Executive Presence
The Missing Link Between Merit and Success
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Are you “leadership material?” More importantly, do others perceive you to be? Sylvia Ann Hewlett, a noted expert on workplace power and influence, shows you how to identify and embody the Executive Presence (EP) that you need to succeed.
You can have the experience and qualifications of a leader, but without executive presence, you won't advance. EP is an amalgam of qualities that true leaders exude, a presence that telegraphs you're in charge or deserve to be. Articulating those qualities isn't easy, however.
Based on a nationwide survey of college graduates working across a range of sectors and occupations, Sylvia Hewlett and the Center for Talent Innovation discovered that EP is a dynamic, cohesive mix of appearance, communication, and gravitas. While these elements are not equal, to have true EP, you must know how to use all of them to your advantage.
Filled with eye-opening insights, analysis, and practical advice for both men and women, mixed with illustrative examples from executives learning to use the EP, Executive Presence will help you make the leap from working like an executive to feeling like an executive.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Economist Hewlett argues that understanding the bias in the workplace against women and minorities is part of overcoming the bias, and that overcoming it can pay huge dividends to your career. Furthermore, as Hewlett notes: "When companies and leaders know how to harness and leverage gender, generation, ethnicity, race, culture, and nationality, there is a significant impact on the bottom line." Hewlett shows how to achieve success through attention to appearance, speech, manner, and authenticity a combination of elements that make up "executive presence." The author describes how Margaret Thatcher moderated a voice perceived as shrill and earned the increased gravitas that helped her achieve political success. A financial analyst who switched from jeans and T-shirts to tailored slacks and blazers was given oversight over a major project. Meanwhile Marissa Meyer "showed she had the chops" when she changed Yahoo's telecommuting policy, "but, regrettably, it also showed a leader out of touch with the realities other working parents contend with." Hewlett argues that neither ruthlessness nor conforming to the dominant culture makes a great leader; rather, it's most important to find comfort in your own skin. Hewlett's approach is straightforward and anecdotal. A solid guide for those looking to take their career to the next level.
