Attitude matters: Show competence, not dominance to
win workplace
influence.
By
PT Staff, published on July 01, 1993 - last reviewed on August 30, 2004
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
Tags:
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Decision making,
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gender,
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loud voice,
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ol boy,
pointing fingers,
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rapid speech,
speech rate,
verbal fluency,
voice tone,
women,
work
