Looks and Talent Matter: Lessons of American Idol

The recent American Idol competition seemed to have boiled down to the age old dilemma of looks versus talent, a subject that captivates me as an image consultant and one that should concern all of us as we strive to succeed in the world.

The New York Times ran a recent article about the contest between the final two contestants. The author compared the affable southern young man, Kris Allen, to Pat Boone, while drawing upon similarities of southern Californian glam rocker Adam Lambert to Elvis. What comparisons! Would America have been capable of voting for Elvis in a 1950s-era American Idol? We know Elvis changed the culture and the sound of music; so his popularity and prominence makes him a true and everlasting American idol. In one sense America voted for Elvis with their wallets. But would America have boldly dialed in for him?

People tend to align themselves [or vote for] those who are more like them. To say nothing of their talents, Kris resembles more people than Adam.

A recent article in Scientific American even chronicles how the physical appearance of political candidates influences our choices in leaders. Sure, we want to idealize their political views and qualifications. But according to a study conducted by a pair of Swiss psychologists, children as young as five years of age were able to accurately predict the outcome of French parliamentary elections merely based on the candidates’ facial appearances.

This information has strong implications for each of us. It is unlikely we’ll surgically alter our facial appearances just to be deemed more competent for a job interview, appear more favorable with clients to sell more, or even to win the favor of a love interest. At least I hope not! Let’s remain authentic to ourselves and not turn into a populace of zombie clones lacking independence!

But as you continue to hone your professional and personal talents and crafts, you also do need to tend to the way you look. As superficial as it seems, people are heavily influenced by the visual image you project. There is a time and place to look competent, and a time and a place to appear attractive. Competence and attractiveness are not mutually exclusive traits, for instance.

So take a lesson from Adam Lambert, who – many did feel – had the more talented voice. No doubt he made his mark on American Idol. In the world of celebrity making, his star has risen because of the huge platform of that TV show. But for the average hard-working guy without such a springboard, it’s best to manage your talent and your image to make sure you get the one vote you really need to secure that job, or that raise, or that client, or that sale.

Designing and managing 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.

Cash Saving Grooming Tips Leave Men Clean, Not Mean

Looks do count. So does your cash. But do you have to give up one in order to keep another? My experience says it’s all about finding a balance. Here are some quick tips to help guys manage their moolah and machismo:

• Men tend to overuse product, whether it’s gel or cologne. Scale back the amount of product applied and extend the value of the product purchased.

• Use quality products because they won’t need to be reapplied.

• Use a fragranced soap or deodorant in lieu of cologne if you’re on a budget.

• Store fragrances out of the sunlight and make sure to use them because they have a limited shelf life.

• A regimen of the right shaving products means using less of each product and treats your skin better, causing fewer problems.

• Using a better razor extends the number of uses per cartridge; just be careful not to wear it out and cause cuts by being overly budget conscious.

• Before investing in a more expensive product, ask to sample it first to make sure the product’s ingredients work with your body chemistry.

And a bonus, overall grooming suggestion:

• Grooming is very important to maintaining a credible reputation these days. Without a good reputation, it may be a lot harder to earn, let alone save, money.

Looks do count. So does your cash. But do you have to give up one in order to keep another? My experience says it’s all about finding a balance. Here are some quick tips to help guys manage their moolah and machismo:

• Men tend to overuse product, whether it’s gel or cologne. Scale back the amount of product applied and extend the value of the product purchased.

• Use quality products because they won’t need to be reapplied.

• Use a fragranced soap or deodorant in lieu of cologne if you’re on a budget.

• Store fragrances out of the sunlight and make sure to use them because they have a limited shelf life.

• A regimen of the right shaving products means using less of each product and treats your skin better, causing fewer problems.

• Using a better razor extends the number of uses per cartridge; just be careful not to wear it out and cause cuts by being overly budget conscious.

• Before investing in a more expensive product, ask to sample it first to make sure the product’s ingredients work with your body chemistry.

