A new global study (Pezzuti, Warren & Chen, 2025) explored what makes someone “cool” across cultures.
The findings? Striking — and surprisingly relevant for leadership.
Cool people were seen as:
• Adventurous
• Powerful
• Extraverted
• Autonomous
Good people were seen as:
• Warm
• Trustworthy
• Conscientious
• Grounded in values
The study wasn’t about leadership.
But it is about how we judge people — and that’s exactly what Executive Presence is built on.
At NinthEdge, we often say:
Executive Presence starts with how you’re perceived in a moment…
But it endures based on how you show up over time.
In the early moments, we look for “cool” signals: confidence, clarity, connection, command.
Over time, we look for “good” signals: consistency, values, humility, follow-through.
Both matter.
Too much cool? You become performative.
Too much good? You risk invisibility.
Great leaders — the ones people trust and follow — know how to blend spark and spine.
They get attention without losing integrity.
Are you building presence that lasts? Let’s talk about it!
The Measurement Problem: Why Leadership Development Struggles to Prove Its Impact
There is a question that follows almost every leadership development program. Not during the program. Not in the feedback…
Your Team Is Functional. That’s the Problem.
Let’s Start With What You’re Seeing You have a team that delivers. Deadlines get met. Projects move forward. By…
Why Leadership Programs Don’t Stick — and How to Design Ones That Do
Last month, we looked at how always-on cultures make burnout predictable — not because of poor intent, but because…