to fulfill the mission of the organization in ways that align with the company's value, but more importantly, my values? But then I would take this one step further. I would look at that interviewer or hiring manager after being asked that question, and I would follow up with this. Given what I just shared, how closely do we align on our definitions for executive presence? It's a fantastic follow-up question, in my opinion. And you may come across an interview where they'll say, we need you to hold the questions till the end, or uh it's not really a time for me to answer that question. That's fine. That's where you can start assessing fit for you in terms of how well that organization really fits to who you are and what you do. But here's what I want to offer you. When you hear the term executive presence, let's change one of those words. Let's change executive to effective. Because the way I see it, presence and how we show up in the workplace is all about these four C's. The first C is about clarity. How well do you communicate ideas simply and directly in a way that people fully know what it is you are expecting of them. In other words, people aren't leaving leadership conversations or workplace conversations or meetings that you've led with some kind of vagueness or ambiguity about what it is you're trying to accomplish. You have heard me say on this podcast before, time and time again, and if you're new to the podcast, so happy to have you here. You will hear this in other episodes as you listen. But the cleaner and clearer we are, the easier it is for people to respond about what it is we need from them or we're asking them to do. That's why clarity is important. The second C is about credibility. And credibility, in my opinion, ties in directly with trust. You back up what you say with confidence and follow through. Notice I didn't say confidence. So here we are in the middle of, or there's just kind of the start of football season. And living in the Washington, D.C. area, I have followed the career of Sean McVeigh. I wouldn't say very closely, but I'm definitely familiar with him. He was one of the assistant coaches here for a time with the commanders. But he has now, for the last seven years, been the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams. And I've always admired Sean McVeigh's leadership style and how he leads his team. And one of the things that he has said, it's one of my favorite quotes by him. He says, confidence is not a word. Confidence is about the work. In other words, the confidence we project is about the actions we have taken to deserve that confidence, to earn that confidence in how we show up day in and day out. So when you look inside your organization and you look at where you sit on the org chart, are you credible? Are you the kind of person who brings the technical expertise to that position and do so in a way that you are trusted and valued by the people you work alongside with, for, and with every single day? The third C is all about connection. How are you relating to people? Are you the kind of executive or leader within the organization that you only give time to people at your level? Or are you someone who knows every person's name on the housekeeping and janitorial staff? Do you acknowledge people in the hallway and say hello? Or are you, quote unquote, so busy that you just pass them by and ignore them? How we connect and how we show up, it's how we get to build trust. We make others feel valued. So for the majority of the people I work with, and when I say majority, I'm talking 99% here. The majority of the people I work with are big-hearted, heart-centric type leaders that care about the people they work with, the clients they serve, the organizations where they're at. They lead with their heart, but they are not pushovers. They are far from it. Their ability to connect allows them to show up and have intentional conversations with people day in and day out because of the last C I'm going to share with you. Consistency. Executive presence is about having stability. People know what it is you're going to get. I worked with an amazing leader who had probably one of the foulest mouths I've ever. He just F-bombed every single place. He was also brilliant. He was brilliant in what he did. And so the consistency was if I was sitting in a meeting with him, I knew what I was going to get. And I'm not someone who's easily offended, but it was something that I wasn't used to where I had worked previously. Here was the thing I didn't expect him to be somebody different. I accepted him for who he is and where he was at that point in time. And that was it. Because when someone's consistent, we know what it is they're going to give us. We don't question, we don't doubt. We know what it is they're going to give us. When we think about clarity, credibility, connection, and consistency. I offer these four C's to you as a way for you to start building your definition on what your leadership or effective presence actually looks like. And from there, you can build the stories around about how you demonstrate clarity, credibility, connection, and consistency. But our presence at work is aligned on two things. Our presence at work is based off of how we show up on a regular basis and how well we demonstrate that at work so people get to know us and our brand and reputation are consistent. In your organization, somewhere, be it on your internet or somewhere within human resources, there should be a list of core competencies that they expect at every level. And in terms of their leadership competencies, I strongly suggest you take a look at them and do the work to know exactly what those competencies look like for leaderships in your organization. This is about the norm within your organization. It may not be the norm elsewhere, but if you are playing in that sandbox or you are on that playground in terms of that organization, what then happens is those are the rules by which you play. Focus on the actional behaviors that you can then define and have a better conversation with your leadership around what that all means. So in that, um, what you may want to consider here is how do you prepare and contribute meaningfully in meetings, be it either as the one who's leading or be it as the one who's participating in the meeting? Think about your body language. What's your posture like? How are you sitting? What's your tone in your messaging? If you are someone who happens to talk with their hands, does your leadership or executive presence mean that you tend to point and you get a little jabby or directive with that finger? Or are you more open-palmed in terms of bringing people in and together? How do you show empathy? Where do you show empathy while still staying decisive to make the decisions you need to make at the level you are at? And your effective presence, how well do you give and receive feedback rather than simply assuming what people want, expect, or say? From my lens as an executive and career transition coach, when I work with my executive clients and we talk about their presence, it is less about having it and more about how they create it daily. So if there's one final takeaway I want to offer you here in this episode, it's this, my friends. Stop worrying about whether or not you quote unquote look the part. Show up as somebody who consistently communicates clearly, connects authentically, and delivers amazing results. What you will be known for as that leader or executive will be based on the results you deliver. So when you hear those terms, executive or leadership presence, lean into it, get really curious about what it is that they mean or what the expectations are, that is your key to unlocking your success as you move to create your next advancement opportunity. I will also offer you this. If you have been told, be it in a performance review or feedback meeting, that you don't have enough executive presence or you lack that executive presence, here is a follow-up question you may want to ask. What specifically would you like me to do differently? What specifically would you like to see me do differently? That question will shift the tone of that conversation from being vague to being actionable. Because if we're getting feedback, we want to have specific enough feedback to know whether or not we can act on it. So make that shift from being vague to actionable. And if your leadership or your executive team can't provide that for you, accept them where they are, help them out, ask them a better question so you can get the clarity you need to meet both yours and their expectations for what your executive or leadership presence is supposed to look like. All right. If you enjoyed this episode and you want a little bit more, here you go. Go to my website, johnnarrell.com, and subscribe to the Mid Career GPS newsletter. It is a twice-weekly newsletter with leadership and career information, tips, guidance, and resources to help you build your mid-career GPS to whatever is next. You can find it at johnnarrell.com right there on the homepage or under the resources tab. Come on into my email community and let's keep the conversation going over there. So until next time, my friends, I wish you a great rest of the day. And remember this you will build your mid-career GPS one mile or one step at a time. And how you show up matters. Let's get ready for quarter four. And until next time, take care.com for more information about how I can help you build your mid-career GPS, or how I can help you and your organization with your next workshop or public speaking event. Don't forget to connect with me on LinkedIn and follow me on social at John Daryl Coaching. I look forward to being back with you next week. Until then, take care. And remember, how we show up matters.