Understated Attire and Personal Impact

Today is Tuesday, so this post is on positive personal impact.

On my www.CommonSenseGuy.com blog on Friday, I wrote about Southwest Air Lines treatment of two women passengers.  These two women were singled out by representatives of the airline and told that they were dressed inappropriately for flying.  You can read the post here:
http://bbilanich.typepad.com/blog/2007/09/southwest-airli.html.  If you read the post, you see that I believe Southwest was in the wrong here.  However, that’s not what I want to discuss today. 

Today’s post is devoted to positive personal impact.  As you recall, people who make a positive personal impact have three things in common.

1. People with powerful personal impact develop and constantly promote their personal brand.
2. People with powerful personal impact are impeccable in their presentation of self.
3. People with powerful personal impact know and practice the basic rules of etiquette.

One way of being impeccable in your presentation of self is to not draw unwanted, negative attention to yourself by your attire.  My advice on this is simple, “Dress one step up from what is required by the situation.”  If you do this, you’ll make a positive personal impact.

I realize that fashion changes quickly, and it can be difficult to always know what is best to wear.  But if you pay attention to what you wear, and your grooming, you will be unlikely to find yourself in an uncomfortable situation.

Back to Ms. Ebbert and Ms. Qassim: as I mentioned previously, I believe they were wronged by Southwest.  On the other hand, they were not dressed one level up.  I am not blaming the victim here.  This doesn’t mean that Southwest had the right to do what they did to each of them. 

I want to cast this situation in light of appropriate attire for business.  The common sense advice is simple.  Pay attention to what you’re wearing.  In most business environments, follow these simple rules.  Wear clean clothes that fit well.  Shine your shoes.  Comb your hair.  Wear understated accessories. 

If you do this, I think you’ll not only make a positive personal impact at work, you’ll probably get by the Southwest fashion police too.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for reading.  Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com to subscribe to my monthly ezine and for more common sense.  Check out my other blog: www.CommonSenseGuy.com for common sense advice on leading people and running a small business.

I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Bud

PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand – my fundraising page is still open.  Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.