Working within the professional and management field means that you are constantly being observed by your colleagues. It is therefore imperative that your behaviour and image exude the characteristics which are positively emanated throughout the workplace and create good vibrations.

We owe it to ourselves to manage our professional image, otherwise we leave our persona wide open to the arms of others to create us as they see fit. This means that there has never been a better time to take a good look at the way that we present ourselves so as we can reach for success and not for failure. This way we have the option of being able to add our own voice to the connotations and observations of others and create a framework from which to portray our own capabilities and outward appearance.

Although the internet and book stores are rife with advice and tips on how control our body language and outward appearance, there is also the matter of our own personal taste and traits. Therefore we need to be able to differentiate between two images:

A) A perceived professional image
B) A desired professional image

A desired professional image is based around the image you are trying to create so as people say positive things about you when you are not present.

If you question how people think about you and doubt that you are exuding your desired image then you need to start work on making some improvements. Otherwise you will start to experience feelings of deception, distraction, preoccupation and manipulation.

But how do you know what your perceived professional image is? Well, you will never really know but you can pick up some key signals which will give you a clear indicator. Whenever you interact with people you can tell through their reaction how they value your character, commitment and competence. However, signs are not always clearly evident and can be evaluated by the number of job recommendations you receive, the level of responsibility you are given and the amount of praise that comes your way. By evaluating these two areas, you can start to build up a picture of how you are moulding your perceived professional image and how others view you.

In this day and age, it is easy to have a desired professional image but living up to it is hard as your undesired professional image usually dominates and stops the true leader from surfacing. How does this happen?

Predicaments - Every person in a professional and management role will have found themselves in a predicament where things did not go as planned. This will have reflected back on their character and probably weakened their confidence. If these matters were witnessed by fellow employees, the situation or event will remain as a stain on their character and highlight their shortcomings.

Devaluation - No matter how much we abhor it, we are constantly pigeon holed into social identity groups which form perceptions of our competence, commitment and overall character. Stereotypes based around our circumstances or race are often unfair and untrue, but some people still see them as a way of pre judging our character.

A good way to create a professional image is to look at impression management. This is a series of strategies which teach us to explain predicaments, rise above devaluation and move forward. The two ways to create our desired image are through non-verbal behaviour (dress style, demeanour) and verbal cues (tone of voice, diction, speech rate).

We will also need to address our social identity so as it overrides any negative meaning associated with it. This can be done by emanating the strong points of your social status and how it has helped you to become successful. Make it an aim to educate, incorporate and demonstrate how your background has helped you to become innovative and interactive within the workplace. If you feel culturally out of place, you can use techniques which stop you from drawing attention to your identity differences so as you can conform mentally to the dominated culture submerging your company. An example could be playing down gender or religion. Alternatively, your race could be used as an advantage. For instance, professional African British who have built up a great rapport with clients and gained mutual understanding with their colleagues can quash any negative aspects to their social status and highlight their outstanding qualities.

If you think your professional persona could do with a bit of a tweaking, why not look further into positive self-improvement to stimulate and open the doorway to your ideal image. By creating your desired professional image, you can expect career advancement, a great working environment (as colleagues build up trust and respect with you), clients who keep returning and a complete sense of personal fulfilment.