For more than 30 years, as a physician, a healthcare executive, and now an executive advisor, I’ve watched accomplished women lead by two sets of rules: the ones they were raised on, and the ones others use to judge their leadership. I help them see both clearly so they stop over-explaining decisions they’re qualified to make, hold their position under pushback, and lead with an ease they didn’t have before.
Lesson 5: The Executive Presence Formula
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Executive presence isn't about power suits and power poses. It's not really even about polish. It's about depth. Consistency. Energy that holds steady no matter what's happening around it. It's built from two things. A leadership identity clear enough that it doesn't waver based on who's in the room or the situation. And the leadership energy that you bring to every interaction. You need both. Here's what happens without the first one. A leader walks into a budget meeting knowing her numbers cold. Someone challenges a line item. She doesn't hold deep belief about the value she brings as a leader, so the challenge lands as a threat instead of a question about a spreadsheet. She over-explains. She defends. The room feels it. Now watch someone with a strong identity hit the same challenge. She knows what she's built her leadership on. The number gets questioned, and it's just a number, not her worth. She says "let me pull that context" and moves on. Her value was never contingent on being infallible, or having every detail memorized. She's the same woman in the easy meeting and the hard one. That's the consistency. Leadership energy shows up in every room, but it's most palpable when things heat up: someone gets combative, a deal falls apart on the call, crisis hits. This is where nervous system regulation earns its place, not as a soft skill, but as what keeps you steady when the situation isn't. Put the two together and here's what actually happens: people experience your presence as commanding, or magnetic. The room orients around you. Not because of the suit, or the posture, or the polish. Because you know what you stand for, and your energy doesn't flinch when it counts. Here's to presence that holds, not performs, Denée PS: You can watch my latest video on YouTube here, 🎥 Why Women Leaders Get Overlooked For Promotion (and how to fix it). Denée Choice, MD, MMM |
Choice Leadership Consulting
For more than 30 years, as a physician, a healthcare executive, and now an executive advisor, I’ve watched accomplished women lead by two sets of rules: the ones they were raised on, and the ones others use to judge their leadership. I help them see both clearly so they stop over-explaining decisions they’re qualified to make, hold their position under pushback, and lead with an ease they didn’t have before.
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