Is the suit and tie becoming a thing of the past for modern male leaders?
It was all so straightforward once upon a time. You got up, slipped into your dark suit and tie, put on your bowler hat, newspaper and umbrella under your arm and off to the office you would go to earn your shillings with similarly dressed colleagues that never deviated from the standard office ‘uniform’. Everyone knew what was expected of you in the formal working environment and this must have made things particularly simple when selecting your work togs (when you could afford them) and it probably meant the local tailor and hat makers had thriving businesses.
Before you ask, I’m not old enough to remember that far back but I have seen the film version of ‘Mary Poppins’ and I consider that to be a true reflection of times gone by….. chimney sweeps, flying nannies and a witty ditty for every occasion; that’s how it used to be.
Well okay, perhaps not EXACTLY like that but the bowler hats and strictly adhered to work attire really were a part of the normal daily etiquette.
When I began an office based career in the late ‘90s (I did have various employs before that), we were expected to wear business wear. We were not customer facing so ties were not a requirement although most of the male leaders did wear suits and ties. The only respite from this was once a month on payday Friday when it was dress down day for all.
I also note that at that time, the guys were wearing what I would describe as ‘business shirts’ albeit of a more eclectic range of colours and patterns than would be seen back in Mary Poppins’ day.
Over the years I noticed this trend alter and I remember many of the male workforce starting to wear, what I considered to be, ‘going out shirts’. Some might think of this as a more ‘trendy’ option however I remember thinking at the time that these ‘going out’ shirts were really not appropriate for the office. In an embarrassingly (now) rather judgemental and a holier than thou attitude I assumed that these people could not make the distinction between work attire and ‘going out’ attire. I knew what was ‘right’; an ironic viewpoint as well, as it turns out, because my friends will tell you I’m no fashionista when it comes to knowing what to wear.
So it seems this trend has continued and there doesn’t seem to be much of a distinction between the types of shirts guys wear at the office and what they wear on a night out, although many do stick to the traditional type business shirt. For me there is a clear difference between the two styles.
However, that aside, we always looked forward to our monthly pay day dress down day and there was always a slight upturn in mood on these special monthly occasions.
As the years went by, the monthly dress down day became a weekly event with every Friday now becoming dress down and more recently still, in 2012, I hear that casual attire usually reserved for dress down days is now the norm every working day of the week in this particular organisation. But, some people still choose to wear a shirt and tie to work because they like the routine, the professional feel and the separation from their everyday life that dressing differently provides.
We could discuss whether dress down organisations such as Google have a workforce that becomes less productive or more productive but that is for a whole other article. Perhaps it depends on the organisation.
But what about the leaders? Since I’ve been a part of the workforce in the UK, things have definitely changed. Leaders used to always be suited and booted, presumably to project the right image and perhaps even to assert their authority with a bit of ‘power dressing.’ It was very much more a ‘them and us’ mind-set in those days despite probably publicly denying this to the masses.
In recent times however, a younger and more holistic type of leader has emerged. Leaders now need to be inclusive, accessible and not set apart from their ‘colleagues’. With that comes the idea that having a more relaxed dress code means the workforce are less afraid to speak up and makes the leader much easier to engage with. That’s not to say that these leaders aren’t still smart and appropriately dressed for the business environment but they dress with a certain casual class that befits their role and their responsibilities.
As a learning professional myself I do feel it’s important to convey the right image and I do tend to wear a suit and tie in the office and when I am facilitating a training session but I have wrestled with the question of whether I should dress down in a training room situation to reduce the appearance of being an authority figure and remove the 'barrier' of the formal look (as some see it). If I decide to dispense with the suit and tie though, it leaves me with another dilemma and one that women have frequently complained to me about and one which makes their lives more complicated than their male counterparts. Women apparently have to deal with this conundrum every single day. What should they wear?
“It’s so easy for men. All you have to do is put a suit, shirt and tie on and you don’t really have to make any decisions about what to wear.”
It’s a fair point and because my dress sense is not the best, I actually quite like this advantage of prescribed attire. It alleviates my pain that women must feel all the time when going to job interviews and when heading to work, especially if, like me, they’re not good at ‘putting an outfit together.’ “What do I look good in and what is going to be best for my shape……..?” But wait! Let me stop there. This analogy is going to get me into trouble if I continue along this line so let’s move on…
I came to the conclusion that whatever we decide to wear, once first impressions have dissipated, people will judge you on what you bring to the table rather than what you are wearing.
I remember attending a presentation with a fairly prominent leader who was talking about stocks and shares; a bit of a yawn to most people. The guy came into the room, dressed sloppily and spent the whole time staring at the floor as he was talking, not looking at his audience and moving around in a back and forth motion that was reminiscent of being in an unsteady rowing boat. He did all the things that we’re told you’re not supposed to do according to the ‘Presentation Rule Book.’ Yet despite this, it was one of the most interesting and engaging presentations I have attended. Somehow this guy managed to keep the audience interested, focussed and with him all the way. He was funny, witty and obviously knew his stuff. He had credibility!
And so I suggest that that is exactly what you need!
It ultimately won’t really matter if you’re in an expensive Armani suit or some inexpensive ‘Primani’ jeans. None of it really matters if you have credibility. And you only achieve credibility based on your actions, your past achievements and what you bring to the table today, not whether you're in the most formal of outfits or a pair of worn out dungarees.
So as much as I mourn the apparent decline of the formal suit, shirt and tie and business attire from yesteryear and its dodo-esque disappearance from organisations up and down the country, I must concede that as long as you’re doing what you need to and you’re being successful at it, then why should I complain?
Now I’m off to buy myself a bowler hat and a broadsheet newspaper.
Say hi if you see me on Saville Row.
Toodle pip!
Glen
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts and views on this article so if you have any comments please e-mail me at enquiries@gpttraining.com. Thank you.
