6 Ways to Get Ahead in the Workplace

Are you ready to enjoy a promotion, more respect from your employees and peers, and a more rewarding work life? It's easy: You just have to be tall -- or think and act like a tall person.

So notes Penelope Trunk, writing about how tall people tend to get ahead in the workplace. At least, so claim experts like Arianne Cohen, the 6-foot-3 author of The Tall Book. Cohen found that tall people make $789 more per inch per year, and are 90 percent more likely to ascend to the CEO chairs of Fortune 500 Companies.

What's tall? Over 6-foot-3 and over 5-foot-9 for women. But if you're vertically challenged, so to speak, all is not lost; Trunk (citing Cohen) says there are six ways to act and think tall at work and reap the same rewards.

Her top three suggestions:

1. Be unforgettable. Ever notice that when a tall guy walks into a meeting, you automatically register that he's there and remember what he says? Blame evolution for this effect, which really helps ambitious, talented workers. Your tall task: Make sure everyone in the meeting notices you, too. You can do that through interesting (but professional) clothing, cracking jokes when you walk in, greeting everyone by name, or even bringing doughnuts. (But please, don't be obnoxious -- that's getting noticed in a bad way.)
2. Act like the boss. Tall children, from a very young age, are deemed the "leader" of their friends, says Cohen. Other little kids literally look up to them and often treat them as they would a slightly older child, and as a result, they're more likely to function as the leader for the rest of their life. Even as interns, other office workers give them the physical space and attention usually reserved for a leader. So act like a leader.
3. Find a way to look down on coworkers. Literally. Casting your eyes downward onto someone when you're interacting sends a physical signal that there's a power imbalance in your favor. If you're not tall, create the power imbalance by repositioning yourself: Stand whenever you can when coworkers are sitting, and avoid walk-and-talks and casual standing around the office where coworkers are looking down at you. Or use the old psychology trick: Make sure your visitors' chairs are slung lower than your desk chair.