Executive Presence Quotes

“It is executive presence—and no man or woman attains a top job, lands an extraordinary deal, or develops a significant following without this heady combination of confidence, poise, and authenticity that convinces the rest of us we’re in the presence of someone who’s the real deal. It’s an amalgam of qualities that telegraphs that you are in charge or deserve to be.”
― Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success

“Making difficult decisions is what we look to leaders to do. It is not so much about rendering the right decision, but about rendering a decision at a time when no one else dares, that confers gravitas, because it telegraphs that you have the courage, as well as the confidence, to impose a direction and take responsibility for it.”
― Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success

“CULTIVATE A SPONSOR Sponsors are not mentors. Sponsors are powerful leaders who see potential in you and, provided you give them 110 percent, will go out on a limb to make things happen for you. Because sponsors have a vested interest in how you turn out (your reputation now being linked with their own), they will give you the kind of feedback that mentors can’t or won’t.”
― Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success

“It is executive presence—and no man or woman attains a top job, lands an extraordinary deal, or develops a significant following without this heady combination of confidence, poise, and authenticity that convinces the rest of us we’re in the presence of someone who’s the real deal.”
― Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success

“In this regard, professionals of color may hold an edge. In focus groups we conducted, countless participants confirmed that being a minority is itself a relentless exercise in reading others in order to anticipate and overcome reflexive bias or unconscious resistance.”
― Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success