“Why should we talk ill of her, who gives birth to kings? The woman is born from woman; there is none without her.” – Guru Nanak
Throughout my life I have seen many of us admire people who are courageous and calm in their communication. Such assertive communication with others is not always easy and women are simply amazing at this. As an individual courage in communication becomes crucial for you to pass through tough scenarios such as:
- Challenging someone internally or externally
- Expressing an unpopular opinion
- Proactively carrying out tasks with quality
- Dealing with individuals who are difficult
- Or even attempting to calm an upset colleague/client
In my books this is the application of ones executive presence. Assertive and courageous communication is crucial for executive presence. Personally, it always is a delight to see women excel in executive presence.
Individuals such Sheryl Kara Sandberg, Michelle Obama and Padma Lakshmi have one thing in common. Actually, they have two things in common. That is all of them are women, considered great leaders in their domain. What sets these woman apart is not just their skills or competencies but their executive presence.
If you look anywhere in the world and into any industry women rise up due to their strong sense of executive presence. Indra Nooyi, Michelle Yeoh, and Oprah Winfrey all exhibit that executive presence that makes them shine. So, it is alarming to know that on June 26, 2018 in Fortunec.com the article Why Can’t Companies Break the Cycle of All-Male Leadership?” reported “Despite decades of initiatives to increase diversity among corporate leaders, the percentage of female leadership hires has remained relatively stagnant.”
In fact when I have done an exercise called “Draw an effective leader” 99% of the times majority of the delegates (including women) tend to draw a man. When I question why no one drew a woman as a leader, there is silence in the room. It even surprises the women when they see they to have not drawn a women as a leader.
From the beginning of time women have changed and transformed the world. Throughout history women have played a crucial role in the progress of human kind, be this for the family, community or business. Across the globe women have brought change and transformation that has allowed nations to develop. Without a doubt our economy needs women who ooze in executive presence. But they are put down, ignored and belittled across the world in all cultures. Some other hard facts:
- UN Foundation reports women reinvest 90% of their income back into their families, while men reinvest 30–40%
- McKinsey Global Institute says USD $28 trillion could be added to the annual global GDP if women were given equal employment opportunities
- Global Citizen says women account for 70% of the population living in absolute poverty
This is just the tip of the iceberg and still women are underrated across the globe. At the workplace women often suffer from:
- Discrimination
- Unequal pay
- Sexual harassment
- Career advancement
- Access to good jobs
A study first published in a 2012 by Harvard Business Review found that women outscored men on 12 of 16 leadership competencies. In addition, women are hard workers and results-focused and are good investors too.
Women are crucial to the existence to humanity. It is like the song says “This is a man’s world but it would be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl”. Still to this date why are women undermined across the globe, both the Western and Eastern Worlds are culprits to this.
Still the gap between men and women remains large. Men and women are equal, both play an enormous part in society, work and family. The greatest woman leader that most people will have ever met would be their own mother, aunt, female friend, wife or daughter. And when you look at these women in your life you will feel their executive presence even when they are not around you.
Apr 18, 2018 co-founders of Breakthrough: For Women Leaders on the Fast Track wrote an article called “The Secrets Of Leadership Presence For Every Woman Leader” for Forbes.com. They mentioned in the article that after surveying a number of women leaders they discovered that 65% identified leadership “presence” as a skill they are most eager to develop.
Women know or unknown inspire people around them. All because they know their executive presence focus is on:
- Knowing their unique strengths, which they evolve with time
- Pass through failures to success with integration of their brain, heart and mind
- Strengthening their interpersonal communication skills such as speaking and listening
- Actively managing conflict and find resolution by tuning into their emotional wisdom
Executive Presence is not only for men, it is equally important for women. A strength that has allowed women through the centuries to advance in their careers, businesses and lives.
A woman’s listening skill, critical thinking, speaking and having a sense of higher emotional wisdom is necessary when dealing with people or situations. Their impactful communication and presentation skills reduce misunderstanding thus allowing woman to influence and persuade with ease.
No matter at what level a woman is she requires the executive presence when communicating or delivering a presentation:
- One to one, small, medium or large group
- Challenging C-level audience
- Senior or highly experienced people
This could be for:
- Sales – delivery a powerful pitch to a client or selling a concept
- Technical – ensure team, stakeholders or clients on projects get updates with clarity
- Business Case – influencing to get approvals for your ideas
- High-stake – persuasion with ease when defending decisions made
Women have this great ability to apply ACE to increase their executive presence. Which simply means they have this innate ability to strengthen their Awareness, Consciousness & Energy (ACE).
I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress, which women have achieved. – B. R. Ambedkar
SOURCE: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/women-excel-executive-presence-developing-executive-presence/
– Thanks to Rohit ROI Bassi
As a TEDx and Global Professional Speaker with decades of experience, I can help you to focus upon the most important leadership attributes, and inspire you to develop your own unique formula for success mastery. Connect with me or book me to be inspired by developing an executive presence that leads to your own unique formula of success mastery, www.roitalks.com – roi@roitalks.com.