Education & Career Trends: February 19, 2023
Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
- Article written by Darius Foroux, published on medium.com
The greatest stock market trader of all time, Jesse Livermore, once said that poise is the most important trait in his profession:
“I believe that one of the most important qualifications for a successful trader is ‘POISE’ which to me is defined as stability, a well-balanced person with dignity of manner — as it relates to the stock market. A poised person is a person who can handle their hopes and their fears in a calm manner.”
If there’s one trait you can attribute a person’s success to, whether that’s trading stocks or any other profession, it’s poise.
In the world of personal development books, this concept is quite foreign. Most books talk about how you can improve your habits and mindset. This is an essential part of self-improvement. But worldly success is not merely about the self. A highly productive and positive person with perfect habits is owed nothing in the world.
One has to go out there and put their skills and habits into practice. And even then success is not likely.
Style: Perception Matters
Bet you know at least one person at work who you look at and think, “Why is this person a manager?” They might not be particularly skilled or talented. And yet, they have a good position within the company. Maybe you’re not thinking that (because it’s not really a nice thing to think), but you hear it from your co-workers.
If someone has no qualities at all, they would certainly not get a high-level position. This means there’s more to career success than just being good at your job.
That’s why adopting poise as a personality trait should be considered. If you look at some of the most successful and gracious people in the world, you will identify they have or had poise.
Audrey Hepburn, the famous actress and style icon, once said this about poise:
“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”
She also described poise as the way you carry yourself. If you walk around with grace and confidence, you generally get more opportunities. But style alone is not enough to succeed at any endeavour.
Substance: Skills alone don’t translate to career success
Mastery of skills is at the foundation of career success.
We certainly need good habits, discipline, grit, focus, and determination to accomplish anything worthwhile in this world. No matter what you want to do in the world, you need substance to back it up.
- A writer needs discipline, skill, good grammar, and attention to detail
- A financial planner needs knowledge of finance, investing, and taxes, plus analytical skills
- An illustrator needs a steady hand and an understanding of colour, shape, and form
To truly succeed in the world, you want to combine your style and substance to achieve results and make sure you get recognised and rewarded.
Style + Substance = Poise
Having poise comes from confidence, accomplishment, and an awareness of how one presents themselves to the world.
To have poise is to be aware of both how you are perceived by others and how to carry yourself in various situations.
A person with poise has both style and substance. You can’t be poised if you only have one quality.
A good example of a person with poise is former First Lady Michelle Obama. She’s confident, knowledgable, elegant, and speaks with grace. In her book, Becoming, she wrote about the importance of taking your destiny into your own hands:
“If you don’t get out there and define yourself, you’ll be quickly and inaccurately defined by others.”
This is the #1 reason you need poise. If you have substance, you can’t define yourself in the world. The same is true if you only rely on your style.
To succeed, develop qualities of style + substance
By developing qualities of style and substance. Here are a few tips for doing that.
- Use substance as your foundation for everything you do. When you want to build a career, start with developing skills and knowledge. Focus on your craft. Get better at the key skills you need to do your job well.
- Develop a unique way of representing yourself. Avoid imitating the way others dress, talk, and communicate. When you are like others, you are not unique by definition. This is simpler than you think. You must look within and 100% be comfortable with who you are. Since every person is inherently different, you will stand out if you are yourself in your style.
- Be mindful of how others perceive you. In the business world, we need to be professional and casual simultaneously. Results matter. But how you achieve those results equally matters. Always be aware that human beings are judgmental. This does not mean we become people pleasers. We simply understand human psychology and use it to our advantage.
- Show your work. It’s important to be good at what you do. But it’s more important that you put your work on display in an elegant way. If you don’t tell people about your qualities, they will not ask for it because they are too consumed with their own lives. You must make an effort to show yourself to the world.
- Be the same person when you’re alone. Develop your character and live according to good ideals. Live that way whether people are around you or when you’re completely alone. Even when no one is watching, remember that the most important person in the world is always watching: You.
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Have you checked out yesterday’s blog yet?
Healing Awareness in Times of Distress
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
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