And a bonus, overall grooming suggestion:

• Grooming is very important to maintaining a credible reputation these days. Without a good reputation, it may be a lot harder to earn, let alone save, money.

Designing and managing your image is the secret science of your success.

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

‘Communication’ a Focus of the AICI Conference

I just returned home from the annual AICI conference for image consultants and find myself reflecting positively about the experience. The conference is a traveling pilgrimage of sorts, one part educational, and one part experiential, just held in a different locale each year. This year’s conference was one of the best overall experiences I’ve encountered in some time.

Much of the educational content I was drawn to revolved around effective communication. Ironic, eh? I thought so, too. Jason Alba, the founder of JibberJobber.com spoke at a session where he laid out a sound strategy for communicating online and following up with contacts. The volume of people I encounter makes communicating online an absolute must, and Jason’s counsel came at a great time. Apparently my blog posts are too long!

The great thing about learning is that you don’t know what you don’t know until you know that you don’t know it. When you stumble into that area of ‘unknowingness,’ like the wilderness, you start to find your way around and learn new things. It’s better to deal with the unknown than the unknowable.

Colleagues Dominique Isbecque and Lynne Marks also facilitated great communication-based presentations. It was great learning from Dominique about profiling people in order to effectively provide value, while Lynne’s program was at least as much about listening as it was about conversing.

Liz Weinstein also facilitated a program I thoroughly enjoyed. She’s a great corporate presenter and makes it look rather easy. But I think part of the secret to her success is how she uses activities to engage participants as she did with us. It was also the point of her helpful program and really got me thinking about new ways to present material.

It was my pleasure to share knowledge with colleagues about men’s neckwear. The tie may be a small piece of cloth, but it carries a big message about its wearer. Like all clothing, it can tell an authentic story as much as it can help the wearer overcome personal challenges and communicate strength. I had a blast and invited people to stay afterward for a question and answer session. About a third of the participants took the opportunity to stick around.

The conference got me all fired up to keep learning and sharing, and to stay focused on helping my clients, present and future.

Neckwear Knowledge – Tying it Together

The Total Spring 2009 Trend Package
[Dress shirts and ties available at Nordstrom]

A tie is a tailored man’s signature piece of apparel. If you are suiting up for your workweek, for a job interview, or for a special social occasion, the ties you select to complete the ensembles make much more of a statement than the suits you select.

The tie is more important than the suit
If an average person were given the opportunity to observe several men wearing various navy suits, she or he would not easily distinguish one suit’s unique qualities from another. Ask a well-to-do gentleman his reason for purchasing a featherweight, handmade garment. It won’t be because he intends to impress as much as he desires comfort. Otherwise, style is subjective based on the tastes and budget of the wearer. A savvy retail sales professional is good at pairing the appropriate suit to his customer. Theoretically, so long as the navy suit fits well, it doesn’t really matter if the maker is Kiton or DKNY to the average onlooker. The label is on the inside anyway.

The modern day tie is the piece of clothing that provides insight about its wearer.

Consider your characteristics
When selecting neckwear for yourself, consider your personality and personal coloring so the ties provide insight about their wearer. But selecting neckwear that also coordinates to your tailored clothing and dress shirt raises the bar of your selection expertise. Sharp retail sales professionals have honed their skills to make selecting and coordinating neckwear an impressive art form. This is how and where I developed the creative ability to select killer combinations that at once complimented my clients’ physical characteristics and their clothing preferences.

Consider your intended message
Then there is the matter of expressing the messages your neckwear conveys to onlookers through color, texture, and pattern. What attitudes or emotions do you wish to convey to your audience? And what actions or results do you desire, demand, or expect as a result of meeting with this audience? A well-chosen tie may act like a window into your psyche, providing such great information before you utter a word and be the last word of your message and lingering impression once your meeting has concluded.

Designing and managing your image is the secret science of your success.

