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Business Rule #4:
Dress the Part
September 29, 2004
Jennifer Crisafulli suffered bad reviews this week and went down in flames—and can you guess why? It’s because she didn’t log onto The Apprentice Rules and read my earlier memo about keeping your mouth shut!
How many times must I preach this sermon? But I’m not going to preach that sermon again today. If you want to see what I have to say about talking while you should be listening, then feel free to go back and read that memo for yourself. Today, I want to discuss the merits of dressing for success.
In the boardroom, Carolyn Kepcher actually gave Jennifer the answer to her dilemma. Carolyn said that “the look” of their restaurant was much too elegant and chic for the area where it was located. The people who live there dress down and carry themselves loosely. I honestly don’t think that any one of them would stop in for a bite at their “uptight” establishment. Carolyn was also telling Jennifer something else that maybe she would have caught had she ever shut up long enough to listen: Bring Sandy into the boardroom. If Jennifer had done so, Sandy would have been grilled and it would have taken some of the heat off of her. Jennifer may have had a fighting chance at survival. So why didn’t she? Jennifer apparently thought she had some type of alliance or bond with Sandy that simply wasn’t there. Sandy in fact turned on her and singled her out as the person whom should be fired. Could Jen really be that naive? I mean seriously, these women need to get a clue. Was I the only one waiting for them to blame their failure on having to put out Stacie J.’s fires?
Despite what Jennifer may have thought, Sandy should have been brought into that boardroom because she was in charge of décor. That single element cost them dearly. The person in charge of that failure should have been held responsible for all of the Zagat survey points it cost them. That person at least should have been brought in for scolding, so that she could learn what she did wrong in order it that may never happen again. The décor, or look, of your wardrobe should always be reflective of the situation that you’re in—or wish to be a part of. There is an old saying that goes, “Dress for the job that you want, not the job that you have.” So true. So very, very true.
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The way we dress says a lot about us before we ever say a word. To me, dressing successfully means understanding the environment you’re working in. You need to know the culture and make an effort to reflect, and respect, it.
The “look” in the village where the restaurant was located was “dress down.” That same look may well be met with frowning faces in Beverly Hills. The restaurant though wasn’t in Beverly Hills. Their big mistake was in giving the restaurant a Beverly Hills look and feel. Success is hard enough to achieve without showing up on casual Friday in a three-piece suit.
You should make it easy for people to take you seriously as a business person. Show people that you mean business and are ready to “get in where you fit in.” I wonder about people who arrive for a meeting or an interview dressed inappropriately for the culture of that particular workplace. Here’s a great example from something that happened to me recently.
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The way we dress says a lot about us before we ever say a word.
