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Study Shows Why 'Power Body Language' Could Make You A Less Effective Leader

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Leaders need to convey confidence and authority, right? TED Talk celebrity and Harvard social psychologist Amy Cuddy has done research proving that body language, specifically “power poses,” are remarkably effective at making people appear capable and self-assured.

I’ve tried her “make-yourself-big” exercises before important meetings or speeches and, sure enough, it works. I’m a fan. But … leadership is nuanced and complex. And when I read a New York Times article about Cuddy a few days ago, I got to thinking about how leaders could misapply her conclusions.

Fact is, there are times when a leader needs to be small, not big. I once worked for a guy who absolutely positively had to be big all the time. He controlled meetings when he should have nestled in the weeds. Commanded projects someone else should have been accountable for. There were advantages to working for such a self-assured leader, but his behavior disempowered people, especially good people, and stifled creative conflict over ideas.

A study out of UC Berkeley helps explain why. The researchers, Connson C. Locke and Cameron Anderson, found that when people work with a leader they perceive as highly competent, their own contributions and creativity tend to shut down. What’s interesting about the Berkeley study, entitled “The Downside of Looking Like a Leader,” is that like Cuddy the researchers zoomed in on the leader’s non-verbal cues. They found that a leader’s body language – upright posture; clear, resonant vocal tone; and strong eye contact – could trigger an unexpected, and frankly insidious, reaction among those on the leader’s team.

Let’s look at how this concept might play out in your organization, say with your top team. You’re the leader and you present a great new strategy you came up with. When you’re done presenting, you ask the team, “Okay, gang, rip into it.” You get blank faces. You prod them, “Come on, I want your feedback, your best thinking.” Somebody says, “Well, it sounded really good to me.” Another chimes in, “It’s brilliant. I wish I’d thought of that.”

You just got the exact opposite of what you wanted from your team, and the Berkeley study suggests it was probably because of your demeanor. You sat at the head of the table. You made yourself big. You spoke in a powerful, resonant voice. And you looked people right in the eye when you made your key points. In other words, you deployed behavioral cues that made you look smart and confident, and caused others to clam up.

You may be thinking, “Wait a minute! That’s what I was always taught to do. Should I slouch in my chair, speak in a low, humble tone, and avoid eye contact?”

Actually, yes. Here’s a quote from the study’s abstract:

“In three laboratory studies, we found that the more confidence the leader exhibited nonverbally, the less followers participated in joint discussions. Furthermore, followers deferred to leaders who exhibited a confident demeanor even when leaders made incorrect decisions.”

That last bit should give every leader pause. If you make an assertion with enough confidence, people might agree with it even though it’s completely wrong. The study showed that a small percentage of followers agreed with a confident leader's bad assumptions insincerely; perhaps because they were afraid. But 76% agreed because they sincerely believed the leader was right. It’s hard not to conclude that, as a leader, your demeanor and body language can disarm your team’s ability to think critically. You have the power to essentially bewitch people with your confidence.

To be sure, there are times when it’s necessary for a leader to do that. If the building’s on fire and you’re the boss, your confidence and ability to control behavior could save lives. Bravo. But in other situations, particularly those involving planning and complex, long-term decision making, “making yourself big” is the wrong thing to do and could easily lead to bad decisions.

So what’s this mean to you as a team leader, or a senior executive? It means that if you want your team to “dial up” its participation and feedback, you need to “dial back” on the behavioral cues that make you seem confident.

Fact is, it’s a very rare leader – and you probably aren’t one of them – who has the judgment to make the right decisions over and over again with imperfect information. Most of us feel an acute need to surround ourselves with smart people who raise objections and cite obstacles that we might never think of.

The Berkeley study researchers sympathize with the leader’s dilemma – “People expect me to be confident, but when I am I stifle communication” – and suggest blending the confident demeanor with an affiliative one. Smile more. Nod your head in agreement. Make people feel they can express themselves.

I’d take it a step further. Next time you have a meeting that’s about planning or long-term decision-making, let someone else run it. Don’t sit at the head of the table. Ask a few questions instead of making a lot of assertions. Dial back. And be small for a change, at least until you feel the team has teased out every idea, debated every angle, and provided meaningful inputs to a better decision.

If the building catches fire, ignore all of the above.