Interactivity is One of the Fifteen Facets of Executive Presence

This article is one in a series focusing on Executive Presence and how leaders can meet their potential through improved communication. Executive Presence is defined by Suzanne Bates in her book “All the Leader You Can Be: The Science of Achieving Extraordinary Executive Presence” as “The qualities of a leader that engage, inspire, align, and move people to act… By understanding how your intentions as a leader match up with perceptions, you can learn how to flex your style to gain trust, build alignment, lead change, inspire performance, and drive executional excellence.”

This article focuses on Interactivity, one of the 15 facets that make up a 3-dimensional leader.

Click here to gain a greater understanding of (a) executive presence in general and (b) the other facets that make up a well-rounded leader.

What is Interactivity?

Bates says someone who has a strength in Interactivity, one of the fifteen facets of executive presence, is good at “promoting an interpersonal style of dialog and timely exchange of information and questions to coordinate action.” Interactivity is about being accessible to others and clearing obstacles to communication. Leaders with a strength in Interactivity create a culture for open and respectful conversation.

How Your Interactivity Makes People Feel

People with a strength in Interactivity make others feel respected and part of the conversation. They are easy to talk to, focused on the work to be done, and fully present with others.

The feelings generated by Interactivity:

• I feel you’re fully engaged when we’re having a conversation.
• You make me feel part of the team.
• What I have to say is important.
• I trust you when you’re facilitating meetings, because you keep the group on track while also keeping the discussion lively and productive.

Not Enough Awareness of Interactivity

Someone who lacks Interactivity may seem unfocused and be easily distracted.

• They may make others feel that their input is not important.
• They may attempt to multitask during meetings.
• They may attempt to go it alone and not ask for help.
• They may check their phones too frequently.

Specific Behaviors to Improve Perceptions of Your Interactivity

Here are some things you can do to improve your Interactivity.

• Show up on time and be ready to go.
• Ask open-ended questions as a means of getting people engaged.
• Stay focused and participate fully in the conversation.
• Reduce distractions from devices and ask others to do the same.
• Set expectations for meeting etiquette.
• Respond to emails and voicemails in a timely manner.

Too Much Emphasis on Your Interactivity

When someone exhibits too much of a particular facet, it can become an overstrength. An overstrength often results in negative perceptions. Here are some downsides of an overstrength in Interactivity:

• Not getting down to business.
• Wasting time through too much chit-chat and small talk.
• Leaving the impression that you are the life of the party.

A Story About Not Enough Interactivity

When Jasmine was an individual contributor, she was very happy and comfortable in her role. She did her work, kept her head down, and checked in with her manager only when she had to. She was proud of her independence and efficiency.

When she was asked to lead an ad hoc committee that included a few of her team members, she accepted. She understood the problem that the committee was formed to solve, so she assumed she was the right person for the job.

In preparation for the kickoff meeting, she completed some research with several key stakeholders. She prioritized what they said and created a wish list of key features to include in the final deliverable. Unfortunately, in her attempt to make things easy for the team, she ended up alienating them because they didn’t feel part of the initial planning process. She only learned of their reaction a few weeks later when things started to fall apart.

During a committee meeting that she was facilitating, a complaint about the way the kickoff meeting was handled surfaced. Then, complaints from the other committee members started to rise to the surface. Jorge, one of the members of the group, said, “Jasmine, sometimes I feel like I’m not even involved in this project. There’s no communication from one meeting to the next, and it feels like you’re doing all the work. I have no idea what’s going on.” Cleo chimed in, “He’s right, Jasmine. We need to work as a group, don’t we? Otherwise, why have a committee?”

Jasmine felt terrible. She thought that she was doing the right—and more efficient—thing by doing a lot of the legwork herself.

What Jasmine failed to realize was that the committee members needed to feel part of the group. They wanted to participate fully. If that wasn’t always possible due to other commitments, they wanted to at least be kept in the loop. Jasmine’s lack of Interactivity was hurting the team and the project.

Going forward, Jasmine agreed to allow others to contribute and stop doing so much of the work on her own. She also agreed to gather insight from everyone through open communication and keep everyone informed between meetings. If big decisions needed to be made, she’d involve the group moving forward.

Some Facets Ride Together

Often, when we lean into particular facets (or pull back from them), other facets “come along for the ride.” The three “Is” in the Style dimension – Interactivity, Intentionality, and Inclusiveness – tend to ride together. Taken as a whole, the word “collaboration” comes to mind. When someone shows a strength in these three facets, it’s easy to see why they’re valued for their collaboration and teamwork.

Final Thoughts About Interactivity

Interactivity is in the Style dimension in the Bates model, which means “it’s about the first impression people make—based on image, mannerisms, and interpersonal behavior.” Because the Style facets are all about the impression we make with our behaviors, we need to be self-aware and intentional about how we show up for others in both business and social situations.

If you’d like to learn more or explore executive presence coaching options for yourself or your team, click here to schedule a call.