You’ve heard the saying image is everything. Well, that’s not just for celebrities and corporate entities. How you are perceived by others often determines how far you’ll go and sometimes how quick you’ll get there. How many times have you been passed over for a promotion, or missed some opportunity? There could be a lot of reasons but don’t discount image. We judge by what we see first. It’s all about packaging. If you want to be the boss and you know enough, if not more, to be the boss you’ve got to convince everyone that you can be the boss. It doesn’t matter that you trained the last ten people that have all surpassed you on the pay scale. Dress for the board room instead of the mail room. You have to walk and talk like you are the boss. This helps others to actually visualize you in the role. They have to not only believe that you can do it, but be confident that you can handle yourself in a meeting. And the key is you can’t just do it two days out of the week. You have to be consistent.
This applies to all areas of life. If you want a husband, 2.5 kids and a picket fence, stop dressing like a video vixen–their careers are usually short term. You’re looking to close a 30 year deal, not a five night stay. Now if you are thinking, “I don’t want to change who I am”. Well, remain where you are. Celebrities go through this all the time, some of them don’t want to give up the chicken and biscuits, and guess what, you haven’t bought their CD either. See how that works? This isn’t about changing your core, but refining the qualities that you have and the way you present yourself. Remember this isn’t only about looks, it’s also about what you do. So, for example, if people say you have an attitude problem, and you know you don’t have an attitude problem, guess what? You still have a problem! You have to do something to counter that perception so that they think of you differently. So think about what image you want to have and make it happen.