Situation: Carol was a bright, up and coming assistant vice president in a health care company. She was definitely dressed for success. Visually, she looked like an executive. She could have been on the cover of Fortune magazine. From her suit to her jewelry to her haircut, she looked corporate but feminine.
The issue was when Carol presented to senior management. Her boss confided that she couldn't promote her to VP. When Carol spoke to senior management, she waffled, hedged, and used wimpy words and uptalk. Clearly, her visual image was not aligned with her vocal and verbal presentation. Carol lacked executive presence.
Solution: I coached Carol for a number of sessions on how to present herself more powerfully. Carol learned to take a stand, own her ideas and to speak with more authority. She eliminated weak language and delivered her message with conviction.
Result: Due to her powerful presentation, Carol earned the respect of senior management and was promoted to Vice President.