Do you really care what you look like? You do, at least according to photographer Scott Chasserot who through Original/Ideal set out to discover our subconscious ideals of attractiveness.

Combining his photographer skills with neuroscience, he tried to find out what you think is ideal. And discovered a big distance between a person’s reality and ideal self.

Before we dive into an understanding of his study, you may be curious what this has to do with leadership? Well, when I read his study, it made me wonder, “Why do we hide what we don’t like instead of repairing it?” Maybe there is the need for a visit to a leading plastic surgeon …

Have you ever wondered what you would look like if you were a little skinnier or your nose were a little straighter? Using Photoshop, Chasserot created 30 distinct versions of each person’s face. Some of the images adhered to “canonical standards” of beauty such as symmetrical and proportional features.

Other images were skewed toward what we generally consider “ugly”. In tweaking the original image, Chasserot strove to create a series of “credible” or realistic representations making sure if the images were shown to a third person who didn’t know the subject, they would believe it was a real human being.

Chasserot then outfitted each subject with an Emotive EEG brain scanner, a device that tracks engagement — mental focus — by measuring electromagnetic waves in the cerebral cortex. Subjects were shown each of the 30 images for a mere 400 milliseconds, long enough for the brain to have a reaction, but too fast for “cognition to kick in”.

As Chasserot explains, subjects didn’t have time to “lie to themselves” about which images they found compelling or beautiful. His series shows the subject’s real portrait beside that person’s EEG-based preference.

Physically, each person has an “ideal” image. Yet, Chasserot highlighted the gap between reality and ideal. I’m wondering, when they look in the mirror what image do they see — one that is closer to their ideal or reality?

The Original/Ideal research project focuses on your preconscious ideal; it gets below the skin and recognises what we look past in the mirror.

When leading, just as in the case of beauty, conscious thought gets in the way and we tend to try to hide physical impurities from others even if we believe vanity is a negative trait. Holding two or more contradictory views — ideal and reality — creates stress and discomfort.

Or do you lead the way that is natural, but less than ideal? This psychological disparity makes it difficult to know what we would change if no one was looking.

But they are looking.

As a leader, your life is reflected in the mirrors of corporate hallways and for the world to see. So what you end up doing is the opposite — you put the spotlight on reality. And they see the reality, not the private ideal that Chasserot discovered. Have a think about what you prefer to see and how you prefer to be seen.

I know the thought of plastic surgery is an evocative one, having both proponents and antagonists. But there really is a need for most leaders to experiment with leadership plastic surgery, which in essence is concerned with the “correction” or restoration of form and function.

Don’t focus just on cosmetic repairs, the externally visible. Rather, look towards a restorative surgery addressing your improvement areas.

As Chasserot realised in his beauty study, the ideal is only recognised in the flash of the eye. Then the subjects start thinking and that clouds their perception.

The same holds true for your leadership. Your ideal style gets clouded by reality, or worse, trying to mask reality and cover up at the cosmetic level.

Since you do care what you look like as a leader, you need to remove the distance between the ideal and reality. Don’t allow your brain to trick you and lie about what leadership is compelling and beautiful.

Repair rather than try to hide your leadership.

(The writer is a leadership adviser and author of 10 Tips for Leading in the Middle East and other writings. Follow him on Twitter: @tommyweir.)