Image, Impact & Personal Credibility
As busy professionals in a competitive world we are expected not only to have the prerequisite skills to manage our career but also to manage our image, the way we come across to others in order to make a lasting and good impression, have a positive impact and be personally credible to all manner of individuals who cross our paths.
First impressions last, as we know, but having the right image and making a credible, impactful and lasting impression is key to success and progression in both your professional and personal life. It impacts on everything.
How you look, sound, and move should be natural but it often lets down the most senior of leaders and can leave behind the image of somebody you don’t actually recognise. It can affect confidence, career progression, working relationships and the way you are perceived by others.
Image strongly influences other people’s perception of your trustworthiness and knowledge. A major part of communication is visual and what we see we remember and what we hear we forget. For this reason, positive first impressions are very vital to take any personal and professional relationship forward
Image affects perceptions. If your personal image does not accurately represent your professional brand, this can affect your following, your performance and your relationships within your organisation and with others you work and come in contact with.
Similarly, an organisation’s corporate image is reflected in its employees and this impacts how clients, future prospects and business partners perceive your organisation.
Image, consciously or unconsciously, reflects who you are on the inside, your personality, your values, attitudes, interests, abilities and uniqueness.
In order to be individually personable, credible, authentic and impactful to both yourself and to others around you it is important to manage your image and the way in which you convey yourself. It can mean the difference between success and failure in a fast paced environment and world where time is valuable and first impressions count.