Sylvia Ann Hewlett – författare

Are you “leadership material?” More importantly, do others perceive you to be? Sylvia Ann Hewlett, a noted expert on workplace power and influence, shows you how to identify and embody the Executive Presence (EP) that you need to succeed.

You can have the experience and qualifications of a leader, but without executive presence, you won't advance. EP is an amalgam of qualities that true leaders exude, a presence that telegraphs you're in charge or deserve to be. Articulating those qualities isn't easy, however.

Based on a nationwide survey of college graduates working across a range of sectors and occupations, Sylvia Hewlett and the Center for Talent Innovation discovered that EP is a dynamic, cohesive mix of appearance, communication, and gravitas. While these elements are not equal, to have true EP, you must know how to use all of them to your advantage.

Filled with eye-opening insights, analysis, and practical advice for both men and women, mixed with illustrative examples from executives learning to use the EP, Executive Presence will help you make the leap from working like an executive to feeling like an executive.

Economist and award-winning author Sylvia Ann Hewlett blends vivid stories with powerful new data in assessing the impact of the #MeToo movement in corporate America and provides concrete action to help executives and companies create more inclusive and safe work environments for women, people of color, and LGBTQ employees. While the #MeToo movement has exposed the enormous harm done by sexual misconduct in the workplace, the movement’s full promise has not been fulfilled, Sylvia Ann Hewlett argues. Showcasing new data on the incidence of sexual harassment and assault at work, she reveals how the movement has focused almost exclusively on white women and failed to support other vulnerable groups who are also targets of abuse. Black men, gay men and women, and Latinas experience particularly high rates of sexual harassment and assault.

In addition to exploring the movement’s limitations, Hewlett examines the collateral damage inflicted by #MeToo. She looks at hits to the bottom line (lawsuits and settlements, tarnished brands, and stock devaluations) and hits to the talent pipeline. In particular she shows how male leaders, fearful of gossip and legal action, are increasingly skittish about sponsoring young women, no matter how high performing they are. This makes it much more likely that women will stall out mid-career and will deprive companies of diversity in the C-Suite and “gender smarts” around decision-making tables. Digging deep into examples that range from Fox News, Nike, and Google to CBS, Michigan State University, and the Catholic Church, Hewlett lays bare the financial losses associated with sexual misconduct scandals. No wonder corporate chief risk officers newly have #MeToo in their line of sight!

A third of this book is devoted to solutions and Hewlett offers a three-pronged strategy, combining legal remedies with individual and corporate action steps that can be used to protect employees and businesses they work for. Drawing from companies as different as IBM and IPG she discusses “experiments at the edge” as well as more evolved initiatives that can help any corporation create a more equitable and safer environment.

In this updated and expanded edition of her celebrated book Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success, one of the world’s most influential business thinkers reveals the qualities essential to leadership in our fast-changing, post-pandemic world. Some are timeless (confidence, decisiveness), some are brand new (the ability to command Zoom), and all are game-changers.

Nearly a decade ago, economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett cracked the code of executive presence (EP). Drawing on complex data and in-depth interviews with senior executives from sectors as different as finance and fashion, she demonstrated that EP is a potent mix of gravitas, communication, and appearance.

Executive Presence became a classic. Translated into seven languages, it’s helped tens of thousands of ambitious, accomplished professionals to fast-track their careers. Chuck Robbins (CEO of Cisco), and Thasunda Brown Duckett (CEO, TIAA), are among the leaders who recommend this book for any up-and-comer seeking to rise through the ranks and do something extraordinary with their lives.

But EP has evolved. Black Lives Matter, the #MeToo movement, and a global pandemic have changed the leadership equation. But how? To answer that question, in 2022, Hewlett embarked on a second round of quantitative and qualitative research, targeting seasoned leaders and thirty-something-year-old executives at the cutting edge of the new economy (fin-tech, gaming, media). Her findings are timely as new executives find their feet in a post-pandemic world.

Hewlett demonstrates that in 2023 leaders worldwide seek to promote high-performing men and women who exude confidence but also project authenticity and inclusivity. They’re also intent on advancing those who excel at leading remote teams and demonstrate a command of social media. It’s no coincidence that Eddie Glaude, Amanda Gorman, and Gustavo Dudamel are stars of this new edition of Executive Presence and the usual suspects.

Hewlett’s most potent message, ten years ago and now, is that EP is eminently learnable. You don’t need to have the voice of James Earl Jones, the communication skills of Steve Jobs, or the athleticism of Michelle Obama to ace EP. You merely have to arm yourself with the tools and tactics contained in these pages.  

