The way that you look and act has an influence on how you are perceived and treated by others.
Like it or loathe it, we are in a ‘looks’ dominated society.
Therefore, when you’re seeking to influence it’s important to focus on the image that you would like to portray for maximum impact.
We live in an image society. Speeches are not what anybody cares about; what they care about is the picture.Madeleine Albright
Take some time out and write down the image that you’d like to project – the way that you dress, act, etc. Alternatively, create a mood board using pictures from magazines, cloth samples and colour palettes.
Now, imagine that you’re one of your work colleagues being asked about the influence you have on them.
Answer these questions as that person:
- What image does he / she portray?
- Does he / she come across as confident?
- Does he / she come across as credible?
Feel free to add any further questions that specifically test the image you want to portray.
I’d also like to invite you to be brave and actually ask some of your peers and friends these questions as well.
After all of that, write down any specific actions that you wish to take to bridge the gap between the image that you want to portray and the image that others currently have of you.
Then…take that action.
