subject: Is Your Image an Asset or a Liability [print this page] Is Your Image an Asset or a Liability Is Your Image an Asset or a Liability
Is the image that you project an asset or a liability? Does your professional image work for you or is it side railing your career? Do you find yourself being passed over for promotions, when you have all the qualifications? Do your co-workers make jokes about your appearance and mannerisms? If so, maybe it's time to reassess the image you present to the rest of the world.
Take the time to think about what message your image sends out to the world. If you were to ask other people to describe you what would be the words they would use? Would their description be one that you personally would use to describe yourself. Ultimately would this be how you would want to be perceived as?
Your image is one aspect that is easy to modify and have it work to your advantage. While education and work experience are key, one can't afford to overlook the impact of one's image. Studies have shown that within a tenth of a second people will form 10 impressions about a person based on the only criteria available to them - clothing, appearance and body language. Based on these first impressions, judgements will be made on your income, educational level, success in current and previous endeavours, and even your moral character.
Each one of us has a personal brand. Our personal brand is basically how others see us and how we market ourselves to the world. It's composed of the clothing we wear, our personal grooming, body language, how we communicate verbally and online and our conduct in business and social situations. Our personal brand is the total package of the image we present to the world. A strong personal brand should be credible and express the true personality and character of the individual.
Tom Peters wrote, "We are the CEO's of our own companies: Me Inc." What he meant was that we are in charge of our own personal branding campaign. As individuals we determine what people see, observe and hear about us, and ultimately how they view us. As the workplace becomes increasingly more competitive, it is important to cultivate and build a strong personal brand to ensure professional success.
