Executive Presence: What Nobody Ever Tells You about Getting Ahead
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-10-18 06:56:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sylvia Ann Hewlett
- ISBN：0062246895
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Adam
，
If you're a fresh grad， looking to start your career， then _maybe_ you'll find something new here。 If you're older than that， you already know this stuff。 Skip the book。 If you're a fresh grad， looking to start your career， then _maybe_ you'll find something new here。 If you're older than that， you already know this stuff。 Skip the book。 。。。more
Alex Beaver
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Audiobook
Dave Lütkenhaus
，
Too basic info， nothing new or exciting
Emily
，
The key problem with this book is that the author can't decide whether to criticize the world her data describes， or teach the reader how to accommodate it， with the result that she flipflops and achieves neither convincingly。 She is not the one saying that women's voices can be annoying， she just collected the data--but if she doesn't push back against the idea， what is the reader supposed to think？ There are some less depressing details， like the fact that character strengths like integrity an The key problem with this book is that the author can't decide whether to criticize the world her data describes， or teach the reader how to accommodate it， with the result that she flipflops and achieves neither convincingly。 She is not the one saying that women's voices can be annoying， she just collected the data--but if she doesn't push back against the idea， what is the reader supposed to think？ There are some less depressing details， like the fact that character strengths like integrity and sangfroid are important， and that looks are less important than grooming。 But The Likeability Trap does a better job of actually advocating an approach。 。。。more
Ariane
，
This book basically tells you to stop being a woman and be a man instead。 I surely hope noone takes actual advice from this book， its recommendations are the opposite of what diversity in leadership looks like。
Kim
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Thank you for taking the time to document the things that are too awkward to discuss in person unless working with an executive coach！ This was the dose of reality I needed。
Bethany
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I am impressed with how Hewlett can talk about things that really puss me off without pissing me off more。 She could get a little more fired up but this is how we as individuals can use the formula she’s coined for executive presence to get ourselves ahead， and then in those roles we can try to change the world。 She makes it real， she knows we can’t just storm the castle and expect things to be different over night。 She wishes too that we didn’t have these biases to overcome and stupid obstacles I am impressed with how Hewlett can talk about things that really puss me off without pissing me off more。 She could get a little more fired up but this is how we as individuals can use the formula she’s coined for executive presence to get ourselves ahead， and then in those roles we can try to change the world。 She makes it real， she knows we can’t just storm the castle and expect things to be different over night。 She wishes too that we didn’t have these biases to overcome and stupid obstacles。 She gets it。 She can’t change it。 She just has advice on how to get past it and up the chain where （implied） you can make a difference。 I like her stories。 I love how thoroughly researched this is。 And her writing style is marvelous。 Fast paced， and gets the point across but jam-packed with info。 Executive presence is a three pronged attack about how you present yourself so that you look like a boss。 It include gravitas， communication and appearance。 All very important things。 Another thing that she talks a lot about is feedback and I am a huge proponent of effective feedback。 It is so hard to get straight answers from people today because everyone is paranoid about offending someone。 But， kissing my butt is not going to make me a better person。 I’m going to keep in mind that if I’m not getting real feedback， either that person is insecure or I have no chance at what I’m trying to do。 。。。more
Maggie Adkins
，
A decent read for a recent graduate entering the working world。 Some of the concepts seemed to be common sense and others a little outdated， but of course， that can vary from reader to reader。 I appreciated that this was easy to digest & a quick read （compared to many other business-related books）。
Alex Artamonova
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A book about the things no one wants to tell you when you are in the corporate culture trying to drink the cool aid。 Very interesting book and very actionable tips on how to improve your own executive presence。
Alper Çuğun
，
A handful of fairly basic lessons artfully spun out into a book that's not absurdly boring。 That is something of an achievement。She did get me to lookup Margaret Thatcher's voice before and after， and that is dramatic enough of a change to be worth the price of admission here。 A handful of fairly basic lessons artfully spun out into a book that's not absurdly boring。 That is something of an achievement。She did get me to lookup Margaret Thatcher's voice before and after， and that is dramatic enough of a change to be worth the price of admission here。 。。。more
