Building Executive Presence for Financial Services Leaders: How to Command Authority and Trust
You have credibility. You’ve done deals. You understand the market. You make good decisions.
But in the boardroom with LPs, or presenting to the board, or leading your investment committee—something shifts. You’re less impactful than you should be. Your ideas don’t land the way they do in smaller meetings. People defer to others even though you have better ideas.
That’s an executive presence gap.
Executive presence isn’t about being the loudest voice or the most polished presenter. It’s about commanding authority and trust—so people listen and follow your lead.
For investment professionals, executive presence matters because:
✓ You influence LPs (who trust your judgment)
✓ You lead teams (who execute your strategy)
✓ You advise boards (who make decisions based on your counsel)
✓ You win business (clients choose advisors they trust)

What Executive Presence Actually Is
The Components of Executive Presence
Executive presence has three components:
1. Authority
People perceive you as capable and knowledgeable. You:

• Make clear, confident decisions
• Speak with conviction about your expertise
• Don’t second-guess yourself (or do it privately, not publicly)
• Back your decisions with reasoning

2. Trustworthiness
People believe you care about their success. You:

• Follow through on commitments
• Keep confidences
• Admit mistakes
• Prioritize others’ interests, not just your own

3. Presence
You’re fully engaged and impact others. You:

• Listen more than you talk (seem interested in others)
• Are genuinely present (not distracted)
• Read the room (notice what’s not being said)
• Respond thoughtfully (not reflexively)

Executive presence = Authority + Trustworthiness + Presence
Why It Matters for Investment Professionals
In investment roles, executive presence determines influence:

• With LPs: Do they trust your judgment? Will they follow your recommendation? Will they commit capital?
• With your team: Do they believe in your strategy? Will they execute with full commitment?
• With boards: Do they value your counsel? Will they act on your advice?
• With portfolio companies: Do CEOs respect you? Will they take your input seriously?

Without executive presence, your ideas compete for attention. With it, people listen.

The Authority Component: Being Perceived as Competent
How to Build Authority
1. Know Your Domain Deeply
Authority comes from genuine expertise. For investment professionals:

• Know your sector inside and out (better than anyone in the room)
• Understand market dynamics (where is the market going? Why?)
• Know deal structures (what can work? What can’t?)
• Have perspective (what have you learned from past deals?)

Action: Invest time developing deep expertise. Read industry research. Talk to operators. Understand historical trends.

2. Make Decisions Clearly
Wishy-washy people lose authority. Clear decision-makers gain it.
This doesn’t mean rush into decisions. It means:

• Take the time you need
• Then decide clearly
• Communicate the decision confidently
• Explain your reasoning

Bad: “I think this might be a good deal, but I’m not entirely sure, and I want to hear what everyone thinks…”
Good: “I see this deal as attractive because [reasons]. Here’s my recommendation: [clear recommendation]. Let me explain the logic.”

3. Acknowledge Limits
Paradoxically, admitting what you don’t know builds authority. Because:

• People trust someone who’s honest about limitations
• You seem confident enough to admit gaps
• You’re clearly thinking carefully

Bad: Pretending to know something you don’t
Good: “I don’t have expertise in that area, but here’s what I understand and here’s what I need to learn”

4. Back Your Ideas with Evidence
Authority without evidence is just confidence. Real authority combines conviction with reasoning.
When proposing an idea:

• Here’s what I observe
• Here’s what I believe this means
• Here’s my recommendation
• Here’s why I believe this is right

The Trustworthiness Component: Being Seen as Principled
How to Build Trustworthiness
1. Follow Through
Say what you’ll do. Do it. This is foundational.
For investment professionals:

• If you commit to a timeline, meet it
• If you say you’ll get data, get it
• If you tell LPs something, deliver on it
• If you promise support to portfolio companies, provide it

People remember when you don’t follow through more than when you do.

