Hey, it's Rachel Cook, your modern mentor.

And today, we're going to talk about executive presence.

It's a phrase I often hear leaders throwing around as they consider whom to promote into leadership roles.

But for many, the concept is elusive.

What is it?

And how do you demonstrate it?

Well, I've got answers.

Years ago, a friend told me she was up for a

promotion into a pretty senior role at work. She'd been told she was ready from a skills perspective.

She just needed to boost her executive presence, or her ability to present herself in a way

that inspires trust, credibility, and poise, as someone in charge. So her company hired a coach,

specializing in executive presence to support her on the journey. When I asked my friend a few

months later how it was going, she said, it's great. My coach has taken me shopping three times.

I look like a new woman, and that promotion has finally been announced. If you're horrified

by this anecdote in 2022, I hear you.

It actually happened in 2013, and I was horrified then. To be fair, in that time, executive

presence wasn't only about appearance, but in certain companies, looking the part was non-negotiable.

And when I launched my consulting business in 2015,

I was not willing to coach for executive presence. I was appalled by the bias and lack of

inclusivity inherent in its framing. But now we're in 2022. The world is upside down and all the

rules have changed. I do believe the ability to inspire confidence remains as

critical as ever today. But I also believe the drivers of executive presence have shifted.

...