What is Gravitas?

Gravitas is often associated with individuals who are respected and admired for their wisdom, leadership, and ability to inspire others.

The word gravitas comes from the Latin language and refers to a combination of leadership traits that convey authority, confidence, and credibility. To develop gravitas, an individual has to master certain skills and behaviors—such as speaking clearly and succinctly, maintaining strong eye contact, practicing active listening, projecting a calm and confident demeanor, and always showing temperance during stressful situations, 

Having gravitas can help someone enhance their career potential and lead an individual to become a competent leader. Recruiters and HR professionals often assess potential hires’ gravitas during the hiring interview process to validate qualified candidates—and also to weed out those who lack seriousness of character. Some essential considerations for developing gravitas include:

• Gravitas can help an individual establish himself or herself as a credible and authoritative figure in their field of work, which can lead to opportunities for leadership progression and increased responsibilities. 
• Gravitas can also help them build strong relationships with colleagues and clients, which can lead to increased trust and respect from followers and fellow leaders.
• Gravitas can help a professional navigate through challenging situations and make difficult decisions with confidence and clarity—particularly in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) environment.

To develop gravitas, individuals can focus on developing their communication skills, such as public speaking, active listening, and effective writing. They can also work on building their self-awareness and emotional intelligence (EQ), which can help them understand and manage their emotions when interacting with others in personal and professional situations.

Additionally, given the global working environment of the 21st century, where individuals are more likely to interact in cross-cultural scenarios, gravitas can also be boosted by developing cultural intelligence (CQ) and social intelligence (SQ). The combination of EQ, CQ, and SQ as human “soft” skills has been proven to build gravitas in leaders across many professions. 

Gravitas can be established through continuing education and by earning additional degrees to enhance an individual’s career potential. However, fast-track efforts to achieve gravitas may include gaining experience and knowledge by attending industry conferences and networking events, participating in professional organizations and trade associations, and pursuing advanced education or training certificates (micro credits). 

At the Gravitas Institute we use a variety of tools such as DiSC Personality Assessment, the Innovation Genome, and other frameworks for identifying the potential and shortcomings for developing gravitas. Once the assessment is complete, we work with individuals, teams, or an entire organization to address and unlock their potential—helping them increase their gravitas as organizational leaders.

Inquire today about the opportunity to receive a free assessment and consultation.