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Look and Act the Part You Want

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Jun 17 Look and Act the Part You Want

Posted at 06:00h in Career Success, Executive Presence, Leadership by

 

According to a recent study conducted by the Center for Work-Life Policy, a major think tank based in New York, one of the keys to executive presence is to act the part. The research found that those who demonstrate perceptible executive presence act confident, decisive, assertive, and strategic. Does that sound like you?

Go from Invisible to Visible

The problem is that most of today’s high potential leaders do not exude those qualities yet, because they don’t identify themselves as top-tier executive talent. Many make the mistake of dressing similar to their customers or colleagues, for instance, instead of adopting an executive wardrobe. As a result they go unnoticed by senior decision makers.

But when you look the part others tend to give you and your ideas more respect and take you more seriously. If you want a faster buy-in, in other words, you have to be able to sell your value in a multidimensional way. That multifaceted leadership personality and brand or executive magnetism is the core quality companies want to see.

No Training Wheels Allowed in the C-Suite

Organizations do not want you to wait until you are in the C-suite to develop senior executive presence, either. They demand that leaders come to the table already qualified, experienced, and ready to lead. Today’s companies want to see executive presence early in the process, even during recruitment and the beginning stages of an employee’s career.

To be competitive and remain relevant you must do everything possible to enhance your executive presence, right now. Ask yourself, would you promote someone who appearedunprepared or not confident enough to be a role model of leadership? Would you put someone in charge knowing that they lacked the initiative to invest in their own executive presence development?

If You Believe in Yourself, Invest in Yourself

I doubt you would, and neither will your company’s senior executives. Many of my clients have come to me after being turned down for promotions they really wanted, after being told that they needed professional help. They knew before they applied for that position that they needed to ramp-up their presence. But they sought the advice of friends or significant others.

Even the ones who asked their bosses for input and feedback seldom got the kind of advice and honest, 360-degree feedback they really needed. Many bosses don’t know how to have those candid yet encouraging conversations, or they are too busy worrying about their own promotions. If you want to rise to the highest level – even surpassing your own boss – you have to believe in yourself enough to invest in your personal and professional development, just as the leading Fortune 500 organizations do.

I have devoted my life to helping people just like you realize their full potential, and I can tell you this: You will experience nothing more exciting than reaping the sweet rewards of being your very best!

I’d love to hear from you. Add a comment in the section below and share how you invest in your personal or professional development to amplify your executive presence?

As a pioneering and visionary innovator, Sarah is a certified professional image consultant and brand strategist, speaker, trainer and author. Her company, Illustra Consulting, provides leading-edge image and brand management strategies for top leaders and high achievers who wish to take their career to the next level. She also delivers innovative and inspiring corporate workshops to assist large organizations in strengthening their corporate brand.

Illustra Consulting
Copyright © 2014, Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS

1-800-267-3245, [email protected]
This article may be reproduced only in it’s entirety, including the above bio.

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