It’s not as famous as the 10 Commandments or the 7 Habits of Highly Successful People. But I’m a huge fan of George Washington’s list of life advice: The 110 Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation. In fact, a few years ago, I spent a month following every one of those 110 rules for a chapter in a book I wrote called My Life As An Experiment. The unexpected benefit? Our founding father made me a much better businessman and leader – not to mention an inch or so taller. Let me explain. George Washington’s list is filled with wise tips. I’m a big admirer of number 34: “Let your discourse with men of business be short and comprehensive.” Love that. Very prescient in this day of the 15-minute stand-up meeting. Admittedly, the list is also kind of strange. The number 2 rule? We should not adjust our private parts in public. Which is certainly solid advice. But does it really deserve the number 2 position? I’d move it down to 83 or 84. Perhaps adjusting one’s junk was a big problem back in colonial days, especially among the professional rounders players. In any case, that second rule is odd but typical. The list – which Washington painstakingly hand-copied from an etiquette book when he was a young man -- devotes a lot of time to outward behavior and appearance. Almost half of the rules deal with how we sit, how we walk, and how we smile. Washington paid a lot of attention to such matters. For one thing, he was known for his great posture. I was taught to stand like George Washington by a man named Dean Malissa, who is the official GW interpreter at Mount Vernon. He’s the Sean Penn of founding father impersonators. Or interpreters, which is the preferred term. Malissa taught me that Washington stood like a leader: chest thrust out, shoulders back, very Dudley DoRight. Washington carried his towering frame with aplomb. “There is not a monarch in Europe who would not look like a valet de chambre by his side,” said Benjamin Rush, Washington’s doctor. Adjusting my stance seemed trivial, but I thought I’d try it. In real life, I had terrible posture. I looked like Hominid Number 3 on those Evolution of Man charts. So I changed my body language. I stood like our first president. And here was the shocking result: The way I held my body had a massive, unexpected effect on my mind. As I said in my previous column, the outer affects the inner. When I stood straight, I felt more confident, more decisive. When I talked to my editor, I was more emphatic and effective with my pitches. When I approached an intimidatingly prominent scientist at a cocktail party to request an interview, I felt less fear. (Note: I didn’t dress like George Washington, except for a photo shoot for the book. So I’m not recommending you wear a tricorne to your next offsite). The straighter I stood, the more backbone I had, literally and metaphorically. Turns out George Washington was more than 200 years ahead of his time. Harvard researcher Amy Cuddy studied the effect of what she calls power poses. (She gives a great TED talk on the topic here.) When you stand in an open pose (chest out, shoulders back, hands on your hips – opening up to the world), your testosterone level goes up and your stress hormone cortisol goes down. Posture has an actual physiological and psychological effect. You are more confident. Your stance affects the way others perceive you – but even more important, it affects the way you perceive yourself. So ever since, I’ve tried (emphasis on the word ‘tried’) to stand like George Washington – confident, open -- and it’s made me a better businessman. I’m not founding any countries or defeating any Hessians, but I’m more effective at meetings and on phone calls. I’ve also tried to walk like the Father of Our Country. Turns out the way you stride also effects your mood. In Florida Atlantic University study cited in the book The As If Principle by psychologist Richard Wiseman, people who were told to walk with long strides felt happier than those who were told to shuffle and look at their feet. So nowadays, I walk quickly and purposefully, like a character in an Aaron Sorkin drama. Try it. Walk faster. It’s like flipping a switch in your brain. You’ll think faster. And maybe you’ll talk faster. Though it’s not mentioned in George Washington’s list, I’m also a fan of rapid speech. (I listen to my NPR podcasts on doublespeed, for instance. Which is especially helpful when there’s an interview with, say, pensive actor John Hurt, who takes…thirty…seconds…to…formulate...every…word). When you talk faster, you’re more persuasive. At least in some situations. Studies show that if you talk rapidly, you will be better at convincing those who are neutral to or skeptical of your message. If you’re preaching to the choir, then slow speech might be more effective. Another caveat: The super-fast, Fed-Ex-commercial speed comes off as snake oily, say studies. So go out there, and walk the walk and talk the talk. And especially, stand the stand.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 23:07:51 +0000
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