“You need to work on your executive presence.”  You may have heard that in a performance review or a conversation about your next career step. You may have said it to someone who has potential but doesn’t yet seem ready for broader responsibility.

But what, specifically, needs to change?  “Be more confident. Speak up. Be more strategic. Carry yourself like an executive.”

The employee leaves unsure what to work on. The manager expects improvement without having clearly described it. Both may agree that executive presence matters, but neither has a clear idea of what development should look like.

What’s Behind the Presence?

People often respond to this feedback by improving their presentations, choosing their words more carefully, and paying attention to their appearance and body language.

Those efforts can help. Yet someone can do all of those things and still be viewed primarily as a technical expert, with limited influence over broader business decisions.

We explored this challenge at Quest’s Emerging Leaders Program workshop in Lexington. Our discussion of executive presence built on other competencies covered during the workshop: Organizational Understanding, Business Acumen, and Strategic Focus.

Organizational understanding helps you recognize how decisions get made and how different parts of the business depend on one another. Business acumen helps you understand how the organization creates value and what threatens its success. Strategic focus helps you weigh competing priorities.

These competencies affect what you recommend and how you respond when someone challenges your thinking. They give others reasons to trust your judgment.

When the Questions Go Beyond Your Slides

Imagine recommending an ERP upgrade. You understand the system, implementation requirements, and support implications. Your presentation is clear and well rehearsed.

Then someone asks, “Why should we fund this ahead of the other investments we’re considering?”

You explain the new capabilities. They ask about the business problem.

You describe the timeline. They ask whether operations can absorb the disruption during peak season.

These are reasonable questions. Answering them requires understanding the decision beyond your functional expertise.  Someone with that broader perspective might recommend proceeding immediately. They might also recommend narrowing the scope or accepting a manageable risk while the organization addresses a more urgent need.

Their credibility comes from explaining those choices and understanding the consequences for other departments.

This is why executive presence is difficult to fake. You can rehearse a presentation and adopt business language. Follow-up questions reveal whether you understand the decision you’re asking others to make.

Becoming a Business Leader with Technology (or Functional) Expertise

A central theme in Lexington was developing business leaders with technology and functional expertise.  Technical expertise remains essential. Broader leadership requires applying that expertise with an understanding of the whole organization.

That means learning how the organization makes money or fulfills its mission. It means understanding customer needs, financial pressures, and the commitments other departments are trying to meet.  Sometimes that understanding will strengthen your original recommendation. Sometimes it will cause you to change it.

Colleagues notice when you can look beyond your department’s preferred outcome. Over time, they may begin involving you earlier, while they are still defining the problem. They want your perspective before deciding what technology they need.

That is a useful sign of progress for an emerging leader—and a clearer development goal than “sound more executive.”

A Responsibility for Managers, Too

Someone who has spent years being rewarded for solving technical problems may have had few opportunities to participate in broader business decisions. Before asking them to demonstrate more executive presence, consider what experience they need.

Have they participated in budget discussions or helped evaluate competing investments? Have they worked with operations or finance to understand why a technically sound proposal might be poorly timed?

They also need opportunities to offer a recommendation, hear it challenged, and discuss what they missed with someone who can help them improve.

This is why we develop these competencies together in ELP. Instruction, mentoring, peer conversations, and applied work help participants connect business understanding with how they communicate and lead.

Helping Others See Your Judgment

Business understanding still needs clear expression. A knowledgeable leader can lose the room in unnecessary detail. People need to understand your reasoning and what you are asking them to decide.

They also need to see how you handle uncertainty. Acknowledging a gap and taking responsibility for resolving it can build confidence. Trying to talk your way around it usually does the opposite.

If you’ve received feedback about executive presence, ask for a specific example. Was your recommendation missing a business consideration? Was your reasoning difficult to follow? Did your response to a challenge undermine confidence?

If you’re giving that feedback, be prepared to explain the gap and help create opportunities to address it.

Preparing people for broader responsibility is a central focus of Quest’s Emerging Leaders Program. Clearer feedback is a good starting point. The next step is giving people the experience and support to develop the judgment you’re asking them to demonstrate.

Contact the Quest Team about the Emerging Leaders Program or register now for our next info session, November 11 at 2 pm ET!