Strike a pose and make yourself powerful
By opening up your stance you boost your testosterone and that will make you more confident before a big meeting or presentation
Harvard Business School assistant professor Amy Cuddy, has some influential tips to help you trick yourself into being a better leader: <a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/video/2011/04/boost-power-through-body-langu.html">power poses</a>. Her research found that by opening up your body you increased your testosterone and decreased your cortisol and made yourself more confident. Faking it helped. Here’s some pictures describing power poses that can help you be a leader.David Crockett
If you want to be a leader, you need to have the right pose. Be open, be tall, and practice powerful body language, says Amy Cuddy, an assistant professor at the Harvard School of Business. Power poses cause your testosterone to increase and your cortisol, the stress hormone, to decrease. And that can make you more confident.Jupiterimages
Putting your hands on your hips, with your shoulders wide and open is a strong power pose.Eric Hood/Getty Images/iStockphoto
To get the right hormones going and improve your confidence, warm up before a big meeting or presentation in private. Stand tall, stretch your arms out wide and hold the pose for several moments. Stretch yourself out and make yourself as big as you can.George Doyle/Getty Images
Another way to boost your sense of power is to sit at your desk, lean back in your chair and stretch your arms out.Elena Elisseeva/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Poses that reduce your power make you small, such as being hunched over your computer, with your hands on your face. Instead open up your body and you’ll exude quiet confidence.Stockbyte/Getty Images
These exaggerated power poses are great in private, but tone it down when you’re in public, suggests Ms. Cuddy. However, to keep the benefit of the power poses make sure you stand tall with your shoulders square, making yourself as open as possible. And make it a habit and part of your routine.George Doyle/Getty Images