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

“One of the best-kept secrets of the last thirty years is that big business, government, and the wider culture have waged a silent war against parents, undermining the work that they do…parents have been left twisting in the wind by a society intent on other agendas.”—from the book

In The War against Parents, two different parents from diverse backgrounds—a female economist from Wales and an African American religious studies professor from inner city America—come together to assay what they describe as the world’s antagonism toward parenting. Analyzing the trends that have led to this shift of balance, from changing political and economic forces to the rise of television and divorce, they call for a Parents’ Bill of Rights to restore the dignity of the parental role and our nation’s commitment to the well-being of children.

Are you investing in the right people?

Many people know the benefit of finding a sponsor--someone who goes beyond traditional mentorship to partner with a junior-level employee to help build their skills, advocate for them when opportunities arise, and open doors. But few realize that being a sponsor is just as important to career growth as finding one.

According to new research from economist and thought leader Sylvia Ann Hewlett, senior executives who sponsor rising talent are 53 percent more likely to be promoted than those who don''t. Similarly, middle-level managers who have proteges are 167 percent more likely to be given stretch assignments. Well-chosen proteges contribute stellar performance, steadfast loyalty, and capabilities that you, the sponsor, may lack, thus increasing how fast and how far you can go.

But how do you find standout proteges, let alone develop them so that they''re able to come through for you and your organization?

This book has the answers you need. Combining powerful new data and rich examples drawn from in-depth interviews with leaders from companies such as Unilever, Aetna, Blizzard Entertainment, and EY, The Sponsor Effect provides a seven-step playbook for how you can become a successful sponsor. You''ll learn to:

Along the way, you''ll discover the enormous benefits of investing in these valuable relationships.

What will it take to create a more gender-balanced workplace?

If you read nothing else on leadership and gender at work, read these 10 articles by experts in the field. We''ve combed through hundreds of articles in the Harvard Business Review archive and selected the most important ones to help you understand where gender equality is today--and how far we still have to go.

This book will inspire you to:

This collection of articles includes "Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership," by Alice H. Eagly and Linda L. Carli; "Do Women Lack Ambition?" by Anna Fels; "Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers," by Herminia Ibarra, Robin Ely, and Deborah Kolb; "Women and the Vision Thing," by Herminia Ibarra and Otilia Obodaru; "The Power of Talk: Who Gets Heard and Why," by Deborah Tannen; "The Memo Every Woman Keeps in Her Desk," by Kathleen Reardon; "Why Diversity Programs Fail," by Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev; "Now What?" by Joan C. Williams and Suzanne Lebsock; "The Battle for Female Talent in Emerging Markets," by Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Ripa Rashid; "Off-Ramps and On-Ramps: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success," by Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Carolyn Buck Luce; and "Sheryl Sandberg: The HBR Interview," by Sheryl Sandberg and Adi Ignatius.

In today''s competitive hiring market, you can''t risk excluding or alienating talented employees--regardless of their gender, race, class, or physical ability. Bias can seep into the deepest corners of your workplace and hinder both the success of the people who hold marginalized identities and your organization as a whole. What sort of hiring procedures, employee development programs, and personnel policies can eradicate the biases that cause discrimination? One-day mandatory diversity seminars aren''t enough.

If you read nothing else on achieving diversity, read these 10 articles by experts in the field. We''ve combed through hundreds of articles in the Harvard Business Review archive and selected the most important ones to help you challenge your company''s thinking--and infrastructure--on creating a culture that seeks and celebrates differences.

This book will inspire you to:

Get what you really want from your career.

As a woman, you may face unfair challenges in the workplace--from being passed over for promotion to being ignored in conversation. Unconscious bias and negative assumptions are working against you. HBR''s Women at Work Collection will help you break through these barriers and help you get what you want from your career.

This two-book set includes HBR''s 10 Must Reads on Women and Leadership and the HBR Guide for Women at Work. The Must Read volume brings together the 10 best articles from Harvard Business Review, curated by our editors, on gender dynamics in the workplace, while the HBR Guide provides practical and useful tips for how to identify and overcome the factors holding women back.

This unique compilation offers insights from world-class experts including Herminia Ibarra, Joan Williams, Sheryl Sandberg, and others. It will inspire you to: learn the root causes of the barriers that exist for women; better understand the path women must take to leadership; check your own gender biases and distinguish between confidence and competence; manage a more effective gender-diversity program; advocate for yourself; and demonstrate your leadership skills.

HBR''s Women at Work Collection is an invaluable resource for any woman seeking to reach her true leadership potential and for anyone--man or woman--looking to create a more gender-balanced workforce.