Gregory Harris

I was speaking with a lady (will call her MJ for the purpose of this article) a few days ago. MJ is in her late twenties. She is petite, 5ft 2″, tanned with straight hair that drops past her shoulders. She is a professional in the corporate world with a fortune 500 company, a hard worker and very ambitious. I know this to be true, because she has been my client for some time now.

Whilst we chatted in our last coaching session, she was in awe of an inspirational figure in her working place. Her eyes would sparkle and her face was flooded with a big smile when she was telling me about her new inspirational figure – a role model that she worked with – her boss.

She spoke about how at his age (in his 50′s) he had an extremely good physique and had taken good care of him self. He had a great family, was successful in his professional life and more importantly he seemed like a happy guy all the time. He seemed to have it all.

When I quizzed MJ if she had taken the time to speak with her boss about what helped him achieve the all round success he had, she quickly replied, ‘yes I did’- nodding at a million miles an hour.

I asked him, “What one thing would you say has helped you achieve all the success that you have? What one thing has got you to the point where you are happy in your day to day life?”

Before sharing her bosses’ reply, she quickly mentioned that she had hoped to receive a good deal of information on what he did to get to where he was.

‘Instead what I got was two words’, she said.

To be an effective leader, displaying an executive presence is an essential characteristic of authentic success. There is an art and science to executive presence. While some people have a natural executive presence about them, it is also a skill that can be learned. There is vast potential in discovering your inner treasures while softening your business mask. After working with thousands of executives, I can assure you of the inestimable value this self discovery brings to your self-mastery and leadership growth. Accessing your personal essence definitely improves your executive presence.

It is true that you cannot give what you have not received or experienced. Major inner discoveries require consistent attention to self. Leaders who learn to lead from the inside elicit better results and transform their company culture, with grace and ease.Transformed and inspired people, who happen to be leaders, are equipped to transform and inspire others. Discovering your inner radiance naturally projects an outer reflection that IS your unique brilliance. When others observe your brilliance, it often empowers them to discover their own.

As Mahatma Ghandi said, “We must be the change we want to see in the world. “When you become a leader in your own life, empowered with purpose and energized with passion, you will not only change your world but you will change THE world. Such leaders exemplify the transformational wisdom and self-mastery dynamics. With the active seer in mind, I consciously chose the butterfly symbol as the model’s promise of transformation. While the butterfly is beautiful and brilliant in itself, at the same time it reflects the beauty and brilliance of its beholder, the one looking, the seer. In other words, the seers of the change, the seers of transformation, will become the “be-ers “of change in the emerging “Executive Evolution.” Successful leaders are changing the world by their leadership style which is inspiring and riveting.