Improved Gravitas & Executive Presence

Demonstrating gravitas can impact how others perceive you as a leader. The greater your gravitas, the more likely your colleagues will admire and respect you. Displays of gravitas at work (without ego) can earn you continued promotions because others will expect you to lead with courage and confidence. Gravitas can be learned. The first step is recognizing the behaviors that lead others to question your gravitas, and then creating new and effective strategies to change those. A clear and firm tone of voice, concise communication, eye contact, and the willingness to display curiosity about others’ views and actions are all factors that contribute to displays of gravitas. It doesn’t take long to learn this, and the results can be career-changing.

I recently read an article published by Harvard Business Review by Rebecca Newton, titled Gravitas is a Quality You Can Develop.

“Having gravitas at work can impact how seriously you are taken and how you rise in an organization. But it’s easy to associate gravitas with behaviors that fit a particular mold, and many people assume that if you’re not born with it, you can’t acquire it. The author argues that you can develop your gravitas while being true to yourself: The key is understanding that your real self can change as you build a deeper set of meaningful, trusted connections with other people. She offers five tips to help: 1) Be clear about what you want; 2) Be open to feedback; 3) Create time for broader conversations; 4) Beware the self-fulfilling prophecy of “needing more confidence”; and 5) Commit to integrity.”

You can read the original article here.