It's all about the Image - Part 1

What image do you want to project?

When I look back over the many interviews, or first meetings I had as a novice entrepreneur, then as a mentor to entrepreneurs and finally as a talent scout for investors, I realised that either consciously or unconsciously I've always been trying to project a specific image of myself to the people I met. I'm not alone in this of course and I believe that what I am trying to convey is pretty much what you would want to convey too. Candidly I wasn't always successful, but I never stopped trying.

There are always opportunities for improvement and if you can undertake an objective and rational post-mortem after a successful or even unsuccessful meeting you're probably learning valuable lessons. You can't rely on the other person, in your case the investor, to give you feedback but sometimes they might do. I'll tackle feedback in a subsequent article, but for now let's list some of the attributes or descriptive words that hopefully you would want to convey.

•    authority
•    certainty
•    consideration
•    credibility
•    empathy
•    inspiration
•    integrity
•    intimacy
•    lustre
•    presence
•    resolution
•    self-assurance
•    understanding
•    vigour
•    vivacity

Very rare for one individual to consistently be able to project all of these. In fact I'm not sure that even the most successful entrepreneurs in the world are consistently able to do so. However, the inescapable fact is that if you can project a cluster of these then you will be probably further ahead than other entrepreneurs pitching for money, unless of course those entrepreneurs have been reading these GoBetween tutorials.

Before getting involved in descriptions as to what these phrases, words or terms mean, you might be tempted to wonder which are the most important, or put differently would it be possible to rank them in order of importance. Well it's a yes and no answer. The yes aspect of it . . . 

It’s very important to get the vocabulary correct when describing these attributes because of course they are open to misinterpretation.

So let’s start with . . .

Authority - everyone wants to be in control. The ability to lead others attracts people to you. If you project authority, you’re on the right track towards impressing people.

Certainty – honest belief in a fact, idea or concept, can inspire others to feel the same way. Steadfastness is definitely a builder of corresponding understanding and empathy between two people.

Consideration – no person can be an island unto themselves. He or she must be part of the human race. It’s this facet of personality that brings an individual closer to other individuals.

Credibility – no matter who you are or what you are involved in, you must be able to project a feeling of belief in other people. If you cannot, or if your belief can be questioned you’ll not arouse belief in yourself or in your own hopes!

Empathy – this is more than compassion. Compassion is the ability to feel the way that others feel, whereas empathy is the capacity to put yourself inside another person’s skin and experience feelings and emotions directly.

Inspiration – your own passion projects excitement into other people. This is one of the most important facets of a person’s general profile. It’s the ability to arouse others to a purpose or project.

Integrity – the pretender is usually unmasked after a short time together with the non-pretender. Without integrity, you cannot convince anyone you’re going to do what you say you’re going to do.

Intimacy – this is the vital link between two people that makes them much more than two separate individuals. This is the final involvement of two people usually in an ongoing business relationship.

Lustre – in the presence of a person with inner glow, your own doubts and hesitations thaw. It’s a force of energy that can bring people together to work in concert for whatever the individual wants.

Presence – this is the force of personality that makes everyone in the room look at you when you enter. It is the essential ingredient in the actor or actresses repertoire.

Resolution – without resolution the person cannot channel his or her energies to release vital inner forces that will make others want to carry out workforce objectives with enthusiasm and vigour.

Self-assurance – the person who projects a feeling of self-assurance will attract support and assistance from subordinates on the job as well as superiors. There is a steadying influence on everyone associated with the person possessing this vital quality.

Understanding – to lead others you must be able to intuit their feelings and emotions and be able to sympathise with their hurts and wounds. Understanding builds a bond between co-workers that is difficult to break.

Vigour – this is the entrepreneur’s magic core which is able to release energy in the force of personality on colleagues and investors. It is what fuels all action and endeavour, all positive thought, all progress and all important things in life both commercial and non-commercial.

Vivacity – if you have the ability to express through vivacity your own excitement and enthusiasm you can usually get others excited about what you are doing, about yourself in general and about the work you want done.

In the second post about 'image' we will cover 'engaging the brain, before opening the mouth'!

Link
http://www.go-between.co.uk