creating a positive professional image

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    Creating a Positive

    Professional ImageBy Tracy L. Chenoweth

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    How do you define the

    term "self image"? Self image is who you think you are.

    It's put together from how others have seen

    and treated you and from the conclusion youdrew as you compared yourself to others.

    That self image is so strong that you'll spend

    the rest of your life validating it.

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    What do you think are the biggest

    obstacles we face in trying to developa healthy self image?

    The media can be our enemy, because the images theyportray on TV and in magazines is of the slim person. So thebiggest problem people face with their self image is probablytheir body shape. Overweight, short, tall, bald, large nose,whatever it is, it's compared to what they see on TV.

    The media also promotes diets and exercise equipment,

    miracle creams and miracle drinks and people start comparingthemselves to the people they see on TV. They start listeningto the little inner voice that tells them "You could look likethat, if you lost 50 pounds."

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    What else besides the media robs us of

    our self image? The other culprit is the way you were brought

    up.

    A critical element is the environment yougrew up in.

    Was it an extremely negative environment or

    a nurturing environment? That can affect you for the rest of your life.

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    What does high self

    esteem" look like"? People with high self esteem exude confidence - in their

    posture, their voice and so on.

    They also have the ability to solve problems.

    They're not ones to sit around and worry, they don't allowthemselves to have a negative attitude.

    They set about immediately to find a solution to the problem.

    They also have the ability to confront or eliminate things thatfrighten them, for instance, returning to school to further theireducation.

    People with healthy self esteem are also good at developing asupport system, a group of people who help each othersurvive the rough times.

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    How would you describe

    low self esteem? People with low self esteem communicate a lack of confidence

    through their slumped posture, lack of direct eye contact, stayingoff by themselves.

    They may have been beaten down verbally earlier in life by

    someone who told them they'd never amount to anything. They may have had too many things go wrong in their life and

    they've just given up.

    They start to listen to and believe their negative inner thoughts.

    They don't trust their ability to make decisions. And those whocan't cope at all often fall into depression.

    Many people become critical of others. I find this quite a bit in thebusiness world.

    I often hear of a boss or supervisor that is extremely critical,always complaining, never complimenting. Very often, the boss isthe one with low self esteem.

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    What is a professional image? Your professional image is the set of qualities

    and characteristics that represent perceptions

    of your competence and character as judgedby your key constituents (i.e., clients,

    superiors, subordinates, colleagues).

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    Question for Thought What is the difference between "desired

    professional image" and "perceived

    professional image?" Is there even a difference?

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    Lets take a look It is important to distinguish between the image you

    want others to have of you and the image that you

    think people currently have of you.

    Most people want to be described as technically

    competent, socially skilled, of strong character and

    integrity, and committed to your work, your team,

    and your company. Research shows that the mostfavorably regarded traits are trustworthiness, caring,

    humility, and capability.

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    Ask yourself this question Ask yourself the question: What do I want my

    key constituents to say about me when I'm notin the room? This description is yourdesiredprofessional image. Likewise, you might askyourself the question: What am I concernedthat my key constituents might say about me

    when I'm not in the room? The answer to thisquestion represents yourundesiredprofessional image.

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    You can never know exactly what all of your key constituentsthink about you, or how they would describe you when youaren't in the room. You can, however, draw inferences aboutyour current professional image based on your interactionswith key constituents. People often give you direct feedbackabout your persona that tells you what they think about yourlevel of competence, character, and commitment. Othertimes, you may receive indirect signals about your image,through job assignments or referrals and recommendations.Taken together, these direct and indirect signals shape yourperceived professional image, your best guess of how youthinkyour key constituents perceive you.

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    How do stereotypes affect perceived

    professional image?

    In the increasingly diverse, twenty-first centuryworkplace, people face a number of complexchallenges to creating a positive professional image.

    They often experience a significant incongruencebetween their desired professional image and theirperceived professional image.

    In short, they are not perceived in the manner they

    desire; instead, their undesired professional imagemay be more closely aligned with how their keyconstituents actually perceive them.

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    What lies at the source of this

    incongruence?

    Three types of identity threatspredicaments,devaluation, and illegitimacycompromise keyconstituents' perceptions of technical competence,

    social competence, character, and commitment. All professionals will experience a "predicament" or

    event that reflects poorly on their competence,character, or commitment at some point in time, due

    to mistakes they have made in the past that havebecome public knowledge, or competency gaps (e.g.,shortcomings or limitations in skill set or style).

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    Negative Stereotypes Members of negatively stereotyped identity groups may

    experience an additional form of identity threat known as"devaluation." Identity devaluation occurs when negativeattributions about your social identity group (s) undermine

    key constituents' perceptions of your competence, character,or commitment.

    For example, African American men are stereotyped as beingless intelligent and more likely to engage in criminal behaviorthan Caucasian men. Asian Americans are stereotyped as

    technically competent, but lacking in the social skills requiredto lead effectively.

    Working mothers are stereotyped as being less committed totheir profession and less loyal to their employingorganizations. All of these stereotypes pose obstacles forcreating a positive professional image.

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    Positive Stereotypes Even positive stereotypes can pose a challenge for

    creating a positive professional image if someone isperceived as being unable to live up to favorableexpectations of their social identity group(s).

    For example, clients may question the qualificationsof a freshly minted MBA who is representing a

    prominent strategic consulting firm.

    Similarly, female medical students and residents areoften mistaken for nurses or orderlies and challenged

    by patients who do not believe they are legitimatephysicians.

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    What is impression management and

    what are its potential benefits?

