Have you ever noticed how some leaders, despite having enormous amounts on their plate, still manage to exude a sense of calm grounded confidence?
They give people their full attention, speak with clarity and warmth, and know when to inject energy into a room and when to slow down and create space for others.
I’ll let you into a little secret…
One of the hallmarks of leaders with gravitas is that they don’t wear busyness as a badge of honour. Instead, they’re intentional with their pace, energy and attention. They don’t feel the need to operate at full throttle just because everything around them is!
They’ve developed the awareness and ability to choose their pace rather than be swept along by it. That makes a huge difference to their presence, influence and impact.
Here are five practical ways to develop this skill.
1. Manage Your Energy: Know When to Power Up and Power Down
I’m a big advocate of Powering Up. I did write a whole book about it, after all! But an important part of Powering Up is knowing when to Power Down too.
Leaders with gravitas don’t operate at one pace or level of intensity. They consciously adapt their energy to suit the situation, their internal energy levels and the people around them.
Imagine you’re leading a team meeting where deadlines are looming and everyone’s feeling the pressure. Your instinct might be to Power Up, inject some energy, rally the troops and get everyone moving. Sometimes that’s exactly what’s needed!
But if your team is already running at full throttle, what they might value far more is you slowing things down, creating space to think and helping everyone get clear on what really matters.
Equally, if you give every conversation full magnetic presence, you may end up running yourself into the ground whilst it might not have actually been effective.
Try these techniques:
- Get familiar with your presence dial: Imagine your presence ranges from 1 (low flame) to 5 (high flame). Before a meeting or conversation, ask yourself what level of presence is genuinely needed. Which meetings require you to lead from the front, bring energy and drive the conversation? And where could your greatest contribution be to sit back, listen and create space for others?
- Plan your energy, not just your time: Where do you genuinely need to Power Up, where can you turn the dial down, and where could you create a little breathing space to recharge so you’re not running on empty?
2. Leverage The Power of The Pause: Create Micro Moments To Reset
You’ve just finished a challenging meeting that’s overrun, you’ve got three unanswered Teams messages and you’re already late for your next call. You arrive apologising profusely, slightly breathless, while mentally still replaying the conversation you’ve just left. Now you need to get things done in this meeting and move the dial forward.
We’ve all been there!
But think about how that might affect the people you’re about to meet. Before you’ve even said anything meaningful, you’ve potentially communicated stress, distraction and a lack of availability.
Creating even the smallest amount of breathing space can help you reset and show up with greater leadership presence and connect more deeply with those in front of you.
“Research by Reward Gateway Edenred found that when people are valued, even through small gestures of recognition, they’re 4 times less likely to leave. This is followed by increased engagement (91%) and higher satisfaction with their job (92%). Being appreciated even made them feel more loyal to their employer (88%), while others said it made them want to take on extra tasks (73%)”
Try these techniques:
- Build in five-minute buffers. Wherever possible, avoid scheduling meetings back to back or at least build in a 5 minute space between meetings.
- Try a 60 second reset. Before joining your next call, plant both feet firmly on the floor, relax your shoulders and take a few deep, unhurried breaths. Ask yourself: How do I want to show up for this conversation?
- Give your full attention to your audience: In your next conversation, make a conscious effort to give the other person your full attention. No interrupting or quickly glancing to the side to check that email notification that just popped up. I’d even challenge you not to think ahead about your reply when they’re speaking. Just notice what you hear and the connection you create.
3. Slow Down Your Pace To Communicate With Gravitas
Picture yourself in a senior leadership meeting. You’re asked a challenging question and before you’ve properly gathered your thoughts, you’re off! Talking at a hundred miles an hour, trying to explain everything you know about the subject.
The irony is that in trying so hard to demonstrate your expertise, you can end up undermining your impact.
One of the most powerful communication skills leaders can develop is the ability to consciously control their pace, voice and delivery to make their message land.
Try these techniques:
- Harness the power of the pause. When you’re asked a challenging question, resist the temptation to jump straight in. Take a moment to collect your thoughts before responding. And don’t be afraid of silence after making an important point. Give your audience time to absorb what you’ve said!
- Vary your pace, pitch and volume. A monotone delivery can be just as disengaging as speaking at a hundred miles an hour. Experiment with speaking more energetically to build excitement, then deliberately slowing down or lowering your volume to draw people in and give an important point greater weight.
- Give your response some structure. Rather than launching into a stream of consciousness, signpost what you’re going to say. For example, “There are three things I’d highlight here…” This gives you a clear route through your message and makes it much easier for others to follow.
- Breathe from your diaphragm. When we’re nervous, our breathing can become shallow and our voice tight. Try placing your hands at the base of your ribs and taking a slow, steady breath, allowing your lower ribs to expand. This can help you feel more grounded and support a stronger, more resonant voice.
Remember, speaking with gravitas isn’t about speaking slowly ALL the time. It’s about varying your delivery intentionally so your message has the greatest possible impact.
Frequently asked questions:
What is the business case for developing gravitas?
In times of constant change, Gravitas is performance-critical; a passport to accelerated success. It’s the ability to remain grounded, confident and influential when clarity, trust and direction matter most.
When Gravitas is missing, both the leader and the business risk paying a hidden tax: change takes twice as long, decision-making stalls, engagement drops, and career progression comes to a halt.
When leaders develop Gravitas, the impact is tangible: stronger, more resilient leadership, more powerful communication, greater influence and increased visibility for your organisation and teams.
Research by Gallup shows that managers account for 70% of the variance in team engagement, while highly engaged business units demonstrate 23% higher profitability than their least engaged counterparts. For more on the business impact, download my complimentary guide, Leaders With Gravitas Deliver Results: How Gravitas Drives Performance, Engagement & Progression.
How can I develop my gravitas as a leader?
There is a common misconception that Gravitas is an inherent quality you are either born with or you aren’t. Gravitas is a learnable skill. It is not about adopting a false persona or being the loudest in the room; it is about developing an authentic, grounded style that carries weight without being forced.
The great news? It can be built intentionally and quickly through the Six Keys to Impact and Influence in our accredited Gravitas methodology. Here are three great places to start:
- Subscribe to my monthly newsletter:I demystify gravitas and share practical insights, tips and techniques to help you develop it in yourself and across your organisation, so you and your people can make a bigger impact.
- Read my book, Leading with Gravitas to explore the six keys to impact and influence, with practical tools and techniques you can put into action straight away.
- Download my complimentary Leaders With Gravitas Deliver Results guide to discover how gravitas makes a difference in five high-stakes leadership situations, from influencing stakeholders to navigating difficult conversations.
What’s the best way to develop gravitas and executive presence across my organisation?
Organisations full of intelligent, capable people do not automatically create effective leaders. To influence, engage teams in an era of record-low trust, to make change land – leaders need gravitas.
Our Leadership Development Programmes & Masterclasses are designed to build presence, confidence and influence at scale, tailored to your organisational context.
We start by understanding your people, your culture and the business outcomes you’re looking to achieve. From one-off, high-impact masterclasses to fully tailored leadership development programmes combining experiential learning, practical workshops and executive coaching, we help your leaders show up at their best, bring out the best in others and deliver business results.
Want to see the impact of our work in action? Explore our client case studies and results to discover how we’ve helped leaders and teams develop their gravitas and deliver meaningful business outcomes.
