Professional Image & Personal Branding

1. Professional Image
Andrew L. Urich, J.D.
Puterbaugh Professor of Ethics & Legal Studies
Spears School of Business
Oklahoma State University
405.744.8619
aurich@okstate.edu
www.andrewurich.com

2. Image is Everything
“87% of persons losing their jobs or failing to
be promoted were found to have improper work
habits and attitudes rather than insufficient job
skills or knowledge.”

3. Before Dr. Phil…………….

4. John Gray
Men are from Mars Women are from Venus
 Sold over 40 million copies of
his books and translated into
45 languages.
 Syndicated column reaches 30
million people a week.
 16 Bestsellers
 Best selling relationship author
of all time
 Has a television show, board
game, and hit the national talk
show circuit.

5. John Gray
 Marriage advice from personal
experience – he has been married and
divorced twice.
 B.A. and Master’s in “creative
intelligence” from the Maharishi
European Research University.
(MERU)

6. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

7. John Gray
 Received doctorate in 1982 from
Columbia Pacific University.

8. John Gray’s Credentials
Columbia Pacific University
Adult Education, Distance-Learning Programs
Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
CPU students complete independent projects & directed
readings, and an extensive independent study project
(thesis or dissertation), guided in a personalized and
dignified way by a "faculty mentor."

9. John Gray’s Credentials
 COLUMBIA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY
ORDERED TO CLOSE PERMANENTLY
 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 13, 2000
 http://www.dca.ca.gov/press_releases/2000113.htm

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11. John M. Gottman, Ph.D.
Why Marriages Succeed or Fail
 Over 20 years of
research
with 2,000 married
couples.
 Ph.D. from University
of Wisconsin.
 Can predict with 94%
accuracy whether a
marriage will fail.

12. Reality Check
 Image is a tool of influence
 Locking the cockpit doors
 The sales call
 The mistake

Heuristics
 The story of two students
 Generational Issues
 Who decides who’s right?

Fashionistas

I’m not very good at it

Everything okay in its place

13. Image as Influence
 Who are you trying to impress?
 What impresses them?

14. Image is Everything
 Pharmaceutical sales
 Stock market
 Coca Cola
 Spot remover
 Wrinkle Cream
 Pineapple Diet
 Dentist & Doctors
 Your IQ

15. If “Image is Everything,” why are there so many
exceptions to the rule?
 Tinker Air Force Base
 Microsoft

17. “There are no facts, only
interpretations.” -Nietzsche
You Have to Believe Nietzsche!!!
Characteristics of individuals who deny that image is reality:
 Insensitivity to one’s environment
 Personal obstinacy
 Desire to place personal needs ahead of
the organization
 Decreased income
(footnote 4)

18. Major Problem 1
Image Limits Careers
 Executive Promotions
 92% of executives agree
 All promotions
 People act like they live in a world of truths
rather than a world of images.

19. Major Problem 2
People Have Prejudices
 Do you have any?

20. Major Problem 2
People Have Prejudices

21. Major Problem 2
People Have Prejudices
 Do you have any?
 I have some?
 People are pretty comfortable with their
prejudices
 Opinions and subconscious reactions

22. Major Problem 3
No One Will Ever Tell You
 Society says that we may not criticize
appearance, behavior, personal image or
professionalism, even if that is what’s holding
you back from success.
 No one will tell you – even if you ask.
 Socio-economic end….. Let reality be your
guide

23. Major Problem 4
We Don’t Want It To Be True
 We pretend it’s not true.
 BMW Experiment
 Sadly, human beings are prejudicial,
superficial and judgmental.

