In this article the skill/behavior of executive presence that will be covered is Gravitas. The word “gravitas” is derived from the Latin word “gravis,” which means “heavy” or “weighty.” In ancient Roman culture, “gravitas” was a highly regarded virtue that referred to a sense of dignity, seriousness, and weightiness in one’s character and behavior.
When one thinks of executive presence, the most common perception that comes to mind is that expressed in the word “gravitas,” even if we’re a little fuzzy on the meaning. Gravitas is a crucial element of executive presence. In current society, it refers to conveying a sense of seriousness, wisdom, and depth of knowledge. Leaders who possess gravitas are viewed as insightful, knowledgeable, and capable of making wise decisions. They command respect and inspire confidence in those around them. Gravitas is a vital component in establishing credibility, particularly in high-pressure situations. Leaders with gravitas are seen as trustworthy, dependable, and capable of handling any challenge that comes their way.
While crucial, gravitas can be somewhat ambiguous. For instance, how does one convey a sense of seriousness, wisdom, and depth of knowledge while being authentic and not coming across as arrogant or condescending? Credibility contributes to gravitas but it hinges upon past success or reputation. Another way to understand gravitas would be to perceive it as the physical expression of respect. Unlike verbal respect, gravitas displays a posture of respect for the situations and people with whom one comes into contact. Although this analogy doesn’t capture every aspect of gravitas, such as wisdom or depth of knowledge, it does convey a respectful presence and attitude. But, Individuals with gravitas have a sense of humor and can even be self-deprecating. They are also humble and yet expect and give respect. They are decisive yet carefully balance risk. They are respectful, considerate, and calm.
Developing gravitas requires a shift in mindset and the purposeful development of specific personal traits. Gravitas understands and accepts each moment as significant. The traits that must be developed include:
a. A Learner mindset. People with gravitas are taken seriously because they continue to be relevant, which requires constant learning, and providing depth of knowledge.
b. Humility. True humility isn’t the same thing as the popular understanding of the term. It comes from a place of deep self-awareness augmented by self-acceptance. It places others above self.
c. Seriousness. Seriousness can be defined as a quality of demeanor, attitude, and approach. It is characterized by a sincere and earnest engagement with tasks, responsibilities, and situations. A serious individual demonstrates a thoughtful and diligent approach to matters that reflects their understanding of the gravity and importance of the circumstances at hand.
d. Dignity. When a person displays dignity, they exhibit a sense of self-respect, honor, and poise in their behavior and interactions. They carry themselves with a calm and composed demeanor, even in challenging situations. It involves refraining from demeaning behaviors and showing empathy and understanding toward others.
e. Wisdom. Those with wisdom understand and can articulate the What and Why of a situation. and that the ability to able to express those comes before How.
Like each of the skills/behaviors discussed so far, gravitas is a balance of “just right” between the chasm of too little and too much, although in the case of gravitas, the balance is often as sharp as a knife blade.
Too little: Here is what it looks like to have too little gravitas.
· Inability to focus: Constant distractions, frequent task switching, impaired listening, procrastination, poor organization, and lack of follow-through are all characteristics of the individual with the inability to focus.
· Ignorant: Depth of knowledge is a hallmark of gravitas but many leaders have stopped learning and refuse to grow, quickly becoming irrelevant and out of touch.
· Indecisive: The ability to make good decisions based on wisdom and depth of knowledge is crucial. Not every decision can be good, but those with gravitas will have a track record of making good decisions.
· Foolish: The foolish person doesn’t have the ability to discern between priorities or value. This might not be so bad if everything were treated with respect and dignity, unfortunately, the fool treats everything with equal contempt and disregard.
· Indignity: Actions and behaviors that strip away a person’s self-respect, honor or worth. It involves treating someone with disrespect, humiliation, or disregard for their inherent value and rights.
Too little gravitas is a death blow to executive experience. If someone were to wonder why they aren’t treated with the respect they should examine the items on this list to see if any apply in to their life.
Too Much: These are examples of what it looks like when someone displays behaviors that are over the top when it comes to gravitas:
- Arrogant: Arrogance involves an inflated view of one’s own abilities, achievements, or status, often accompanied by a dismissive attitude toward others. They assume that their acquired knowledge enables them to make wise decisions without the need for the input of others. Arrogant people typically don’t realize they display this behavior.
- Obsession: When focus is taken to an extreme it can become perfectionism, eliminating the ability to see and hear other inputs and narrow one’s attention. This might be positive in some cases but is almost always a negative in the case of the leader- think: Moby Dick.
- Snap Decisions: Being decisive is an excellent trait, however, making decisions without sufficient data is a recipe for disaster that undermines credibility.
- Condescension: Can a person have too much wisdom, probably not, as long as the expression of that wisdom doesn’t come across as condescending or patronizing. Nobody likes to be talked down to.
- Pompousness: Similar to Arrogance, pompousness involves a excessive display of self-importance and a tendency to flaunt one’s achievements or status. Pompous people like to feel superior to others, either on their own merits or because of those they know. Pompus people love to name-drop.
Of all the skills/behaviors that compose executive presence, gravitas is probably the one that is the most difficult to understand. Yet, it is also the one that is the most obvious and most noticed when it is absent. People may not know that to call it but they will know that something isn’t “just right” if it showing up as too little or too much.
ChatGPT was used in writing this article.
