4 Powerful Ways to Improve Your Leadership Presence

Like every other field, leadership has its rock stars—people with so much dynamism and energy that their influence stays with people long after they’ve left the room.

You may have been led to a career in leadership by one of them. And as you go through the everyday work of mentoring, guiding and encouraging that makes up most leadership, you may wish you could be more like them.

We can’t all be rock stars, of course.

But whatever your leadership work looks like, there are things you can adjust to magnify its impact. Here are four of the most powerful:

Your mental attitude.

Your mental attitude is a complex state involving your beliefs and values, your disposition and your actions. Your thoughts and actions have consequences, and powerful leaders make sure that what they say and do has the effect they intend. With a great mental attitude—which includes your emotional health, outlook on the world, self-image, and much more—you’ll strengthen your leadership and be more effective in understanding and relating to others.

Your physical attitude.

Your physical attitude involves your body and body language—the way your physical self reflects your inner being. It’s concerned with how you present yourself. Do you give off an air of confidence and assertiveness, or a message that you are uncomfortable? You can improve your presence just by being mindful of the physical message you are conveying. Whatever you’re feeling, keep your body language powerful and confident.

Your emotional attitude.

Your emotional attitude is the compass you use to navigate your emotional state—sadness, happiness, positivity, negativity, whatever you’re feeling. Your emotional attitude conveys your leadership presence, and leaders with highly developed emotional intelligence know how to manage their emotions to convey the kind of presence they want to communicate. The most powerful leaders respect and honor their emotional state; they’re comfortable with their emotions and know how to manage them.

Your metaphysical attitude.

Each of us has within us a spirit of who we are. This attitude is about how we connect with ourselves and others, but it’s also much more—it’s about being connected to something much larger than yourself and connect with others in a way that’s truly meaningful. It’s the most powerful leadership presence you can have. To cultivate a powerful metaphysical attitude, be an attentive listener. Seek to understand and learn. Lean forward. Let people sense your interest and respect. Remember, leaders become great not because of their power but because of their ability to empower and connect with others.

Lead from within:

Powerful leaders with a strong presence have a mental, physical, emotional and metaphysical presence that others remember and carry with them.

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Photo Credit: Getty Images

 

 


Lolly Daskal is one of the most sought-after executive leadership coaches in the world. Her extensive cross-cultural expertise spans 14 countries, six languages and hundreds of companies. As founder and CEO of Lead From Within, her proprietary leadership program is engineered to be a catalyst for leaders who want to enhance performance and make a meaningful difference in their companies, their lives, and the world.

Of Lolly’s many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Her newest book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness has become a national bestseller.

  1. stephen odhiambo

    05. Mar, 2017

    your article in leadership empowerment is so inspiring..

    Reply to this comment
  2. Kenneth MD

    13. Mar, 2017

    Your writing is refreshingly insightful. I read many blogs but since I discovered your work, I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. When your new book comes out, if you have any time for an interview, i would love to interview you for my audience. I’m a fan!

    Reply to this comment
    • lollydaskal

      15. Mar, 2017

      Kenneth. I would loved to be interviewed for your audience. Please fill out the contact page on my website and lets make this happen.

      Reply to this comment
  3. Driving Directions

    17. Mar, 2017

    Great post! I can’t agree more with this ways. I am gonna bookmark this page, thanks for sharing.

    Reply to this comment
  4. Brooke Harper

    17. Mar, 2017

    Very insightful post. They say that nobody is born leader, it is learned – these powerful ways you shared are guaranteed steps in developing one good leader. I want to add, “social attitude” on the list. Social attitude is your relationship with others. It is how you interact and connect with your people. It is not only how you assert your leadership, but how you assure your people that they are being heard and that they are equally important.

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