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Capitalizing on Your Political Savvy 139

the part of a leader who is in control of her game. This allows them
to move easily and confidently among the people they need to know to
do their jobs well.
Like other things in this chapter, this great public face might
come more easily to some than others, but the best way to make a
good impression is to do the right prep work. The rest of this chap-
ter talks about the most politically savvy way to present yourself to
others—and the homework you’ll need to do it.

Executive Presence—Locate Yours

The starting point for all this prep work is in your sense of presence.
Executive presence is one of those things that we know when we
see it. Someone who has it stands out in a crowd, gets noticed in a
positive way, and garners respect.
Presence is a component of political savvy because with a strong
sense of presence you have an increased ability to have your mes-
sages resonate with others, and when you resonate, you connect.
When you connect, you can engage others in what you want to say,
what you want them to understand or learn, and even what you want
them to do.
To assess your executive presence, take the following assessment
that I often use with women when I speak at numerous Senior
Women’s Leadership Forums.

Step 1: Imagine a new colleague has just met you and has spent
an hour working with you. Write down how you think that
person would describe you. Try to come up with seven or eight
characteristics.

Step 2: Think about how you would like them to describe you and
write down those characteristics, too.