Your leadership presence is part of your image. Call it poise, composure, command skills, or clout. Whatever you call it, when someone of significance walks into a room, you know it. When they speak, people lean forward to listen. When they share their ideas, people champion them. When they offer praise, others feel validated.

Presence—that ability to project a sense of ease, poise, command, or self-assurance, is an energy and an attitude. It can be magnetic. It draws people to you. When it is purposeful, you have created the equivalent of a slam dunk, especially in your professional interactions. If you desire to be an impactful leader, cultivating your leadership presence is critical.

I wrote a book on style and image about a decade ago titled, Frumpy to Fabulous: Flaunting It. Your Ultimate Guide to Effortless Style. In it, I addressed the importance of image intention.

Your image as a leader must be created with intent. The dictionary defines intent as: “something that is intended; purpose; design; meaning or significance.” So in other words, dressing with intent means dressing in such a way that the meaning, purpose, and significance of your role are aligned with your visual presentation.

When I use the word ‘image’, I’m not just talking about the “window dressing”; the clothing, accessories, and outward packaging. Your image, your presence as a leader, is your entire package from the inside out. We’re talking about every aspect of you, your poise, stride, energy, essence, dress, way of communicating –everything.

Clearly, leadership presence can’t be boiled down to one attribute. It is a powerful combination of a variety of attributes that elicits respect and admiration from others, gives them the confidence to trust you, and motivates them to rally behind your ideas and vision. It’s all about how you are perceived by others and the impression you make in your interactions with them.

But how do you get presence?

Start by asking yourself these two questions:

·       What image do I project to others?

·       How do I want to be perceived?

Because your leadership presence is not a given based on your title, smarts, expertise, or leadership skill, it is a quality that needs to be cultivated and managed. Leveraging your leadership presence requires a solid understanding of the impact of your image on those you lead, awareness of your body language, poise, and other non-verbal cues, and clarity around your level of EQ and how effectively you communicate.

Essentially your leadership presence has everything to do with:

·       Your level of confidence

·       Your relational skills (are you gracious, kind, and sincere?)

·       Your poise (seated or standing)

·       The way you communicate including your non-verbal gestures and body language

·       Your  voice (its tone, quality, inflection, strength)

·       Your energy (quiet, calm, hyper, or high)

·       Your charisma

·       Your appearance and image