Editorial
Welcome to Courage Coach, where expert columnist Karin Hurt answers readers' tough leadership challenges with practical tools and techniques you can use right away. Have a question for her? Drop her a line!
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Dear Courage Coach,
I just had my end-of-year review with my boss. She told me I don’t have enough “executive presence.” When I asked her what that means in our remote culture, she told me I should “act more executive on Zoom.”
Seriously? What do I do with that kind of vague input? How do I get better at executive presence online? Is it even possible over Zoom?
Signed,
Ready to Up My Game
Dear RTUMG,
People use the term “executive presence” to mean anything from having strategic influence to “perfect” hair, attire and makeup. I totally agree that you need a bit more information about what your manager is perceiving so you can make choices about how you might show up. See also, responding to frustrating performance feedback.
Before we get to the Zoom part, here are some tried and true ways to gain more credibility and demonstrate executive presence.
- Look for opportunities to be a trusted advisor.
- Stay true to your values, even under pressure to do the contrary.
- Clearly and concisely articulate your point of view.
- Take productive action and make good decisions.
- Engage others in ways that inspire confidence and hope.
And now, here are a few specific ways to up your influence and credibility on Zoom.
1. Invest in Relationships Offline
It’s tough to build trusted relationships in a Zoom meeting. If you want more credibility and influence in your Zoom meetings, invest in relationships offline. Find ways to show up genuinely interested in others.
If you think this might be an opportunity, you can schedule virtual coffees with your peers. Understand other people’s challenges. Notice and thank the unsung heroes making the work happen every day. One of the best ways to build influence and trust is to show you have other people’s best interests at heart.
You might also consider going on a virtual listening tour to get additional feedback. Pick a few stakeholders whose opinion you respect and ask for their perceptions. “I’m working on improving my executive presence in our Zoom meetings. What’s one thing I could do differently that would help my influence and credibility?”
2. Managing Your Surroundings
The good news is no one can see your shoes. (Don’t even get me started about the boss that told me I should go spend several thousand dollars on shoes to up my executive presence — and no, I didn’t follow that advice).
But they can see the clutter on your desk, the bad lighting and the weird virtual green screen that makes your head disappear whenever you move.
The number one problem with lighting is that people sit in front of a window or bright light and point their camera toward the window.
The light washes out your face and all people can see is a dark silhouette. If you lead many meetings, it’s worth setting up a regular space where you will have good lighting.
Look at how your office shows up in the Zoom or Teams view. Do you like what your surroundings say about you?
3. Practice Good Remote Meeting Etiquette
Pay close attention to your remote meeting etiquette. Show up on time. Manage your mute button. If people have to constantly tell you “You’re on mute,” you probably need to pay closer attention.
Related Article: Courage Coach: How to Stop One Person From Dominating Virtual Meetings
4. Watch Your Body Language
Body language always matters in meetings, but it’s even more important in virtual meetings where everyone can see everyone all the time. Ensure your posture is active and engaged.
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Watch your facial expressions — avoiding resting S%*# face. Nod along. Smile from time to time. Ensure you’re showing up interested and involved in the conversation.
Here’s the good news: unlike in-person meetings, you can see yourself. Peek at your own window from time to time and ensure you like how you’re showing up.
5. Managing Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication with Poise
Your manager’s feedback is about Zoom, but how you show-up before and after the meeting can make all the difference too. Ensure the meetings you initiate are best use of everyone’s time. Don’t call a meeting if it could be an email, and ensure you use good email etiquette.
One way to show executive presence is to send out a clear agenda before the meeting and meaningful recaps that make everyone’s life easier, including who will do what by when.
The good news is that there are some simple things you can do to improve your executive presence in virtual meetings — which will make a difference for your influence and impact. Start with getting underneath the true nature of the feedback and go from there.
Related Article: Courage Coach: Crafting Better Executive Communications With AI
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