What is Leadership Presence (Part 1)?

Leadership presence is a key to being an effective leader, so what is it exactly?  How does it show itself?  And what is the source of presence?  In part 1, James Scouller, author of The Three Levels of Leadership, explains this hard-to-define characteristic of great leaders.

The Experience of Leadership Presence

Presence reveals itself to others when you are being the natural “you” – your true Self.  That is, when you’re being fully aware and alert; giving others your undivided attention; speaking honestly and respectfully, but without ducking issues; and letting your personality flow, unhindered by hidden fears.  When presence flows like this – and it’s allied to a strong sense of mission – it has a powerful, magnetic, radiating effect on those around you.

You experience your own presence when you are in the here-and-now (not worrying about the past or future), in the flow, feeling confident and enjoying whatever you’re doing – and doing it with ease.  When you are in the flow, you are doing what you are doing without filtering your experience.  By this, I mean without getting caught in a fixed, prejudiced view of what surrounding events mean or having a set, rigid opinion on how they should unfold.

This is what sports stars experience when they talk about “being in the zone” – they are focused in the present moment, undistracted by thoughts about the past or the future.

You see this when a tennis player is on match point and, seeing it for what it is – just another point – plays it like any other, unbothered by its emotional significance.  Or when a business leader, faced with a major crisis, deals with it decisively, skilfully and wisely, with no thoughts about the effect on his career or reputation.

Leadership Presence and Behaviour

Are there distinctive behaviours associated with leadership presence?

Well, the man or woman with presence will be attentive and “in the moment” and may speak with disarming honesty.  Beyond that, I don’t believe one can say that presence shows as “this” or “that” behaviour, for how it displays itself will differ, depending on one’s character and the context.  After all, leadership is only one context in which to express presence.  And, of course, leadership contexts can vary too.  For example, in industry the context could be a turnaround, start-up or steady growth.

So one person’s presence may be expressed as visionary and charismatic.  Another’s may be analytical, quiet and contemplative.  Yet another’s may be both at different times, according to their character and the context.  My point is that each person’s presence is unique, so it doesn’t present itself in one predictable form of behaviour.  Yet we recognise it when we meet it.

The Root of Leadership Presence

So what is at the root of leadership presence?  It is inner wholeness; the opposite of inner division.

You see, many of us are unaware of the subtle divisions, conflicts and limiting beliefs in our psyche that lead to anxiety and defensive behaviours when we are around others.

However, the man or woman with well-developed presence experiences an inner togetherness, a wholeness.  Wholeness stems from – and indeed is – a positive inner alignment of one’s sense of identity, purpose and feelings about life and oneself.  It frees us from limiting beliefs, releases us from fear and expresses itself as a rare combination of inner peace and vitality.

Leadership Presence and Charisma

For some people, the word “charisma” includes the quality of presence, but that’s not how I use it here.  I use it to mean a combination of outer charm, power and persuasiveness.  Thus, a leader with presence may or may not have charisma, but then a charismatic leader won’t always have presence.  That’s because presence is not the same as charisma.  Presence is an inner psychospiritual state with an outer reflection whereas charisma by itself is an outer image lacking a deeper core.

Charismatic people do have something about them that magnifies their impact on others, at least in some settings, so charisma can imitate presence for a while.  But I repeat, presence and charisma are not the same.  So what is the difference?  I’ll explain in part 2….