On Veterans Day, we honor those who fought the good fight—reminding us that true executive presence comes from leading with resilience, serving with purpose, and standing firm in our values.
Veterans Day reminds us of the sacrifices and commitment demonstrated by those who serve. These qualities are also crucial for today’s executive leaders.
True executive presence goes beyond projecting authority; it involves embodying the values that veterans model—courage, resilience, and accountability.
These traits can transform your leadership from simply managing to inspiring genuine loyalty, innovation, and business growth.
In this blog, we’ll take lessons from veterans to show how their attributes can help you build a compelling and influential leadership brand.
Why Executive Presence Is Crucial for C-Suite Leaders
Your executive presence is your brand in action. It’s the way you present yourself, how you lead under pressure, and how others perceive your ability to command respect, both internally within your team and externally in the industry.
A study by the Center for Talent Innovation found that executive presence accounts for 26% of what it takes to get promoted.
Veterans have demonstrated some of the best examples of leadership presence through their actions, resilience, and unity. Let’s dive into these lessons, enhanced with real life examples of exemplary leaders, and explore how you can use them to build your own executive presence.
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Service-Oriented Leadership: Fighting for a Greater Purpose
Veterans exemplify leadership through service—they put mission above self.
The same holds true for executives seeking to enhance their leadership brand.
Jamie Kern Lima, founder of IT Cosmetics, demonstrated a genuine desire to serve others, specifically, women with skin concerns who were often ignored by the beauty industry. Driven by a greater purpose helping real women feel confident in their skin she was unapologetically authentic and served her customers first.
She built a brand that resonated deeply and ultimately sold her company to L’Oréal for $1.2 billion.
Her authenticity, driven by service, forms the foundation of her executive presence.
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, has a sense of service that isn’t performative or self serving—it’s about committing to something larger than oneself. When he stepped into his role, he focused not on asserting authority but on serving the
team, fostering empathy, and uniting employees under a shared mission to “empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more”.
By doing so, he helped reinvigorate Microsoft’s culture, leading to remarkable growth and transformation in the company.
In business, while our goals and objectives may differ, the principle of service holds true. Great leaders focus on how they can enable their teams to thrive and succeed, seeing each person not as a stepping stone but as a valuable part of the larger vision. When leaders serve their teams with integrity and respect, they inspire loyalty, innovation, and drive.
How You Can Develop This:
- Reflect on how your actions serve the broader mission and your stakeholders. Are you truly acting in service of a larger purpose?
- Communicate Your Purpose: Use platforms like LinkedIn to share how you are leading with purpose and fighting the good fight for those you serve.
- Action Step: Draft a LinkedIn post highlighting how a recent team achievement aligned with a greater mission. Be clear about why this aligns with your leadership values.
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Resilience Under Pressure: Executive Presence in the Face of Adversity
Veterans know what it means to push through adversity.
That type of resilience is an invaluable trait that enhances executive presence, particularly under pressure.
Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, built her leadership brand on her unyielding resilience. After facing numerous rejections, she remained undeterred, turning her brand into an inspiring success story. She built Spanx into a billion dollar company.
Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, faced one of the most challenging moments in the company’s history during the pandemic, when bookings dropped by 80%. Chesky demonstrated resilience by making tough decisions while maintaining empathy, ensuring the company survived. He focused on clear, honest communication and protecting the brand’s core values—much like a veteran prioritizes mission and integrity.
His ability to take decisive action, focus on core objectives, and protect the culture despite immense pressure is an example of resilience in action.
Resilience, especially in tough times, demonstrates determination the kind of leadership that inspires teams to keep moving forward, just like veterans do when the stakes are high.
How You Can Develop This:
- Acknowledge Your Challenges: Share with your team the obstacles you’ve faced and how you have navigated them. This transparency is key in showing resilience.
- Practice Mindfulness and Focus: The ability to stay calm under pressure is a cornerstone of executive presence.
- Action Step: Write a reflective piece on LinkedIn about a major challenge you overcame, highlighting your thought process and the resilience required to navigate it. Authenticity is the key to building a relatable and compelling leadership brand.
Resilience is not about avoiding failure; it’s about bouncing back, rising again and leading the charge, no matter how tough the battlefield.
Brené Brown
American academic and podcaster
3
Unity & Accountability: A Connected Team Elevates Your Executive Presence
Veterans work together in high-stakes environments where unity and accountability are non negotiable.
Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO of TIAA, demonstrates how great leaders inspire a sense of shared responsibility. Her executive presence is grounded in creating a culture of support and accountability. Every team member feels accountable and valued, fighting together for a common purpose.
Another compelling example of unity and accountability comes from leadership Alan Mullaly’s at Ford. When he took over as CEO, Ford was struggling, with silos hindering progress across departments. Mulally emphasized accountability, collaboration, and transparency. He implemented a simple but effective weekly meeting where executives were expected to share challenges honestly.
This approach brought the entire organization together, enabling Ford to weather the financial crisis without a government bailout.
His focus on building accountable teams helped Ford re-emerge stronger.
How You Can Develop This:
- Establish Clear, Consistent Accountability: Evaluate collective and individual regularly, focusing on both the wins and areas for growth.
- Celebrate Contributions: Acknowledge individual and collective achievements that contribute to the larger mission. Make sure each team member knows how their work contributes.
- Action Step: Start a weekly Team Wins initiative where members share their successes and express appreciation for each other’s contributions. This reinforces your executive presence as a leader who values accountability and unity.
What best contributes to accountability in your team?
- Regular Check-ins
- Shared Vision
- Mutual Appreciation
- Delegated Responsibility
4
Unity & Accountability: A Connected Team Elevates Your Executive Presence
Veterans embody courage—not only the bravery required in life-or-death situations but also the courage to hold fast to their values.
Today, we often find ourselves in polarized and high pressure environments where courage means standing up for what’s right, even when it’s difficult. It’s the willingness to defend decisions that may not always be popular but are rooted in purpose.
An excellent example comes from Patagonia’s former CEO, Rose Marcario , who led with clear ethical conviction. Patagonia consistently stood up for environmental issues by not just talking about values, but acting on them. From taking on political issues to investing in sustainable supply chains, the company’s actions reflected deep rooted principles
Rose’s courage to lead with her principles made the company a leader in ethical responsibility, strengthening both brand loyalty and internal culture.
Fawn Weaver, CEO of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, exemplifies how staying true to your principles can form a powerful leadership brand. She made it her mission to honor the legacy of Nearest Green, the first Black master distiller.
Her commitment to authenticity and transparency formed a compelling leadership brand and inspired countless others.
How You Can Develop This:
- Define Your Core Values: What principles guide your leadership decisions?
- Communicate Openly: Share why these values matter to you and how they influence your leadership style.
- Action Step: Post a short video on social media about one of your core values and why it matters in your role as a leader. Use storytelling to share its impact on your leadership journey. This is a powerful way to enhance your executive presence by being relatable and genuine.
5
Inspiring a Shared Vision: Uniting Teams to Fight the Good Fight
Veterans understand the importance of being part of something bigger than themselves.
Thasunda Brown Duckett’s vision at TIAA, focused on financial empowerment for millions, motivates her teams even during uncertain times. She consistently communicates this vision, building a leadership brand that’s both unifying and inspiring.
How You Can Develop This:
- Craft a Vision That Resonates: Make sure your vision is clear, impactful, and aligned with the larger purpose behind your leadership.
- Communicate Consistently: Reinforce your vision regularly to keep your team aligned with the mission.
- Action Step: At your next leadership meeting, take a moment to remind your team how the goals align with the broader vision, and encourage team members to connect their roles to that mission.
Executive presence is less about the power you wield, and more about the confidence you instill in others.
John Maxwell
American author and orator
Build Your Leadership Brand
To build an executive presence that resonates, let’s look into your leadership brand:
1
Origin Story: Share where your journey began and what experiences shaped your leadership style.
2
Challenges Overcome: Talk about significant obstacles and how they shaped your resilience and values.
3
Transformation & Vision: Describe how you grew and your current vision for your team or company.
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Audience Call-to-Action: Inspire others to join you in your journey—whether it’s through collaboration or supporting a shared cause.
Practical Steps for Enhancing Your Executive Presence
- Audit Your Online Presence: Review how you are perceived on professional platforms like LinkedIn. Does your profile reflect your leadership values?
- Create Consistent Content: Use articles, posts, and videos to showcase your thought leadership and personal experiences.
- Seek Expert Guidance: Partner with an agency that specializes in personal branding for executives to help align your leadership brand with your values and vision.
