Appearances are everything. It might seem overly superficial, but it is true. Even more so, first impressions last and you’d better make a good one.
Part of the appearance is how you dress. I make it a habit of dressing up for business, for several reasons. Firstly, you feel different when you dress up a bit. It is an important little thing to trick your mind into a business mindset and work mode. Secondly, people view you differently and this can make a big difference.
Dress up, and be respected
In my business of consulting and rather high-value work, it is inevitable that you and your business need to match the value and more honestly, the fee that you are charging your clients. That also means that you have to dress up. One of my favorite pieces of clothing is my suit jacket, especially when traveling (it’s so practical!) and as a benefit, it happens to be a good choice when you need to look businessman-like.
As you know I travel quite a bit and have done for the past years. When I go into the lounge at the airport before my flight, I considerably help lowering the mean age in the room. Yes, it is still mostly an older mens club—sadly. A benefit of dressing the part here is that people suddenly (mostly) look past the age and see your function. Businessman. Gold lounge. Frequent traveller. No problem.
Yes, in that sense I like to blend in, but it has also helped me to be able to get access to and talk to people that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to address. Dressing correctly helps give you legitimacy and that is not a bad thing.
Superficial, but necessary
Sure, all this may again seem very superficial, but it is a superficial world that we live in and first impressions last. Thus, I would without hesitation choose to dress up nicely every day. Plus, I rather think it looks better too and am not the one to call a suit uncomfortable.