The man that
DaimlerChrysler AG has brought in to save its brands sports his own
distinctive insignia: a bushy, grey walrus moustache that has adorned his
face since he was a teenager.
It may work for Dieter Zetsche, who, last Thursday,
was named the car company's new chief executive officer, but if you're
aiming for the corner office, a beard or mustache can actually be a
liability, career experts caution.
"In general, the word on the
street about facial hair is nein," says career coach and corporate
trainer Colleen Clarke, president of Colleen Clarke and Associates in
Toronto.
"When you look at the pictures
of any board of directors, invariably the people will not have facial hair
-- and these are people who become the gauge of the image of success," Ms.
Clarke says.
In fact, 95 per cent of the CEOs of the Fortune 100
companies and 82 per cent of the Forbes 100 richest men in America are
clean-shaven, according to a study last year by Boston-based razor maker
Gillette Co.
In politics, too, the smooth look is definitely the
clear-cut winner. None of the leaders of the Group of Eight sport facial
hair and no American president has worn a beard or moustache since William
Howard Taft's election in 1910, according to Gillette.
No wonder. Before last fall's presidential election,
50 per cent of 500 respondents to a Gillette survey said they believe
clean-shaven men are more honest than men with facial hair.
"The wearing of beards has been seen as a . .
.liability for some time, because of the historical belief that they are
diabolical, unhygienic or disguise the wearer's true face," says Allan
Peterkin, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto
and the author of One Thousand Beards: A Cultural History of Facial Hair.
In business, facial hair has been frowned upon in
leaders because "beards have been perceived as an expression which could
range from Communist to anti-establishment," Prof. Peterkin says.
And mustaches have become a stereotyped accessory for
fictional villains, from Peter Pan's Captain Hook to anarchist Snidley
Whiplash in Rocky and Bullwinkle to Sirius Black in the Harry Potter books.
Because facial hair is so rare
in executives, it can draw too much attention, Ms. Clarke cautions.
"The advice coaches always give is, when you go on an
interview, you don't want to be wearing anything that singles you out and
distracts people from your skills and what you say," she says.
"Remember in an interview if they don't know who you
are, you want them to remember your ability and professionalism before they
remember what you look like," says career coach Ross Macpherson, president
of Career Quest Inc. in Whitby, Ont.
As well, Ms. Clarke suggests
that "a big guy with a big moustache can be an intimidating factor" to
subordinates. "If you have a 'stand back and gasp' moustache, you have to do
something to lighten the effect," she says.
At the same time, someone who has always sported
facial whiskers might become too self-conscious and uncomfortable shaving it
off, Mr. Macpherson says.
Derek Oland, chairman and CEO of Moosehead Breweries
Ltd. of Saint John understands that. Years ago, Mr. Oland, who has had a
beard for close to 40 years, was cajoled by family and friends to go
clean-shaven.
But the new look only lasted six months. "I felt kind
of naked actually. Right after you shave it off, there's that white pasty
face again and you know, the inevitable jokes about, 'There's that weak chin
again,' " he says.
So he let his beard grow back. And now, he has no
plans to shave it off again.
"People can think of me what they want. If you look
down deep, I don't know why I have it. It's just there. It's me."
Still, too many Canadian businessmen with moustaches
tend to adopt an almost identical look, complains Rick Ricci, owner of
Truefitt & Hill men's grooming salon at Scotia Plaza in the heart of
Toronto's financial district.
"They all have the same lines," he says -- straight
along the top of the lip and squared off on the ends.
If you're going to sport facial hair, give it some
flair, Mr. Ricci says. "We suggest angling the ends and adding a little
style."
Still, "anything that is too dramatic is a bad idea,"
says Dave Lackie, editor of Cosmetics magazine in Toronto.
He says that huge moustaches that became vogue in the
1970s are now definitely out and they make anyone wearing one look dated.
The current fashion in moustaches: the thin look that
NDP Leader Jack Layton wears, rather than the huge lip bush that Mr. Zetsche
favours.
"The trend is to wear facial hair very short and keep
it trimmed every day or two," Mr. Lackie says.
And any facial hair should always match the colour of
the hair on your head, he adds.
"Grey can look good if you have grey hair but if you
colour your hair, use a product to colour the beard as well," Mr. Lackie
advises.
So given the relative lack of popularity of facial
hair on the top rungs, what's to be said about CEOs who do choose to let a
razor gather dust in the medicine cabinet?
Mr. Oland, for one, says he likes to be with others
who share his hirsute preferences.
"For some reason when I meet someone who has a beard,
I get to know them a little faster. There is a commonality there," he says.
More importantly, once they've reached the top, few
are going to quibble with those who have made the hairy choice, say the
experts.
"Chief executives are a special
case. When you get to the top, you can pretty well have hair like you want,"
Ms. Clarke says. "If you want to wear it, wear it and if you are in a senior
enough position and your accomplishments speak for themselves, that's fine,"
she adds.
"There is always room for individuality," Mr.
Macpherson adds. "A beard or moustache can become part of your brand, if you
are a strong enough individual to pull it off."
Matthew Barrett, CEO of
London-based Barclays Bank PLC, sports a moustache he also had in his
previous position as CEO of Bank of Montreal, "and it looks stunning on
him," Ms. Clarke notes.
As for Mr. Zetsche, he has made the walrus "part of
his brand and he can obviously back it up with strong performance," Mr.
Macpherson says.