The Importance of Perception Management

The first step in perception management will be to ensure that the little time that you spend with the ones who you wish to influence is positive in all sense. Let me take the example of the regular employee. What is it that is influencing the superiors to form a negative perception about the good employee? It is the lack of interaction of this employee with his superiors, during the days that he is in office. The superiors don't see much of him on such days and add to it the few days that he is on leave and a perception is made that the employee is never available.

How will you change the perception here? Just start interacting with your superiors a bit more on the days you are in office. Let them see a bit more of you. They will start to see a lot of you and would not miss you when you are on leave. Another thing you could do is to make people realize that you are never on leave. Before you go on a leave, make it a point to go to your bosses and engage in a chat during which you let them know that you will be on leave the next day after a long time - a much needed break.

To sum it up, the single most important and easiest way to perception management is to project a positive behavior to your superiors in the little time that you interact with them or, increase the interaction time, whichever is feasible to you.

There is nothing wrong in "Perception management", though a few people profess that it is the wrong practice. You have been a very sincere employee but the sincerity needs to be appreciated by your superiors if you are to grow in your career. So a bit of dressing-up is not unethical.