It's true that women have to fight for workplace influence. Studies show they're still interrupted more and deemed to have less managing prowess, leadership ability, self-confidence, and business skill than men.
But they won't get it the good-ol'-boy way. That's because taking on a domineering approach doesn't work any better for men these days than it does for women. A harsh, commanding leadership style just doesn't do what's valued now: building a good rapport with workers.
Women need to brush up on actions that imply ability and competence (called "task cues" in the psych trade) and play down their dominance cues (actions that imply control and threat), reports a team of psychologists headed by James E. Driskell, Ph.D., of the Florida Maxima Corporation.
In one study, 159 college students, male and female, listened to the pitches of task-oriented speakers and the same arguments from dominance-oriented speakers, male and female. Almost everyone thought men and women who exhibited task cues were more competent, group-oriented, and likable. Those showing dominance cues were thought of as self-oriented and disliked.
For a corporate decision-making group sitting around a table in a board meeting, poise, attitude, and approach matter more than most people realize.
Here's the rundown on which behaviors will earn you respect and which won't:
TASK CUES
rapid speech rate
eye contact
verbal fluency
choosing the head of the table
fluid gestures
well-moderated voice tone
DOMINANCE CUES
loud voice
angry tone
pointing fingers
lowering eyebrows
stiff posture
forceful gestures
