The old boys club. It is a comment that is old as the
hills when it comes to business. The thought process for too long has been that
the only reason why some people, notably women, don’t seem to climb the ladder
of success to the highest levels is that they are held back by the unseen hand
of the old boys club.
Turns out, it may be an unseen hand, but based on a
collection of hard data, and the conclusions drawn from a number of nationally
conducted surveys, there actually is something holding people back from taking
that next step. That is the hypothesis proffered by author and president of the
Center for Talent Innovation, Sylvia Ann Hewlett in her new book, Executive Presence – The Missing Link
Between Merit and Success.
Hewlett drills down into the data and lays out the core
pieces that make up Executive Presence and how perceptions of it can vary based
on gender. Things like communication skills, and executive gravitas seem like
pretty basic starting points for gauging executive presence, but appearance
does matter; but physical attractiveness doesn’t carry the same weight as many
might think scoring just 16% for the ladies and 14% for the men based on the
research.
Hewlett goes on to offer up advice on how to improve
one’s executive presence. While her focus tends to lean towards the ladies,
certainly much of what she suggests throughout the book can be adapted for use
by men. Things like grace under fire, confidence, taking decisive action,
emotional intelligence and great speaking skills can cut across both genders and
impact executive presence.
No comments:
Post a Comment