Posts under the ‘What Every MBA Should Know’ category

Perception management involves actively performing (or not performing) a set of activities and behaviors in order to thoughtfully and deliberately manage how other people perceive you. These activities and behaviors are in areas like verbal and non-verbal communication, work environment, volunteerism, and image. In today’s blog, I’m going to talk about image.

 People make up their minds about you within the first few seconds of meeting you. The only thing under your control at that point is your appearance. A positive impression will create a halo effect, positively coloring a person’s feelings about you for the next several minutes. If you begin with a negative impression, it will be very hard to change. But it doesn’t end with first impressions. People are confirming or revising their opinion about you every time they meet you. While having a solid, established, positive reputation can smooth over a few faux pas, perception management can let you save that for when you really need it.

I grew up with a casual approach to dressing. Most days, I wore jeans and a flannel shirt, and that’s still my preference. However, I have slowly and reluctantly come to the conclusion that I have to pay more attention to my attire, everyday and everywhere. Whether I’m at work, at the store, volunteering at soccer, or at church, I run into people that I know and meet new people. If I want them to see me as a savvy business professional, I have to “act” the part by dressing like a savvy business professional.

If you think that how people dress doesn’t make a difference, consider how dress is viewed in our society. A future MBA student was telling me about the game show “Cash Cab.” If the contestant needs help, they are allowed to ask a person on the street (a street shout-out), in which case, the contestant usually looks for a man in a suit. Why? “…because they think he’ll be Ivy League educated.” (greenbaypressgazette.com) People wearing a suit are simply assumed to be educated professionals.

This doesn’t mean you have to wear a suit everyday, but a little attention to your appearance will go a long way for perception management. Upgrade from jeans and a t-shirt to khakis and a polo. Save your sneakers for the gym, and buy yourself some nice leather shoes. Looking good doesn’t mean you have to be uncomfortable.

Dress like you are going to meet the most influential person in your life. You just might.

Does a high IQ help you be successful in life? Not always. In fact, I’ve seen intelligent people sometimes avoid challenging tasks they don’t excel in because they are afraid of looking dumb. There’s been some debate about whether universities should base admission decisions on high GMAT scores and GPAs for MBA programs, because some of these students want to stick to the status quo; they’re afraid to take risks because they are comfortable with their success and the formula they use to achieve it. Entrepreneurial thinking requires risk-taking and the possibility of failure.

What can you do to maximize your potential for success? There is a strong relationship between EQ (emotional intelligence) and success, and EQ is something you can change significantly. EQ is an awareness and management of your own feeling and reactions, the feelings of the individuals around you, and group processes. The first step in developing EQ is focusing on the idea that you do, indeed, have a choice. Human beings alone on this planet have the power to reinvent themselves. You get to choose how you want to be. In order to begin an EQ journey, you first have to believe that you can make this choice. The subsequent journey is slow, arduous, exhilarating, frustrating, fulfilling, fraught with setbacks, and ultimately rewarding.

A good place to start your EQ adventure is by reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. I’ll tell you more about the 7 Habits book in future blogs.

In our MBA program, we provide our students with a series of workshops in Intellectual Entrepreneurship (turning knowledge into action) where we outfit them for a successful EQ quest.