Those who have read one or more of Sylvia Ann Hewlett‘s previously published books (notably When the Bough Breaks, Off-Ramps and On-Ramps, Winning the War for Talent in Emerging Markets, and Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor) already know that she is among the most intelligent, sensitive, intuitive, and practical business thinkers within subject areas that range from talent evaluation to organizational transformation. The focus in her latest book, Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success, published by HarperBusiness/HarperCollins, is of special interest to me because, for more than 30 years, I have worked with corporate clients to help accelerate the development of talent needed at all levels and in all areas of their operations.
According to Hewlett, Executive Presence (EP) has three pillars:
o How you act (gravitas)
o How you speak (communication)
o How you look (appearance)
With regard to gravitas, it is the result of developing several qualities, “that weightiness or heft that marks you as worth following into the fire. Gravitas is the very essence of EP. Without it, you simply won’t be perceived as a leader, no matter what your title or level of authority, no matter how well you dress or speak. Gravitas, according to 62 percent of the leaders we [at the Center for Talent Innovation in NYC that she founded] surveyed, is what signals to the world that you’re made of the right stuff and can be trusted with serious responsibility.”
How to deepen one’s gravitas? Hewlett offers eight suggestions:
1. Surround yourself with people who are better than you.
2. Be generous with credit.
3. Stick to what you know (best).
4. Show humility.
5. Smile more.
6. Empower others’ presence to build your own.
7. Snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
8. Drive change rather than be changed.
My own experience suggests that highly-developed emotional intelligence is among the defining characteristics of EP. Hewlett also discusses this in the book. (Pages 27-31)
In her latest book, Hewlett discusses all this is munch greater detail (Pages 5-6, 11-13, 27-31, and 39-44). I highly recommend it. In fact, I highly recommend everything she has published thus far. To learn more about her and her brilliant work, please click here.
To check out my review of Executive Presence, please click here.