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Talking Presence

Read these lines on my LinkedIn feed and it was reconfirmation of all that ails the platform and a reminder that no true alternative exists. The person was claiming they rose to the level of X and company Y because they have the executive presence to command a room. Having known many execs from said company in the past, I am well-aware of the what that entails. It is about an aggressive diminishment of others who are way better qualified than the person at level X, more articulate and thoughtful than the person with the vaunted presence is but they are at level X-N which is their undoing. Also to their detriment, these folks are more human, relatable and therefore vulnerable to the passive-aggressive tactics used to undermine everything they say or do. But ofcourse this guy will not admit to any of that but it is unlikely he is not aware of what he does to maintain command of the room.

I have also seen in folks who are deeply trusted advisors to their client's executive leadership teams. They are asked for their opinion and encouraged be completely candid even if that means ruffling some feathers. My former co-worker S was in a league of his own. Once he started to present, a hush descended in the room. His facts were current upto the last 24 hours, he could hold all data points about the company he was advising even if the relationship went back a decade. He knew their business and competitors better than anyone else in the room, including the most tenured leaders. His word was often the final and got big decisions made and unmade. 

S was unfailing polite, treated everyone on the client's team with the same respect - junior business analyst two years out of college to the CEO. That is the definition of executive presence and being able to command the room. Not what this guy is posturing about. S posts on LinkedIn maybe twice a year and its totally worth reading what he has to say. I wish there was more like S in my professional network, they are the folks that make a person better and smarter. 

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