THE PRIOR-IMAGE PROBLEM

Should you decide to make the move into management in a firm where you started as a new employee, understanding the Prior-Image Predominance Theory will assist you. Wherever you are now as an employee, those above you may have an image of you built on first impressions. When you first joined the organization, you went through a period of adjustment. You were less confident and less capable than you are now. A prior image based on first impressions is no longer fair to you, and you may need to make special efforts—like new grooming, new confidence, more forthright communication—to change it. You may need to make these changes even before a supervisory appointment is made, but the process should continue after the announcement so that everyone will sense your new maturity and not treat you unfairly because of a less favorable image established in the past.