[Expert Views] 2026 Is The Golden Time To Elevate Thinking About Leadership Presence

2026 is the golden time to elevate thinking about leadership presence.
One of the most important and clearest trends in communication in 2026 is that leaders, directors, and managers must/need/should shift/increase their presence.

This means that leaders are essentially the Number 1 KOL (or Brand Ambassador) of the organization/business they lead. This is a trend that every leader must grasp and ride skillfully on this wave.

However, in reality, we are witnessing a disconnect between how business/organizational leaders in Vietnam present themselves (through communication and media) and the responsibilities/privileges/roles they need to fulfill to meet the expectations/aspirations of the organization, brand, and the public.

Our shared goal when discussing leadership presence in businesses, organizations, and more broadly, in Vietnam, is PROFESSIONALISM, EFFECTIVENESS, AND A POSITIVE IMPACT.

There are many reasons for this disconnect. Based on Khong Loan's observations and insights from over 20 years in journalism and media, as well as her expertise in advising on public speaking and leadership presence, there are three noteworthy points:

1 - Mindset and Beliefs: Proactive leaders choose not to be conspicuous - because they don't want to stand out, because they believe in the theory that on a table with many nails being hammered in, the most prominent nail will usually be struck first. (KL's perspective: There's always a balance line for leaders. The issue isn't about presence or absence, but about controlled presence through understanding the rules of the game, how to play, and controlling oneself to avoid being led astray.)

2 - Skills and Tools: Leaders are present but lack professionalism, effectiveness, and positive impact.

Look around and you'll easily find countless examples of incomplete leadership, needing many improvements and changes to meet the practical demands of life and position. This is quite normal because the Vietnamese economy is still developing, and we still need many things to improve to become more professional.

There's a fact that few people talk about: simply by opening your mouth, others will immediately form an opinion of you (but they won't say it out loud, they'll keep it to themselves). Therefore, you must "carefully choose your words." Be cautious about what you say.

Furthermore, as soon as you appear, others will judge who you are, your level of competence, your value, whether you are trustworthy, whether you are cooperative, and whether you are respectable and worthy of admiration.

You might say that judging others by their appearance is "short-sighted."

I won't argue about that, as it's not the purpose of this article.

But understand this: others always judge and rank us, our businesses, and our products based on the outward appearance of our leaders and the team that manages them.

Why? Because this is the easiest way. To truly understand us, to get to know us better, requires more opportunities and intelligence, which is much harder than judging based on appearances.

Therefore, to be professional, effective, and impactful, we need to make many adjustments—strategic, detailed, clear, consistent, and goal-oriented.

3 - Many senior leaders and managers want and understand the importance of effective leadership presence. They are striving to achieve this, but they don't yet know how to do it correctly, in a way that suits them, their personality, their field, and their values.

We do everything after understanding the reason. Leadership presence is a way we present ourselves and live in this world as a refined version of ourselves.

Khong Loan can assert that leadership presence is a game with many unspoken, hidden, and unpublicized rules, rarely discussed, but all have their own feelings and expectations.

Of course, we can learn and improve on our own, but everyone has expertise, and everyone only has 24 hours. Therefore, to be effective, we should seek out experts to guide us towards a feasible and suitable path.

A leader carries the expectations, optimism, and anxieties of their team. A leader's presence is purposeful and strategic, not random or spontaneous.

And every detail (from words, manner of speaking, appearance, clothing, colors, details…) is a purposeful form of communication, as Khong Loan emphasized in her exchange with VIETSUCCESS here.

In short, leadership presence is necessary, must be done, and can be done well.

I sincerely wish all leaders and senior managers find a more effective path to leadership presence in 2026.

Source: https://substack.com/home/post/p-186841632