Finding your Presence in Different Environments
In the most recent edition of the Organizational-Check Up, we focused on work-life balance and different ways to encourage a healthy balance between one’s personal life and their professional life. In this same vein, we wanted to highlight a hot topic in our office recently: Presence.
If you have not already had the chance to see Amy Cuddy’s Ted Talk, “Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are”, we highly recommend it. Presence in one’s personal and professional life, while not directly related to work-life balance, does contribute to one’s overall quality of life in both of these spheres.
Every person has the tendency to let their mind wander from the present topic at hand – some examples of this include forgetting someone’s name right after introductions, or not hearing anything from the other side of a conversation because we are focused on what we are going to say next. This does not make us absent minded or aloof, it makes us human.
But what about other moments in our life that completely juxtapose the aforementioned? Moments where we are so present that we do not have a single ounce of anxiety, and we are relishing the moment as our true, genuine selves? Is it possible to achieve this in a professional setting?
Amy Cuddy suggests that true presence in one’s life “stems from believing in and trusting yourself—your real, honest feelings, values, and abilities.” In a world where imposter syndrome runs rampant, this can seem difficult to achieve. You may not have time to read Amy Cuddy’s book, “Presence”, but we can summarize her incredible suggestions on how to become more present within a few minutes.
1.Take up space! The main focus of Cuddy’s Ted Talk emphasizes how we can trick our brain into believing in ourselves by how we use our body – this is where we see many articles about power poses before interviews or public speaking events, and about how taking up space with your body makes you feel confident and more powerful.
2.Turn anxiety into excitement. When we are anxious, our cortisol levels are extremely heightened, giving us lots of energy and adrenaline. What if we changed our frame of mind, though? For example, instead of “I’m nervous to present this proposal to my boss” we framed it as “I’m excited to have the opportunity to share my ideas with my boss because their feedback will contribute to my growth.” This will not change our heightened emotional state, but it will allow us to use it to our benefit, and not let it hinder our performance.
3.“Fake it until you become it.” Cuddy suggest using the first two tips to fake confidence until you believe it as a true confidence. When we do this, we can get an inside look of who the boldest version of ourselves is. Once we have made ourselves vulnerable and are comfortable showing the world who that person is, our minds will not be occupied by self-doubt and anxiety regarding what others think of us.
To conclude the Organizational Check-Up Series, we would like to wrap up with some final remarks. When we feel empowered, the people around us feel empowered as well. We cannot motivate others if we are not motivated, and we cannot effectively communicate with others is we do not feel like we are heard or understood. We hope this series has opened up conversations that go beyond the surface as a reminder of what a strong team needs to consist of: empowered, balanced, and healthy individuals that ultimately want to contribute to the greater success of the whole. These things get lost when we get busy, as changes occur, and simply as time passes, but with a regular check-up here and there, we can stay vigilant in our teamwork and leadership and continue to contribute to our capacity to grow into the best people we can be.