impression management - the need of the day

the most important course to be learned in management studies is impression management. taking a few lines from the new age knowledge base for the globe(wikipedia) i put a few lines about impression management -
"In sociology and social psychology, impression management is the process through which people try to control the impressions other people form of them. It is a goal-directed conscious or unconscious attempt to influence the perceptions of other people about a person, object or event by regulating and controlling information in social interaction. It is usually synonymous with self-presentation, if a person tries to influence the perception of their image."


why do i say this is important in management studies - because what i have observed in the last few days is that however smart you are (i am not talking about me), however sincere you are(ummm...i ll take that), however good you are(no comments) - you cannot succeed unless until people have all THESE impressions about you. in the age of internet where the information is available to everyone at one click - anyone can act to be smart, sincere, hard-working (collecting information) and get good marks. but the art is to "show" that you are all these. if you can't - then sorry people it will take ages for your peers and superiors to know you. i do agree that some of them are recognized and worshiped for their knowledge in their groups - but this is not the case with majority of the people(including me. The art lies in showing - projecting yourself especially in front of your 'professors'. come on, so many people in class (72...yeah that too in a management course...haha) and 5 sections...how can u expect him to remember you...ummm..then what can you do ? Come out...speak up...ask stupid questions...get into a mindless debate...go outside his room - morning, noon, evening and even nights...tell him you know nothing, ask for books, sit in his rooms for hours (discussing devil knows what)...only then s/he'll remember you...only then will s/he give you those marks you 'deserve'. not by writing in papers or presenting well. you should 'share' knowledge - the knowledge( YOUR knowledge) that will used by the "impressioners" to create an impact...if you wanna succeed, start impressing...

by the way...did i forget, "look good" ? cos, looking good is the primary step of impression management.. go to the saloon/beauty parlor, get a makeover and create that impact....

adios
regards,
Kunal