How to Adapt Your Executive Presence for the Remote Workplace

As an effective leader, you have a certain presence when you stand in front of your teams, lead a meeting, or even walk into your workplace. Whether this executive presence occurs naturally for you, or you’ve fine-tuned it over your career, it’s an essential part of your leadership identity. However, if you’ve transitioned to a remote or hybrid work environment—or have been navigating this change since COVID-19—you might find it challenging to leverage your presence like you once did. Here’s how to project it effectively in both virtual and in-person settings.

The Key Components of Executive Presence

Executive presence is the invisible force that distinguishes an influential leader. It’s a blend of qualities that allows leaders to command attention, demonstrate poise, and inspire trust and credibility, both online and in person, whether addressing potential clients or team members. According to a 2024 Harvard Business Review article, executive presence is determined by three factors: gravitas, communication skills, and appearance. Among these factors, gravitas can be divided into confidence, decisiveness, inclusiveness, respect for others, vision, and integrity. Likewise, communication skills include not just speaking skills but also command of a room, body language, and the ability to read one’s audience. Finally, appearance traits include a polished look and authenticity. At Arootah, we also add poise and charisma to the list. Charisma draws people to a leader through a magnetic influence, which involves projecting warmth and motivation. Leaders enhance charisma by maintaining eye contact and engaging storytelling, whether face-to-face or through a camera lens. Poise, meanwhile, is about keeping composure under pressure, which is crucial for navigating challenges in both virtual and physical interactions. As the modern workplace has shifted to become more inclusive while also dealing with political divides and the rise of remote and hybrid work, so have employees’ ideas of what makes an effective leader. As such, you may need to adapt your executive presence to match the digital age and the modern age overall.

Mastering Executive Presence in a Virtual Setting

Mastering executive presence in a virtual setting may require a few adjustments. To manage virtual meetings effectively, consider your visual presentation on screen. Use your appearance to your advantage, focusing on clean visuals and undistracted attention, much like Steve Jobs did with minimalism. Enhance your communication skills by listening actively. Use storytelling to build connections and encourage participative dialogue to keep everyone engaged. Provide clear agendas for any meetings you lead. To display confidence and poise in these virtual settings, show up prepared for the meeting and familiar with any technology used beforehand. Don’t show up fumbling with your mic or camera. Finally, to display poise in stressful situations, pay attention to your speech and tone and ensure you’re coming across as calm and in control of your emotions. If you struggle with poise on a broader scale, consider adopting a mindfulness routine to reduce stress and enhance focus.

Real-World Examples

Look at the virtual leadership styles of other leaders that you admire. Watch how they communicate and present themselves within the virtual workplace. What can you take from their examples and work into your leadership style? One leader to consider analyzing is Steve Jobs, known for his impressive ability to captivate audiences during his presentations.

The Bottom Line

In today’s evolving work environment, mastering executive presence (virtually and in-person) is more crucial than ever. By understanding and honing the critical components of executive presence, you can navigate the complexities of modern leadership with grace and authority. Are communication skills one of your weaknesses? Sign up for our upcoming “Mastering Strategic Communication for Organizational Impact” event on Dec. 11 to discover how to use communication as a strategic advantage.