Martin Van Rensburg
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We written but not profound in any way。
Dude
，
Good guide to improving external perception and internal methods of building confidence。
Srikanth
，
If you are looking for senior leadership position in corporate， here a quick read for focus action items to look inward for bringing or demonstrating your gravitas。
Donna Halloran
，
I found a ton of insight in this book。 Typically， I feel that these books could be distilled down to an Atlantic article。 I could not say the same for this。 I do feel that a lot has changed with COVID-19 so I will be curious what the next edition of this book has to share。
Jessica
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Absolutely essential。
Adrianne Knight
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Elucidating。 Changed my life 👍🏾This book holds all the tough conversations no one will have with you。 A great primer for anyone who finds themselves over-qualified yet comparatively under-successful in their career。
Alisa Lockman
，
Sylvia Ann Hewlett tries to share her solution to what leadership looks like but really it seems like Executive Presence might be part of the problem。。。
Jack Trump
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Read this for work。 While the author has some pretty interesting takes and goes on some questionable tangents， the guts of it are valuable and applicable in both personal and professional circumstances。
Kiona Meade
，
I thought the chapter on feedback was great。 The rest of it was OK， but I also felt like the book didn’t age well in terms of DEI， even though it’s relatively recent。
Diane
，
I struggled with this book a bit — not because the concept was difficult， but because i felt it was engendering conformity and placed a diminished emphasis on authenticity。 Of course we need to communicate effectively in order to be heard， but to what extent do we need to make sure that we are all wearing the “right” clothes？ Further， as someone who struggles with memory issues， I will always walk into a meeting with a notebook。 And I’m not ditching my glasses anytime soon for Zoom calls。 This b I struggled with this book a bit — not because the concept was difficult， but because i felt it was engendering conformity and placed a diminished emphasis on authenticity。 Of course we need to communicate effectively in order to be heard， but to what extent do we need to make sure that we are all wearing the “right” clothes？ Further， as someone who struggles with memory issues， I will always walk into a meeting with a notebook。 And I’m not ditching my glasses anytime soon for Zoom calls。 This book can be a helpful tool， provided you implement what feels authentic to you and leave the rest behind。 。。。more
Marlene
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The summary I would write goes like this - executive presence， per this book， is your level of gravitas， your comms skills， and your appearance。
Sebastian Gebski
，
Before I dive into the actual review， let me tell you why I've reached for this book （bear with me， this is important）:A few weeks ago I've seen a short （2-3 mins long） video on Twitter。 A group of anti-vaccine protesters in the US was being dispersed by Police forces。 Police have used （adequate IMHO） force， as the protesters were aggressive and persistent。 Nevertheless， a single， civil individual （one of the anti-vacciners） suddenly took full control over the whole situation。 How come？He wasn't Before I dive into the actual review， let me tell you why I've reached for this book （bear with me， this is important）:A few weeks ago I've seen a short （2-3 mins long） video on Twitter。 A group of anti-vaccine protesters in the US was being dispersed by Police forces。 Police have used （adequate IMHO） force， as the protesters were aggressive and persistent。 Nevertheless， a single， civil individual （one of the anti-vacciners） suddenly took full control over the whole situation。 How come？He wasn't particularly big， there was no effect of surprise， he didn't have a striking， booming voice。 Nevertheless， his confidence， the way he was looking straight into the eyes of Police officers， his gestures， persistence in his tone - he nearly immediately dominated the space。 Everyone was staring only at him。He didn't use any arguments， he didn't try to convince anyone to any standpoint。 He has just FORBIDDEN Police to continue their actions with simple， firm words。 But it was all about HOW he did it。 The mixture of his posture， presence， voice， body language - calming， not escalating， but also telling straight: I will NOT budge。 Despite all the antipathy I have towards the anti-vaxxers， it was hard not to be impressed。All right， fast forward。 I've read the "Executive Presence"。 It could have been a good book （the initial introduction and the way "gravitas" is presented - they are awesome）， but it's totally broken by political correctness and single-sided perspective。 It's not a book about Executive Presence， but about EP in the ideal world， where everyone has the same， perfectly uniform ethical code。Just to give you a glimpse of what you should expect 。。。It's like Cialdini's "Influence" without all the manipulative tricks （which can be used in the good and bad causes）。 It's like a book about NLP， but only for Buddhist monks and Mother Teresa。 