The Center for Talent Innovation came out with a study recently on the definition and challenges of achieving Executive Presence.  Executive Presence is a big deal. While some people are naturally gifted leaders, you can certainly be intentional about developing and strengthening your Executive Presence. It’s part of what will make you stand out from the crowd and move you forward in your career.

According to a recent Forbes article on Executive Presence, “being perceived as leadership material is essential to being promoted into leadership positions.”

Executive Presence is required, yet an unwritten rule of competency for leaders in the work force. And, EP has emerged as a mandatory trait, according to the study, for anyone who wants to be perceived as and perform as a leader, and get ahead in his or her organization. Quite simply, promotions are not just functions of ability, values or the numbers you hit last week, but also rest critically on how you are perceived.

The study asks: “Which do executives believe contributes the most to Executive Presence?” Here’s what they found are most critical:

• Appearance
• Communication
• Gravitas

The dictionary defines “gravitas” as dignity, seriousness, or solemnity of manner. It’s that confidence, even during a crisis, that a great leader possesses. Someone with gravitas “means business” even if they have a pleasant personality or even a good sense of humor. It’s being confident and decisive. The message is clear: being seen as someone who possesses gravitas, in addition to the requisite intellectual horsepower to do the job, is a non-negotiable requirement for anyone striving to attain positions where they can drive results and effect transformational change.

More salient than how you look or how you speak is how you act and behave. Your demeanor, or “gravitas,” signals to the world that you’re the real deal, a heavyweight in your field and in your organization, someone worthy of being heard and followed.

Every executive should strive to develop these characteristics. A recent Charles Schwab webinar focused on helping women cultivate executive presence. It’s an aspect of leadership no one can afford to ignore.

Learn more by reading the book: Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success.

Please leave a comment below: Who is someone you’ve worked with who seemed to have that gravitas, that “executive presence”? What did that look like? Leave a comment below to share your insights.