HEALTH & MIND


‘IWOULD DEFINITELY SAY AS A PEOPLE MANAGER, YOUR BODY LANGUAGE AND YOU YOURSELF ARE YOUR BIGGEST MANAGEMENT TOOL’


WHATNOT TOWEAR


There are a number of faux pas when it comes to business dress. Clothing that shows too much cleavage, too much leg, or too much chest if you’re aman,will generallymake a bad impression. In some business settings, even showing your feet is considered bad business sense. Beards are acceptable once they are well groomed and trimmed. The successful leader ensures clothes are pressed,and never dirty,


torn or frayed.There should be no dropping seams or scuffed shoes. While the lay image consultant will look at clothing, the more


acute specialist will go further and inspect jewellery, perfume or cologne, accessories and make-up.All should be used sparingly in a business environment, saysHolmes. She says there is a general rule of thumb whereby if you have to


ask yourself if your attire is appropriate, it probably isn’t.Think plunging necklines andmulti-coloured printed shirts. Despite Bertie Ahern’s daring attempt to be different with a


canary-yellowsuit at the 2004G8 summit, successful leaders display their authority and power with darker colours such as black, dark blue or charcoal grey. Kate Tammemagi, leadership trainer and managing director of


Focus Training, warns against the belief that you get ahead by standing out in terms of style.Research, she says,does not support this viewpoint. “Someone who dresses differently will arouse suspicions. In


any sector, if they are wearing very sedate business suits and you come in as a woman wearing bright red halter-neck tops, there is no way you are going to be accepted as an equal or as a person in a position of power.You need to look the part and look quietly confident,” she says.


APPROPRIATE ATTIRE


Holmes andTammemagi agree that ownermanagers should dress according to their sectors.All leaders should exert a certain amount of intuition when it comes to deciding what to wear, they say.The key word is appropriate in all settings,notesTammemagi. “Totally inappropriate could equally mean I’m dressed like a solicitor going to court while going into meet someone fromthe


Kate Tammemagi


software industry. You should never intimidate your audience,” she says. Holmes advises owner managers to carry out research into the


dress code of a client or potential-client company.A quick phone call to the receptionist of a company can inform you of the appropriate business dress and can be a valuable weapon in your armoury, she says. Holmes acknowledges that Richard Branson has been a


trendsetter in the style stakes for businesspeople, but warns others that he has the power to dress casually. “He is his own brand,he’s worked hard to get there,but perhaps


at the beginning he wasn’t so self-assured to dress casually.Why give yourself a disadvantage?” she says. Tammemagi agrees that Branson’s leadership and power goes


way beyond his dress sense. “He looks casual and he talks casual but he talks with extreme


confidence because his whole ethos has been young, dynamic and vibrant.The way he dresses is casual,warmbut very successful.”


THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP


Ultimately, successful business leaders exude positive body language, and dressing correctly goes a long way to achieving that, notes Tammemagi. Leadership is about high self-awareness and using whatever


you’ve got effectively, she says. “In general terms, how you dress and your leadership presence


(which doesn’t mean looking dominant but rather looking quietly self-confident and in control) plays a great role in howother people view you.” When it comes to body language,Tammemagi says everything


from the way you sit in the chair – not like a frumpy teenager or overly laid-back ‘cool dude’– to howyoumirror people can impact on how successful you are. “Your demeanour and body language are very important in a


business setting.Even how you walk into a room can help people formthat first impression. “Body language is very important. In fact, I would definitely say


as a peoplemanager, your body language and you yourself are your biggestmanagement tool,” she adds.


VOL 3 ISSUE 3 2010 OWNER MANAGER 43


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