The trio you need: Leadership Presence, Gravitas and Energy

Introduction

Some leaders walk into a room and everyone stops their conversations. They start a virtual meeting and everyone forgets about their emails and messages popping up. They look at you and you feel like they know all about you or that you want to tell them everything you know.

They have this magnetic aura about them, pull your focus, and get your respect. It’s all thanks to their presence, gravitas and energy. Those three aspects elevate them from everyday managers or ‘people in charge’ to great leaders.

Understanding Leadership Presence (aka Executive Presence)

Everything about them – their behaviours, communication skills and attitudes convey confidence, competence and authenticity. Some of them with warmth and some with discipline, but either make others listen, respect and follow just like that.

It’s about their confidence - a leader with presence stands tall, makes eye contact and speaks assuredly, but not necessarily loudly. This authenticity is in the air - true presence can't be faked. It requires genuine authenticity, allowing vulnerability while staying true to oneself. However, authentic doesn’t mean unfiltered; it has more to do with communicating and staying true to their values. Somehow, they’ve been around for a while but stay relevant - relatable a

nd connected to what’s important.

How do you build your presence?

1.1. Cultivate self-awareness.

Understand your strengths, weaknesses, emotions and values. Nothing helps you build self-awareness better than regular reflection, as it allows you to ‘notice what you notice’. Continuously seek feedback from peers, mentors or coaches to recognise areas of improvement, as you can’t do this on your own fully without others’ input.

1.2. Improve your body language.

Stand tall and maintain an open posture – you may want to research things like ‘a power posture’ to help you. Your physical presence is the first thing people notice, whether you like it or not. Make consistent eye contact to show confidence and attentiveness (unless you’re working with people from cultures where, in some instances, this is not welcomed). Use gestures purposefully and avoid fidgeting.

1.3. Develop emotional intelligence.

Learn to manage and understand your emotions. Cultivate empathy to better connect with others and understand their perspectives. There is much to learn about this topic and practice in real-life scenarios, so the best place to start is to speak with your work colleagues to hear what you are good at and what you could work on in this space. Also, watching videos on this topic could help you recognise some of the behaviours as your own and then work on small changes. And reflect, reflect, reflect.

1.4. Communicate effectively.

Speak with clarity and purpose. There are a million and one things you could do to become a great speaker, from ensuring you speak at the right pace and tone of formality to the right audience to getting rid of word fillers such us ‘uhm’, ‘just’, kind of, ‘you know what I mean’ and others. Speak with the intention of the core message you want your listener or audience to leave with and actively listen when others speak too.

1.5. Dress the part.

This is a hotly debated topic about an organisation's culture influencing how you dress, what your style is and how to respect it. Wear appropriate clothes for your profession and role while being true to your favourite styles and colours. Ensure you are well-groomed – the colour of your hair doesn’t matter as much as whether it’s clean and well-kept. Your customers and their expectations will also set the tone for you and how you show up.

1.6. Be authentic

Instead of trying to emulate someone else, be genuine. Authenticity earns respect. Show vulnerability when appropriate. It humanises you and helps others connect with you. Authentic doesn’t mean unfiltered but true to your values. The principles of professional relationship building still stand.

1.7. Demonstrate competence.

Continuously update your knowledge and skills through on-the-job learning, online courses, peer reviews, coaching and mentoring. Understanding your field and sharing the latest thought leadership research enhances your credibility. Be prepared - knowing your stuff matters, whether it's a meeting, presentation, or casual chat.

1.8. Exude confidence.

Believe in your abilities and the value you bring but avoid arrogance. Show a can-do attitude and willingness to find an answer or share your thought process with others; if you don’t know, say it and offer to research and share back with the others.

1.9. Manage challenges with grace.

Stay calm under pressure – this measures your reputation in other people's eyes. Admit mistakes and take responsibility. This shows maturity and accountability.

1.10. Build Relationships.

Invest time in understanding others, their challenges, aspirations, and viewpoints. Networking isn't just about attending events; it's about genuinely connecting with people.

2. Gravitas: The Weight of Leadership

Gravitas is the deep-rooted seriousness, maturity and dignity that shines through a leader’s demeanour and every action they take. It's the weight or substance of character that lends credibility and respect.

A leader can’t achieve that without emotional Intelligence. They understand and manage their emotions and also manage them in others – this is why you often hear, ‘it’s the way they make people feel’. Decisiveness is also key - they gather data, seek opinions, and ultimately are unafraid to make tough calls – with integrity. You just know and trust them – they consistently align words and actions with ethical standards. They walk the walk.

How do you build your gravitas?

2.1. Cultivate self-awareness of how you come across.

As you do with presence, regularly reflect on your strengths, weaknesses, values, and biases to build your gravitas. These come from many different sources – from personality assessment frameworks for personal development you can use to training courses with practical applications focusing on raising awareness.