24. Major Problem 5
Ultimately We Do Ourselves In
 Career limiting behavior
 Failure to appreciate other’s point of view
 Hurt others’ feelings
 Neglect the importance of networking
 Burn bridges
 Let emotions run away
 Talk too much
 We are a victim of our own personality

25. Major Problem 6
Communication is Visual & Vocal
 Optimizing your effectiveness
 Where is your WOW?
 Chicken sandwich
 Don’t just answer the question--IMPRESS
 Dr. Mehrabian: Impact of face to face
communication
 55% Visual
 38% Vocal
 7% Verbal

26. Brand Advantage

27. Brand Development
 Imagine
 Customer focus
 Promise
 A brand is an identifiable entity that makes specific promises of
value.
 Service
 Aligned with promise
 A brand is an experience
 Brands touch emotions. We make excuses for– and connect
with our brands.

28. Valuable Brands
Forbes Magazine
 Apple People love their products
 Google Simple, straightforward information
 Coca Cola It’s an experience
 IBM Strong & reliable
 GE Tough, smart & efficient
 Intel Branded a commodity
 Positive differentiation in the sea of sameness – the key to career success.
 Toyota Best built
 Disney Ultimate entertainment
 McDonalds Consistency
 Amazon A better way to get things done
 *

29. Tom Peters New
“Brand You” World
“90% of all white collar jobs will
be reinvented or reconceived in
the next decade, give or take a
year or two.”
--Tom Peters

30. Tom Peters
New “Brand You” World
“Brand You” World “Employee” World
 Choose this project  It’s what the boss told
because it will add to me to do. (Give me a
my learning/ because break.)
it will s-t-r-e-t-c-h
me/because it allows
me to hang with cool
people.
 Don’t waste a single  Lunch is my business!
lunch… networking is
my mantra.
 I AM A ROLODEX  I hate suck-ups.
MANIAC.

31. Tom Peters
New “Brand You” World
“Brand You” World “Employee” World
 Embrace life.  There’s enough BS
that comes your way
without asking for
more.
 Am (frequently)
 C’est la vie.
angry at our
slowness to change.
 Understand that  I despise all corporate
“power” only comes “politicians.”
to those who grasp it.
(“Pushy” = Good)

32. Brand Advantage
 You have a reputation?

How much effort do you put into managing that
reputation?
 Meetings: Opportunity to impress

Friendly questions & polite questions

Body language
 Saving the choker
 PDAs

33. Behavior & Attitude

34. Attract Attention
 Express my wild side
 Just be myself
 Demonstrate my uniqueness
 Be funky
 Be funny
 Talk a lot
 Be cool
 Talk about things that interest me
 Expose yourself on social media End

35. Attract Attention
 Arrive early
 Be positive
 Double check for mistakes
 Be very committed
 Do extra work
 Anticipate needs
 Solve problems
 Be meticulous and thorough
 Be consistent End

36. Nouveau
Riche
 Barge in to society
 Faults of commission worse than fault of omission
 Would someone like to sit next to you?
 Put people at ease
 Behave politely, speak distinctly, hear discretely,
dress demurely, be indispensable, appear committed

38. Attract Attention
 Easy = Bad idea
 Difficult = Good idea
 Make deposits in the goodwill bank
account

39. How You See Yourself
 Are you a success or
a failure?
 What we think of
ourselves influences
what others see.

40. Low Self-Esteem
(Do you get along with everyone?)
Rapport problems
 Defensiveness and Resentment
 Decreased performance
 Exhibiting a façade of confidence by being boisterous,
aggressive and boastful
 Loss of confidence and enthusiasm leads to procrastination
 Seesawing back and forth between extremes
 Mental filter – dwell on single negative detail
 Jumping to conclusions – negative conclusions
 Emotional reasoning – assume negative emotions reflect
the way things are

41. External Work Factors
Contributing to Low Self-Esteem
 Autocratic leadership
 Demands of conformity
 Lack of performance feedback
 Rarely asked for opinions
 No praise
 Failure to include people in meetings
 Denigrating of accomplishments

42. Characteristics of
High Self Esteem
 Bounce back from stress and misfortune
 Courage to take risks
 Challenge the status quo
 Excel in the workplace
 Self-motivation
 Self-awareness
 Ability to manage emotions and impulses
 Empathy – ability to sense how others are feeling
 Social skills – ability to handle emotions of others
 Take time to understand and appreciate people who
are different from them

