Some people think they look too young to handle big responsibilities   or confuse their small stature for a small brain. If this describes you   or someone you know   listen up. Lois Frankel, Ph.D. and author of Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office, has these tips for petite people:
  • First, wear darker colors with more tailored lines, and avoid cute or overly-feminine clothing. It helps create a subliminal message that you should be taken seriously.
  • Then, wear glasses   even if the lenses have no prescription in them. There's still an active stereotype that people who wear glasses are smarter than people who don't.
  • Another way short people can get more attention at work is--Use as few words as possible. Physically imposing people need to use more words, to soften what they're saying. But petite people need to be crisp and concise, and get to the point quickly - it helps them sound confident.
  • And the final tip is, if you want to be taken seriously, look serious. Don't smile too much. Otherwise, your co-workers might think everything you say is just one big joke.
If you'd like to go further, the book is Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office by Lois Frankel.