Poker Face

As he walked across the sales floor with stern look on his face, it was as if a tsunami of panic rushed in, washing over every other face with fear.

This reaction is illustrative of the dramatic impact a top executive’s presence can have on people without even saying a word.  Bob was the CEO, CTO and owner of the company so it is natural that people would pay attention to his moods.  His company, like so many others, was regularly balanced on the edge of profitability and pain.

However, Bob’s facial expression that day had nothing to do with the fiscal stability of the company.  Bob was working out a tough engineering issue that had the potential of bringing in an extremely profitable new line of business.  While I knew the real reason behind Bob’s contorted facial expression, what about the other employees that were there that day?  How much unnecessary doubt, fear and worry were brought up in the minds and during the break time conversations of the people who didn’t know the reason behind Bob’s stern look?

There are many things that business owners and leaders must tune into each day.  Sadly, few pay enough attention to the massive impact their facial expressions have on people.   Studies indicate that people are six times more influenced by visual cues than by words that are used.  The non-verbal signals we send have a much higher impact on the performance of our people than we recognize.

Tune into this critical component of leadership.  Realize that whenever you, as a leader, are exposed to others you must pay attention to the expression on your face. Make it easy on yourself and find a public persona or poker face to put on whenever you are around others. Better yet, try a bright-eyed small smile and gentle nod of acknowledgment. Sure, it takes focus and lots of practice to become a habit, but the potency of positivity you will foster in your corporate environment will far outweigh the inconvenience of taking time out to alter your mental and physical demeanor.

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