Embrace the Power of Leadership Presence

Leadership presence. You have it. In fact, everyone has it. But not everyone is aware of it. And very few people take full advantage of its power.

So what is leadership presence? For starters, it’s one of those intangibles that’s easier to recognize than describe. We see it when some people enter a room and seemingly create a magnetic field. Without even appearing to try, they capture everyone’s attention. When people say, “Did you notice how she held everyone’s attention?” or “He seems bigger than life,” they’re describing leadership presence.

Take Colin Powell. If you were fortunate enough to see him speak, he seemed to fill the room when
he walked into it. Some of that may be attributed to his reputation as a military leader, his position as
former U.S. Secretary of State, or his influence on the world stage. But it also flowed from his ability to project an understated, but nevertheless commanding presence that inspired confidence.

The Dalai Lama offers an intriguing contrast. Although he enters a room in a swirl of color that instantly attracts attention, his bearing and his body language project humility. For this Nobel Peace Prize recipient, humility is a sign of strength, not weakness. Even though he’s been in exile from his native Tibet since 1959, people are eager to hear his message.

Michelle Obama is another individual who has a noticeably presence. She exudes confidence and compassion. She projects courage, honesty, and hopefulness.

Angela Merkel, who was Chancellor in Germany from 2005 to 2021, had a remarkable degree of influence in shaping the European Union as well as leading the country for a prolonged period of relative stability and prosperity. When she addressed the gathering in Davos in 2015, one world leader noted, “Small in stature, Merkel is a commanding presence when she speaks to an audience of movers and shakers.”

All of these leaders on the world stage have what may be called ‘presence.’ And for leaders, this is an
invaluable attribute.

Though we usually mean something positive when we say someone has presence, in truth, everyone
has presence, and it can be good, bad, or indifferent. Through their presence, leaders hopefully convey a sense of competence, confidence, humility, or any number of other positive qualities.

Leaders who are intentional about their presence are likely to be able to get people’s attention. They realize that people have a choice about whether to tune in to listen or to tune out while they scroll their phones.

When leaders convey a positive first impression, they are opening the door to creating the conditions that enable them to influence the people whom they lead, so it’s helpful to look at how first impressions are created. For instance, when a new person joins a group, those already there instantly, and often unconsciously, form an impression.

Sometimes this impression is positive. At other times, it’s negative. If the newcomer appears to be at ease and generates positive energy, people are attracted to the upbeat environment. If the person gives off negative vibes, people tend to break away from the situation. These scenarios offer valuable insights into the power of first impressions—and in a larger sense, of presence. People who generate negative energy often have a difficult time fulfilling their goals. It isn’t unusual in organizations to have some individuals who project a cynical view. These individuals may be prone to criticize any new idea and thus literally take the oxygen out of the room. Conversely, leaders who project positive energy seem to have the wind at their backs and others supporting their efforts when it comes to achieving their goals.

So, just how important are first impressions? Their significance was brought home a while back when a major university launched a search for a new senior officer. Eventually, the search committee narrowed the field to two finalists. Both were from outside the university. Both had impressive backgrounds. But in the final round of interviews, one candidate offered a limp handshake to members of the selection committee. “A weak handshake will never make it here,” one interviewer observed. And immediately, the scales tipped in favor of the other candidate. Fair? Maybe not. Perhaps the runner-up would have been a strong leader. But we’ll never know because the person never got the proverbial second chance to make a good first impression.

A positive first impression goes a long way toward projecting a helpful professional image and opening
the door to making a connection, but presence is more than first impressions. Presence is what you generate every time you show up. It is a combination of your physical characteristics, the energy you
generate, the attitude you demonstrate, and the way in which you conduct yourself. Or, as the dictionary suggests regarding stage presence, it is “the quality of self-assurance and effectiveness that permits a performer to achieve a rapport with the audience.”

So how can you use first impressions to build your leadership presence? Here are a few guidelines.

Be mindful.

Realize that you are not only creating a first impression but also projecting a professional image. That professional image, encompassing everything from your bearing to your body language to the way you speak and make eye contact, should project a self-assurance that inspires others to have confidence in you.

Be intentional.

Have a clear understanding of what you want to project and how to convey it through your presence. You may want to reflect on the way you hold yourself, your choice in attire, the way you greet others, and the voice or tone you use when you first speak.

Be credible.

As a leader it’s essential that people believe in you, trust you, and want to engage with you. Leaders use their presence to project a credible image when they speak the truth, do what they say they will do, know what they’re talking about, know what they don’t know, and walk the talk. These qualities not only make a strong first impression but also enable leaders to earn the respect and trust of the people over the long term and through times of change.

Effective leaders realize that creating a positive first impression is only a necessary first step in the real work of leadership: enrolling people in the initiatives leaders are championing, persuading others to tackle daunting challenges, creating enthusiasm for innovation and change, and building a culture that will be successful in an ever-changing world. Presence invests those who possess it with power when others assess their authenticity, credibility, and competence in real-life situations and conclude that they measure up to those positive first impressions.

Leaders operate in a competitive universe. Those who understand the power of leadership presence and learn how to create and use it enjoy significant advantages in their efforts to maximize their influence and achieve their goals.

Sean McDonald is President of MOR Associates. You can find and follow Sean on LinkedIn.