Cindy Esliger explores the gap between the level we’re operating at and the title on our business card. We too often wait for the promotion before developing executive presence, assuming we need permission to start acting like a leader. Cindy argues that this has the order backwards. Presence isn’t a mask or an attempt to become someone else. It’s about making existing strategic thinking, judgment, and leadership ability more visible, so decision-makers don’t have to struggle to imagine us operating at the next level. Cindy explains that leadership begins with moving from execution to influence. Instead of simply completing tasks, we demonstrate readiness by shaping priorities, reframing problems, offering recommendations, and taking ownership of gaps that weren’t specifically designated to us. She identifies three concrete behavioral shifts that help make that transition visible: 1. Speak in terms of outcomes, not tasks, 2. Ask questions that reframe the problem, and 3. Take ownership of things nobody assigned us. That presence also shows up in managing professional relationships. Managing up means bringing options and a recommendation instead of just reporting problems. Managing across means building trust and becoming the connective tissue between teams. Managing down means staying composed enough that people feel safe bringing bad news forward while it’s still fixable. Cindy also discusses gravitas, a core component of executive presence, and describes three key ways to build it: clarity, composure, and credibility. It means saying the main point first, creating a pause between what happens and the response, following through, and setting boundaries without apologizing or overexplaining. But maintaining that level of self-monitoring takes energy, so Cindy offers four strategies for making presence sustainable: 1. Build in downtime on purpose, 2. Separate presence from performance, 3. Batch emotional labor, and 4. Treat recovery time as maintenance, not indulgence. Ultimately, developing presence before permission is about closing the gap between how we already think and how visible that thinking is to others. It happens through small, repeated choices that allow capability to shine without pretending to be someone else. Key Moments: 00:00 Developing Presence Before Permission 02:50 Why Waiting for the Title Holds You Back 04:00 Moving From Execution to Influence 06:54 Managing Up, Across, and Down 08:24 What Gravitas Actually Looks Like 12:53 Setting Boundaries With Presence 17:05 Making Executive Presence Sustainable Resources discussed in this episode: Guide to Presence Before Permission Astronomic Audio Confidence Collective — Contact Cindy Esliger Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
