Those of us at VIM Executive Coaching who have a bit of “aging” on the odometer, can well remember the days of power suits and power ties.
We also remember when women became more empowered in the executive ranks. And though it was long overdue (and still is), it was interesting to observe women’s fashions of those days: power suits and power accessories of various sorts and colors.
No Predictor
I knew an author of one of those dressing for success books that sprouted like lapel boutonnieres. He was a fairly high-placed executive in the hardware industry. In fact, he owned a few companies. The last I heard, his business had hit choppy waters and he was considering going into real estate because he had made one terrible decision after another.
On the other hand: I heard through a friend in banking about a company in the natural products area that was seeking funding. At the time the organization was doing quite well and attracting a great deal of attention with its go-go growth strategy.
Several bankers showed up for a get-acquainted meeting, appropriately dressed, to the “conference room” of the company. Except, there were no chairs, only large exercise balls and workout equipment. The CFO appeared, 20 minutes late, wearing a t-shirt, flip-flops and cut-off jeans. The meeting almost seemed intended to belittle the lenders. The CFO was confrontational in a laid-back, passive-aggressive manner.
However, it was soon “uncovered” that the company was hiding its bookkeeping methods along with indiscretions on the part of management. About a year to the day that the CFO-banker meeting occurred, the company folded, the executives faced indictment and the CFO was removed.
My point is that “dressing for success,” power suits, power ties, power shoes or power sports cars, are not predictors. Nor, is counter-culture posturing which, in itself, is also a dressing statement.
“Wrappings” of any nature, fail to convey the essence of what executive leadership should be about.
At the moment, we’re struggling with a viral pandemic. Many executive leaders are working from home. Shorts, pajamas and sweatshirts are not that uncommon. Some, on tele-conferencing calls, share jokes that they’re wearing business shirts, and out of sight, gym shorts.
Yet, some leaders have been quite effective in guiding their organizations through these rather odd times. Does this not run counter to many of the old expectations wrapped up in the dressing for success model?
Who You Are, is Not How You Dress
What an executive might wear, and despite what the commercials often suggest, what they drive, or how they look, or their age, gender, race, sexual orientation do not determine executive leadership.
To our way of thinking, the key factor is authenticity.
Who is the executive leader as a person? How mindful are they of their business “environment?” How much compassion do they show within their organizations? How do they respond to workplace challenges?
All of those factors are infinitely more important that “appearance.”
We often hear from future clients that they are mystified as to why they are not advancing. Some invariably start with, “Perhaps I need to change my wardrobe, or get a new hair-style or improve my golf game.” While, on a superficial level, such may impress just a bit, none of those reasons are necessarily why an executive fails to advance.
The authentic executive, those who are mindful in the moment, those who respond and show compassion, become successful in their own right, and their own time.