Image Matters

The purpose of this new, monthly column with the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) is to help make modern fashion and image awareness work for all of us. I want this column to be a tool for a valuable conversation about image and appearance. This is why I welcome you to send your questions to me, and I'll do my best to answer them in the IBJ.
Biggest business casual problem is its tricky definition
When it comes to business casual, we can all agree on one thing: No one really knows what it is.
  • What was once meant to be a reward on Fridays has turned into a gray chasm of wardrobe ambiguity for employees and human resources departments. I’m not advocating a return to rigid Mad Men-esque dress code, but we have to do better than what has become thoughtless casual. Employers are getting tired of playing the fashion police role, and employees are tired of the guessing game. Sandals? Golf shirts? Sleeveless dresses? Yoga pants worn as dress pants?

I understand that different industries require different dress. The requirements can change from day to day within the same job. I know one fraternity foundation director who chooses his wardrobe based on the donor he is meeting.

And it’s not as if jeans can’t sometimes...

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Originally Run on January 19, 2013
I ask you, does anyone really want a key-chain or a jolly paperweight?
In these economic times, gifts in the workplace might not be necessary or expected, but they remain common—and often stressful for both giver and receiver.

  • To the gift givers I offer this advice: Think first. If you have to give the same thing to everyone, keep it smart, simple and useful. Nobody wants to think the company is wasting money on something that will be dropped in a drawer and forgotten.

If you can personalize your giving, try to remember conversations with the intended receivers where hobbies, goals or family were mentioned. You don’t want to be the equivalent of the boss in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” who gave a subscription to the Jelly of the Month Club.

Better to give something that is...

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Originally Run on December 15, 2012
Still have a holiday office party at your place of employment? Count yourself lucky. But remember that while the pretense is pleasure, you also need to approach such affairs with a professional plan that includes both appearance and attitude. First, remember that even if the boss doesn’t say so, attendance is mandatory.

  • “In these days of advanced technology, nothing beats face-to-face interactions in a relaxed setting,” says Mona Euler, vice president for IU Health Neuroscience. “Employees who want to move up in their respective company should attend.”

The office party provides a minefield of potential complications.

  • “Using inappropriate language, consuming too much alcohol, or leaving little to the imagination in your choice of attire (men and women both) will derail your career quickly,” says Liz Snyder, vice president of human resources for Damar Services Inc. Dress according to the season an...
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Originally Run on November 17, 2012
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For most people, a first “real” professional outfit wasn’t unique. Men chose from a black, gray or navy suit, paired with a white dress shirt. Shoes? Black. Tie? Red or navy.

Women had a wider range of bland options, including a black or gray suit, with a knee-length skirt … or perhaps slacks, all tied together with a white blouse. Accessories were understated and the purse—black or brown.

While these are great places to start, your style and fashion choices shouldn’t end here. But, for many, they do. In spite of the abundant wonderful options, professionals often express a high level of pride in not buying clothes. This pride of not spending money is often combined with the expectation that others should accept the “real you.” “I do good work. Why should people care what I wear? Why do I...
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Originally Run on October 11, 2012
“He looks so professional.”
“She just looks like a leader.”

Even before you deliver your prepared message, your physical presentation has a real impact on whether others will accept or reject your ideas. And, right now, Indianapolis—in the midst of its own important perception-management campaign—still has a ways to go.

Yes, we had a successful Super Bowl and, yes, the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association has been renamed Visit Indy. (According to Visit Indy President and CEO Leonard Hoops, the new name is more “edgy, hip, trendy, fun, hospitable and endearing.”) We’re getting good ink across the country and people are paying attention.

But there’s more work to do. For all of us. Every one of us participates in our city’s bid to be known for more than... (CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE ONLINE)

Originally Run on September 15, 2012