In her book Gravitas, Caroline Goyder suggests that our gravitas makes a huge difference to our chances of succeeding in high-pressure situations. Furthermore, contrary to what you may have been led to believe, anyone can improve the gravitas they project by practising certain skills.
She suggests you can understand someone’s gravitas using the following equation:
Knowledge + purpose + passion (- anxiety) = gravitas
What is gravitas?
So what does gravitas look like in a leadership context? And how do, or can, we develop such a critical factor in leadership?
What someone really means when they use the term gravitas is not easy to capture.
For many, it refers to a mixture of poise, confidence and authenticity. The word itself derives from the Latin gravitas, meaning weight, and from gravis heavy, suggesting that people who display gravitas are grounded, possess sound judgment and can deal with “weighty” issues.
No wonder that for the ancient Romans, it was rated among the highest of the fifteen virtues needed to attain a reputable position in society.
Clearly, gravitas connotes seriousness of purpose, solemn and dignified behaviour, and being perceived as important and compelling. It’s something to aspire to as these qualities are assumed to be associated with leadership effectiveness.
In life, possessing gravitas is also seen as a key quality in the ability to yield influence. In the world of career advancement, headhunters, talent managers, and HR professionals always ask themselves whether a person has the gravitas required of a role? Does the person have the necessary presence, speaking skills, and the ability to read an audience or situation? Does he or she have the emotional intelligence that enables him or her to easily influence others?
Generally, the assumption is made that people with gravitas lead better, manage better, present better, and network better. And often, it becomes the determining factor that makes or breaks careers.
Where do we look for gravitas?
At this point, you may wonder whether you possess gravitas? Do you have an executive presence? Are you considered a person of authority? Do people stop and listen when you speak? Do you know how to engage and influence others?
One way of answering this conundrum is to make a distinction between the internal and external qualities that make up gravitas. In making this distinction, I am not talking about rigid boundaries. The internal and external qualities interact with each other, making for a dynamic equilibrium.
Starting with the more internal qualities; To radiate real gravitas we need to possess a bit of self-awareness. We need to know what we are all about; to recognise our abilities and our self-worth.
Without this self-awareness, we will never be able to master our passions; to discover the power within ourselves.
The other part of the gravitas equation is knowledge. We need to be truly steeped in the topics that we talk about. After all, knowledge creates power. Acquiring more knowledge and applying this knowledge correctly, will add to our gravitas.
The 3 Cs of gravitas
The more external qualities pertaining to gravitas refer to our presentation of self to the outside world. How do we come across to others? In many ways, gravitas is very much a perception issue. It is a function of influence, how others assess our competence and importance. This assessment involves three factors: how we are perceived in acting, how we are perceived in speaking, and how we are perceived in looking. We can summarise these factors as the three C’s: Courage, Communication, and Composure.
To deconstruct these factors even further, “how we act” will be determined by our emotional intelligence to stay calm, cool, and collected when faced with tough situations.
Furthermore, people with gravitas know how to act when things run out of control. They have sufficient confidence and equanimity to deal with unpredictable situations; they know how to stand their ground when pushed in a corner.
“How we speak” is determined by our vision, and our ability to communicate that vision effectively. It involves our ability to inspire others. Do we talk with passion and energy? Do we use an authoritative voice? Do we emanate integrity, trust and respect? Do we keep our promises?
The final factor, “how we look” is very much determined by our appearance. What is the first impression we give? How do others perceive our body language? How do they read our posture? Our reputation - or standing - will also be part of this equation. Again, the importance of having a stellar reputation, of being seen as subscribing to ethical behaviour, is critical.
Can gravitas be developed?
Some of these characteristics can be developed easily, with coaching and skills intervention. Other aspects may take decades of learning, requiring wisdom that can only come through experience.
On the surface, gravitas can be developed in several ways, such as:
Actively looking for opportunities to hone your presentation skills. Practising the ability to remain levelheaded, regardless of the situation.
And learning how to acquire a unique voice.
The inner journey to acquiring gravitas, however, the one which touches upon our personality, does not come in the form of a quick fix. It takes place over time by gaining an understanding of our personal strengths and weaknesses through life experiences and reactions to challenges and hardships. It is laborious work, requiring constant self-reflection and progressive, often incremental, changes.
3 Key Takeaways
FOFBOC
Apparently a key element of ‘knowing thyself’ is that the knowledge must be in the body as much as the mind. If you are ever nervous before an interview or presentation, take a couple of minutes to calmly focus on feeling your ‘feet on the floor’ and your ‘bum on the chair’.
Why not try it now? As you tune into the physical sensations of your body making contact with the chair and floor, you draw your attention ‘out of your head’ and become more present in your body. As Caroline explained, when you are really present to your body, people notice your presence.
Meditate, even just ten minutes a day
How do simple breathing or meditation exercises help increase your gravitas? Caroline cites Paul Ekman, one of the foremost experts in understanding human emotion. He was interested in why something as simple as tuning into your breathing could make a difference to our emotions and poise. He wrote that because normally we don’t think about breathing ‘…if we learnt to focus our attention on breathing…we develop neural pathways…and…these skills transfer to other automatic processes – benefiting emotional behaviour awareness…’
Ask yourself, ‘how can I help them’
Caroline relates that the actor Bill Nighy once told her that a great antidote to nervousness in auditions is to ask yourself how you can help your audience. Why? Because it forces your focus outwards, away from you. Our energy changes when we are seeking to give instead of getting.
Bodhi Bones
