Earning influence: Establishing an enduring executive presence

Insights from Dara Cothran, EVP, Global Strategy + Insights 

In an era of information overload, it takes a lot for a message to cut through the noise.  

Brands face this challenge every day, enlisting a variety of tools and tactics across numerous channels to engage their audiences meaningfully. One such audience engagement tactic we’re seeing in increasing measure is brands leveraging executive leadership as the messenger versus the brand itself.  

Through our work with business leaders over the years—and as engaged industry participants at large— we know better than most that an executive’s public persona is a key component of their organization’s external communications strategy. 

Simply put, external presence alone is no longer enough; rather, one’s influence is the new imperative for communications and business success. 

A slew of recent C-suite communications blunders proves as much: when leaders misstep publicly, it impacts their business’s reputation. CEO visibility leads to corporate visibility, for better or for worse. 

Take Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, for instance. Zuck, as he’s taken to labeling himself as of late, is a leader in the midst of a shift from his notorious image as a reclusive technocrat thanks to a series of strategic communication choices that are working to evolve his personal perception on behalf of his brand. Meta understands the reputational impact a visible leader can have, which is why it and an increasing number of savvy organizations are positioning their executives to serve as the human face of their brand. 

As an agency that values continuous learning and refinement within our business, we wanted to understand how executives are navigating the communications ecosystem to ensure we're providing effective consultation and creating programming that evolves as their needs do. 

The convergence of our expertise and curiosity revealed a market need that we confirmed with research: Executives recognize their value and role in business success, yet they lack the confidence or acumen necessary to leverage their external presence in service of their organizational objectives.  

Considering that nine in 10 executives believe that having a strong and visible leader is important for a company’s success while 61% say it can be difficult for leaders to appear relatable to their audiences, we knew a solution was necessary. 

Our insights led us to develop an offering that integrates with our agency’s other core services to help executives discern where and how to earn influence with their audiences and impact business outcomes. Because communications success, regardless of platform, is predicated on having a distinct voice and perspective, the path to a strategy that resonates requires understanding an executive as both a person and a leader. 

KWT’s xVoiceSM offering helps business leaders bring their external presence to life and create their path to resonance. Our program elevates the role of the executive in brand communications through tailored persona mapping designed to define their voice and pinpoint their unique way in with their target audience. The proprietary process delivers a thoughtful strategy that shapes a stand-out approach to content across channels and an actionable plan that achieves communications objectives and impacts business goals. 

The resulting activity and consulting from KWT help executives establish an enduring executive presence to reach their key stakeholders, earn influence and drive business success through changing audience expectations, the emergence of new channels and the ebbs and flows of the business landscape. 

Through this process, we’ve helped executives forge new business relationships, recruit employees, build name recognition and even find their next role. We’ve also empowered entire teams, often seeing one executive’s success inspire their colleagues’ participation. When a team of executives completes the program, we're able to help ensure that key messages are authentically delivered by the right leader at the right time. 

On top of supporting business objectives, many xVoice participants even find that the program feels like therapy of sorts—that our team has created an output that reflects not only how they show up as a professional, but as a whole person. 

“I feel as if this journey you have me on with LinkedIn is helping me find my voice again,” one xVoice program participant shared. 

Start making waves 

Resonance and business objectives are only achieved by committing to your platform and honing your persona. It may seem easier said than done, but with a strong team and thoughtful strategies at your side, earning influence is entirely attainable. 

To learn more about KWT’s xVoice offering, visit https://www.kwtglobal.com/research or reach out at xVoice@kwtglobal.com.