It's 。。。 naive。 Some of the most interesting aspects of EP can be presented with examples of charismatic scoundrels， manipulators， and tyrants。 Their "tools" should be studied， so they can be used also in good cause。 They had their EP and in many cases， it helped them to succeed。Frankly， I don't mind adding the aspect of diversity， inclusion， and equ（al）ity to the topic。 REALLY。 But not in a whiny， politically correct way。 I expected some REALLY HARD considerations， topics that are truly controversial and hard to approach。 I'll give you an example:A few months ago， there was a massive action when （primarily US-based） companies were manifesting their openness for the LGBTQ+ community。 TBH the whole action looked like more marketing than substance， but one video has made me really thinking。 There was a person （born as male）， an executive in one of BigTech in the US （IBM or Oracle， can't tell for sure now）， who identified himself as "her" and "queer"。 That had a very visible effect in the video he recorded。 （S）he had obviously masculine traits （the line of jaw， etc。） but （as a "queer"） dressed in a very flashy manner - colorful hair （wig）， heavy make-up， extravagant clothes， etc。 It's his/her （I guess） manifesto。 The effect was （TBH） comical。 If I didn't see the tagline， I'd think it was a clown。On one hand， （s）he's a self-proclaimed part of a minority， expects respect， wants to be appreciated， has career aspirations like everyone around。 On the other hand， this kind of presence 。。。 is against 95% of the rules described in THIS VERY book。 Call it a bias， but it did not build trust or inspire， the typical reaction is of a very different nature 。。。 This is an example of a very inconvenient situation， where judgements may vary A LOT。 But guess what， such （controversial） topics were not covered in the book。 Welcome back to the ideal world。In fact， the more author wrote about diversity， the scarier it was （remember: it's still a book about EP）。 E。g。 there was an argument that diversity is important because gay people prefer to buy from other gay people， Indian people from other Indian people， etc。 So the argument for fighting bias is "because the minorities have their bias" （which should be cultivated， I guess）。 This is simply insane！ And don't get me wrong here - I have nothing against diversity， I'm a full proponent of Martin Luther King's "colorblindness theory"。 I just think that the way of thinking presented in this book is wrong， shallow， and in the end - harmful。After 40% of this book， I was fully convinced that it will be AT LEAST 4 stars。 But sadly， in ended as a huge disappointment :（ 。。。more
Aaloak
，
Sylvia Ann Hewlett has given clear actionable insights in the book to build an executive presence。 We might have heard people advising us to improve our communication style or appearance or Gravitas。 But sometimes we struggle to take actions。 This book can help in taking those actions
Wendeline
，
Give it as a gift to someone getting into businessSome good advice， hard-hitting and will certainly offend the most sensitive and idealistic newcomers to business。 I might give it as a gift to start conversation with someone who needs feedback， but takes things too personally。 Four stars instead of five because it goes on for longer than I thought necessary， and it repeats points stated elsewhere in business literature。 All in all a good book to read and good content to be aware of。
Susan Kathleen
，
This book will help me in my professional life。 I enjoyed it and actually realized ways I could work on changing a few of my behaviors。
Hossein Raspberry
，
I was about to write a review but saw other readers writing similar critiques as I had in mind！ this user said it all， exactly my thoughts on the book。https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 I was about to write a review but saw other readers writing similar critiques as I had in mind！ this user said it all， exactly my thoughts on the book。https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 。。。more
Sophia Tseng
，
Read this book if you ever wonder why people aren’t taking your ideas seriously。 It distilled 15 years of experience learned the hard ways at work。
Shannon Kauderer
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This book covered a lot of information that was already known and ironically did so in such a way that alienated the reader。 （Despite the fact that much of the book was about how to not alienate yourself。） There is some ok information in here， particularly for those unversed in Executive Presence， but I don't think it's presented in such a way that it's easy to learn from。 This book covered a lot of information that was already known and ironically did so in such a way that alienated the reader。 （Despite the fact that much of the book was about how to not alienate yourself。） There is some ok information in here， particularly for those unversed in Executive Presence， but I don't think it's presented in such a way that it's easy to learn from。 。。。more
Jared
，
I was assiduously reading this book and was even was taking notes as I read it， which might have been my downfall on this one。。。I ended up getting bogged down with it and ended up getting tired of reading around half way through。 All in all， this has some great information that is very useful if you are interested in increasing your presence and gravitas。
Luz Bernal
，