The 3 pillars of executive presence
In my early corporate research years, I thought my work would speak for itself. It took me a long time to understand that good work is the foundation.
Much of my work’s perceived value was in the co-creation process with my stakeholders and how I showed up as I delivered it.
Years ago, when I was hiring research firms for work I was doing at eBay, Twitter/X, Levi's, Ancestry, and StubHub, what I looked for was partnership and thought leadership.
Those same qualities grew my own marketing research career.
Showing up as a partner means you listen to understand, not to jump in with a fix.
You zoom out to understand the context. You're curious, creative, strategic, and above all, grounded and confident.
You won't always have the answer on the spot. But when you know your value and the value you can help create, you stay resourceful instead of defensive. Partnership and co-creation follow from there.
So much of the gap between where you are and where you want to be in your career comes down to how you show up and how you're perceived.
If you do great work but hold back a clear POV and your reasoning, especially in high stakes meetings, you miss the chance to be a partner and deliver the impact you're capable of.
Holding back on a clear recommendation and POV is very common. But why?
Short answer: it’s safer that way.
When you ask for everyone's opinion before sharing your own, you stay flexible. You don’t risk being challenged. Many people confuse holding back with being collaborative, so it feels like a strength.
As a high performer, you got where you are by being accurate and thorough. Offering a view before you feel fully ready risks the thing you're known for, so it makes sense that you wait for more data before you share.
But you miss the opportunity to be seen as decisive. And that visibility is one of the fastest ways to grow your career.
If you relate and that feeling of shame creeps in, know that you have been conditioned to play it safe.
If you shared a point of view in the past and it got dismissed or corrected in front of others, your body remembers it.
Here is a different approach to consider.
Your POV is a starting place, and you don't have to defend it every time.
"Here's where I'm landing and why, and I'm curious to hear what you see."
Name your confidence level. This lets you share a view before you feel certain, rather than falling into the wait-for-more-data trap:
"I feel somewhat clear on this, and I want to spend more time looking into it".
After you share your POV, invite others in.
"What am I missing?"
This is how you build executive presence, which helps you to expand your scope and impact.
Economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett’s research identified 3 pillars that build executive presence:
Pillar 1: Gravitas is about how you act: composed under pressure, decisive, confident.
Pillar 2: Communication is how you speak: clear, direct, engaging.
Pillar 3: Appearance is how you come across: authentic, grounded, warm.
The senior leaders she surveyed ranked gravitas as the most important ingredient by a wide margin.
This is the topic I’ll be speaking about at corporate retreats and workshops in the following weeks.
This Tuesday, October 6 at 11 am PT I'm speaking at MRxPros on, a community of fellow marketing researchers and UX professionals. [click on image below to join us on Zoom]
If you lead a team and you see someone who does good work and avoids visibility, coaching can help them own their work and grow into their next level.
Be the reason your team and scope grow.
I'm rooting for you and here to support your growth
Ramona
Three ways to work with me:
1. Executive Coaching: change the pattern from the inside out
A six-month, whole-person approach grounded in a 360 assessment. Twice a month sessions on strategic clarity, communication, and presence under pressure, with optional live observation to surface blind spots.
For any leader stepping into a bigger role, and the teams growing with them who want to improve how they show up and build the leadership their next stage of growth depends on.
Impact: Executive coaching changes a person. Their patterns, their blind spots, and the story they've been telling themselves about why this keeps happening.
Timeline: Six months minimum, because breaking old patterns, building deep awareness, and growing authentic confidence take time and weekly experiments.
→ Book a discovery session for yourself or a leader on your team
2. Retreats: reconnect your team and leave with a plan
My signature Connect & Align retreat helps teams connect more deeply to one another so they can resolve conflict and roadblocks, and collaborate better. We build Ways of Working (WOW) team agreements, especially for changing teams and hybrid teams. Everything is custom designed, so your team gets what it needs to grow into its next level.
Impact: You get the space to reconnect with one another, upskill, and leave with a plan.
Timeline: One to three days onsite, plus custom design time beforehand with pre-work.
→ Book a chat to discuss a retreat for your team
3. Leadership Development Training: build skills that stick
For teams and organizations of all sizes that need targeted skill building. I bring the framework, along with the neuroscience and emotional intelligence underneath it. It starts with a team assessment, then moves into custom-facilitated sessions that get teams moving in the same direction.
Impact: Changes what a team can do.
Timeline: Three to six months.
Hi, I’m Ramona, Executive Coach & Leadership Development Partner to fast growing organizations, developing founders, senior leaders, and teams who create lasting impact and thrive through change.
I've coached and developed leaders at organizations including Anthropic, Google, Meta, Adobe, Cisco, Deloitte, Accenture, Warner Media, Nordstrom, Mars, Vuori, VC firms, and scaling startups, supporting leaders navigating increased scope, complexity, and pressure.
My approach integrates leadership strategy, evidence-based coaching, emotional intelligence, neuroscience, and mindfulness to help leaders think more clearly, communicate more effectively, and lead with authentic confidence as their roles evolve.
My credentials include:
IPEC Certified Leadership Coach
Leadership Circle Profile (LCP) coach Certified Positive Intelligence Coach Emotional Intelligence Trainer Mindfulness Meditation Teacher.
Before coaching, I spent years in senior marketing research and strategy roles at companies including Twitter, eBay, SoFi, Ancestry, and StubHub, so I deeply understand the pressures of corporate leadership.
I believe that when leaders embody their highest potential, they don’t just advance their careers and organizations, they create ripples of positive change.
