How to Win Influence

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