Leadership presence is often described as something intangible, a quality some leaders naturally possess and others don’t. People often talk about gravitas, authority, and executive presence as though they are fixed traits.
But when you look closely at leaders who consistently show up with impact, a different story emerges. Their presence isn’t driven by charisma alone. It’s driven by confidence, not arrogance or dominance, but a grounded confidence that shows up as clarity, calmness, and credibility.
And importantly, that confidence is rarely built alone.
Behind many confident leaders is a mentor, a coach, or both - People who have helped them think more clearly, challenge their assumptions, and strengthen their belief in their own capability. This is the mentored leader: someone who understands that confidence is developed, not necessarily an innate skill.
Why Confidence Matters in Leadership
Confidence is often dismissed as a “soft skill”, yet research consistently shows it plays a central role in how leaders are perceived and trusted.
Research on the topic of trust, such as this study highlighted in PMC, repeatedly highlights competence as the strongest driver of trust in leadership. Confidence is the visible manifestation of that competence. People judge what they can see, how clearly a leader communicates, how decisively they act, and how calmly they respond under pressure.
Studies into executive presence reinforce this. Leaders are frequently judged more on confidence-related behaviours, clarity, decisiveness, composure, than on technical expertise alone. Indeed, this research suggests that executive presence accounts for 26% of the criteria for promotion into senior leadership roles. Many capable leaders stall in their progression not because they lack ability, but because their confidence doesn’t consistently show up in high-visibility moments.
Leadership presence, then, is not always about performance. A lot is based on perception, and perception is shaped by confidence.
Confidence Isn’t Fixed: It’s Built
Despite how it’s often framed, confidence isn’t something leaders either have or don’t have. It’s a capability that develops over time and with experience.
But even experienced leaders sometimes have dips in confidence during moments such as:
These moments don’t signal weakness, they are consistent with change and personal growth.
The challenge is that many leaders try to rebuild confidence privately, assuming it’s something they should resolve alone. Mentoring and coaching offer an alternative, structured and intentional space where leaders can work with a professional to reflect, recalibrate, and strengthen confidence without being judged.
How Mentoring Builds Leadership Confidence
Mentoring builds confidence through connection and perspective.
A mentor offers more than advice. They offer context, helping leaders see challenges through a wider lens and helping them manage the uncertainty that often accompanies change and progression.
For many leaders, confidence grows simply by hearing: “I’ve been there too.”
Mentors help leaders:
This is particularly powerful in addressing impostor syndrome. Over time, mentoring helps leaders move from questioning whether they belong to feeling confident in how they lead.
Mentoring is especially valuable for:
The confidence built through mentoring is often subtle, but durable, grounded in reassurance and perspective.
How Coaching Builds Leadership Confidence
Coaching builds confidence through clarity and ownership.
Rather than offering direct answers, coaching helps leaders explore how their own thinking, behaviour, and assumptions shape their behaviours and impact. Through structured reflection and challenge, leaders develop deeper self-awareness.
Coaching helps leaders:
This creates confidence that comes from self-awareness, rather than external validation.
Coaching is particularly effective for:
Confidence developed through coaching often shows up as calmness, a key component of strong leadership presence.
Mentoring vs Coaching: What’s the Difference?
Although often used interchangeably, mentoring and coaching serve different purposes.
Mentoring is typically:
Coaching is usually:
In simple terms:
Both play a role in developing leadership presence.
Is One Better Than the Other?
Rather than asking which is better, the more useful question is what does the leader need right now?
Mentoring can be especially powerful during transition and growth. Coaching is often most effective during periods of pressure, complexity, or behavioural change.
Many leaders benefit from a combination of both, perspective from mentoring, paired with the depth and challenge of coaching.
What matters most is recognising that confidence doesn’t grow by accident.
From Inner Confidence to Outer Presence
When confidence strengthens, leadership presence follows naturally.
Confident leaders:
Presence becomes a by-product, not a performance.
The Power of the Mentored Leader
Leadership confidence rarely grows in isolation. It develops through conversation, challenge, and reflection, often with someone walking alongside you.
The mentored leader understands this. They see mentoring and coaching not as a weakness, but as an investment in how they show up, for themselves, their teams, and their organisations.
Because leadership presence isn’t something you switch on when you enter a room.
It’s something you build, deliberately, over time.
How to Get Started
Uspire coach and mentor leaders all over the world, helping them build confidence, presence and impact. From one-to-one executive coaching and mentoring to champion-led commercial academies, and from peer-to-peer leadership groups to consultative programmes, Uspire support leaders at all stages of their leadership journey.
Visit www.theuspiregroup.com or email us on info@theuspirepartnership.com to understand more about how Uspire’s mentoring and coaching programmes can help you elevate your leadership presence.
GO DEEPER WITH MORE USPIRE RESOURCES
The power of coaching takes centre stage in this podcast episode, where Uspire’s Amanda Downs has a fascinating, and truly powerful conversation with Paul Barbour: executive coach, business psychologist, author, and leader at Henley Business School.
Listen from 19th January and understand how a natural baked-in reluctance to be told what to do can be circumvented by mentoring, as well as the particularly exciting concept of systemic coaching, which helps leaders elevate their presence not just within their own teams, but across silos and boundaries.
The Leader as a Mentor: How confidence built through mentoring and coaching elevates leadership performance.
Register now for this webinar on 12th February 2026 and join Uspire’s Mark Francis and guest coaches who dive deeper into mentoring, with tips, techniques and insights that will help you embrace this skill, enhance your leadership toolkit and elevate your leadership presence.
