You Don’t Need a Suit to Have Executive Presence

Let’s be honest - when most people hear “executive presence,” they picture someone tall, polished, and probably holding a laser pointer in a boardroom.

But if you’re a STEM leader, chances are you lead from the lab, behind a screen, or deep in technical discussions.

So how do you build that elusive presence when you're not exactly the loudest voice in the room?

Start with this: executive presence isn’t about being flashy. It’s about 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲.

✅ You build presence when you explain complex topics in a way non-tech folks can follow without needing a decoder ring.

✅ You show up when you ask the question that makes the whole room pause and reconsider.

✅ You gain respect when you own mistakes without defensiveness - and help your team do the same.

Presence is also about 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆. Do you follow through? Are you thoughtful under pressure? Do people feel heard when they talk to you? That’s presence.

𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 - but they’re secondary to your signal strength. The best leaders project confidence without ego and curiosity without judgment. That blend is powerful.

It’s easy to overlook this if your head’s buried in code, data, or deadlines. But presence can’t be an afterthought. Especially when you’re trying to influence across functions, up the chain, or in rooms where you’re the only STEM voice.

Building executive presence is a skill - not a gift. And it gets stronger with feedback, self-awareness, and yes, sometimes a bit of coaching.

If you're not sure how others experience you - how you “land” in the room - that's a great starting point.

𝘌𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘱, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴. 𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯? 𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬.