Fw: ProMatch: Leader's Beacon Article "What Not To Wear To Work" (or ProMatch)

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----- Forwarded Message -----
>From: Bob Withers <http://www.novaworks.org/~rwithers>
>To: Bob Withers <http://www.novaworks.org/~rwithers> 
>Cc: Connie Brock <http://www.novaworks.org/~conniebrock>; Rosie Morales <
>http://www.edd.ca.gov/~rmorale2>; Kathy  Potter <http://www.onebox.com/~coachkathy>; Vania Parakati <
>http://profiles.yahoo.com/vaniaparakati> 
>Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 8:23 AM
>Subject: ProMatch: Leader's Beacon Article "What Not To Wear To Work" (or 
>ProMatch)
> 
>
>We see a great variety of dress at ProMatch.  I think a key take away in the 
>article for ProMatch and your future job is that the way you dress should "be 
>in alignment with the brand you want to communicate." Â Do you want to 
>communicate that you are a professional in your field ready to share your 
>expertise or that you are ready to take off on a hike, do some gardening or 
>just hang out?
>  
>
>What Not to Wear to Work
>Posted on 12 April 2012.
>For me, a coach who specializes in executive communications, the topic of 
attire is like an unwelcome neighbor who keeps popping over. Itâ??s a 
subject Iâ??m not entirely comfortable talking about as it seems 
superficial and off-topic. (Iâ??m a business coach not a style consultant, 
thank you very much.) But we all know it matters. We need to get over 
our collective discomfort and provide advice and feedback around this 
topic as it can absolutely impact oneâ??s career prospects. So here goes.
>How a person dresses is both a physical expression and a nonverbal 
>communication. When you consider the proliferation of makeover shows for both 
>men and 
women, you can see the power that clothing has over the way we view one 
another.
>I once saw an episode where a tenured professor of nonverbal 
communication was made over, giving her a final epiphany that sheâ??d been 
undermining her own credibility by not considering her 
self-presentation as a form of nonverbal expression. You canâ??t make this 
stuff up. Our desire to believe dress doesnâ??t matter is that strong.
>As a coach, I see dress delicately placed in feedback that a client 
isnâ??t polished, lacks executive presence, or fails to exemplify a 
corporate leader. Many times, supervisors are delighted to share this 
feedback with a coach because they would never tell the person 
themselves. Telling someone they are inappropriately dressed feels way 
too personal (not to mention potentially over the human resources line, 
especially when giving feedback to women).
>Despite its importance, for many professionals, attire is fairly 
unintentional. The guidelines we use for selecting our clothes may be 
different than anything else in our professional lives. We may choose 
comfort over impression for example, which would strike us as career 
killing if we were talking about body language. Or we might not update 
our corporate wardrobe for years when weâ??d never let our functional 
skills atrophy for one month.
>Iâ??m not advocating for a right way to dress â?? just that it be in 
>alignment with the brand you want to communicate. If you want to be creative 
>and innovative, dressing like an Internet 
entrepreneur in funky suits and laid-back attire might be the way to go. If youâ
??re climbing the ladder at a Fortune 50 healthcare company and 
your intention is to be credible, youâ??re better off dressing like the 
CEO regardless of the corporate policy.
>Over the years Iâ??ve seen, and heard, a lot of commentary around 
executive attire â?? most of it behind peopleâ??s backs. Here are my best 
tips for dressing to strengthen presence, not detract from it:
>	* The adage to â??dress for the job you want, not the job you haveâ?? 
always applies. See what the most senior executives wear for guidelines. 
Whenever you get promoted, your attire should be promoted as well â?? no 
exceptions.
>	* Keep your wardrobe updated. Styles change (yes, even menâ??s suits), 
as do waistlines. At least once a year, add new pieces to your 
professional wardrobe.
>	* Make sure your clothes are properly fitted. This makes a tremendous 
>	difference.
>	* Donâ??t dress for comfort; dress for presence. Casual Friday, or 
casual every day, does not mean sloppy. Thereâ??s a difference between 
dress jeans and washed-out â??Dad or Momâ?? jeans.
>	* A blazer goes a long way toward looking professional. It also allows you to 
>	dress up or down as needed during the day. (You can always keep 
one at work, too.)
>	* For women, never, ever wear revealing clothes at work. Even if you look 
>	fantastic in them, you wonâ??t be taken seriously.
>	* In general, the younger you are, the more conservatively you should 
dress. As you get more established in your career, you can add a bit 
more flair to your wardrobe because you have more gravitas. In your 
early years, your wardrobe should be professionally nondescript.
>	* Anything connected to work counts as work: plane rides, retreats, 
office happy hours or parties, etc. The workplace rules still apply.
>	* Finally, different audiences require different attire. Dress 
similarly to the group in front of you. If you donâ??t know them well, 
dress more formally.
>Since attire is hard to discuss, itâ??s avoided â?? yet never overlooked. Even 
>if you figured this whole dress topic out long ago, it may be 
relevant to someone who works for you. Think of it this way: dress is 
one aspect about your presence where you have complete control, ahead of time, 
to affect. So why not take advantage of it?
>Have an opinion about corporate attire? Comment here or on Twitter 
>@kristihedges.
>Kristi Hedges is a leadership coach, speaker and author. This column includes 
>excerpts from the authorâ??s book, Power of Presence: Unlock Your Potential 
>to Influence and Engage Others. 
>Author Spotlight
>Kristi Hedges
>Kristi Hedges is a founding partner of Element North, a leadership development 
>firm, and operates her own executive coaching practice, The Hedges  Company. 
>Her leadership programs have been utilized by CEOs and teams spanning 
the Fortune 500, privately held businesses and non-profits. Kristi's the author 
of Power of Presence: Unlock your Potential to Influence and Engage Others (
AMACOM, Fall, 2011), and  "The Leadership Factor" column for Entrepreneur.com. 
She's been named one of the "50 Women Who Mean 
Business in Washington,  D.C." and as an owner of a top 25 Largest 
Women-Owned Businesses by the Washington Business Journal. A passionate 
entrepreneur, she speaks at Vistage, Founder's Institute, and is a board member 
of Mindshare.Read Full
>More posts by the Author »
>
>Â 
>Robert Withers, ProMatch Career Advisor
>505 W. Olive Ave, Ste 550 â?¢ Sunnyvale, CA 94086
>408-737-1319 � www.novaworks.org
>
>www.linkedin.com/in/robertwithers