    Despite the added complexity of managingstereotypes while also demonstrating competence,character, and commitment, there is promising news

    for creating your professional image! Impression management strategies enable you to

    explain predicaments, counter devaluation, anddemonstrate legitimacy.

    People manage impressions through their non-verbalbehavior (appearance, demeanor), verbal cues (vocalpitch, tone, and rate of speech, grammar and diction,disclosures), and demonstrative acts (citizenship, job

    performance).

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    Positive Distinctiveness

    Positive distinctiveness means using verbal and non-verbal cues to claim aspects of your identity that are

    personally and/or socially valued, in an attempt to

    create a new, more positive meaning for thatidentity. Positive distinctiveness usually involvesattempts to educate others about the positivequalities of your identity group, advocate on behalf

    of members of your identity group, and incorporateyour background and identity-related experiencesinto your workplace interactions and innovation.

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    Social Recategorization

    Social recategorization means using verbal and non-verbal cues to suppress other aspects of your identitythat are personally and/or socially devalued, in an

    attempt to distance yourself from negativestereotypes associated with that group. Socialrecategorization involves minimization andavoidance strategies, such as physically and mentally

    conforming to the dominant workplace culture whilebeing careful not to draw attention to identity groupdifferences and one's unique cultural background.

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    Benefits?

    Successful impression management can generate anumber of important personal and organizational

    benefits, including career advancement, client

    satisfaction, better work relationships (trust,intimacy, avoiding offense), group cohesiveness, amore pleasant organizational climate, and a morefulfilling work experience. However, when

    unsuccessfully employed, impression managementattempts can lead to feelings of deception, delusion,preoccupation, distraction, futility, and manipulation.

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    What are the steps individuals should take to

    manage their professional image?

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    Step One

    First, you must realize that if you aren't managing

    your own professional image, someone else is.

    People are constantly observing your behavior and

    forming theories about your competence, character,

    and commitment, which are rapidly disseminated

    throughout your workplace.

    It is only wise to add your voice in framing others'theories about who you are and what you can

    accomplish.

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    Be the author of your own identity

    Take a strategic, proactive approach to

    managing your image:

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    Identify your ideal state

    What are the core competencies and character

    traits you want people to associate with you?

    Which of your social identities do you want toemphasize and incorporate into your

    workplace interactions, and which would you

    rather minimize?

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    Assess your current image, culture,

    and audience.

    What are the expectations for

    professionalism?

    How do others currently perceive you?

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    Conduct a cost-benefit analysis for

    image change

    Do you care about others' perceptions of you?

    Are you capable of changing your image?

    Are the benefits worth the costs? (Cognitive,psychological, emotional, physical effort)

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    Manage the effort you invest in the

    process

    Monitoring others' perceptions of you

    Monitoring your own behavior

    Strategic self-disclosure

    Preoccupation with proving worth and

    legitimacy

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    How Full is Your Bucket?

    Each of us has an invisible bucket. It is constantly

    emptied or filled, depending on what others say or

    do to us. When our bucket is full, we feel great.

    When it's empty, we feel awful.

    Each of us also has an invisible dipper. When we use

    that dipper to fill other people's buckets -- by saying

    or doing things to increase their positive emotions --we also fill our own bucket. But when we use that

    dipper to dip from others' buckets -- by saying or

    doing things that decrease their positive emotions --

    we diminish ourselves.

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    How Full is Your Bucket? Like the cup that runneth over, a full bucket gives us

    a positive outlook and renewed energy. Every dropin that bucket makes us stronger and moreoptimistic.

    But an empty bucket poisons our outlook, saps ourenergy, and undermines our will. That's why everytime someone dips from our bucket, it hurts us.

    So we face a choice every moment of every day: We

    can fill one another's buckets, or we can dip fromthem. It's an important choice -- one that profoundlyinfluences our relationships, productivity, health, andhappiness.

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    Have you had a similar day? It's one of those days, you were late for work--not

    your fault. You transferred a telephone call whichwas somehow lost during the connection--not yourfault. Your boss is late for a meeting, even thoughit's written in red on her calendar--not your fault.However, you are being blamed for all that hashappened.

    It is hard to stay positive during times like these and

    even harder to keep a positive image when youreally want to do is to toss all of this negative action

    back in someone's face.

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    What can you do to maintain your cool

    professionalism?

    Take a deep breath and try to stay calm

    Apologize in such a way where you are not accepting blame,simply showing concern and sympathy

    Get away from your desk for a few minutes; go to the restroom or make a cup tea, etc.

    Use 5 minutes to call a good friend, just to say hello

    Remember in the scheme of life, this is only one work day.

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    What to do If the negativity has somehow gotten to you, and you

    have been rude to a colleague or client (in your heartyou always know), make sure you call the person

    before the end of the day to apologize or makeamends.

    You will feel better and you will keep your positiveimage. You may even find that your colleague orclient did not take offense to your harsh words or

    tirade. Don't falter, just explain that you felt the needto apologize because you thought that you over-stepped the line. End the telephone conversation byasking your client, etc., to please call at anytime withany questions he may have.

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    Remember You After such a day, you should do something nice for

    yourself. When you leave your place of business buya bouquet of flowers for yourself, pick up deli or asalad, take in a movie or just relax with a good bookwhen you get home.

    You owe this to yourself, not as a reward for keepingyour temper in check or not punching someone whenthey were just begging for a good one to the nose.

    You will find that treating yourself well daily, helpsyou to get over life's bumps that get in the way of agood day.

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    Self Esteem Test

    Lets take a self assessment quiz

    For Fun

    Handouts