How Schindler empowered its next generation of leaders to deepen self-awareness, amplify executive presence, and lead with authenticity.
In recent years, the buzz around Executive Presence (EP) has ignited tremendous curiosity across the organizational landscape. As performance psychology evolves, the link between engagement, motivation, and leadership effectiveness has become increasingly clear—especially within today’s multigenerational workplaces.
With three distinct generations shaping the workforce, each guided by unique motivational drivers, leaders now face a delicate balancing act: sustaining engagement, preventing talent drain, and creating cohesion across diverse value systems.
“Executive Presence is the great differentiator.”
Executive Presence is the cornerstone of effective leadership. It bridges the gap between technical skills and the ability to inspire, motivate, and lead teams effectively. Leaders with strong EP can navigate complex dynamics, build trust, and drive organizational success. In a rapidly changing business environment, EP enables leaders to be adaptable, empathetic. These are strategically influential qualities that are vital for fostering a resilient and thriving organizational culture.
EP is not reserved for those in the C-suite. As the Harvard Business Review defines it, EP is “the great differentiator.” While it doesn’t guarantee success on its own, without it, even the most skilled leaders encounter the glass ceiling.
In October 2025, I had the privilege of facilitating a three-day Executive Presence Immersive for Schindler’s top talent across the Americas. The goal: to help participants reconnect with their leadership vision, reclaim their inspiration for growth, and reignite their commitment to leading with presence.
Schindler—founded in 1874 by Swiss entrepreneur Robert Schindler—remains one of the world’s most enduring companies, in large part due to its forward-thinking culture and deep investment in developing its people.
My mission when facilitating EP trainings is not only to teach the skills that underpin Gravitas, Communication, and Appearance, but to help participants identify and remove the internal barriers that limit their expression. For Depth, Heft, and Clout to shine through Executive Presence, leaders must evolve from performing competencies to embodying a state of authenticity, consciousness, and impact.
Contrary to popular belief, the greatest challenge to developing Executive Presence isn’t a lack of skills—it’s a lack of awareness, consciousness, and relational intelligence.
These deeper capacities amplify a rare balance of:
As in many of my previous immersive, participants initially arrived with skepticism about the value of Executive Presence. Some believed it was innate—something you’re either born with or not—while others assumed that at their current level, it was not essential.
The challenge was to shift this mindset, demonstrating that Executive Presence is not a fixed trait, but a developable capacity grounded in self-awareness and relational mastery. That EP amplifies success for individual contributors as well as middle managers and not only Executives, as it strengthens qualities that help break through career plateaus no matter the seniority.
To set participants up for success, I began by introducing what I call the Success Equation for the three-day journey:
Attention — sharpening focus
Intention — solidifying commitment to growth
Enthusiasm — fueling curiosity, the secret ingredient to a growth mindset
The experience was deliberately paced to guide participants through increasing depth and stretch:
50,000-foot view — 30% stretch, reconnecting with leadership identity and purpose
10,000-foot view — Deep exploration and 60% stretch, expanding relational capacity
Boots on the ground — 100% stretch, focused on real-world application and embodiment
We explored Executive Presence as two movements:
To make this deeply personal, participants completed 3 curated assessments I designed to identify subconscious patterns that limit relational intelligence, self-awareness, and value endurance. By identifying these internal barriers, they discovered where their individual work begins.
By the end of the immersive, the transformation was undeniable. Participants moved from skepticism to full engagement. Their presence became more grounded, communication more intentional, and leadership energy more magnetic.
The post-training survey reflected these outcomes clearly:
| Overall Workshop Rating | 94% |
|---|---|
| Team Connection & Engagement | 90% |
| Facilitation Rating | 98% |
Beyond the numbers, what mattered most was the visible shift: doubt transformed into curiosity, competition into connection, and hesitation into confidence. Participants not only learned what Executive Presence is—they began living it.
This immersive experience with Schindler’s top talent demonstrated the profound impact of investing in conscious leadership. Schindler’s unwavering commitment to cultivating its people reflects a culture rooted in trust, growth, and shared purpose.
The seeds of leadership planted during these three days—of awareness, authenticity, and embodiment—will continue to grow long after the event. In nurturing presence, Schindler is not just a developing leader; it is shaping the future of leadership itself.
When Executive Presence is in the leadership “drivers-seat” many of the organizational challenges we see today, cultural toxicity, quiet quitting, and team disengagement are faced with a formidable force that disarms and transforms any barrier to success. Leaders who embody EP are unshakably solid and grounded in attributes that shape not only this but also future generations.
"A special thanks to Bahar, whose engaging approach, in-depth knowledge, and thoughtful methodology truly stood out and made a lasting impact to our participants throughout the three days."