The One Thing All Power Women Have in Common… Gravitas

You can easily spot them at a crowded meet & greet, waiting for the elevator and strolling through any business district around the world. They are the power women. They aren’t all blond or beautiful or tall or short or smart or educated or rich or from some alien planet. In fact, they have no discernable common denominator, save one.

Gravitas. Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Sheryl Sandberg. Mary Barra. Hilary Clinton. Reckless’ Jamie Sawyer.

They all have “it,” that certain je ne sais quoi. Gravitas literally means certain seriousness, but its connotation means far more. Gravitas is confidence, courage of conviction, decisiveness, and a substance and depth of personality. Gravitas is the key ingredient in executive presence (EP).

You’re thinking, “Where do I get it?” or “Why don’t I have it?” You can’t buy gravitas. Gravitas isn’t something you get; it’s something you give the world, something you project. It is not something that is better when it comes from Harvard or Yale.

Perhaps no one has mentioned gravitas to you before. If you have had excellent employment reviews, you may not have considered gravitas. If you have had a review that feels like a concrete barrier between you and the C-suite, it’s time to consider it.

Presentation. Carry yourself confidently, as if you already are the executive. Confidence in your own knowledge and beliefs leads to courage of conviction and the ability to make swift decisions, both of which are important in executive roles. People with gravitas project poise under pressure. They read their audience, assess their own beliefs on the subject and decide on a plan in nano-seconds. They present a vision and help others to see it.

Confident people don’t need to belittle others to make themselves feel or appear stronger. They know their value. This extends to online presence as well. You might not even realize you are in the running for a promotion, when your social media presence kills the deal. Your disparaging remarks online can be just as damaging to your career as any remarks you make at work. If you wouldn’t say it aloud at the office, keep it to yourself altogether.

Before you jump to your own defense with “I don’t want to hide who I am” in my social life, remember that all of these elements are part of your presence. If you are a strong, positive and smart woman, don’t project weak, negative and uneducated online. Gravitas means you respect yourself and others and present the best version of yourself all the time.

Performance. How effectively do you communicate with your team and your superiors? Use a strong tone of voice that is not condescending. Use positive and clear language that you deliver with energy. If you sound lackluster, people will perceive you as such.

Powerful people attract others to them and to their ideas with magnetism. Answer the question, “What’s new?” with a positive, “I closed XYZ Corp this morning.” Replies such as “not much” or “nothing” are not the responses of movers and shakers. Others want to buy-in to whatever a powerful and positive person says. Pay attention to your body language as well. Whether you are 5’3” or 5’10”, stand tall. You might be hunching your shoulders because you are cold, but people could perceive it as insecurity, or worse, insincerity. Listen carefully so that others know their opinions matter.

Perception. Women often sight the feedback they receive as contradictory. Some people might misconstrue demonstations of strength as “bitchiness,” but feedback is still important. Find out how others in the workplace see you. Ask for feedback from people you know and trust. You might think you exude power and poise, while your colleagues see only your hair twirling or the way that you avert your eyes when you speak. Watch your emotions. It’s the rare male executive whose eyes well with tears when faced with adversity. As much as we dislike comparing ourselves to men, women must be aware of their own emotions (hormonally driven or otherwise) in order to check them at the door. Criticism of your proposal is not criticism for you personally, so stop thinking of it as such. Like or not, we usually see overly emotional people as weak.

Packaging. The package you present to the world may not technically determine gravitas, but a well-wrapped package is always more exciting than the one in the brown paper packaging tied up with string. Why work hard to project gravitas, only to dampen its effect by tugging at a too-tight blouse? Visualize that ONE outfit in your closet that makes you feel most confident. Do you feel thinner? Is it the perfect cut? Best color on you?  Ill-fitting or provocative clothing will always detract from your presence and steal your thunder.

Gravitas. You know it when you see it in others. Find it within yourself, harness it, and let the gravitational pull draw the world to you. Your executive presence meter just shot to 10, and suddenly you’re the “it” girl woman at the office.