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15 Examples of Executive Presence

John Spacey, updated on December 12, 2024

Executive presence are the behaviors, ways of thinking and personal ambiances that are common amongst the top leadership of organizations and institutions. While executives are individuals with different personalities, there are certain common characteristics that can be found in how they communicate and think. These tendencies can be collectively termed executive presence.

Definition of Executive Presence

The characteristic ways of communicating and thinking of top level executives.

Executive presence isn't something you're born with as few people would naturally act this way. It's more something that gets acquired with experience that is actually an adaptation to the demands of having much responsibility and leading many people. The following are common examples.

Lack of Self-Presentation

Executives aren't thinking about how you perceive them. They are engaged with their business or with concepts or with problems but aren't thinking -- what should I say to sound intelligent?

Generalist Thinking

A desire or need to tie things back to first principles and fundamental functions, measurements and goals.

Direct Communication

In academic circles, it is common to communicate using obscure terms and ornately complex language. Executive communication is the opposite with plain language and candor being the norm. For this reason, people commonly describe executive communication as resembling explaining things to children. This is actually far harder to do than to hide behind jargon and glittering complexities.

Intellectual Curiosity

Genuine and intensive interest in all knowledge or in some specific domain. This can drive obscure questions or deep dives in seemingly random directions whereby executives seek to fill gaps in their understanding of their industry, competitors or organization.

Grand Strategy

Thinking about how things will play out and how to capitalize on situations in the long term. Again, this will drive questions and interest in things that may appear to be obscure. This focus on the big picture can also result in complete disinterest in certain types of information that aren't relevant to this view.

Directional Engagement

Executives will aggressively engage with things they see as strategic and may attempt to disengage with things that aren't on the critical strategic path. If an executive is constantly canceling meetings with you and only rescheduling them months in the future, they view your work as outside of this path.

Intellectual Confidence

Executives don't pretend to understand and will shift the burden of making them understand to those presenting information. This is a type of intellectual confidence -- they know they are smart enough to understand anything so if they don't understand they know that it's not being communicated well. Executives may ask "dumb questions" for this reason whereby they aren't trying to impress you with a question but are rather actually trying to understand what you are saying at some depth.

Speaking Confidence

The confidence to speak slowly, to take long pauses, to tell extended stories or to be silent for long periods of time.

Narrative

The ability to tie things into a story. This can make things more compelling and consistent. For example, the CEO of an ecommerce company who often ties things back to the narrative that they simply do what's best for the customer and trust that this will pay off over the long term.

Nuanced Communication

Executives have often spent their career in highly political environments where people may be challenged for choosing inaccurate words. They are likely to carefully select words and to choose words for precision over being expressive.

Deliberate Communication

Thinking through what they say and not speaking for no reason. This again may result from time in political environments where saying something insightful earns respect but blathering on about nothing opens you to criticism.

Deliberate Action

Having something specific that you are trying to achieve with each action you take. For example, if an executive books a meeting with you they will likely ask for something or resolve something.

Depth of Listening

Listening to others at some depth and reading many layers of things such as your emotions, intentions, level of candor and personality.

Charisma

An interest in people and in building relationships and rapport. This requires cultivating some level of charisma whereby you are able to make an impression on others and establish a personal connection with people. For example, light humor and remembering people's names and shared experiences or interests.

Willingness to Lead

A willingness to be highly visible, to make decisions and to set clear direction. This isn't a particularly special element of executive presence as many people feel they want to run things. However, there are people who have many executive qualities but simply don't want to lead.

Next read: Executive Communication

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