Executive Presence For Women

Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, has accepted to being reluctant to speak in meetings. Peggy Klaus, the personal branding expert found it hard to talk about herself since she was taught that that was rude. The percentage of women CEOs in Fortune 500 companies has been on the decline.

A recent study by Harvard employed sensors to record the work behaviour of men and women. It found that there isn't a lot of difference between the sexes in the amount of work and communication they do through typical work days. Here is what they concluded:

"Gender inequality is due to bias, not differences in behavior"

In other words, gender has no role to play at the work place. Both genders behave very similar to each other. It is the way we perceive them that's making all the difference. Although the discourse about gender bias is vast and deep, it is safe to say that the expectations from women aren't measuring up in their favour. In simple terms:

Nice = pushover

Assertive = bossy

And that's the tightrope that affects the way women are perceived. Women are expected to be nice and likeable where as leadership roles require masculine qualities like assertiveness and confidence. But I think that perceptions can be changed over time and every tiny step counts. Women need to take up space like men do and speak up with assertiveness. Executive presence is an important trait for all women - it will help them match up to men in the way we carry ourselves.

Here are a few reasons why executive presence is important for women:

1. To create a strong personal brand: Let’s look at the beginning of one’s career. The way you behave, dress and carry yourself becomes associated with you. And that is what we call a personal brand. And the way you carry yourself matters every single work day and not just on departmental meetings or annual days. It only becomes more critical as one moves higher in one's career.

2. Be visible in meetings: Research by Joan C. Williams, a professor at the University of California Hastings College of the Law shows that women in business are still handed jobs like organising food, taking notes and making calls. Being involved in office housekeeping is taking away valuable opportunities from women. So entrenched is this bias that Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group, chose to take the minutes of the meeting himself at a dinner meet in 2015. This is such a great gesture from an influential person to get the point across. 

Developing executive presence will ensure that you don’t relegate yourself to a corner writing what others say. But choose to be as close to the action as possible.

On this topic, the article by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant, Madam CEO., Get me a Coffee makes a great read. 

“Speak up. Believe in yourself. Take risks.” Sheryl Sandberg

3. Shirk self doubt: Most meetings have men in the majority and that can be intimidating for women. To counter this, women tend to qualify what they want to say with phrases like – I think, I feel, I might be wrong but – and that undermines the ideas that come after that. 

Using body language that takes up space and the ability to speak up clearly and assertively is an important part of executive presence.

4. Be assertive: As I said, assertive women are conveniently termed bossy. But carrying yourself with presence at all times will ensure that people take you seriously and not pass you off as bossy. Your overall image of being authoritative and yet approachable. Effective communication skills have a lot to do with that. 

5. Claim promotions to leadership positions: Research shows that the percentage of women in senior leadership is still very low. It is hard for women to break the glass ceiling beyond a point. Senior positions require emotional competence to take on leadership roles, be willing to take risks and handle confrontational situations at work. And for some reason those qualities are considered masculine and men naturally fit the bill. 

Projecting a powerful image through executive presence makes you ready for leadership roles and decision makers can see that too. 

6. Inspire/mentor other women: One of the best ways to ensure we have parity at the workplace is to ensure that women support other women. If you are in a position of power, you can mentor younger women to develop their positive brand and and move up to leadership positions. But for that women need to become more assertive and project presence. 

And what better time than the year dedicated to #BalanceForBetter to change perceptions. This International Women's Day, let's take the first step towards this goal. A great first step is to develop ourselves as women to become more equal partners at work. And to assist you, Soft Skills Studio presents executive presence for women – a free 2 hour session that brings you the important features of executive presence and how to develop it.

The session will cover:

– What exactly is executive presence

– Create your own personal brand plan

– Learn how to use the power of power pose

– How communicate with confidence

The seats are on a first come, first save basis and filling in this google form right now will guarantee you space in the workshop. The last date to register is 2nd March, 2019.

If you are a corporate dedicated to gender parity and would like this session conducted at your premises for your team, comment below or drop me a line on [email protected]. This program is available through the year.

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HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

If you want your teams to communicate and present better, you can check out my training services to explore the modules on offer.

If you want to partner with a certified coach to work on yourself, I offer one to one personal or virtual sessions to help develop your skills

If you'd like a keynote speaker for your next event, drop me a line and we can discuss your event needs.

I can help you develop your communication and soft skills that will get you ahead in your career. For a free 20 minute chat with me to discuss your skills need, drop me a line in the comments and I will get back to you.