The Importance of Executive Presence: Excerpted from my appearance on Chip Baker's The Success Chronicles

Chip Baker:  Hey, what's up everybody? So excited! We are here with a topic session with Ms. Arva Thomas, Your Executive Presence Coach, for our topic session today. And so first I want to say thank you so much for taking the time to do topic sessions with me. I think it's been a blessing. It's great knowledge that we're imparting into the listeners, followers and we get some good feedback from it. First, if you don't mind, just tell them a little bit about who you are and what it is you do, and then we'll dive into our topic.

Arva Thomas:  Okay, great. Well, I am an executive presence and communications coach with Blue Monarch Communications, which is the consultancy that I started in order to help leaders, high achievers and emerging executives to achieve next level success in their chosen careers. I work with them to cultivate the executive presence necessary to help them obtain that next promotion, and ultimately climb to the status that they want to be within their career. 

In addition to that, I am also a corporate trainer. This is important to note because as a corporate trainer, my main focus is for things to be clear and understandable.  When you have a clear roadmap, then you know what to do. With that clear understanding, you can also look for better ways to do things. Once you understand what the process is, once you understand the audience, once you understand the person, once you understand the system, whatever it is, it becomes easier for you to find a better way to do things. And when you find that better way and you share it with other people, then you become the trusted source. You become the person who can provide solutions. So that is how I show up in the world, and that is what I bring to my coaching with executive presence.

Chip Baker:  That's awesome... Yes, and when you can find clarity, and know what you're about, I believe that puts you in alignment with your assignment.

Arva Thomas:  Yes!

Chip Baker:  Please share with us some of the things you have as far as having that presence.

Arva Thomas:  Well, I'll start with a basic definition of executive presence. A lot of times, it is difficult for people to articulate what it is, but when they see it, they know it immediately.  For starters, executive presence is a set of soft skills that  informs how you communicate with people, how you show and get results, how you get results, and how you use interpersonal skills to meet people at their level. One of the hallmarks of executive presence the ability to remain cool and calm under pressure. That's huge for executive presence because you diminish yourself and you can damage the mission when you fly off the handle. So it's best to remain calm, look at the situation for what it is, and then figure out what is my next step, what can be done better? What did I not handle so well previously? And how can we overcome that?

Presentation skills are also a huge part of cultivating and exhibiting executive presence.  As a corporate trainer, this skill is near and dear to my heart. Presentation skills is one of the things that people may notice the most when it comes to executive presence. They will hear someone speak and they're like, "Oh my gosh, I just don't know what it is about him or her. But there's just something about them." People take note of the charisma and passion conveyed as they speak. That is a learned skill.

Now, what you said earlier too, Chip, about being in alignment with your assignment, you can have that passion and that charisma and all of that when you are in alignment with your assignment. What does that mean in terms of executive presence? I love to work with people on finding their "professional why" within the company or the organization. What is that thing that can be your soapbox, if you will, that thing that is like, oh, you know, I am really fired up about a new way of doing XYZ. Or I'm really fired up about this particular subset of marketing, just as an example. Or I'm fired up about this particular subset of helping new teachers to succeed in the education world, because that's where I come from... a very long line of teachers.

So finding that thing that you can be excited and passionate about, and that also is in alignment with the mission, vision, and goals of the organization is the key. When those two things line up, watch out! That is what is going to give you that extra edge as well.

When it comes to executive presence, there are several internal things that you're looking at. I've mentioned a few already. But you also need to be self aware. When you are self aware, you will know your triggers. They say, know thyself. You definitely need to know thyself.  Know when to walk away from the conversation. Know when to say,  "I can't give you an answer right now. Give me a few minutes to think about it or look at the data, and then I'll get back with you." It's also about being able to make those bold decisions with the information that you have, and if you need more information, asking for it. 

But then the other piece to executive presence that many people think about is how you carry yourself and how you look. I'm talking about your dress, your style, those things. Those things are important. You definitely want to look the part. And you want the exterior to match the internal work that you've done.  For example, learning about yourself, learning about others, learning your communication style and others', when to say what or how to say what. Once you get all that in alignment, then you want the outside to reflect the inside. And what do you have inside? Once you master these skills, you have confidence. And the confidence will show in how you carry yourself, how you walk, everything about you. How you speak, the passion with which you speak, the authority with which you speak as well. You want all of that to line up with what's on the outside. So that's a few of the many of the things that are encompassed within executive presence.

And now that I've loosely defined executive presence, I want to paint the picture for why it's so important. There was actually a study that was done of 400 CEOs. And in that survey, they were asked, what does it take for people to be able to make it up the career ladder? 78% of those 400 CEOs said that if you do not have executive presence, it is going to hold you back.

