This autumn, communications agency KWT Global, partnered with HarrisX to produce Earning Influence: A KWT Global Resonance Report to explore how executives can meaningfully engage with their audience.

The report, which is split between U.S and EU executives, found that in Europe (and other markets) business performance is inextricably linked to executives wielding influence effectively.

Despite some prominent areas where European leaders diverge from their U.S. counterparts, the core theme uncovered remains the same: an executive’s ability to garner and leverage their influence has never been more critical for brand success.

Here are some of the key findings from the research:

What leaders and communicators need to know

While not an exhaustive list of our findings, these stats paint the most vivid picture of the connections between public presence and business success:

• Roughly nine in 10 executives believe there’s a strong relationship between their external public-facing presence and the success of their business.

• Almost 80% of executives believe that having a strong and visible leader is important for a company’s success, and about the same proportion personally aspire to be a figure of influence within their industry.

• 72% of executives say business leaders who share content online about their personal lives are more approachable and human.

• 70% of executives say customers are more likely to purchase products or services from a company if they can relate to its leader.

As executives play a central role in corporate communications, their visibility is directly associated with the visibility of the organisation. However, many leaders struggle to establish a public persona that truly represents who they are as a person.

• 63% of executives say it can be difficult for leaders to appear relatable and are split on whether they view their business persona as distinct from their personal persona: 52% say it is, 45% say it is not and 3% are unsure.

• Digging deeper, our research revealed that women feel greater pressure to filter how they come across both internally and externally: 92% of women say there is a distinct difference between their business and private personas, compared to just 42% of men.

The data is clear: there is no definitive solution for how best to embody a persona, and leaders are looking for ways to better align their personal values and professional personas in order to build and leverage influence with clarity and confidence.

Building a presence that pays off

Through a transparent presence and distinct perspective, executives can cultivate the influence required to resonate with employees, customers, industry peers, partners, investors and other stakeholders, thus advancing their organisations’ communications strategies and elevating business outcomes.

When leaders understand themselves both personally and professionally, they’re better able to capitalize on their qualities. To pinpoint a perspective, consider some of the following questions:

• What are your core values? What are your sources of inspiration?

• How aligned do you want to be to your brand? How does your external presence support you in your role?

• What do you have to offer each of your stakeholders? What do you wish more people knew about your work?

Social media platforms, namely LinkedIn, present significant opportunities for leaders to develop an authoritative persona, whether through personalised, relevant content or channelling career experience into actionable advice. Developing a frictionless social media strategy can become a key differentiator, especially for leaders aged 40 and above who are less likely to participate in social channels.

Onward and upward

Ultimately, this research underscores the need for European executives to better understand and embrace their personas so they can be brand catalysts. Ensuring that leaders are confident in their messaging and that their external presence aligns with their internal role and the overall brand strategy helps strengthen connections and contributes to both personal and organisational growth.