Comments on: Personal Brand Stereotypes #5: Only Punks Wear Mohawks

By: Giant Mohawk Man

Giant Mohawk Man — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:46:04 +0000

Wow. Not sure how I have not come across this blog before, especially since your first blog (which I have to read) is about being tall, and now one about Mohawks. I’m 6′11 and have a huge mohawk that puts me over 8feet tall, I also run the mohawk hair social network at http://www.Mohawksrock.com.

My full-time job however is with pharmaceutical companies working in healthcare IT in a company with a conservative base. The people here are very comfortable with the mohawk, and really enjoy it. I think it has more to do with the way I carry myself and my disgression. I don’t wear it everyday, and certainly would not wear it on a day when clients may be visiting the office. I would also have to highly consider the culture of an office before wearing it to an interview.

I’ve had many funny encounters with the hairstyle, but more positive than not. Again, its how you carry yourself, and I usually wear a suit jacket when the mohawk is up. The contrast is interesting, but also takes any edge off of people worrying about you being a “monster in the pit”, especially at such an imposing size of 300+ pounds.

Surprisingly, one of the big topics always on mohawksrock.com is talking about companies and how some people are required to shave their mohawks off for some jobs. The people there wish they wouldn’t have to, want to find jobs where they can have it, but are also very understanding of the corporate culture.

I look forward to reading more of this blog.

By: torbjornrive

torbjornrive — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:12:12 +0000

About a year into my employment at my current company I wore a mohawk. Not a total hawk, but more than just a fro-hawk if you know what I mean…

One day the company president came it to speak with us and in talking to him after our staff meeting (not even my boss had a problem with my hair) he had trouble concentrating. He wasn’t listening and every 10 seconds he’d drift back into staring at my head, perhaps thinking, “we hired this guy?”…

Lesson: it’s distracting for others, whether they have anything against it or not. I would never have attended a formal event, presentation, meeting or anything with that hawk – but even for regular business it was proving distractive to others.

By: David LaPlante

David LaPlante — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:32:12 +0000

Scott, I totally respect your opinion and yet only partially agree. Some brands can’t take that risk or it’s not right for them. For others, it’s not only acceptable, it’s makes for great marketing and branding. I no longer have a mohawk. I know that when I get to hang out with Senator Reid, it’s not going to advantage me in my quest to gain funding for a worthy cause. (Truth be told, it probably wouldn’t hurt me ’cause he’s cool that way.)

Example: Vail Resorts. Market cap 1.8 billion. Heavenly Ski Resort is one of their flagship resorts. The #1 resort in all of Lake Tahoe.

Their Ski.E.O: Mr. Glenn Plake. Mohawk since 1984. He’s a legend in skiing. One of the most friendly, outgoing, genuine, successful personal brands in skiing. Grew up in Heavenly. Travels the world. Owns many homes. Soooper hot wife. Kids love him. My kids adore him. I adore him.

Visitors to Heavenly flock him. Seek autographs.

He blogs, too: http://blog.skiheavenly.com/2008/03/25/glen-plake-checks-in-3/

Business isn’t always about suits and ties. Just ask Jake Burton. Richard Branson. Hugh Hefner. Malcom MacLaren. Red Bull. IMG. Benneton. Rock Racing. To name a few.

The point is not whether it’s right or not, it’s whether it’s an advantage or not for the brand(s) that you aim to enhance or extend.

I only hope that I don’t lose all my hair before I can shave another in my life. Mohawk toupee’s are hard to come by LOL.

Enjoy!

By: Natasha

Natasha — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:26:29 +0000

Thanks for the shout out, Dan. While there is a lot to the argument that employers should have control over their brand (right down to how their employees "look"), allowing for diversity is important, too. While my mention of mohawks may have been on the extreme end of the spectrum, there are folks who have problems getting jobs with modest hair color or even dreadlocks. Interviewed an image consultant about the topic a few years ago: Dreadlocks at work Thanks for your perspective! Now, on to your "oldies" debate in this series about GenX and Boomers (we're lumped into the same group??) being ageist

By: Dan Schawbel

Dan Schawbel — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:25:03 +0000

@ David, I was looking for someone with that perspective to chime in.

Thanks!

By: Scott Bradley

Scott Bradley — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:25:02 +0000

Dan,
I have to be honest here…I wouldn’t hire someone with a mohawk no matter how qualified they were. The reason I wouldn’t want to hire them is because as an employee they are an extension of the brand…and if I were a company looking for people, I know I would want to find other “better looking” people to be extensions of the brand to paint a more positive image of the company they were working with.

By: David LaPlante

David LaPlante — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:08:12 +0000

haha! Great post. I saw Bad Religion (for the first time) in 1985. And I had a mohawk.

I’ve found that my 20+ years of mixed hair colors and absurd dressings that they have proven to be tremendous social filters. The people who look past the mohawk and seek to get to know the individual are far better to know and develop a relationship with.

All my mohawk/hippie friends are lawyers, doctors, sentaors and entrepreneurs with lifelong friends and stable marriages. Gives new meaning to ‘wasted youth’!