|
|
 |
 |
|
| Time
for the Spring Makeover, Chaps |
| |
We all know the importance of having the right image
for business success, creating as we do strong impressions
through body language, expression, posture, dress
and style. It's putting this into practice that is
the hard bit.
The top five attributes most of us would like to convey
in our personal brands are:
- having
professional standards and being good at what we do
- having
high self-esteem, self-confidence, and integrity
- being
up-to-date, forward looking, and able to embrace change
- having
enthusiasm, energy and initiative
- having
good social and interpersonal skills
It’s less a question of whether you have these attributes
than whether you are letting the relevant people know
you have them. There are classic pitfalls which get
in the way. Here is a light-hearted checklist to help
to discover if you might be falling into any of them.
|
| |
| Type |
Signs |
Believes |
Comments |
| |
|
|
|
 |
Do
you go to the ‘barber’ less than every six weeks.
Would you rather stick pins in your eyes than be
seen going into a male beauty salon. Do you own
fewer than three of these: a facial cleanser, a
moisturiser, a nail file, tweezers, a nose hair
trimmer? |
Mucho
Macho thinks personal grooming and care is for girls.
He’ll manage a shave, a shower and a squirt of deodorant
but that’s it. As for getting in touch with his
feminine side it is not possible as he denies he
has one. |
Mucho
Macho may cut a swathe in very traditional male
preserves, but he’s more Zero than Hero with female
colleagues and clients. |
 |
Do
you wear clothes more than five years old? Do you
have hair side-parted and neatly combed over? Are
your suits mostly pin stripes? Are your ties mainly
blue? Do you still possess a navy blazer with gold
buttons? Does your mobile phone look like a small
brick? |
Likes
his usual way of dressing and hasn’t really thought
about it for ages. He is comfortable as he is. Trends
come and go. |
Likes
his usual way of dressing and hasn’t really thought
about it for ages. He is comfortable as he is. Trends
come and go. Joe 90 looks ten years behind the times,
stuck in a rut. As his appearance is out of date,
how could he possibly have his finger on the pulse
of current management ideas? If he looks like someone
being dragged along in the slipstream of new trends,
how could he be an effective leader of change? |
 |
Could
you ever be mistaken for a fusty academic? Is your
desk an untidy mountain of papers? Are your clothes
crumpled? Do you wear a full beard? |
Doesn’t
matter how he looks, because he is so highly qualified
and experienced. Couldn’t possibly be judged on
superficial appearance. It’s just vanity. |
Wrong.
We take ten seconds to form judgments. We have become
sophisticated interpreters of brand values and visual
short hands. By the time you’ve said “But I’ve got
a PhD” it’s too late. |
 |
Do
you ever wear half a suit e.g. the jacket with jeans?
Do you think smart-casual means not having to shave
or bother with the ironing? Likes novelty ties,
white socks, no socks, socks with sandals. You can
manage ‘formal’ or ‘weekend’ but not a hybrid. |
Thinks
dress-down Friday is OK to wear anything corduroy
or denim, low buttoning shirts flashing a bit of
hairy chest, T-shirts with slogans. |
Trying
to achieving a smart-casual hybrid –- a dress
code pitched halfway between the safety zones of
'formal' and 'anything goes', guarantees confusion
and lack of confidence. Underdressed, you can look
as if you’re not up to the job, and you would rather
be elsewhere. Overdressed, you can look out of sync
and insecure. |
 |
Are
your suits mainly grey and navy? Are your shirts
mainly white and blue? Have your shoes become as
comfy as your slippers? Do you use throwaway biros?
Do your clothes have a subtle sheen caused by dry
cleaning? |
The
Suits You Sir man believes that he can exude business
acumen and professionalism merely by donning a suit.
Any suit. As long as it’s a suit. Doesn’t really
matter about the quality, so long as the fit is
more or less okay. |
Managing
your image for business success requires a certain
investment of both time and money, and there is
no real substitute for quality and proper fit. Unlike
our school days, there is more involved than pulling
on the uniform. You may not be able to tell a top-quality
suit from a cheaper high-street version, but some
of those around you can. |
|
| |
| You can sort out your business wardrobe once and for
all with some professional help from someone who can work
with your body type and colouring, budget and lifestyle,
to achieve the look that works for you. Ring 020 7242
4030 to make an appointment with Jennifer Aston. |
|
|
| |
|
 TOP
|
|
