Nelson Mandela had once said, “There is no passion, to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less
The essence of extraordinary leadership is influence, not authority.
Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who
Kshitij Sharma is an internationally recognized Executive and Leadership Coach, known for his deep expertise in Executive Presence coaching for leaders at or nearing the CXO level. With over 3,000 hours of coaching experience and 200+ leadership workshops delivered, he has worked extensively with senior executives from leading multinational organizations.
Kshitij has coached leaders across diverse industries including BFSI, IT, Consulting, Manufacturing, Media, Healthcare, FMCG, and more—helping them drive high-impact transformation, influence, and strategic clarity in their roles. His client base spans across India, Europe, Australia, US, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, with a strong presence in leading business hubs like Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, London, Sydney , Dubai, New York, Seattle and Bangalore.
With prior leadership roles in Training and Leadership Development at HSBC and GE, Kshitij brings rich corporate insight to his coaching practice. He also mentors aspiring executive coaches, shaping the next generation of leadership coaches.
Kshitij was named among the Top Executive Coaches of 2021 by The Coach Foundation (Germany) and honored with The Economic Times Achievers Award 2022 for Excellence in Building Executive Presence. His TEDx Talk on “Demystifying Executive Presence” has garnered over 260,000 views, and is widely recognized by CXO-level leaders for its practical insights, further establishing him as a thought leader in the space.
His book, ‘Demystifying Executive Presence’, brings together a decade of coaching insights, offering leaders practical tools to strengthen their presence, enhance influence, and lead with confidence in high-stakes environments.
– Widely Recognized by CXO-Level Leaders
– Over 260,000 Views on TEDx
– Breaks Down the Core Elements of Executive Presence
– Relevant Across Industries and Global Roles
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This is the step of generating self-awareness. Like the saying goes, “Start from where you are and not where you want to be”, Its highly important to become aware of what is the impact that you are currently creating.
At this step you learn how is your charisma and what changes can you bring in to nurture various aspects of charisma such as power, warmth and focus.
At this step, you learn to have a powerful stage presence and how you can master the stage and influence people in one to many format
When you are clear with your “why”, the energy is different as you are driven with a purpose and there is an automatic shift in executive presence
At this step you will discover your emptions and how best to manage them for creating a great impact on your ecosystem
Most senior leaders constantly pursue to keep moving on the growth path and reach the CXO positions in their desired industry/organization.
Deep within, if you desire to do something remarkable in your career, leave a legacy of great work, and be a part of the CXO team in the board room, you might consider working with an Executive Coach.
Why do few leaders not reach the Board Room?
Over two decades of experience working with hundreds of senior leaders, I have discovered that few leaders do not reach the CXO level despite being extremely competent at work.
Most of the time, my clients need to work on the above points ( any one or more of them) to move to the next level. Broadly in my observation, leaders moving from mid/senior management to the CXO level need to focus on nurturing themselves in the following four distinct qualifiers to be a successful CXO.
High-potential senior leaders being groomed to be in the board room must repeatedly exhibit the above four qualifiers par excellence daily.
Most of my clients are already excellent in the first three qualifiers, which is why they have experienced early success in their careers. But they hit the ceiling in their career at some stage due to lack of a powerful Executive Presence. And that’s where Executive Presence Coaching with the best Executive Coach plays a key differentiator.
A leader with a powerful Executive Presence creates a very positive impact on their immediate Ecosystem. As an outcome, they can inspire trust, build confidence, influence, and inspire others around them. It creates an environment of trust and confidence around them. It could happen when they have a powerful Executive Presence. A powerful Executive Presence has
Having worked with hundreds of senior leaders over two decades, I have discovered that leaders with a powerful Executive Presence display the following traits.
Communication:
– Speak in a language that others understand and relate with
– Ability to influence others
– Succinct
– Clarity of thought
Charisma:
– Magnetic persona and aura
– Remains the center of attraction in events and town halls.
– Have a huge following
– A good mix of warmth, power, and focus.
– Networks with ease
Confidence:
– Knows her subject matter /domain knowledge well
– Push back with ease (Assertive in the communication )
– Generate confidence in stakeholders.
Collaborative mindset:
– Thinks win-win
– Great clarity of the bigger picture
– Works with others as one team
Clarity:
– Clear about her strengths and developmental opportunities
– Clear about innate talent
– Clear about her passion
– Clear about her purpose
– Clear about her derailers
Composure:
– Manages to stay composed under high-stress situations
– Never loses cool
– Inspire trust in others
Connection
– Strong bond with immediate team
– Ability to build long-term sustainable trust-based relationships
– Mastery in empathizing
– Heart-Centered Leader
Courage:
– Always stand up for what she considers Right.
– Value-driven
– Can take tough stands
– Powerful Gravitas
Most aspiring CXOs in India consciously nurture the above traits to hone their Executive Presence. They look for the best Executive coach in India who can understand where they are and help them reach their cherished goal of being in a Board Room. Best Executive Coach in India ensures that their client acquires the proper awareness about their strengths and areas of improvement. Executive Coaching is a process where the senior leaders work with their Executive coach for six months to help them rediscover their innate greatness. The CXO Coach/Executive Coach helps the senior leaders by acting as a sounding board, asking powerful questions, and helping them with strategies. As an Executive Coach, I support my clients in rediscovering their greatness through focused Executive Coaching.
What do we mean by Rediscovering Greatness Within?Each individual has an element of greatness within them. Until they are operating from a lower state of being, they are far away from that greatness. As an outcome, they are in a state of self-doubt and end up self-sabotaging their efforts. It leads to a very mild Executive Presence.
Rediscovering greatness means–getting in touch with your Purpose/ your “why.” – identifying your passion. – identifying your innate talent. – recognizing your strengths. – finding a mechanism to stay in a higher state of being. When a leader rediscovers her greatness, her Executive Presence shoots to its peak, and she comes across as a mighty leader ready to become a CXO in the Board Room.