Susan Boyle and others: Lessons for Managing Your Image

Hey, I’m hardly the inventor of personal image and personal branding. But I do know a thing or two about helping people develop and manage theirs. While the nation obsesses over the images of once obscure people, I’ve sat on the sidelines, observing the feeding frenzy as the nation devours the likes of Susan Boyle, the breakout singing wonder from Britain’s Got Talent, John Thain, the deposed former head of Merrill Lynch, and Chesley “Sulley” Sullenberger, the hero pilot of US Airways flight 1549 that landed on the Hudson River . Our society’s fascination with other’s images is a barometer of just how much attention we pay to someone’s total appearance. While it’s the new national pastime to judge someone else’s image, now’s a great time to focus inward to make self-improvements.

An Image at the “Boyling” Point

Susan Boyle’s image has been written about and picked apart like just-boiled chicken. Sure, the Britain’s Got Talent contestant had to know she’d be scrutinized en masse if she were to go in search of fame and fortune on TV. Her appearance has been viewed on You Tube more than any other video clip. Boyle’s dowdy appearance and downy voice have dumbfounded onlookers and listeners. “How could a voice so beautiful come out of someone so homely?” It’s not a beauty pageant; it’s a talent show. However, we expect a total package. It’s not enough to be endowed with a “gift from God.” Apparently, we demand much more of others besides natural gifts and talents.

I wanted to write about this, but not to pick on Susan Boyle. She’s had enough scrutiny and doesn’t need my two cents about what I’d recommend she change. I wouldn’t make such determinations without knowing her personality, and her goals. What is important to note is how fascinated society is with her image. We should really have a show called America’s Got an Opinion so everyday people could just speak their mind and maybe become famous for speaking the collective conscience of the country. Britain’s Got Talent most likely manages how much change Susan Boyle can make in order to keep the show’s ratings up, and keep us all taking about her and the show. If only we put an ounce of attention on ourselves and how we could improve rather than just passing judgment on someone else…

Two High Flyers: one’s image soars, one’s crashed

You wouldn’t think there’d be much in common between US Airways pilot Chesley “Sulley” Sullenberger and ousted Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain. They’re just two “high flyers” whose images have taken different directions. Sullenberger’s image soared when he became famous for landing a jet plane in the Hudson River shortly after taking off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport in January. A true hero, Sullenberger is now even doing public service announcements for the San Francisco Library.

Conversely, Susanne Craig, writing for The Wall Street Journal, recently described John Thain’s reputation in an article as “sullied.” Thain is attempting to restore his image since Bank of America made public statements that decisions to pay $3.62 billion in bonuses was solely Thain’s. In 2007, while layoffs were occurring at the company, his office and two conference rooms at the firm’s lower Manhattan headquarters underwent a $1.2 million renovation. Once news of the renovation hit the fan, Thain reimbursed the company for the cost.

Image Is Appearance and More

People’s issue with Susan Boyle is her appearance. She had a makeover to color her hair, tweeze her eyebrows, and not too much more. It wasn’t enough that she colored her hair. It would have been more important to have it styled nicely to enhance her image. The black leather jacket she’s been spotted wearing post-makeover seems unnatural for her persona. It’s like someone got hold of her and did a half-assed job making her over. How fortunate for Susan Boyle, they haven’t tried giving her a tracheotomy. At least she’s got raw talent. Let’s celebrate her gift, honor her journey, and wish her well.

People’s issue with John Thain is his behavior. He behaved in a way that got him painted by his parent company and by the media as the bad guy. Doing things that seem out of touch with the times surely didn’t help him. It’s too soon to tell if Thain’s media blitzing is a good bet. But it’s probably best for him to keep laying low so he can reinvent himself out of the public eye. You can see doing it in public, a la Susan Boyle, is a tough way to go.

Who’s done very well through all of this is Captain Sullenberger, “America’s Hero.” He did all the right things as a pilot, saving some 150 lives. He has been quite humble regarding the attention paid to him. He has maintained a respectable profile, though he was everywhere from the inauguration of President Obama to an appearance on The Today Show. It’s better to be “Sulley” than “sullied.”

Whose image have you been paying a lot of attention to and why have you been following their story? How can you trigger interest in your brand image?

Designing and managing your image is the secret science of your success.

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