INNERGISE!

Here we are in the the so-called noughties and still millions of us have to go to work in a suit and a tie.  Why is that?  Surely, it doesn’t matter anymore.  What’s wrong with shorts and flip flops, or even a button down shirt and chinos?   We must all be grown up enough to see through the surface and see that people can deliver professional work without having to put on a façade.

Most lawyers, accountants, insurance brokers and bankers wake up every morning and throw on these uniforms and trudge to the office, and then spend most of their working life trying to stand out and be seen.  The principle of a meritocracy is pretty well established in most organisations (I accept, not all!), and as a result the cream tends to rise to the top. What happened in the banking sector recently does seem to break that rule somewhat, but try to forget that for the moment and go with me for the time being.

There is the odd dress down Friday, and some meetings ties might be removed, once the client has been visited once or twice, and they have established how they can conform to their client.  The client wears a suit, we wear a suit.  The client wears chinos, we wear chinos.  Sorry ladies, my knowledge of the female wardrobe would make my references incomprehensible or unfashionable, but I will come back to you.

Perhaps it is the fact that it is easier for the management to see everyone in a uniform to therefore spot how the way their people deliver results, without being distracted by someone’s hairy chins or complete lack of colour coordination.

But coming back to the women in the professions, this does not appear to be so much of a problem.  Women do not have such limitations on colour or style, beyond remaining reasonable well dressed.  Most suit-clad male clients still deal with them without judging them on their dress.

So again, why does it still matter?  I think the answer lies in understanding how successful communication works when thinking about promoting ourselves.  If you have a client who is a lot of fun, creative and gets bored easily, will trying to promote yourself or your company in a very methodical and detailed way win you business.  Probably not.  Far better would be to play to his character, and present in a fun, energetic way.

Likewise, if your client is a very driven and slightly aggressive character, it is not going to work if you make a very empathetic and people focused way.  You should present with a succinct and results-focused presentation. So dressing in a similar way to your client can have the same effect.

I recently relented my normally stubborn attitude to not wear a suit to meet a potential client, who was the managing partner of a law firm, following advice from my colleague who suggested it might make it help in a small way.  The client was sure to be in a suit, I thought.  Let’s see whether it makes a difference, I thought.  He then turns up with a loud striped shirt and a pair of chinos.  That’s it, the suits going back in the wardrobe in the spare room never to be worn again, I thought.

The trouble is how do you find out how the client dresses before a meeting.  Perhaps, Microsoft should introduce a dress code field alongside the location and date fields for meetings in the Outlook calendar.  At the end of the day, the professions have decided to take the safe option and have stuck to the suits.  What a shame.

Come on guys – take a risk, be comfortable in who you are and let your actions do the talking!