You're Blind, Blue!

You're Blind, Blue!

(Note: This is the second part of a series on the importance of appearance in the business place)

    Those of you that know me are probably aware of the huge role baseball plays in the life of my family. I've been managing, coaching, and teaching for years. I've also served on the local Little League board of directors, and most recently, become an umpire. I've learned many things on the baseball diamond that have served me well in the business arena, but I'd like to focus on some of the things I've learned umpiring amateur baseball that have served me particularly well. 

    Those of you that are true baseball fans may have noticed over the years that umpires, at least the good ones, pay particular attention to their appearance. You will never see professional umpires who take their role seriously wearing unmatched shirts, dirty or wrinkled pants, or unpolished shoes. Good umpires always keep their uniforms and equipment looking top notch, as well as their appearance. There is a very good reason for this, but before I dive right in, for the non-baseball people out there, I feel that I need to devote a paragraph or two to the nature of the game, in order to pull it all together.

    Baseball is unique in many ways. It's the only stick and ball sport in which the defense controls the ball. It is always played against uneven teams, with 9 players on defense facing one to a maximum of four offensive players at a time. It is one of the few games that, at all but the youth levels, does not depend on a time limit of some sort. Even at the youth levels, that time limit will only determine whether another inning will be played, and will not control the flow of the game for the most part. But what really makes baseball unique is that it is the only game in which it is OK, in fact, it is even expected, for the players and team manager to argue and question the rulings of the officials on the field. There are limits to how much will be tolerated, of course, but that is left to the umpire's judgement. Because of this rather unique way of doing things, umpires, over the years, have found that establishing their authority early in the game is of vital importance. And this authority must be established even before the step on the field. 

    To that end, umpires take great care with their appearance. They have learned that no one will take very seriously an umpire who doesn't care enough about himself and the role he plays to iron his pants, or to polish his shoes. This is by no means a secret shared only by umpires, many other officials and professions take this to heart as well. Just like an umpire, as a manager, as a business person, you MUST establish your authority to preside over whatever endeavor it is you are undertaking. It is only through authority that you will garner trust from your clients, and if your clients don't trust you, then you are out of business, plain and simple. It doesn't matter what your role is, if you plan to succeed at it, you must demonstrate that you have the necessary skills and knowledge, i.e. authority to do the job. I really don't care if you are a plumber, an A/C technician, a doctor, lawyer, or the named successor to Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway, if you show up to do your job looking like you just finished a week-long party with Charlie Sheen and survived, you have severely damaged your authority to do your job. 

    I'm not saying if you are a plumber or a A/C tech or mechanic that you need to wear a suit, but clean, nice looking jeans and a well fitting polo or short sleeve button down, perhaps with a company logo, will go a long way to helping to build that all encompassing trust and authority you need to win the client's confidence. Here's a real world example for you: UPS. I don't know their numbers, but the entire world is familiar with the company that "Runs the tightest ship in the shipping business". UPS does run a tight ship. And the world trusts them to get packages there on time. How did they build that trust and authority? Well, for one thing, their drivers always look sharp. We all know a UPS driver when we see one, don't we? Brown shirt, brown pants or shorts, black shoes, and a nice clean brown truck. You know without a doubt that this person has the authority to take charge or your package, no matter how valuable, and you trust them to get it where you want it. Would you do that if they pulled up in a broken down rust bucket, wearing torn jeans, flip flops, a Metallica t-shirt and a "Who Farted?" trucker cap?

    Another facet of appearance is one that works upon your inner psyche, sometimes without you even realizing it. When you dress appropriately, it will boost your inner confidence. And when you boost your inner confidence, you will do a better job. When I put on my umpire's uniform and step onto the diamond, whether I have the dish (umpire speak for calling balls and strikes behind home plate) or the bases, I know I can do the job. When I wear appropriate management attire to the office, it goes a long way to helping me feel that I have the confidence and ability to face whatever challenges that will be thrown my way. But this is a topic for another post, another day.

    Finally, respect, trust, and authority are two way streets. If you want to have these things, you must give these things, and again, your appearance plays a role. I recently went to a dear friend's mother's funeral service. Over the years, I had had the pleasure of meeting this dynamic lady once, and hearing wonderful stories of what a loving mother and teacher she was for 93 glorious years. By all accounts, anyone who came in contact with her walked away blessed. One of the first things that struck me was how many people came for her service, and how they all showed their respect by being so well dressed. Almost every gentleman was in a suit, and all the ladies in appropriate somber attire. I was duly impressed, for all these people must have had a huge amount of respect, trust, and love for this lady and her family. When an attorney makes a court appearance, they are expected to wear business suits. In fact I would wager that most, if not all judges, would hold an attorney in contempt of court if they were to show up in shorts and flip flops. Why? Because that would be making a mockery of our legal system. So why do so many of us want to make a mockery of our professions these days? respect your profession, and it will respect you. When I umpire, I make sure my uniform and equipment look good, not only because it helps establish me in a role of authority, but it also demonstrates my respect for the game. By me taking the time and effort to show my respect for the game, the managers and coaches, players and fans, will also, hopefully, show some respect for the game. And part of respecting the game is respecting the authority of the umpire. The same thing goes for the business world. If I take the time to make sure I show respect for my employer, some of that respect will be transferred back to me from  the people I am charged with supervising, and from the clients I am tasked with supporting.

