Presence is a certain confidence, poise and authenticity — it might be hard to define, but you just know it when you see it.

You might find it hard to develop presence, but it is a skill that can be learned. In fact, it is being more, of who you already are.

Ready to build your presence, stay true to your authentic self, and be the leader you were meant to be?

The 5 strategies below, will help you develop and build your presence:

1. Be Genuine

Authenticity is key to being a leader. You must be willing to be true to yourself and honor who you really are, even though you might feel vulnerable at times. This means, being clear on what you really value and sticking to those values. It also means that your actions represent those values, and that you just don’t talk the talk, but also walk the walk.

2. Build Your Tribe

Nurturing meaningful relationships and growing your tribe and community, is a key skill every good leader needs to master. A strong tribe is essential to help you fulfill your goals and vision, and is one who can support you, provide constructive feedback, offer expertise, and validate your actions.

3. Practice Mindfulness

In order to build your presence as a leader, you need to first, feel good about yourself. You need to feel ‘whole,’ and develop a sense of identity. One way to do this is to discover what your life purpose is, what makes you do what you do, and the message you wish to drive in the world.  That’s where mindfulness comes in. Mindfulness slows down thoughts and calms the mind, allowing you to better focus on your purpose, and what’s really important, and live it.

4. Defeat Negativity

There are many self-destructing thoughts that can stand in your way to achieving your purpose and building your presence. Some common patterns, especially for women include:

• Self-doubt
• Being a perfectionist
• Procrastination
• Overwork to the point for being burned out
• Trying to please
• Toxic relationships

It’s important to first identify these negative patterns so that you can better deal with them. The more you pay attention to your thoughts and what is happening around you, the better you can prepare and take steps to deal with the obstacles in your way.

5. Make a Plan

As a leader with presence, you want to chart your own destination, and not let life just happen to you. It’s key to set up realistic short-term and long-term goals, and develop a clear action plan to achieve those goals. If you don’t do this, your goals will simply remain dreams.

Key Takeaways

• To confidently lead others, you need to have courage and trust in your own, authentic leadership style, and learn to develop presence.
• Confidence will come naturally when you are being true to yourself, and others want to follow you because of your generosity of spirit and knowing that they can genuinely trust you.
• A leader with presence values connections — you know your tribe is essential in achieving your goals and vision, and you can’t go it alone.
• By living with purpose, you choose to live a life rich with opportunity and also lead others to find their own opportunities and purpose.
• You’re also clear about what needs to be done to deal with self-defeating patterns, and your presence shows that you have what it takes to keep going.
• Practicing these five strategies will help you lead with a presence that is unique to you and is driven by authenticity, connection, clarity and purpose.