Enhancing Executive Presence for Success in the Boardroom

As never before, leaders need to project gravitas – the leadership presence that inspires confidence that they can land the plane in today’s turbulent times.
BY ANETT GRANT — JUNE 27, 2023

The runway is getting shorter. Today’s leaders are given months, not years, to demonstrate their impact.

According to Andy Challenger, Vice President of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, there is an increasing demand for change in corporate leadership. Notably, the Tech sector reported 50 CEO changes this year, marking a 32% increase from the 38 CEO changes in the first quarter of 2022.

In the present climate, leaders are being called upon to project a strong leadership presence, also known as gravitas. This quality inspires confidence and ensures others believe in a leader’s ability to guide their organizations through turbulent times. Anett Grant, President of Executive Speaking, Inc., emphasizes the urgency of demonstrating such impact, stating that “Today’s leaders are given months, not years.”

To help leaders successfully navigate these demands, Anett Grant offers three key tips:

Tip One: Story over Slides

Leaders are encouraged to focus on the narrative rather than relying on their presentation slides. Rather than expecting charts and numbers to carry the message, the story should be supported, but not driven, by the slides.

Tip Two: Conversational Speaking

Grant recommends the use of personal, active voice instead of the official passive voice. A conversational approach helps communicate the speaker’s conviction, confidence, and ownership of the story.

Tip Three: Controlled Pace

Leaders should avoid rushing their speech. Grant suggests a slow, deliberate pace to convey composure and strong leadership presence. She also recommends pausing between thoughts and spacing speech into bullet points and paragraphs.

Anett D. Grant has a 44-year history of coaching leaders, including executives from 61 of the Fortune 100 companies. She specializes in helping global leaders communicate authentically.