Pivot for Success

10Managing Perceptions

There's no such thing as a second first impression.

WHEN I WAS growing up as one of four daughters, I noticed how my mother had to learn how to be creative to present us to the world as she wanted us to be seen. Both my parents came from working‐class backgrounds and worked hard to better themselves in life. My mother was a nurse who went to college at night after she had all of us to become a teacher, and my father became a medical technician when he couldn't afford to go to medical school. They both always worked and wanted the best for us.

A stylish but savvy woman, my mother could sew, so she made outfits for us. But it was her savvy that was truly creative. She would take us shopping at the best department stores in Detroit to look at the high‐quality clothes when they first arrived in the store. Then she would take us back when they went on sale. Not the first markdowns, not the second, but the final markdowns, when they went to the clearance basements. My mother was the queen of the clearance racks. No one shopped them better, and she made the most of the resources my parents could afford. She knew quality, and we always looked like quality as we represented our family. It was a skill I learned from her, and it has come in handy all my life to Manage Perceptions.

How You Present Yourself Impacts Your Potential for Success

We were taught from a young age the importance of presenting ourselves well. It would help you get into good schools, get ...