2.2. Support it with emotional intelligence.

Gravitas is not possible with the support of your emotional intelligence, as only a strong level of it will take you through adversity, conflict, misalignments, and chaos of the day-to-day life in your organisation. If you build and practice your emotional intelligence, you can read other people and adjust your relationships with them very well to maintain your gravitas at all times.

2.3. Be decisive.

Make decisions in line with your natural style and ability – intuitive or analytical and use the other approach to supplement your choices as needed. Seek advice and resources when required, but don’t shy away from making the decisions, especially if they affect other people, as they would rather know the tough call you need to make them wait and go round in circles. Stand by your decisions, taking responsibility for the outcomes, both good and bad.

2.4. Demonstrate integrity.

Ensure consistency between your words and actions. Be honest transparent and maintain a strong moral compass. Even if you think nobody is watching or listening – they do.

2.5. Refine your communication skills:

Speak clearly, confidently, and concisely. Adjust your communication style to your audience without compromising your authenticity. The more ‘on point’ you are in your stakeholders’ view, the more of the gravitas you maintain.

2.6. Foster deep knowledge.

Be well-versed in your field, continually updating your knowledge. If you are a Subject Matter Expert, find a way to ‘micro niche’ in your area of interest, and if you are a Generalist, find 2-3 topics that you can start going deeper into with your expertise to be able to show breadth and depths of what you can talk about. This isn’t just about knowing facts and understanding trends, challenges, contexts, but also storytelling.

2.7. Show poise under pressure.

Stay calm and composed in stressful situations. This demonstrates control and resilience. Avoid reactive behaviour; instead, respond thoughtfully and with intention.

2.8. Build authentic relationships.

Invest time in understanding your stakeholders' aspirations, challenges, and needs – without them, you can’t have a successful career, let alone being considered a leader with gravitas. Authentic relationships bolster your influence and reinforce your gravitas.

2.9. Act with confidence and humility.

Believe in yourself and your abilities, take charge and show your thought leadership, but recognise and admit your mistakes. This not only builds trust but also underscores a depth of character.

3. Energy: aura, feeling, way of being

The way leaders share their energy makes people feel like they are no longer tired or negative like they are inspired, invigorated and full of ideas or a belief in the cause again.

An energetic leader is genuinely passionate about their vision and can infectiously share that passion with others. But when the going gets tough in the VUCA world, they show up resilient – they will face setbacks, bounce back, learn, and push forward. They also have an incredible way of influencing others – effectively rallying and pulling everyone together towards shared goals.

How do you build your energy?

3.1. Discover your purpose.

Reflect on your core values, passions, and long-term goals. Define a clear purpose or vision for yourself and your role as a leader. This will serve as a constant source of motivation and direction. This is one of the hardest and the most career-changing moments you will go through.

3.2. Cultivate your vitality.

Engage in regular physical activity. Exercise can boost energy levels, improve mood, and increase endurance. Prioritise sleep - a well-rested mind and body are essential for maintaining high energy levels. Eat a balanced diet to fuel your body and mind. Learn to rest in ‘seven different ways’ to ensure you recharge. Find the right balance of focus and breaks that will work well for you to manage stress.

3.4. Stay passionate.

Regularly remind yourself of why you do what you do. Surround yourself with passionate individuals who inspire and challenge you. Take breaks and diversify your interests and hobbies whenever you need to, though as not to ‘burn through’ your passion.

3.5. Continuously learn and grow.

Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth by cultivating your growth mindset. Engage in continuous learning, which can reignite passion and energy. Connect with others to share ideas, inspire growth, and recognise and celebrate achievements, which multiplies everyone’s positive energy.

3.6. Build resilience.

If there is anything that is guaranteed, it is that sometimes things will go well and sometimes not so well. Accept that setbacks and failures are part of the leadership journey. Learn to bounce back by focusing on solutions and treating each setback as a learning opportunity.

3.7. Set boundaries.

Learn to say ‘no’ when necessary, even though it may be challenging at first. Protect your time to recharge and spend time with loved ones.

3.8. Reflect regularly.

Set aside time for reflection. Your energy depends on many aspects of your life – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual- and neither one takes charge of others. Assess what's working and what's draining your energy. Adjust your strategies based on these reflections.

Conclusion: Are leaders born or made?

This ongoing debate tends to sway towards a ‘made’ camp. While some aspects of presence, gravitas, and energy might be innate, many elements can be cultivated.

Presence, gravitas and energy, while distinct, are deeply intertwined. The magic happens when all three converge and you can influence or actively work on them. A leader with presence commands attention; with gravitas, earns respect, and, with energy, inspires action, elevating them to greatness.

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