Careers: Looks do talk, but only softly

A lot of people have come a long way because of their good looks. Talk about beauty queens, actors and some politicians. Even in the corporate world, many people would argue, those who have the looks tend to get ahead faster than the plain-looking folks.

Industry experts interviewed by Gulf News said there is indeed a premium on good looks in the job sector, but physical appearance is not the ultimate ticket to success. Competence, hard work, skills, dedication, and a lot more than just a pretty face remain the key driving factors.

Researchers at Duke University tried to find out last year if there is indeed a relation between appearance and success by conducting a "corporate beauty contest".

The study included a variety of online experiments asking nearly 2,000 participants to assess the photos of more than 100 CEOs and non-executives. Photos of large and small companies were paired with photos of non-executives with similar facial features, hairstyle and clothing.

The participants rated the CEOs as more competent-looking and more attractive than non-executives. The researchers also found that the CEOs who were rated competent just by their appearance make more money than their less competent-looking peers.

Long track records

"We found that more attractive CEOs tend to have higher wages," said Manju Puri, one of the finance professors at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business who carried out the study. Puri said they were surprised by the results.

"CEO succession is often a hard and long deliberated process engaged in by the Board of Directors who are intimately familiar with the CEO track record and performance."

"Our expectation was that looks would not matter in such cases where there is a lot of information and the decision is made by a handful of experienced people typically spending many months over the process. And yet looks do matter and are associated with higher CEO compensation," Puri told Gulf News last week.

But Puri quickly pointed out that looks are, at best, just one part of the equation. "Each individual has their unique strengths and talents, and should work towards harnessing them as best as possible."

Hazel Jackson, CEO of biz-group, said that while appearance can be an asset, what is important is how a person functions with the team.

First impression

"Looking the part can perhaps help a CEO to connect with his or her role team initially. But that is really just a first impression and will quickly be replaced by performance.

"When reviewing photographs of CEOs, it is important to consider the nature of the industry a CEO is operating in. What may be an appropriate look for a CEO of a bank is not the same for the CEO of an advertising agency. Fifty-five per cent of all communication is about body language, so people who have reviewed photographs would have made assumptions based on first impressions only," she added.

About the study, Lama Ataya, chief marketing officer of Bayt.com, said appearance is not the only reference to assess a professional's credibility, competence or level of success. In fact, she added, employers in the Middle East today would appreciate professionals who have good communication and leadership skills.

Acquire the killer traits to succeed

The CEO role may not be for everyone, but if you aspire to become one, you need to possess certain traits that most successful leaders share in order to succeed.

Hazel Jackson of biz-group said CEOs are often expected to be bold, outspoken and dynamic to have presence.

Jackson cited research done by Liz Wiseman, author of the book Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter that said that CEOs who know when to be quiet and reserved have better impact and presence.

"CEOs need to be intellectually curious to get the most intelligence out of their team. At times, they need to switch from answer into question mode and challenge the team members to deliver stretch results… Wiseman found that organisations use only 48 per cent of the intelligence of their team members," she said.

Latent talent

"I think a CEO who learns how to be a multiplier and accesses the latent talent sitting within their teams will be aiming for success, regardless of his or her appearance."

Lama Ataya of Bayt.com said successful leaders have different styles and roadmap to success, but they do share some common traits: honesty and integrity, good communication skills, willingness to work hard and take risks, optimism and enthusiasm, high levels of emotional intelligence, clear vision, commitment to work, high sense of responsibility, energy, perseverance, self-confidence, excellent expertise in their field and ability to engage and motivate others.

And since businesses today are highly interconnected, you must also have a global mind frame and a hunger to explore and expand new horizons.

"Reaching the C-level title so many people aspire to may be quite demanding but not at all impossible with the right amount of clarity, dedication and commitment."