HOW TO GET TAKEN SERIOUSLY

How do you get taken seriously? Take yourself seriously. Assert yourself with the conviction that anything you have to say is at least as interesting as anything being said. Then take your shot. Say something genuinely interesting.

If you can’t, wait. Don’t talk to hear yourself but rather to express a point of view that is uniquely your own.

This is not masculine behavior we are learning; it is professional behavior. We must acquire the skills necessary to become a tough negotiator and an able adversary, a subtle technician and a worthy teammate.