There was another study that said that executive presence skills are ranked number two in a list of the top 20 leadership traits that make a difference. And then there was a third study that said that leadership presence, which is also can be synonymous with executive presence, accounts for 26% of what it takes to get a promotion at work. So why do we care about executive presence? Because it is a primary key to getting to where you want to be.

Chip Baker: I love it. So many valuable gems you dropped. I love the data, too. It's so important. So many great things that you hit on. I love how you approach it. And I love the internal piece that you talked about, too.

I have a couple of points. When you're looking at presence, I believe that your presence is the present. And what I mean by that is it's important to be in the moment when you're present. And like all of those things that you talked about that executives are looking for, making the eye contact, giving effort, showing that you care, being early and not on time. All of those things that show that you are present and in the moment, it is a present. And what happens from that is I believe that you get opportunities because people like to have those types of people on their teams. When we get the reps (repetitions) at being present, it allows us to sharpen our skills. It allows us to see how, "Hmm, I did this pretty good. Let's keep doing this." "I need more work on this. I have to put myself around people that can teach me to be better on this." I think it allows us to hone our skills so that we're better. And then, like I mentioned earlier, it allows us to be in alignment with our assignment. And so it allows us to put ourselves in situations, in spaces where what we are doing no longer feels like work.

Arva Thomas:  Right!

Chip Baker:  It puts us in spaces where we absolutely love what we're doing. And that it exudes from us. Right?

Just like you talked about the internal piece of executive presence, I believe in "internal, external, everlasting". If you look at it like a bullseye chart, the innermost part, the bullseye, is that internal, right? And so you really have to work on being the best version of yourself so that can influence the external. And when you do that, everybody around you gets the vibe, the feel, the juices from you... the external. And what we don't realize is that being present each moment of every day, yes, it's internal, yes, it's external, but it also becomes everlasting. Because now all of those things that you've done on a day to day basis, people see that, and it teaches them something. It teaches you something. And now that's passed on from generation to generation, right.

Arva Thomas:  Yes, I love that!  I love that, Chip. And listening to you just now, also brought to mind that one of the things that makes people successful is the ability to listen.

Chip Baker:  Yes.

Arva Thomas:  Really listening. That active listening. Listening for what is said. Listening for what is not said. Asking those questions as well. Being in the moment is so very important. And you can't do that if you're not listening because you will only be thinking about, "Okay, okay, they said blah blah, blah. Okay, I want to make sure that I say this as soon as they take a breath!" No, that's not communicating. You're talking at each other rather than really listening. Listening for what the need is, listening to understand what the person is saying, where the person is coming from. Everyone wants to be understood.

Chip Baker:  Yes.

Arva Thomas:  Going back to when we were talking about being in alignment with your assignment, and matching that thing that you can champion and be excited about, that also aligns with the mission and the vision and the goals of the organization. That is the thing that is going to help you stand apart and stand out. Why? Because you can be solving a problem. You can be increasing  customer satisfaction, client satisfaction, for example. And going back to the education example that I used about helping first year teachers to succeed. You know, those first three years, especially the first year, is the toughest as a new teacher. Pairing someone with a mentor, for example, having a program to support new teachers, especially in this current climate, even more so than before. And it was really necessary before the pandemic hit, and now it is crucial. Why? Because you see teachers retiring left and right.

So if you can find a need and fill it, a need that speaks to you and your passion, and that is also going to help others and serve others... that is the key. Here's another thing, too. What you are doing with that executive presence, which leads to that visibility... those problems that you solve, those presentations that you stand out with, those communication skills, those interpersonal skills, all of that helps you to gain visibility? It gives you more influence. Why? Because it's not just about you, it's about others.

So much is encompassed in that executive presence, and it's more than just about you. Yes, that visibility and influence leads to possibilities, opportunities and promotions at work. But really it is about getting into a position where you can help others and do the most good. That's the real deal!

Chip Baker:  Yeah. That's what it's all about. Right there. That's the gem right there. Yup, that's the gem. Well, in closing, if you don't mind sharing with the audience where they can go follow you, check you out, and show you some love with all the amazing things you have going on.

Arva Thomas:  Thank you. Absolutely. You can find me on my website, which is bluemonarchspeaks.com. You can also find me on LinkedIn under my name, which is Arva Thomas. And you can find me on Facebook and Instagram, both @bluemonarchspeaks.

Chip Baker: Awesome. Well, again, I want to say thank you so much for taking the time to hang out with me with this topic session on your executive presence. Again, lots of great nuggets dropped that I think that one can take and apply in their life to help them be successful and achieve the greatness that they want to get to in their life.

Arva Thomas:  Absolutely. Thank you so much, Chip.

For more information and to watch this interview go to https://youtu.be/L8mvYqybUq8.