Effective leadership starts with presence

A variety of factors shape leaders' effectiveness, but one of the most undervalued qualities might be leadership presence. Whether you are in a senior leadership position in an organization or own your own company, your leadership presence can be the differentiator between you having management missteps or fully realizing your business goals.

This criterion — how you are perceived and accepted by others — can open limitless career opportunities, or derail even the most talented people from reaching their leadership goals. In essence, it's about your attitude, character and behavior when no one is looking, transcending other measuring sticks such as technical ability and emotional intelligence.

Therefore you cannot underestimate the importance of increasing your awareness of the behavioral nuances that may impact the perception of others and learning strategies for strengthening your leadership presence.