Image is Everything

Now you are building a solid reputation as someone who gets the job done. You work the hours it takes. You are getting noticed. Good for you!
While you are building that reputation, what else do you need to be doing?

You need to be building a visual image.

There are two parts to an image:

1. The one you have already built and that’s the reputation for getting things done.
2. The second part is the visual image. It’s as important as the first part.

Visual image is made up of three sub parts:

1. What you say
2. Your body language
3. Your appearance

What You Say

If you use crude language or you are sarcastic to others, you are shooting yourself in the foot. You have to be very careful how your verbal messages are received. A manual published by BNA Communications titled: Intent vs. Impact could apply here.

This is very important. Be sure everything you say goes through a filter in your brain that looks at the impact of what you say before you say it.
Listen to gossip, but never contribute your own. You are in HR and what you say is taken very seriously by others.

Your Body Language

What is the first thing you see when you look at most successful, well thought of people? It’s the visual image. That visual image can be very compelling.

You also need to understand that those people know exactly what kind of image they are projecting. It didn’t just happen.

They work very hard at perfecting that image. They stand straight. They do not slouch. They make visual contact with the person they are talking with. They look like they never have a bad day. You feel they are genuinely glad to see you. They listen to what you are saying. They are not looking at their BlackBerry while you are talking. What’s your body language saying?

Your Appearance

The third part of the visual image is physical. Are your clothes neat, clean and business appropriate? Does your right heel look like you are a cross-country truck driver? When was the last time you shined your shoes?

I remember one department head that always seem to have a spot on a suit she wore. The bet was how long it would take before she had it cleaned. Little things, but they are noticed.

Earrings and other accessories (this thought is likely to irritate a few people, but it is the reality of the workplace). You have to remember that the people who hold your future in their hands are likely a generation or more older than you are. They are not apt to think like you do. You have to think like they do. Six earrings in each ear, a pierced nose or eyebrow are not positive attributes. You will lose points.

Are you always wearing a Raiders or Seahawks T-shirt, are your Levi’s needing an upgrade, are you still wearing those black and white tennis shoes? Remember, you will lose points.
The unfortunate thing is you will never know that you lost points!

Being conservative is going to get you where you want to be. Forget the fringe stuff. Forget the statement stuff. If you are not willing to do that then you are not willing to do what it takes to succeed.

Let’s say time has passed and you have learned your lessons well. You have built that power base. Your networks are strong. You finally have the promotion you have worked so hard to get.

There is one final thing to remember as you accept that promotion. Make absolutely sure that when your boss offers you that promotion that you reiterate to him that you must have his backing to go anywhere in the organization to look at issues and solve problems. He has to understand that (except for him) you are the only one who can do so. You have that inherent right to go anywhere, but you need to hear that commitment from him. He will remember he made it when someone challenges your right to go through their wall.

More next time. Have a great day!

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Here’s a reality check for you. The fact is there will be some who won’t be happy about your promotion or your coming into the company to take a leadership role. A member of your new team may have wanted the job or thought that their best buddy should have gotten it. A supervisor in another department may think their protégé deserved it more. An engineer may have wanted it because she felt she needed to have HR experience listed on her credentials. For whatever reason, there will be those who think someone else should have landed the job.

The majority will not say much about your promotion. You will get a few “congratulations” or “welcomes,” but most will have a wait and see attitude. Most will give you time to settle in.

If you are promoted, a few will give you the “I see you have joined the bosses” or a sarcastic “good luck” routine. Those who are not happy about your promotion are not likely to tell you directly, but their actions, comments and body language will let you know.

A point needs to be made very clear here.

Whether the new kid on the block or just promoted, You do not have to defend your new role. You do not have to apologize to anyone. It’s natural for you to feel uneasy about your new status. Don’t worry about it. Obviously, someone believes you are the right person for the job.

Now, what do you do when you hear or perceive resentment by others? Nothing. That’s right, nothing. The problem is theirs, not yours. Unless they make some kind of public issue about it, let it go. It will soon go away.

If it’s a member of your team, most of the rest of the team will see it as sour grapes and ignore the person. So don’t make an issue out of the grousing until you have given it some time to go away. It’s one of those times to “take the high road” and do nothing.

Remember this. A true leader does not react to every slight or dig that comes along.

If the grumbling continues then you will have to do something. For example, if that resentment begins to affect your team’s performance then the source of the grousing needs to be confronted privately, in a professional manner.

Ask if she has a problem about your new role that she would like to talk about. Typically, she will react with surprise, not realizing you know about the comments. You will be assured that there is no problem. In most cases, your problem will then quickly go away.

Another common mistake made by new leaders is to try and please the whole team. Someone asks for time off. Someone else wants a favor. You feel that to get in their good graces you have to say “yes” to everything.

I’m being blunt here, but pleasing everyone just ain’t gonna happen. It’s not possible.

Pleasing everyone is not your job. Your job is to get the work done. You need to do it in the most courteous and professional manner you can, but you still have to get the job done. To do that, you are going to occasionally irritate people. It means saying “no” to people, probably more often that you would like.
Just be careful that your “no” is the right decision, and you are not just showing that you have the power to say it. If they ask “why?” have a reason, not just because you said so. They will be more receptive of your decisions if they understand the reasoning behind them. If not, they may quit coming to you altogether.

Another thought for you here. Got a nasty job for your team to do? Don’t apologize to them for what they have to do. A weak supervisor will try to blame others such as blaming the job on the higher-ups or the company. You are diminished in their eyes for comments of that type.

There will be times when you are going to require things that are not going to sit well with your team.
Get used to it. If you do, they will too.

More later on being the new kid on the block!

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Some are successful, some are not. Almost every time, the early actions of that person set the tone for their administration and the legacy they leave behind when they are gone. In other words, their success or failure hinges on the first days or weeks in the new setting. Is he a class act or just another leader? The class act leaders instinctively know they are the new kid on the block.

They know their position and title comes with a certain amount of built in respect (and likely some fear), but they don’t. They may have been respected in their last position, but they know that they have to earn that respect all over again in their new position.

They know that image is everything. The image they present the minute they walk in the door that first day is a critical part of their success. People watch the way they walk, the way they talk, the way they dress and the way they interact with people.

When they walk down the hall, they know they either come across as the guy who looks like he spilled a cup of coffee on the drive to work that morning, or someone who is glad to see everyone they meet.

So what do they do those first few days in the new role? The successful ones know they have to be seen and heard, in person, by as many of the organization as possible, as soon as possible.

They know the rumors were flying even before they came on board. They know they are being watched to see if the rumors are true. They know some have already made up their mind about them.

My collegue is so right about being concerned the initial introductory process goes well. Particularly when someone comes in from Europe. That person (in her case, the person coming in is male) will have built in perceptions about Americans and we have the same built in perceptions about Europeans. Fortunately, in most cases, neither of the perceptions is totally correct. The only way to bridge that culture is for the new leader to reach out. He is the new kid on the block. The new organization will have a wait and see attitude. The first moves are up to him and they are critical for his success. He needs to have continuous meet and greet sessions at the start, to listen, and ask for advice in moving forward.

Anyway, my two cents. I really do envy her. It’s a fascinating process! I would love to know how things go! Best wishes to her!

Hey, anyone have any good or bad experiences they would like to share?

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