POISE with Julie and Casey: "Calm, cool, and collected” and the Olivia Pope-ness of it all

In this special series, Julie and Casey sit down together to look at the elements of executive presence: Polish, Poise and Power . . . what they are, what they represent, and where they go wrong. They also look at new tools and alternate pathways as we work toward a more inclusive definition of leadership.

Watch the episode on youtube.

 

Episode 2: POISE

If polish is about how you look and how you act, poise is about how you REACT. How do “leaders” respond to stimulus?

 

According to an article in Forbes:

“A person with good executive presence never lets people see her sweat. She’s not harried running from meeting to meeting, she’s not flustered when she speaks, and she seems like the person who, even in the wake of a crisis in the middle of the night, could still show up looking put together. . . . Be calm, collected, and the person with all the answers, and you’ll be seen as a leader.”

• Showing what we expect you to show: warmth, gravitas, decisiveness
• Not showing what we expect you to hide: control over “negative” emotions, control over your response to conflict, control over fear or discomfort.
• Control over uncertainty: Always know the answer, and if you don’t, be able to meaningfully fake it.

Translation: Poise is about self-control: pretending human beings don’t ever feel negative emotions and are not meaningfully affected by other people, challenges, and circumstances. It’s also about being a human version of Janet from The Good Place, with the correct answer to any and every question anyone may have for you.

Poise can become a nearly impossible standard to meet — mainly because human beings simply don’t and can’t have all the answers all the time, and because there is no such thing as “neutral”. Human beings are not neutral in how we ourselves respond to stimulus, and we are not neutral in how we are perceived by others. Demanding perfect calm in the face of all conflict sets people up for failure, emotional shutdown, and burnout.

Join us as we dissect, laugh, call bullshit and brainstorm some practical strategies and solutions to what for many is a landmine of impossible expectations.

Thank you to our Season 3 sponsor, Armoire! If you're ready to try a new look, Armoire's high-end clothing rental service (full of amazing women-owned brands) will hook you up! For 50% off your first month's rental + a free item, go to http://armoire.style/voiceis and use VOICEIS in the referral box!