A Nova Guide to Executive Presence: Poise
One of the biggest barriers facing women leaders today is a perceived lack of “executive presence.” This phrase is often used – and often misunderstood, even by the people using it! Intelligent, capable and talented women are being held back in their careers because they don’t meet an ambiguous standard for what an executive should look like. Over the course of our nine week executive presence series, Kathleen, Lisa and Priscilla will be sharing nine traits that every woman can develop to improve her executive presence and bring value to the organization.
Navigating the corporate environment, particularly as a woman, can often feel like walking on a balance beam... in the air... wearing heels. In addition to just doing your job well, you can be positioned as somehow being able to speak for all other women. So, like a gymnast on the beam, one of most important executive presence factors is poise. Calm under pressure. Balance in the face of uncertainty. You’ve got to be able to handle the stress, challenge and, sometimes, platitudes without flinching and without letting it get in the way of your work.
So how do you keep your cool at the office, when you want to run away, scream, wring somebody’s neck or some combination of the three?
Focus on long term goals. No matter how flustered you may be in the moment, ask yourself, “Is giving in to my own frustration here worth risking future goals?” Your ability to take a step back - even mentally - to pause and assess the situation is often the best path forward.
Play for the upper hand. In a tense situation, the most emotional person in the room is going to try to get everyone else to match his or her energy. If you can keep your cool, you immediately take the high ground in the conversation and own the room. Your ability to be calm, cool and collected in a heated situation goes a long way in diffusing the tension of the moment.
Find an outlet. Bottling up frustration isn’t healthy, so make sure you do have allies in your office or at home where you can safely express your frustrations and feel supported. Find your way to the gym, your yoga mat, or even a walk outside. That way, you can let off some steam before it leads to an explosion.
Remember that being poised doesn’t mean being passive. You still want to be determined and dig in your heels when necessary, and always express yourself in those situations appropriately. The more unflappable you appear, the more authority you project.
