Is Executive Presence for Black Women?

Executive presence.

The amorphous quality that when surveyed, 268 senior executives said accounts for 26% of what it takes to get the next promotion. To add to this critical area, 89% of CEOs and executives believe that presence helps you get ahead and 78% say a lack of presence will hold you back. Here’s the challenge: it remains somewhat difficult to define exactly what it is.

So…what is it?

There are varying definitions depending on who you ask. Sylvia Ann Hewlett, who wrote what is arguably the best book on the subject Executive Presence, says it’s the combination of confidence, gravitas, and appearance. Other coaches and thought leaders say EP is confidence, excellence, and the ability to inspire others. Some of these qualities are weighted more heavily than others. Some matter more or less depending on the individual, workplace culture, and industry. It is my belief that in order to understand if the concept of executive presence is for Black women, we first have to start with shared understanding. Holding on to differing definitions and opinions won’t do much good here, so let’s dive into the meaning.

Let’s start with executive.

Within the phrase ‘executive presence’, it acts as an adjective, modifying “presence”.

Executive: adjective; having the power to put plans, actions, or laws into effect.

To be thorough, let’s add the noun definition

Executive; noun; a person with senior managerial responsibility in a business organization.

So we know what an executive is and what it means or indicates. On to presence.

Presence; noun; the state or fact of existing, occurring, or being present in a place or thing.

Now this is accurate but when we say that someone has a presence, we’re alluding to a bit more.

I like this definition: the impressive manner or appearance of a person.

Putting the two together exactly as above, executive presence is defined as the impressive manner or appearance of a person with power to put plans and actions into effect. We can stop there but I’d like to stretch it further. So here’s my definition.

Executive presence is the quality of exuding confidence, authenticity, and care within a position of influence that inspires and empowers others to action.

Executive presence can exist within the boardroom as much as it can on the basketball court. It’s found in hair salons, supermarkets, and places of worship. It’s seen in the quiet mentorship, direct conversations, and empathetic guidance. Going with this definition, I absolutely believe that executive presence is for Black women. The challenge is that it is has been shaped through a lens designed to shut us out. Black woman face unique challenges within the workplace and we are the most underrepresented group in leadership. And the numbers are staggering. We make up approximately 7% of the US population yet hold only 1.6% of VP roles and 1.4% of C-suite roles. To compare, White men make up 35% of the US population and hold 57% of VP roles and 68% of C-suite roles.

We are often overworked and underpaid, overly scrutinized, and face specific challenges that make it hard for us to elevate within the workplace. And many of us have been told implicitly or explicitly that in order to rise through the ranks, we have to adopt a cloak of professionalism that was and is currently upheld by a white standard. Over the next few posts I will be sharing practical ways for Black women to exude confidence, authenticity, and care so that they can exude executive presence without compromising their sense of self.