by Vicki Salemi
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Just ask Barry Liebling, author of "Think and Act on Business Ethics: A Radical Capitalist View" (Alert Mind Publishing, 2004). He contends that modeling behavior is an important strategic move in catapulting yourself to success, so long as you put the act of attribute adaptation in perspective. "You have to understand why your role model's actions are correct for you. Thoughtlessly copying someone else's manners is flying blind and will lead to trouble. Personal integrity is essential."
Got Integrity?
Frank Adubato, chairman/CEO and founder of Camp Aviation, a full service aircraft management operation based in Morristown, NJ, agrees. By running an aviation business for 20 years, Frank credits his longevity as a skillful negotiator, mediator, and mentor to his best friend. "Being associated with such a well-respected individual has helped establish credibility in a highly competitive industry," Adubato explains. "I've always felt compelled to maintain his level of character. Establishing trust with a client is extremely important."
But if you think trust is only important with clients, think again. Former co-workers Beth Doty, an advertising executive at Modernista!, credits one of the Bostona, MA-based advertising agency's founders, Michael Densmore (currently of Arnold Worldwide) with setting a valuable leadership standard. "He's a natural leader," she explains. "People work at their best when they feel appreciated, valued, and respected. Regardless of a person's position, experience, and background, he is always equally respectful, non-judgmental, and caring."
Densmore credits his father for instilling in him the mantra, "Treat others how you would want to be treated." In fact, the same saying holds true for Stacy Francis of Francis Financial and Savvy Ladies, a non-profit organization that provides financial empowerment to women. The certified financial planner says she learned stress management the old-fashioned way: on the job, in the heat of the moment. Her former job in mergers dealt with an incredible amount of pressure, however, in the face of adversity, her leaders showed you really can do it all and get it done, while treating each other respectfully.
"Powerful people are usually the most loved and respected; those who raise colleagues up rather than put them down." Francis says she uses the borrowed philosophy to build up and encourage her own staff.
Back to School
Integrity? Check. Respect? Check. Online degree? Huh? Another way to borrow A-list characteristics for an improved corporate persona is to school yourself in subject matter. In fact, Sue Lory, district sales manager for McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, learned from her boss what an important role education plays in enhancing one's career. Since Lory's job is field-based, her manager suggested a distance learning program - Syracuse University's iMBA - to provide academic rigor and flexibility.
"He thought I would learn more about problem solving in terms of key business issues, and entrepreneurship that would expose my strengths and solidify my corporate accountability and corporate responsibility," Lory explains. "He was right."
Communication 101
Whether you're in the online classroom or in the boardroom, keep in mind it's not always what you say, but how you say it. Michelle Tennant, owner of the PR firm, Wasabi Publicity, learned to make her communication "pop" professionally by personalized communication skills from her former boss, Deb Pinger, who insisted on handwritten notecards for a warm connection. "Letters, cards, and gifts are mini-expressions of who you are," Tennant learned. She now uses such tactics to her advantage. "It's like a mini-advertisement on who you are as a person."
Dress for Success
So, while you're conveying your personality in a written sentiment or with a gift, it's equally important to look the part. Just ask Ann Blumenstock, pharmaceutical publicity whiz at Euro RSCG Life PR. The former actress parlays theatrical skills into on-the-job success by mirroring theater buddies.
"If you look the part, you act the part," she explains, which is why she applied that to her own style of dress in various offices. "I find I perform better if I really make an effort to iron those pants and put myself together as opposed to just giving in and throwing on jeans."
Bridgette Raes of the Bridgette Raes Style Group, an image and style consulting company that helps clients create a powerful image and personal style, agrees. "If you don't feel powerful in what you're wearing, nobody else will feel it either." She adds, "While I wholeheartedly agree that you dress for work to represent the job you are doing, you need to find the balance of appropriate workplace attire that you feel good wearing."
Make It Your Own
In whatever behavior you emulate, advises Francie Dalton, founder and president of Dalton Alliances, Inc., a consulting firm providing services in communication, management, and behavioral sciences to corporate clients, be sure to factor in your own personal flair.
"Sometimes what one has to emulate is the courage to go against conventional wisdom." Determine the characteristics you want to 'steal' based on what has made others successful. Above all, stresses Dalton, make it your own.
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