The Invisible Thing That Is Costing You More Than You Realise
There's a version of you that works hard, delivers results, and shows up every single day.
And there's another version. The one other people see, feel, and remember when you leave the room or meeting.
The gap between those two versions? That's presence. And if you haven't been paying attention to it, it's costing you more than you know.
Not dramatically and not all at once. But quietly, consistently, in ways that are frustratingly hard to name.
The promotion that went to someone less experienced. The client who chose a competitor you know isn't better than you. The leadership table you haven't been invited to yet. The business that isn't growing the way it should, even though your work is genuinely good.
This is the cost of an underdeveloped personal presence and brand and it’s becoming more and more important in a busy more AI driven business environment
Nobody Teaches You This Part
We spend years developing our skills. We get the qualifications, the experience, the track record. We work hard and we deliver and we quietly assume that the work will speak for itself.
But it won’t entirely.
The most capable person in the room isn't always the one who gets the opportunity, the client, or the influence. The one who does is the person who has learned how to be seen, heard, and trusted. Consistently and intentionally.
Personal presence and personal brand aren't about performance or self-promotion. They're not about being the loudest voice or the most polished version of yourself. They're about something far more powerful.
They're about how people experience and see you when you're simply, fully, yourself.
What Presence Actually Is
Presence isn't a personality trait. It's not something you're born with or without. It's the result of self-awareness, intentionality, and how well you understand the energy and impression you bring into every interaction.
You can feel it when someone has it. There's a quality to them. A groundedness. A clarity. You trust them before they've said much. You remember them long after the meeting ends.
And you can feel it when someone doesn't. Not because they're less talented or less worthy, but because something is slightly disconnected. They're there, but not fully present. Capable, but somehow invisible.
Most people have never been taught the difference between the two. And that's not a character flaw. It's simply a gap in our professional development that no one thought to fill.
Until now.
Three People Who Need This. Maybe You Are One of Them.
The Professional Who Wants to Grow
You're good at what you do. You know it. Your manager probably knows it. But somehow you keep watching others step into the roles, the conversations, the recognition that you feel ready for.
The missing piece is rarely more skill. It's how you're showing up in the moments that matter. In the meeting where you have something valuable to say but hold back. In the room where your body language signals uncertainty instead of confidence. In the conversation where you undersell yourself without meaning to.
Personal presence for you is about closing the gap between your capability and your visibility. It's learning to take up the space you have actually earned.
The Business Owner Who Is the Face of the Brand
When you run a business, you're not just delivering a service or a product. You're the brand. Your energy, your confidence, how you communicate, how you show up on a stage or on a screen or across a table. All of it is your business.
And if you're not intentional about your presence, you're leaving growth on the table every single day.
Clients choose people they trust. Collaborators choose people they're drawn to. Referrals happen when someone felt something when they encountered you. Not just when they liked what you sold.
Your personal brand isn't your logo or your LinkedIn profile. It's the impression you leave in every conversation, every piece of content, every room you walk into. That impression needs to be intentional, consistent, and genuinely yours.
The Leader Who Needs Reputation, Not Just Authority
Leadership presence isn't the title on your door. It's what people feel when you walk through it.
Leaders who rely on authority alone lose influence the moment the authority is questioned. Leaders who have genuine presence, who are grounded, consistent, and trusted, carry influence that travels far beyond their formal role.
Your reputation as a leader is being built right now. In how you handle pressure. In how you communicate in difficult moments. In whether people leave your conversations feeling clearer, steadier, and more capable. Or drained and uncertain.
Personal brand for leaders is about intentionally shaping that reputation, so the impression you leave matches the leader you actually are.
The Real Risk of Doing Nothing
Here's the thing about presence and personal brand that most people miss.
You already have one.
The question isn't whether you have a personal brand. You do. Every person you've ever met has formed an impression of you. An emotion connected to your name. A sense of who you are and what you stand for.
The question is whether that impression is the one you intended.
If you haven't been actively, thoughtfully developing your presence and your brand, someone else is defining it for you. Your hesitation in the meeting. Your absence on the platforms where your industry gathers. Your inconsistency under pressure. Your silence when you should have spoken.
That's the real cost. Not a single lost opportunity. But a slow, invisible drift away from the influence, recognition, and impact you are actually capable of.
Where to Start
Personal presence and personal brand aren't built overnight. But they are built. Deliberately, consistently, one interaction at a time.
It starts with self-awareness. Understanding how you currently show up and how that compares to how you want to show up. What energy do you bring into a room? What impression do people walk away with? What do you want to be known for?
Then it moves into intentionality. Making conscious choices about how you communicate, how you carry yourself, how you use your voice and your energy. Not performing a version of yourself. Refining and strengthening the real one.
And then it becomes a practice. Because presence isn't a destination you arrive at. It's something you cultivate, and protect, and keep choosing every single day.
The People Who Change Rooms
There are people who walk into a room and something shifts. The energy lifts. The conversation deepens. People lean in.
That's not magic. It's not charisma you either have or don't. It's the result of someone who has done the work to know themselves, to show up fully, and to connect genuinely with the people in front of them.
That person can be you.
Not a louder version of you. Not a more polished or performed version. Just a clearer, more intentional, more present version of who you already are.
That's the work. And it's some of the most valuable work you will ever do. So here are 3 key questions that will give you great clarity to start with:
Try This. Ask Three People Three Questions.
Most of us guess at how we come across. This week, stop guessing.
Pick three people who know you professionally. A colleague, a client, a peer. Someone who has seen you in action. Then ask them one of these questions each:
"When you think of me professionally, what's the first word or feeling that comes to mind?"
"If you were recommending me to someone, what would you say I'm known for?"
"Is there anything about how I show up that you think I might not be aware of?"
That last one takes courage. Ask it anyway.
Then listen. Really listen. Not to defend or explain, but to learn. Notice the words they choose. Notice the hesitation. Notice what they don't say.
Your presence and your brand are already being experienced by everyone around you. These questions simply let you in on it.
What you do with that information? That's where your growth begins.
With energy and intention,
Sue
For Working Professionals and Business Owners
"The 3 Things Holding You Back. And None of Them Are Your Skills"
In this free 30-minute webinar, Sue Kohn-Taylor cuts straight to the real reasons capable, committed professionals and business owners don't get the recognition, opportunities, and influence they deserve.
And none of them are about working harder.
You'll discover:
Why talented people become invisible, and how to stop it happening to you
What others are really experiencing when they encounter your brand and presence
The blind spots most professionals never know they have, until it's too late
This isn't a motivational pep talk. It's a straight-talking, eye-opening session that will change how you see yourself, and how others see you.
30 minutes. Free. And possibly the most useful thing you do this month.
The Essence Within You Season 2 Episode 2
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Every episode full of wise wisdom!
Kerri Little- Photographer, Mentor, Connector, Creator, Woman, Storyteller…
Behind the lens, the events and the polished photos, Kerri Little helps people strip away the performance, reconnect with who they are and feel truly seen.
Watch on YouTube Listen on Spotify Listen on iHeart Radio
Micro-Move to Strengthen Your Presence This Week
End your day with one presence question.
Before you close the laptop, ask yourself: "How did I show up today?" Not what you produced. Not what you ticked off the list. How present, intentional, and real were you in your interactions? That daily reflection builds self-awareness faster than almost anything else.
