Adam Severson | Executive Presence: How to Turn Skill into Influence

Adam Severson is the Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Baker Donelson, a leading national firm with more than 700 lawyers and 25-plus offices in the United States, primarily in the southeastern U.S. Adam's role is unique compared to many who hold that title in that he spends a lot of his time meeting with clients and actually selling the firm's services. Adam is a past president of the Legal Marketing Association and a Hall of Fame member. He's also a Fellow in the College of Law Practice Management.

WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT EXECUTIVE PRESENCE

Executive presence can seem hard to define. Many people think you either have it or you don't. But Adam Severson frames it differently. When you walk into a room or lead a pitch meeting, others are asking themselves whether they can take you seriously and whether you instill confidence. That assessment happens fast, and it's based on more than just what you say.

The lawyers who are best at client development aren't necessarily the ones trying to be the smartest or most interesting person in the room. They're the ones who show up prepared, ask thoughtful questions about what's actually happening in a client's business, and then follow through when they promise to find an answer. Adam calls that gap between what people say they will do and what they actually do the “say-do gap.” Closing it builds trust faster than almost anything else, and most people never even realize they're leaving it open.

In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge, Elise Holtzman talks with Adam Severson about what executive presence actually looks like in law firms, why imposter syndrome stops people from even trying to develop it, and how lawyers can build credibility through preparation and genuine curiosity rather than trying to have all the answers.

2:09 - How Adam defines executive presence 

3:16 - The three elements of executive presence 

5:26 - Executive presence vs. confidence and whether you can have one without the other

6:22 - Practical behaviors to demonstrate executive presence

8:53 - Being interested in others matters more than being interesting

10:27 - Using data to build credibility with lawyers and practice groups

15:07 - How executive presence impacts business development and client retention

15:32 - The “say-do gap” and why following through on what you promise matters

21:10 - Imposter syndrome keeps people from trying to develop executive presence

22:14 - The perfectionism problem and why you don't need all the answers

25:07 - Lessons learned from Adam's own career building executive presence

28:20 - Modifying the approach by showing your work instead of just stating the conclusion

30:38 - Don't make assumptions about who you're talking to

34:06 - Why self-awareness matters more than confidence

Mentioned in Executive Presence: How to Turn Skill into Influence

Baker Donelson | LinkedIn

Adam Severson on LinkedIn

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The Lawyer's Edge

SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE

Today's episode is brought to you by the Ignite Women's Business Development Accelerator, a 9-month business development program created BY women lawyers for women lawyers. Ignite is a carefully designed business development program containing content, coaching, and a community of like-minded women who are committed to becoming rainmakers AND supporting the retention and advancement of other women in the profession.

If you are interested in either participating in the program or sponsoring a woman in your firm to enroll, learn more about Ignite and sign up for our registration alerts by visiting www.thelawyersedge.com/ignite.