10 Body Language Mistakes Women Leaders Make

There are two sets of body language cues that followers look for in leaders: warmth (empathy, likeability, caring) and authority (power, credibility, status). Although I know several leaders of both sexes who do not fit the stereotypes, I’ve also observed that gender differences in body language most often do align with these two groupings. Women are the champions in the warmth and empathy arena but lose out with power and authority cues.

All leaders are judged by their body language. If a female wants to be perceived as powerful, credible and confident, she has to be aware of the nonverbal signals she’s sending. I’ve seen women unknowingly employ a number of behaviours that reduce their authority by denoting vulnerability or submission. Here are 10 body language mistakes that women leaders commonly make. Read more