About Face: Mark Zuckerberg

This morning on NBC’s “Today” program, Matt Lauer interviewed Facebook’s CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg. As an image consultant who is dedicated to improving how men connect with their audiences, I was struck by the wardrobe choices Zuckerberg or his public relations handlers made and the way he ended up appearing on “Today”.

The point of Zuckerberg’s appearance was to clear the air about Facebook’s ‘about face’ [as it were] regarding changes to its terms of service. Concerns have been mounting amongst its 175,000,000 users over who owns the content placed on each user’s profile. I’m not convinced his explanation was the clearest it could have been, however, because his appearance was distracting to his message.

So just how important is it that Mark Zuckerberg and all successful, talented men in Silicon Valley develop more of a visual personal brand? It all has to do with the attention paid to the way you are presented. But don’t misunderstand my point. It’s not about creating Hollywood glamour because you’re going to be on TV. It’s about being respected and correctly understood by your audience. To wit, Matt Lauer and the production staff queued up a tape of Zuckerberg’s 2007 appearance on “Today” just to talk about how he dressed then and how he dressed today for his appearance.

Lauer commented how Zuckerberg wore flip-flops in 2007 and actually wore a tie today. I noted he wore outerwear pieces by The North Face with The North Face embroidered logo emblazoned on the chest for both appearances. It was better branding for a company of a different face, than for his company. I took further issue with the tie. Worn with a white shirt, jeans, sneakers, The North Face activewear piece, Zuckerberg appeared as a nondescript individual rather than a company leader.

When a man with such youthful looks wears a tie in this kind of combination it never works for several reasons. The tie is out of place for an otherwise casual statement. The tie says, ‘take me seriously’ while the rest of the outfit says, ‘take me skateboarding’. Zuckerberg is known to be highly intelligent; and yet, this tie-wearing trick still challenges his sense of worldliness, and of appropriateness. There comes a time as a business leader when you have to mature your brand instead of staying rooted in the look of Ivy League collegiate youth.

So whether you’re Mark Zuckerberg, or someone else who’s got an upcoming media appearance, I welcome the opportunity to work on developing your image with you.

After all, designing your image is the secret science to your success.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps professional men and corporate workgroups create effective visual brands. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

The Visual Presidential Brand

Trevor’s comment to my last blog post about President Obama’s opting to occasionally omit a jacket from his Oval Office attire got me thinking. My response is worthy of a blog entry rather than a comment reply. Here it is:

The United States presidential brand is a visual declaration to the rest of the world that we are a country built on principles, and sustained by traditions. As our nation’s top representative figurehead, the president non-verbally shows people around the world that our country is ready and prepared. As the military’s Commander-in-Chief, the president is far more than a figurehead; he is the leader the troops look to for their orders.

The presidency should absolutely be perceived as business as usual by the citizenry and by the military because the office transcends any one leader. Style can and will be conveyed through policy and politics. But one protocol other than policy and politics that should remain unchanged is the time-honored tradition of dressing appropriately in the Oval Office and being photographed and videoed that way at all times.

Politicians long have respected the need to look appropriate and professional in order to have credibility with their constituents. Of the hundreds of Washington, D.C. representatives and senators, one never sees any of them appearing on their respective chamber floors without being properly attired. This is where they appear in public. Even at their offices, they are presentable and media ready. In California, when state representatives and senators could not get a budget passed, they slept in suits in chambers, giving the impression they were dedicated to getting the job done.

The president – the leader of our country and ostensibly of the free world – is expected to do at least as well as state politicians in conveying credibility. There’s a time for a politician to remove a coat, usually while out on the campaign. But the elections are over (thank goodness) and it’s time to get down to business and lead our country, which he is doing. And all I’m saying is he should lead our citizenry and our military while wearing a jacket because this is what political leaders and presidents do. Surely he can still appear accessible while instilling confidence in his politics and policies and while honoring this presidential protocol. The brand is bigger than the man.

Designing your image is the secret science to your success.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps professional men and corporate workgroups create effective visual brands. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

Nothing Sells Confidence (and Coats) Like a Coat

A brou haha is brewing about how to dress in the White House’s Oval Office. ABC’s “Nightline” could make this an interesting ‘sign of the times’ segment instead of talking about moobs (man-boobs) as they did last night.

The former Oval Office occupant, George W. Bush, had a hard and fast rule: no one enter the Oval Office without sporting a jacket, out of historical respect for the office of the presidency. This is one policy of Bush’s I absolutely liked. Ironically in 2005, with Bush’s dress-up policy in place, a group of female athletes famously appeared at the White House in flip-flops, causing a flap between pearl clutchers and fashion bugs. But the real issue then had nothing to do with a war of the classes and not so much to do with fashion, but whether they dressed appropriately.

Now enter the era of Obama. In just four weeks, the new leader of the free world seemingly suspended Bush’s sartorial rule of decorum in favor of a more at ease appearance. Photographs of the president in the Oval Office sans suit jacket suggest a man with different priorities. Perhaps his objective is to reduce the feeling of being in a pressure cooker, especially given the daunting economic and global crises he and his administration are tasked to resolve. It’s just more comfortable at times for high level executives — even a president — to remove jackets and to the business at hand.

Sandra Bernhard cracked a good joke during her “I’m Still Here Damn It” Broadway show about presidential jackets. Paraphrasing, she exclaimed that while Predident Clinton always had his jacket off in the Oval Office, President Reagan never knew he even was wearing a jacket. Even in jest, there is an ebb and flow to shoulders and lapels, to Oxxford, and to Hart Schaffner Marx in the White House.

As an image mentor who helps executive men and political figures develop a strategy for looking confident, I’ll say President Obama does look self-assured sitting at his Oval Office desk without wearing a coat. He seems to convey intelligence that does not require the sartorial assistance of a jacket. However, one of his top jobs as president is to instill consistent confidence in the American people during these turbulant times. And when it comes to non-verbal queues like clothing, nothing sells confidence like a coat.

There is a time and a place for a president to appear in public without wearing a coat. The interview President Obama gave Matt Lauer during the Superbowl was a perfect example of dressing down for the right occasion without losing his presidential appeal. The setting was a 21st century fireside chat, having taken place in the Map Room of the White House, with a lit fireplace audibly crackling in the background.

But back to the Oval Office, no matter who occupies it today or in the future, wearing a jacket isn’t just a good Bush policy. It’s a good public policy for the president to be wearing a suit coat in the Oval Office. At the very least, if he is going to be photographed or videoed in this space, he should sport a coat, if not for his own comfort, than for the comfort of the American people. The comfort of the American people rests in his ability to deliver a confident message. There might be a feeling like the ‘weight of the world’ rests on Mr. Obama’s shoulders. But a man with his charisma should be able to support enough weight to wear a jacket for a public photo-op in the Oval Office.

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p.s. If the president takes my advice to task, he’d be doing the beleagured apparel and retail industries a great service. Maybe people would take their business meetings more seriously and coat sales would improve because people want to show respect for their counterparts. Must the First Lady be the only resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to be a positive trendsetter?

Designing your image is the secret science to your success.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps professional men and corporate workgroups create effective visual brands. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

How About an Image Recovery Plan?

Well today was the day President Obama signed into law the $787 billion stimulus plan. In honor of taking a bold step forward, today is as good as any to consider reasonable ways for an image recovery plan. Surely it can be done on a budget, if not on a dime.

Grooming is vital to looking, well, vital! However, grooming products are probably the first items men will stop buying if forced to make a choice. Or, there is a temptation to trade down to lower quality products. Imagine using less effective toothpaste, or developing dandruff because you skimped on conditioner. Or you tried an ineffective variety of deodorant instead of your trusted antiperspirant that cost a couple of bucks more and lasts a few weeks longer. The point is, don’t be penny wise and dollar foolish on grooming products. Not only do these kinds of choices not help you keep much more in your wallet in the very short term, but these kinds of choices may cost you the ability to make positive, lasting impressions that say you are a success today. So brush, floss, shampoo, condition, clean those ears, shave with good tools and products, treat your skin well, and keep your eye brows from looking like Andy Rooney’s.

When’s the last time you critiqued how your clothes are fitting? It might be a great time to set an appointment to meet with a tailor. Alterations are not only far less costly than running out and buying new duds, but whether your weight is down (hopefully) or up (woefully) you’ll actually feel better in better fitting clothes. There is a definite connection to fit and feel. If you don’t believe me, just take a pair of trousers to the tailor and have it adjusted to fit you properly. Once they are adjusted, spend a day wearing them and measure your level of comfort. You’ll feel a value beyond the cost of alterations.

The same is true of your shoes. If you’re not thinking of stocking up on new shoes for spring, this is certainly a prime opportunity to give your current inventory some TLC. Take your shoes to a reputable shoe repair business. There may not be many of these businesses in your community, but I’m willing to bet their business is booming these days. They will dress your shoes for you. If your shoes need new heels, they will repair them at a nominal cost. Don’t walk around with broken laces. Spring for some new ones. Use cedar shoe trees to remove moisture from your footwear and extend their life.

Don’t let the news commentators talk you out of moving forward with your life. If it’s been a while since you’ve updated your wardrobe, now is the time to do it, especially if you’re job hunting. Baby Boomer men are particularly vulnerable to this issue because they need to be seen as being viable in a competitive job market. But if he shows up in an outdated outfit to an interview, he’s going to convey a message that says “outdated”. If you’re a Baby Boomer – don’t let yourself do that. You may be as qualified as anyone, but you’re not just being hired for your qualifications. If you’re a young man looking for work, you can’t just get by on your youth and your technology skill set. Lots of people going for the same job have the same qualifications. If you show up not looking respectful and polished, you’re costing yourself an opportunity that goes beyond not just owning an appropriate set of clothes. You may have just cost yourself that coveted job slot.

Designing your image is the secret science to your success.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps professional men and corporate workgroups create effective visual brands. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.