The Power of the Strategic Pause: Unlocking Your Executive Presence
Sue Rosen with CFO.University
If you’re a finance leader—or anyone looking to strengthen your executive presence—you won’t want to miss this FInEx Talk by Sue Rosen, The Strategic Pause: A Key to Increasing Your Influence & Impact.
What’s Inside the Strategic Pause?
Sue opened with a thought-provoking question: What if everything you need to amplify your influence is right in front of you, in something as simple as a breath of air? As finance leaders face immense pressure, from driving transformation projects and earning stakeholder trust to inspiring teams and investors, Sue reminds us that technical expertise is only half the battle. True leadership demands executive presence—and that starts from within.
3 Pillars to Cultivating Executive Presence
- Self-Awareness Take a strategic pause. Reflect, breathe, and connect with your values and strengths. Sue suggests a simple grounding exercise: stand tall, breathe deeply, and recall a moment when you felt truly in your element at work. Notice how your body responds, and bring that energy into your daily leadership.
- Deep Listening When was the last time you felt deeply heard? Sue challenges us to be fully present—take three mindful breaths before meetings, set aside distractions, and listen to truly understand, not just to respond. This is how connections (and influence) are built.
- Connection and Communication Executive presence exists at the intersection of how we see ourselves and how others perceive us. Sue encourages leaders to get curious about their colleagues, ask open-ended questions, and craft communication that genuinely resonates.
Real Stories, Real Change
Sue shared powerful anecdotes—a CFO who overcame instinctive defensiveness by learning to pause and choose his reactions, and another who conquered anxiety in the boardroom through posture and breath. These changes started with a commitment to regular reflection and conscious response.
Takeaway: Slow Down to Go Faster
The next time you face a critical moment—an important meeting, a tough conversation, a high-stakes decision—remember Sue’s “jar of air.” The strategic pause, she insists, might be the smallest shift that delivers the biggest results.
This important lesson is especially useful in our relationships. Stephen Covey argued, “…with people, the only way to be “efficient” is to take your time. With people, slow is fast”. The concept is again highlighted in point three of this article from John Cochran, Four Things Successful Leaders Have in Common, Create Time to Listen.
Watch or listen to Sue’s full FInEx Talk here, The Strategic Pause: A Key to Increasing Your Influence & Impact and try Sue’s grounding exercise for yourself ! And, as always, we’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences on executive presence—send us an email, or join the conversation on our social channels.
Here are a few quotes from Sue,
The Truth About Executive Presence—Nature vs. Nurture
“Well, I am delighted to be able to tell you that we absolutely can cultivate and improve our executive presence because it starts from within. It starts from self belief, from a core confidence that what we have to offer is of value.”
The Power of Reflection in Leadership:
“And the first thing we need to do if we are to truly develop this understanding and become authentic, fulfilled, effective leaders is simply stop. We need to take this strategic pause, this moment for reflection.”
How Deep Breathing Breaks the Stress Cycle:
“Our bodies and our minds create a feedback loop so simple deep breathing can interrupt the stress response.”
The Power of Emotional Impact:
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people never forget how you made them feel.”
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P.S. Forward this to a finance leader who could use a little more breathing room!
Sue Rosen is an executive coach, keynote speaker, and leadership expert who empowers professionals to cultivate presence, confidence, and impact. Sue is experienced at working with professionals seeking to develop their capacity for authentic leadership and has a passion for working with people who want to become courageous and compassionate leaders.
Drawing on her extensive experience as a CFO and executive coach, Sue helps individuals and teams explore the stories and assumptions that shape their leadership, building greater capacity for influence, connection, and resilience.
Visit Sue’s business here, Sue Rosen Executive Coaching.
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