Executive Presence - by Sylvia Ann Hewlett (Hardcover)

About the Book

Are you leadership material? More importantly, do others perceive you to be? Sylvia Ann Hewlett, a noted expert on workplace power and influence, shows you how to identify and embody the Executive Presence (EP) that you need to succeed.

You can have the experience and qualifications of a leader, but without executive presence, you won't advance. EP is an amalgam of qualities that true leaders exude, a presence that telegraphs you're in charge or deserve to be. Articulating those qualities isn't easy, however.

Based on a nationwide survey of college graduates working across a range of sectors and occupations, Sylvia Hewlett and the Center for Talent Innovation discovered that EP is a dynamic, cohesive mix of appearance, communication, and gravitas. While these elements are not equal, to have true EP, you must know how to use all of them to your advantage.

Filled with eye-opening insights, analysis, and practical advice for both men and women, mixed with illustrative examples from executives learning to use the EP, Executive Presence will help you make the leap from working like an executive to feeling like an executive."

Book Synopsis

Are you "leadership material?" More importantly, do others perceive you to be? Sylvia Ann Hewlett, a noted expert on workplace power and influence, shows you how to identify and embody the Executive Presence (EP) that you need to succeed.

You can have the experience and qualifications of a leader, but without executive presence, you won't advance. EP is an amalgam of qualities that true leaders exude, a presence that telegraphs you're in charge or deserve to be. Articulating those qualities isn't easy, however.

Based on a nationwide survey of college graduates working across a range of sectors and occupations, Sylvia Hewlett and the Center for Talent Innovation discovered that EP is a dynamic, cohesive mix of appearance, communication, and gravitas. While these elements are not equal, to have true EP, you must know how to use all of them to your advantage.

Filled with eye-opening insights, analysis, and practical advice for both men and women, mixed with illustrative examples from executives learning to use the EP, Executive Presence will help you make the leap from working like an executive to feeling like an executive.

From the Back Cover

Do you exude confidence and credibility? Can you command a room? Sylvia Ann Hewlett, one of the world's most influential business thinkers, cracks the code of Executive Presence (EP) for men and women intent on winning the next plum assignment and doing something extraordinary with their lives.

You might have the qualifications to be considered for your dream job, but you won't get far unless you can signal that you're "leadership material" and that you "have what it takes." Professionals are judged on presence as well as on performance.

Using a wealth of hard data--including a new nationwide survey and dozens of focus groups--Hewlett reveals EP to be a dynamic mix of three things: how you act (gravitas), how you speak (communication), and how you look (appearance). She also draws on in-depth interviews with a wide selection of admired leaders to reveal how they embody and deploy key elements of EP.

This book is immensely practical. Hewlett teases out tactics that can help you raise your game and close the gap between merit and success. She offers the unvarnished advice you won't get from supportive friends and tackles head-on such touchy subjects as too-tight clothing and too-shrill voices. She shows how the standards for EP vary for men, women, multicultural, and LGBT employees, and she shares how to get meaningful feedback from politically correct bosses intent on avoiding the real issues.

The good news is that EP is eminently teachable. You can learn how to "show teeth" while remaining likable, and you can teach yourself how to dress appropriately while staying true to yourself. You don't have to be born with the voice of James Earl Jones or the looks of Angelina Jolie to hurdle the EP bar. With hard facts and vivid examples, Hewlett shows you how to ace EP and fully realize your unique potential--no matter who you are, no matter where you work.

Review Quotes

"Whether you're an established leader or an up-and-coming star, this book will transform your prospects for advancement. Pithily written, laden with vivid stories, and grounded in hard data that spans 2012 to 2022, Executive Presence 2.0 demonstrates how to master the intangibles of leadership in our post-pandemic world where inclusion, authenticity, and mastery of virtual collaboration are key to business success." -- Tiger Tyagarajan, Chairman and CEO, Genpact

"Sylvia Ann Hewlett's excellent book is an inspiring and practical guide for professionals seeking to crack the EP code. I particularly value her data-driven approach and the weight she gives to challenging issues of identity and authenticity in corporate contexts. Executive Presence 2.0 provides a timely roadmap to navigate the complexities in today's ever-evolving hybrid work environment." -- Erika Irish Brown, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer and Global Head of Talent, Citi

"Executive Presence 2.0 by Sylvia Ann Hewlett is immensely valuable, deftly solving some of the most significant barriers that impede the advancement of professionals of color in the corporate world. Her treatment of conscious and unconscious bias and her guidance on how to give and take unvarnished feedback across lines of gender, race, and sexual orientation are particularly powerful." -- Kennedy Ihezie, Head of Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, AIG

"As a venture capitalist, I seek to identify the rare qualities that allow visionaries to create breakthrough innovation, build world-class teams and achieve rapid scale. This book provides state-of-the-art guidance. Hewlett shows how and why projecting gravitas and displaying an unwavering commitment to inclusive leadership are powerful traits for entrepreneurs to cultivate on the challenging journey from start-up founder to leading a large private or public company." -- Andrea Turner Moffitt, Co-founder, Plum Alley Investments

"Executive Presence 2.0 is inspiring and immensely concrete. Today both seasoned and up-and-coming leaders are expected to project inclusively and authenticity, show up on social media, and lead through a screen. Sylvia Ann Hewlett's splendid book creates a blueprint and actional path to develop these urgent skills." -- Elizabeth Nieto, Head of Equity and Impact, Spotify

"For two decades, Sylvia Ann Hewlett has set the standard for cutting-edge research that goes far beyond data and analytics but tells a story digestible and deployable for leaders at every level. I've worked with Sylvia and seen her impact on the hundreds of CEOs who partner with Out Leadership worldwide. The importance of her work on Executive Presence cannot be overstated." -- Todd Sears, Founder and CEO, Out Leadership

"A solid guide for those looking to take their career to the next level" -- Publishers Weekly

"This is a powerful and urgent book for young professionals climbing the ladder. Credentials alone will not get you the next big opportunity, you also need Executive Presence - the ability to signal confidence and credibility. " -- Aberdeen Press & Journal [Scotland]