In a world where women are still underrepresented in the rooms where the biggest financial decisions are made, improving your executive presence is more than a career hack. It’s a required skill you need in order to move up the career ladder (and make more money in the process).

Have you ever sat in a meeting where people less capable than you are getting more airtime, more support, or more money? You’re not imagining it. In corporate environments, particularly in tech and high-growth sectors, decisions about compensation, equity, and promotion unfortunately aren’t just based on merit. They’re based on perception, too (we are only human after all). And that perception is often influenced by something we call executive presence.

For women, this can feel like a moving target: Be confident, but not bossy. Be prepared, but not rehearsed. Speak up, but don’t talk too much. It’s exhausting. But here’s what I’ve learned after 16 years leading at Amazon and now coaching women leaders around the world: executive presence isn’t about changing who you are. It’s about aligning how you show up with the impact you’re already making and being really vocal about your results, so decision-makers see what you bring to the table and aren’t just left to make up their own story about you, which is often wrong.

This soft skill is one of the hardest to master and feel comfortable with. You often need a mentor, manager, or coach to help you. Let’s talk about how.

Executive presence is built on perceived readiness

The uncomfortable truth? Promotions and compensation decisions aren’t always based on performance alone. They’re based on how ready you seem. Are you already operating at the next level? Do leaders trust you to hold more scope, represent the company externally, or influence without needing permission?

Executive presence is what helps your name get mentioned (in a good way) in rooms that you aren’t in. The good news is that it’s a combination of visible leadership signals that you can strengthen through small but intentional shifts in how you position yourself, communicate your value, and build trust at scale.

Start with your brand: Define what you stand for

When I first started managing teams, I thought executive presence was about being polished. Now I know it’s about being predictable. Not in a boring way—but in a way that helps others trust how you’ll show up, especially under pressure.

Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. And if you want senior leaders to back you in compensation discussions or equity reviews, you need to shape that narrative with clarity and in the way you want it to be told. It pays to niche down your expertise. Sure, you may be able to do a lot of things really well, like a Jane-of-all-trades or generalist, but that can make it hard for leadership to pinpoint what your Superpower really is. Think about that one skill or quality that you want to be known for and double-down on showing that skill in interactions with your leaders.

I coach clients to build a brand that is both authentic and strategic. It’s not about self-promotion for the sake of it. It’s about telling the truth on purpose. You’re not making something up, you’re amplifying the parts of you that align with your values, your strengths, and the impact you want to have.

For example, if you want to be seen as promotion-ready, you don’t suddenly become someone else. You just get clear on how you’re showing up, how you’re communicating your wins, how you’re leading in rooms where decisions are made, and whether your behaviour matches the leader you want to be.

What do you want to be known for? What kind of leader are you? What impact do you consistently deliver—and how does that tie back to the business strategy? If you’re not sure, start asking your peers, mentors, and team: “What’s it like to work with me?” or “What’s my superpower?” Their answers will often give you the language you need to shape your narrative.

Make your impact visible without apologising for it

Many of the women I coach hesitate to talk about their achievements. They worry it will come across as arrogant or political. But if people don’t know what you’ve done, they can’t reward you for it. And if they don’t know what you’ve done, they will often make up a story that may not be true (are you starting to see a theme here!?).

Visibility isn’t bragging. It’s building awareness and your leadership will appreciate being aware. Especially in large companies, if you’re not regularly connecting your work to the broader business goals and helping others see that connection, your contributions can get lost in the noise.

So, how do you do it well?

• Use internal platforms like team updates, Slack posts, and wiki pages to share wins, celebrate milestones, and highlight cross-functional efforts.

• Tie your work to metrics. Instead of “we launched a campaign,” say, “we launched a campaign that drove a 20% increase in conversion and reached 1M users.”

• Volunteer strategically for projects that are high-visibility or sponsored by senior leaders. These opportunities often lead to the kind of exposure that accelerates careers.

Your goal isn’t to shout the loudest. It’s to consistently and clearly signal your value so that value is spoken about by others in rooms where you’re not present.

Speak the language of senior leadership

One of the most effective ways to elevate your executive presence is to speak like someone who’s already at the next level. That doesn’t mean using corporate jargon or filling the air with buzzwords. It means framing your ideas in terms of business impact, not just activity.

For example, rather than saying, “I’ve been working on this feature for the past few weeks,” say, “This feature supports our Q3 growth target and is expected to reduce onboarding time by 15%.”

Senior leaders care about strategy, scale, and risk. When you communicate through that lens, you show that you’re not just executing, you’re thinking like a senior leader. That’s the kind of framing that earns you trust, sponsorship, and yes—BETTER PAY.

Finally, I want to dispel a myth: Executive presence isn’t about being extroverted or overly charismatic. It’s about consistency and confidence. You can absolutely be an introvert and still be assertive with how you articulate your value and share your ideas. It’s about showing up in a way that signals readiness and earns credibility over time.

That means:

• You remind leaders of your value through consistent updates and sharing of wins

• You act and speak with the confidence that you are deserving of being in the C-Suite

• You lift others up, and people know they can rely on you

• You operate with a company-wide mindset, not just focusing on your specific role or team

These are the leadership signals that matter most. And they’re often what tilt the scales in your favour when leaders are making decisions about who to reward.

You don’t need to wait until you feel 100% confident. You just need to start showing up like the leader you already are.

Let’s make sure they see it.

About the author

A founding member of Women in Numbers, Angela knows the power of community when it comes to building wealth. After sixteen years launching and scaling Amazon across three continents, she now coaches rising leaders on owning the room and accelerating their careers. Off‑hours, she is an active angel investor—using the same analytical rigour she once deployed at Amazon to back mission‑driven start‑ups.

Angela Langmann
Leadership and Career Coach
Angela Langmann

Important Note: The information in this article is general in nature and for educational purposes only. It should not be relied upon as personal legal, tax, or financial advice. Always seek guidance from a qualified professional who is familiar with your specific circumstances before acting on any ideas presented here.