The Quiet Power of Executive Presence - Fatmata Oladeinde

What Is Executive Presence?

I used to think executive presence was something people were born with. Like a natural glow that some people have and others don't. But after watching one of my managers and other leaders closely, I realized something important: Executive Presence is not about being special. It's about being steady.

• It's the pause you take before reacting, instead of speaking too fast.

• It's not having every answer right away, instead of pretending you do.

• It’s explaining complex things in a simple way, not because you're hiding how smart you are, but because you actually understand the topic well.

• Most importantly, it's about how people feel after talking to you. Do they feel like you listened? Do they feel calmer or more confident after the conversation?

A Moment That Changed My Understanding Executive Presence

I learned the importance of executive presence when I worked in a client contact role. On occasions when the client was angry, I understood why. They wanted a quick resolution but that's not how it works. There are steps we must follow first, like checks and official notices, before we resolve an issue.

In those moments, presence meant staying calm while someone was upset, without becoming defensive or rushing them off the phone.

It meant explaining a slow process in simple, human words, and not hiding behind official language.

It meant saying, “I understand why you’re upset,” even when I couldn’t solve the problem right away.

Those interactions taught me that presence is not about power. It’s about steadiness, clarity, and emotional maturity.

Myths about Executive Presence

• Myth 1: You must be the loudest person in the room. From my experience, many people with strong presence speak the least. When they do speak, people listen — because their words carry weight.

• Myth 2: You are born with executive presence. It is not something you're born with. It's something you build, slowly, through small daily actions — long before anyone notices.

Why does Executive Presence Matters for Your Career?

Being good at your job gets you noticed, but having presence often gets you promoted.

Some very talented people don't progress in their career, not because they aren't skilled, but because their bosses can't picture them in a bigger role yet. Meanwhile, some less experienced people move up faster because they carry themselves in a way that builds trust.

This is the "boost" part of presence. It affects who gets picked for big projects, whose ideas are remembered after a meeting, and who is seen as "ready" for more responsibility — even before they've fully proven it. In senior jobs, where people must make decisions without knowing everything, presence becomes a sign that someone can be trusted to handle it.

A Word of Caution

Executive presence is powerful — but it has also been misunderstood and, at times, misused.

Some groups, for example, the Global Majority and women, have been judged unfairly because their communication style or cultural expression doesn’t match an old narrow idea of what a “leader” should look like.

Sometimes, what people call "no presence" is really just a different style, not a real problem. So, while presence is a real and useful idea, we should be careful with it. We should ask ourselves: are we noticing something true, or just something unfamiliar to us?

This is why presence must be defined by behaviour, not stereotypes: calmness, clarity, honesty, emotional steadiness, and thoughtful communication.

Presence should never require you to become someone else. It should help you become more fully yourself — with confidence, composure, and authenticity.

How to build Executive Presence - Credibility, Being Noticed, and Getting Leadership Chances

The kind of presence worth building isn't about acting like someone else. It's about becoming a person whose calmness and honesty are real — so real that you don't have to pretend. That's the kind of presence that earns lasting trust.

Presence doesn't just help people notice you — it also affects how much people trust what you say. That trust is called credibility. It's not about your degrees or job titles. It's the quiet feeling people get that your words are worth listening to carefully. And credibility isn't built in big dramatic moments. It's built in small ones: doing what you promised, staying calm when things go wrong, and admitting when you don't know something instead of faking it.

Being noticed (or "visibility") is a bit different. Many people do great work that nobody sees, simply because no one connects that work back to them. Presence helps fix this. It's not about bragging — it's about making sure people can clearly see and remember what you've done.

This connects directly to leadership. Leadership roles usually don't go to the most qualified person. People who others can imagine doing the job have a higher chance of getting leadership roles. Presence helps people picture you as ready for more, even before you officially are. All of this leads to influence — the ability to change someone's mind, guide a group's decision, or help people.

Building your executive presence

Executive presence is not just for people who look “like leaders.” You can build it through small, quiet actions. Here are three tips to get you started:

·         Pausing before you speak

·         Following through on promises

·         Choosing honesty over easy excuses

Finally

So, if you are beginning to build your executive presence, don’t wait for a title or someone’s permission. People are watching more closely than you think. Being calm and steady and not loud is what people remember most.