What is Executive Presence?

The Executive Buzzword Series: What Is Executive Presence?

by Jewel Quackenbush, MCC

There I was, sitting in a glass conference room, the kind I’ve always called a fishbowl.

You know the kind. Everyone can see in, no one can really see you. And what do we do with fish? We stare at them.

That’s what it felt like that day.

On the other side of the table, a well-meaning manager was delivering my annual review. They were using all the right corporate phrases, checking all the right boxes. I nodded politely, until they landed on the one line that still makes my stomach tighten whenever I hear it.

“You’re doing great work, but you need to work on your Executive Presence.”

I remember thinking, What does that even mean?

Was it my voice? My hair? My confidence? My posture?

Did I not look “executive” enough, sound “executive” enough, or project “executive” enough?

In that moment, I realized I wasn’t the only one who’d ever been inside that fishbowl.

How many of us have sat through a 360 review or an annual evaluation and heard those same words , vague, heavy, and laced with expectation?

“Executive Presence” has become one of the most overused , and misunderstood, phrases in leadership today.

Somewhere along the way, it stopped being a development goal and became a diagnosis.

A quiet way to say, “You’re not quite enough.”

What Executive Presence Really Is

Let’s bring this buzzword back home.

Executive Presence has been defined as a blend of gravitas, communication, and appearance. It’s what makes others trust your leadership, listen when you speak, and believe you can handle complexity with calm.

Those definitions are useful , but incomplete.

To me, Executive Presence is the visible reflection of your inner alignment.

It’s when confidence, clarity, and conviction meet in the middle of your humanity. It’s not an act you perform; it’s an energy you project.

Executive Presence isn’t loud. It doesn’t stomp into a room demanding attention. It doesn’t humiliate others into silence. It walks in with quiet certainty and invites others to rise to that frequency.

It’s the art of believing in yourself so deeply that others can safely believe in you, too.

And yes, I often say it this way, Executive Presence makes you a “con man,” but without the con.

Because what you’re really doing is transferring confidence, not deception. You’re allowing people to buy what you’re selling , whether that’s a vision, a project, a purpose, or themselves.

When Presence Becomes a Weapon

Here’s where we need to talk about the misuse.

In recent years, I’ve seen Executive Presence turned into a weapon of mass discouragement.

Leaders, directors, and managers (notice I didn’t say “bosses”) sometimes wield it like a gavel:

“You’re smart, but you lack Executive Presence.”

And then they move on , no explanation, no guidance, no example.

When someone hears that, it doesn’t land as feedback; it lands as failure.

It doesn’t say, You can grow into this. It says, You’ll never be this.

If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of that phrase, hear me clearly: you were never lacking worth, only direction.

And if you’ve ever used that phrase to critique another human being, pause for a moment. Ask yourself if you’ve modeled what you’re measuring. Because if you’re telling someone they lack Executive Presence, you’d better make sure you possess it first.

Leaders who truly have presence don’t shame people into silence; they coach them into confidence. They don’t use ambiguity to feel superior; they use clarity to make others stronger.

So, How Do You Build Executive Presence?

Let’s take this out of the clouds and into your hands.

If you want to begin strengthening your Executive Presence today, here are three simple places to start:

1. Rehearse Confidence.

Confidence is a muscle, not a miracle.

If you’re preparing for a presentation, a speech, or a crucial conversation ,rehearse it.

Record yourself, play it back, and refine your delivery. When your body already knows the rhythm, your mind can relax.

2. Refine Your Eloquence.

The words we choose shape the way others experience us.

Read more. Listen to great communicators. Use language tools like Grammarly, Speechify, or even read your emails aloud before sending them.

Eloquence isn’t about using big words ,it’s about choosing the right ones, the ones that align with your message and your values.

3. Respect the Room.

Your body speaks even when your mouth doesn’t.

Pay attention to your posture, your presence, and your pace.

Stand or sit with openness ,not arrogance. Make eye contact. Pause when it matters. Presence lives in the spaces between words.

Executive Presence isn’t about hierarchy; it’s about harmony.

It’s what happens when your confidence, your communication, and your character are in alignment.

It isn’t taught through shame. It’s cultivated through trust.

And when you embody it, authentically, humbly, and consistently , the room feels it.

Because true Executive Presence doesn’t say, “Look at me.”

It says, “We’ve got this.”