2. Be Consistent
Trustworthy people are consistent in values, even when it’s costly.
Examples:

• You won’t do a deal that violates your criteria, even if it would be profitable
• You give honest feedback, even if it’s unpopular
• You acknowledge mistakes, even if it damages you

3. Put Others First Sometimes
Trustworthy leaders sometimes prioritize team/LP/portfolio company needs over their own interests.
Examples:

• You recommend a deal exit that benefits LPs more than your carry
• You pass on a deal because it’s not right for your portfolio company
• You give credit to your team for success

4. Acknowledge Mistakes
Leaders without humility lose trustworthiness. Leaders who acknowledge mistakes and fix them build it.
When you’re wrong:

• Acknowledge it quickly
• Explain what you’ve learned
• Explain what you’ll do differently
• Move forward (don’t dwell)

The Presence Component: Being Fully Engaged
How to Build Presence
1. Listen More Than You Talk
Paradoxically, you gain presence by making others feel heard.
In meetings:

• Ask thoughtful questions
• Listen to understand, not to respond
• Build on others’ ideas
• Make sure quieter voices are heard

2. Be Fully Present
Distracted leaders lose presence. Present leaders command attention.
This means:

• Put the phone away
• Make eye contact
• Take notes
• Respond to what’s said, not your prepared talking points

3. Read the Room
Great leaders notice what’s not being said:

• Who isn’t speaking?
• What tension is unspoken?
• What question is people wondering?

Then address it. “I notice we haven’t discussed X. That concerns me because…”

4. Respond Thoughtfully
Reactive leaders react. Present leaders pause, think, then respond.
In difficult moments:

• Take a breath
• Consider implications
• Respond thoughtfully (not defensively)

Building Executive Presence: A Development Framework
Assess Your Current Presence
Honest assessment (or 360-degree feedback) reveals:
Authority: Do people see you as knowledgeable and capable?

• Do people defer to your expertise?
• Do they follow your recommendations?
• Or do they question your judgment?

Trustworthiness: Do people trust you?

• Do you follow through?
• Do you put others’ interests first sometimes?
• Or do people doubt your commitment?

Presence: Are you fully engaged?

• Do people feel heard by you?
• Do you notice what’s not being said?
• Or are you distracted and reactive?

Develop Your Weak Areas
If authority is weak:

• Deepen expertise (read, learn, become the expert)
• Make decisions clearly (stop hedging)
• Back ideas with evidence

If trustworthiness is weak:

• Follow through on commitments (reliably)
• Be consistent in values
• Acknowledge mistakes

If presence is weak:

• Listen more (genuinely interested)
• Be fully present (phone away, eye contact)
• Read the room (notice what’s unspoken)

Practice in Low-Stakes Settings
Don’t practice presence for the first time with your LPs.
Practice:

• In team meetings
• One-on-one conversations
• Smaller presentations
• Investor updates

Build confidence in low-stakes settings. Then bring it to high-stakes.
Real Impact: How Executive Presence Drives Business Results
Case Study 1: MD Presence Development
Situation: MD had strong deal sense but weak board presence. LPs didn’t feel as confident as they should.
Development Focus:

• Deepened expertise (studied LP concerns, market trends)
• Improved listening (asked more questions, listened more)
• Built consistency (followed through reliably)

Results:

• LP confidence increased (annual survey improved)
• Ability to raise capital improved
• MD influence within firm increased
• Team engaged more with MD’s strategy

Case Study 2: Emerging Partner Presence
Situation: High-potential professional was ready for partner, but lacked executive presence. Partners weren’t sure.
Development Focus:

• Built authority (deeper expertise, clearer decisions)
• Demonstrated trustworthiness (consistent follow-through)
• Improved presence (listened, was fully engaged)

Results:

• Promoted to partner
• Team accepted her leadership
• LP confidence strong
• Success rate high

Getting Started
Step 1: Assess
Get honest feedback on your presence:

• Where is authority strong? Weak?
• Where is trustworthiness strong? Weak?
• Where is presence strong? Weak?

Step 2: Focus
Pick one area to develop (don’t try to change everything):

• If authority is weak: Deepen expertise, make clearer decisions
• If trustworthiness is weak: Follow through, acknowledge mistakes
• If presence is weak: Listen more, be fully present

Step 3: Practice
Practice in low-stakes settings. Build confidence. Then bring it to high-stakes.

Step 4: Get Support
Consider coaching. Executive presence coaching helps you:

• Identify blind spots
• Practice new approaches
• Get feedback
• Build sustainable change

Conclusion
Executive presence isn’t about being charismatic or commanding the room. It’s about being seen as competent, trustworthy, and fully engaged.
For investment professionals, executive presence determines influence:

• With LPs (who trust your judgment)
• With teams (who execute your strategy)
• With boards (who value your counsel)
• With portfolio companies (who follow your advice)

The three components—authority, trustworthiness, presence—can all be developed. Authority grows through deep expertise. Trustworthiness grows through follow-through and consistency. Presence grows through listening and genuine engagement.
Ready to develop your executive presence?
Explore how coaching builds executive presence →
Discover how assessment reveals your presence gaps →