A few months back I wrote a slightly cheesy post on personal branding that got a lot of feedback, both online and off. It has been on my mind again (and folks have asked me to follow up on it) recently. That was November and since then I’ve moved to Boulder from Chapel Hill, worked on my own brand and the brands of multiple companies, traveled extensively and given the question a lot more thought. This is a continuation of that dialog that began more than six months ago.
Looking Good Is Not An Option. It’s Your Duty.
After the bubble burst in Japan, unemployed men would don their suits and ride the train as though they still had jobs. Wearing a suit, with no real place to go. Why? Part of it was probably out of routine, but the other piece gives us a little insight into the Japanese psyche.
I think the typical Japanese mind, on a daily basis, is ready for anything. Anything could happen and may. An earthquake could set your building rattling. Someone on the train may be looking for new hires. It’s best to be prepared.
Wearing a suit on the subway when you don’t have a job might seem like an American’s worst nightmare. Why wear a suit when you don’t have to? For that matter: why do anything that isn’t required of you?
It’s a difference in upbringing, to be sure. It’s also a difference in societal norms.
Who Do You Choose?
If you’re wearing a suit on the train and someone sees you, and they’re hiring, they’re more likely to strike up a conversation with you than the guy wearing jeans and a t-shirt two seats down, aren’t they? That’s a lot of “ifs” but what is life but a sequence of “ifs” becoming reality?
When I was there in 2005, there was a movement in Japan called Cool Biz where salarymen were encouraged to leave the suits behind, loosen the ties and even try wearing Hawaiian prints to work. The PM led the way (Koizumi san…what a hottie). The reaction was mixed: “We welcome the Cool Biz move; it is a favorable wind for us,” Masaaki Kato, spokesman for Renown D’urban Holdings, one of Japan’s largest apparel companies, said in an interview. “The fence between business and casual has been crumbling down recently. There is a decline in the traditional view that the man who is wearing a suit is a businessman and the man who’s not is unemployed.” So either you’re wearing a suit or you’re unemployed?
The average Japanese person has, and I’m generalizing here, but overall, strong convictions about looking good, as do I. I believe that looking good, getting yourself well put together before you leave the house, is a direct reflection of who you are. As superficial as it may sound, you are judged by what you wear and what you do (or don’t do) to your hair.
If you were the boss and had to choose between a job candidate in a tank top and cut offs or one in a black A-line, who would you choose?
Paying It Forward, Revisted
An older woman checking out at the grocery store last night, when asked by the cashier how she was doing responded with a sigh and a grimace. I’m not saying you have to go around all smiles and butterflies, but consider that a smile to the cashier essentially ensures a smile for the next person in line. Breathe and smile, no matter the circumstances–it not only helps you, it helps everyone around you. A thought: sometimes doing it (like, acting happy) makes it happen (like, being happy).
When considering your personal brand (as it evolves daily), take a look at what you’re wearing and how you’re wearing it. Consider the possibilities that a suit may mean. Consider the alternatives of a smile instead of a frown. The packaging helps us get an indication about what’s inside. And tells us whether or not we want to open you up.
One final note: know when not to wear a suit. I have watched a local Venture Capital firm do this with ease. Sometimes I wonder if those guys have an on-site personal maintenance person to keep them looking great. They show up to speaking gigs in suits and pull them off as confidently as a button-down and jeans at casual get-togethers. You may not be a VC, but as lots of women’s ‘zines tell us: dress the part. If you think you might want to someday make as much money as an investor, dress like you want it. Ronna Lichtenberg has an entire section on Personal Packaging in her book, Pitch Like a Girl. From the book (guys, it’d serve you well to read it, too):
“Aim up for your look. Your shoes and handbag should reflect where you want to be rather than where you are now.”
It’s often not what you wear but how you wear it that matters. I can rock a thrifted tee and jeans with as much confidence as a Thai silk dress. Getting comfortable in your own skin is the quickest way to looking hot - wear it with confidence or leave it in the closet. I don’t care what you wear. Just make sure you rock it. As they say out in Cali, go big or go home.
