You finally speak up.
You’ve been sitting on the idea, waiting for the right moment.

Silence. Blank stares. Awkward pause.

Your face heats up, palms sweaty, and the doubt creeps in: Did I miss something? Was that stupid?

Then—two minutes later—someone else repeats your idea. Almost word for word.

And suddenly the room wakes up.
Nods all around. People scribbling notes.
“Great point,” someone says.

And you’re sitting there thinking, WTF?
How was it garbage when I said it, but genius when they did?

That’s the moment you realize—it’s not about the idea.
It’s about presence.

Why Presence Decides the Game

Presence isn’t volume. You don’t need to shout, wave your arms, or hog airtime. Presence is ownership. It’s the signal you send before you even open your mouth.

Think about it. When you hesitate, your team hesitates. When you undercut yourself with a disclaimer—“This may not be fully baked, but…”—you train people to doubt you before they even hear your point.

On the flip side, when you sit forward, plant your voice, and frame your words like they matter, the room leans in. They may not agree, but they’re listening.

This is a perfect example of what I call the second dimension of executive presence—Presentation. In my upcoming book Lead Like a CEO, I break executive presence into five dimensions leaders can practice. Presentation is how others experience you—the signals you send, the way you carry yourself, and the ownership you project before you even speak.

People decide whether to take you seriously long before your words land.

What Presence Really Means

Presence is not magic. It’s not charisma that some people are born with and others aren’t. It’s a set of signals—your body, your tone, your framing—that tell the room whether you expect to be heard.

• Presence trains your team. If you sound unsure, they’ll wait. If you sound clear, they’ll move.
  

• Authority isn’t granted, it’s claimed. If you don’t act like your voice matters, no one else will.
  

• Your body speaks before you do. Slouching, fidgeting, or hedging tells the room to ignore you. Owning your space tells the room to listen.
  

Presence isn’t about being loud. It’s about owning the space you already hold.

Three Moves to Try This Week

1. Record yourself in a meeting.
Not for content—just for awareness. Watch how you enter, sit, and speak. Do you look like you own the room, or like you’re waiting for permission?

2. Drop the disclaimer.
No more “This might be dumb, but…” or “I’m not sure, but…” Say it clean. Notice how people respond when you stop pre-undermining yourself.

3. Frame the decision first.
Instead of waiting for someone else to set direction, open with: “We need to decide X today, here’s where I think we stand.” Watch how fast the room shifts.

Closing the Gap

That WTF moment—when your idea only counts once someone else repeats it—is brutal. But it’s not about the idea. It’s about the presence you project before the idea ever leaves your lips.

People call it executive presence. It’s one of the most overused and under-explained phrases in leadership reviews. I can’t tell you how many clients have been told, “You need more executive presence”—only to discover their boss couldn’t even define what that meant.

Here’s the truth: executive presence isn’t mystery dust sprinkled on a chosen few. In Lead Like a CEO, I break it down into five dimensions you can actually measure and practice. This story is all about the second one, Presentation—how others experience you before you even open your mouth.

You don’t need to reinvent yourself. You just need to climb into the role you already earned. Own the room before you open your mouth, and the nods will come when you speak—not when someone else repeats you.

Want to build the presence your role demands? Book a free Leadership Clarity Call. In 45 minutes, we’ll uncover what’s keeping your voice from landing and design the next steps so you can own the room before you open your mouth.