    So will this solve all your business problems? Absolutely not. But it will make your decisions carry more  weight. I still get heckled as an umpire, it's part of the game. However, when I tell a coach to either settle down or he's going to be making an early trip home, they settle down, because they know, in the end, I have the authority to make it happen, and they respect that authority, and trust in the fact that I will execute it. It all starts before I even walk on the field. And for a businessman, it starts long before you arrive at the office. 

On Suits and Ties, and Media Lies

Why I Wear Ties to Work

And Why I soon May Start Wearing a Suit

    When the casual Friday craze finally made it to my conservative employer, you could not find a bigger fan. At the time, I was a brash young 30 something programmer who insisted on telling anyone who would listen that what I wear to work has zero impact on my ability to perform my job. Years have gone by, and I am older and, at least I hope, wiser now. I have now come to the conclusion that I was about as wrong on this topic as I could have been. What I wear DOES have a huge impact on how I perform my job. Along with that, how I care for myself, how I keep my workspace, and even the car I drive do too. But that is not the reason I have recently started wearing more formal business attire to work, although I may touch on a few of these things in closing.

    The biggest contributor to my change in attitude came about as a direct result of the Occupy Wall Street movement. I’m sure you are wondering how that would impact someone’s style of dress, unless they were forced to spend time near or walking by these people. Then I guess an obviously wardrobe accessory would be a gasmask, since many of them lived on the streets without showers or other modern sanitation conveniences. I imagine the smell was, well, robust. Well, to tell new the truth, what has sparked my change in the way I dress had nothing to do with the hygiene of people exercising their constitutional rights, but rather, their obvious vitriol and hate that they directed at the so-called 1%. In other words, you average successful businessman.

    Our society has turned into one in which hating the businessman (or woman – I use the term without gender implications) has become quite fashionable. And that is pathetic. Why should someone be ashamed to be in business? Business provides jobs, moves capital, and, in short, actually redistributes the wealth that the so-called 99% claim is being hoarded. Think about this for a moment – when was the last time you saw a profile of a successful businessman in the media, one in which the profile is designed for the reader to admire the subject? Did they focus on how he or she runs her business? I would bet not. More than likely, they spoke endlessly of all the philanthropic work that that person does. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But, take Bill Gates for example. We are constantly deluged with statistics about how great Bill Gates is, because the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has built schools in Suriname, or brought water to a poor village in Mexico. That is wonderful. But lets look at Bill Gates’ greatest contribution to society. Bill Gates, along with others, has created literally MILLIONS of jobs, and employed, directly or indirectly, and uncountable number of people, launching fantastic careers and providing great salaries for many many years now. But we don’t want to celebrate that, his greatest contribution to society, because, in the process, he somehow managed to make a lot of money. We will, however, celebrate his giving that money away. Money he wouldn’t have if…Aw, you get the picture, at least I hope you do.

    My point is, there is nothing wrong with being a businessman. Sure, there are those like Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling, Bernie Madoff and Alan Stanford. But there are also bad people in Government (John Edwards), Sports ( Michael Vick and Jerry Sandusky) the Clergy (Donald Roemer and Gilbert Gauthe), and I’m just scratching the surface. Just like any other vocation, for every bad person, there are hundreds, if not thousands of good people. So why are we ashamed to be in business? We once had a President famously say that the business of America is business. And while that may still be true, you would have a hard time convincing a visitor from another planet of that. With no exposure, I’m sure they would believe that the business of America is entertainment. Really, that’s the only people we seem to admire anymore. Singers, Musicians, Actors, Athletes (yes, they are entertainers) are the only people who get positive press these days. Not only do they get positive press, but they also seem to get a “pass” for some of the most asinine behavior imaginable. Really, when was that last time you heard about a group of pharmacy salespeople trashing a hotel?

    We’ve gone so far, that we’ve even tried to change our language to distance ourselves from business. People are no longer “managers” and “directors”. Instead, we call them “coaches” and “leaders”. As my old friend Bill the Cat would say, “Blech”. I’m a manager, and I’m proud of it. I refuse to hide what I am by trying to dress like a Coach in a polo shirt and cotton pants. Nor will I dress like an artist, actor, or unemployed person. I am in BUSINESS. I am a BUSINESSMAN, and I am proud of it. I work for a great company, I have a great career, and I have nothing to hide. So I will wear my oxford shirt and wool pants to work, along with my silk tie, because that’s how businessmen dress. I proudly don my wingtips, nicely polished, and wear my French cuffs and cufflinks. I will wear my suit. And I will be proud of who I am!

    I've also learned some things since I've undertaken to "dress the part" that have been both surprising and rewarding.  In my next post, I will touch on these.  Maybe you'll be bored, but then again, maybe you will learn something like I did. Until then, Good Night and God Bless!