43. Strategies for
Increasing Self-Esteem
 Don’t beat yourself up
 Listen to the critical voice – identify the source
 Neutralize negative messages
 Don’t compare yourself to others
 Use affirmations
 Make yourself marketable and indispensable
 Live passionately – enthusiasm generates
energy
 Take care of your mind and body
 Be your own publicist

44. How the World Sees You
“The first duty in life is to assume a
pose. What the second is, no one
has yet discovered.”
 Oscar Wilde
“90% of people do not practice self-
management.”
 Tom Peters

45. Exercise

46. Exercise Summary
 People believe what they see, not what they
hear.
 What if our picture was up there?
 What others think of us determines our
success.
 Details? Peacock’s nightmare.

47. Well-Dressed People
are Perceived As:
 More productive
 Responsible
 Personally acceptable
 Intelligent
 Hardworking
 Taking their job seriously
 Being raised properly

48. What should You Wear?
 Pick your spot on the dress
continuum.
 Moderate your personality with your
attire.
 Cover your faults.

49. Dress should not cause attention.
Dress Faux Pas (Men & Women)
 Not Professional (M & W)
 High fashion (M & W)
 Trust store clerks (M & W)
 Confuse attractive with beautiful (W)
 Dress for other women (W)
 Dress too casually (W) (Jacket)
 Too successful to follow the rules (W & M*)
 Worrying about weight (M & W)
 Posture, body language and smiling (M & W)

50. Attitude and Behavior
“If A is a success in life, then:
A = x + y + z.”
x= Work hard
y= Have fun
z =Keep your mouth shut
Albert Einstein

51. The 5 Most Important Things
to Remember
1) Image is reality!
2) No one will ever tell you if there’s a problem with your
image.
3) Like it or not– it’s a “Brand You” world
4) Your image starts with how you see yourself.
5) People judge you– but you can influence that
judgment.

52. Thank You!
Facebook.com/ProfessorUrich
aurich@okstate.edu
www.andrewurich.com

53. Footnotes

1 Myers, D. G. (1999). Social Psychology, (6ed). Toronto: McGraw-Hill.
 2 Dunning, David Journal of Personality and Social Psychology December 1999.
 3 Beach, D.P. A Training Program to Improve Work Habits, Attitudes and Values, Journal of Epsilon Pi
Tau, 8/2/1982, 69.
 4 Bowman, James S. et al., Dress Standards in Government, Review of Public Personnel
Administration, Jan – April 1992 pgs 35 – 50.
Bibliography
 Johnson, Spencer and Constance Johnson, The One Minute Teacher, William Morrow and Company,
New York, 1986.
 Johnson, Spencer, Yes or No: The Guide to Better Decisions, Harper Collins, New York, 1992.
 Peters, Tom, The Brand You, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1999.
 Molloy, John T., Dress For Success, Warner Books, Inc. New York, 1988.
 Molloy, John T., New Women’s Dress For Success,Warner Books, Inc. New York, 1996.
 Roffer, Robin Fisher, Make a Name for Yourself, Broadway Books, New York, 2000.
 Kouzes, James M. and Barry Z. Posner, Credibility, A Wiley Co. San Francisco, 1993.
 Peters, Tom, The Pursuit of WOW, Random House, New York, 1993.
 Cialdini, Robert B., Influence: Science and Practice, 4th Edition, Allyn and Bacon, Needham Heights, MA,
2001.
 Weisinger, Hendrie, Emotional Intelligence at Work, A Wiley Co. San Francisco, 1998.
 Seligman, Martin, E.P., Learned Optimism, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1990.
 Golman, Daniel, Emotional Intelligence, Bantam Books, New York, 1995.
 Ailes, Roger, You Are the Message, Doubleday. New York, 1988.
 Conniff, Richard, The Natural History of the Rich: A Field Guide, Norton, New York, 2002.