Thoughts on staying sane as an independent professional in a world of chaos and entitlement.
The Grey Fox talks openly and honestly about his evolving blog: seven years old and with a slightly broader remit of “ageing with style”:
Style is not just how you look and what you wear: it’s how you live – where you go on holiday, what car you drive, the watch you wear, what food and drink you like, what you do in your spare time, how you treat others, what books you read.
The Art of Manliness blog offers top tips on dressing smart and casual … even when 29 is just a memory:
At the same time, the Gentleman’s Gazette offers 5 Business Casual Outfit Ideas, along with a cautionary 9 Reasons Dressing Down Is Overrated.
And, always on the topic of style, the excellent Grey Fox has:
Still need inspiration? Cultural Offering just posted this:
Title Image by Dmytro Tolokonov on Unsplash
Grey Fox Blog has just started a series on The Search for Style. The blog is always worth reading if, like me, you’re developing naturally occurring platinum-blonde highlights.
This post (number 3) offers some elements of style:
1. A personal ‘something’ or presence made up of a display of self-confidence, carriage and (possibly) calmness.2. A sense of proportion, colour and texture shown in what we wear.3. Clothes that fit.
Style is a fiendishly difficult thing to grasp, especially at first. You need first to pay attention to what you wear. You need to try … but never too hard.
Here are some useful guides for the sovereign professional aspiring to elegance:
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash
Do you struggle to tell a dive watch from a driving watch? A field from a tank watch? Or even a dress watch from more casual models?
The importance and role of watches has changed. In these smartphone days, many don’t bother with a watch at all.
However, with a little attention, a man’s watch can be an elegant indicator of success and a valuable signal of competence.
Remember, when you studied marketing? The reason that City law firms and accountants have plush offices hung with expensive art is that they are selling a service. You can’t try before you buy, therefore you rely on signals to decide whether you are buying real expertise.
We all do it, all the time. In a study a few years ago, researchers found that volunteers wearing Tommy Hilfiger or Lacoste polo shirts were deemed more successful than those wearing unbranded or Slazenger tops:
In summary, the researchers found that volunteers who wore a polo shirt with a Tommy Hilfiger or Lacoste logo (i.e. recognised premium brands) were rated as wealthier and of higher status than those wearing no logo or a Slazenger logo (i.e. a recognised non-luxury brand). Similarly, they were more likely to persuade passers-by to partake in surveys, more likely to be offered a job and raised more money when collecting for charity.
Forgive the self-reference, but I blogged about that research, here. Anyhow, back to watches.
The sovereign professional has a unique challenge: how to fit in with the client’s team, while also signalling that you are the premium product the client is paying for.
Some big consulting firms take the view that consultants on-site should be indistinguishable from the client’s own team. That might work if you have a heavyweight consulting logo behind you, I’m not sure. But, the independent, sovereign professional needs some signals subtle enough to avoid alienating temporary team-mates.
An elegant, understated watch can signal credibility. However, the world of watches becomes esoteric quite quickly. Here are five useful resources:
Main Photo by Eric Didier on Unsplash
Mr Execupundit offers some suggestions for that irresistible managerial tattoo, including:
- “We will either find a way, or make one.” – Hannibal
- “If you start to take Vienna, take Vienna.” – Napoleon
- “Optimism is a force multiplier.” – Colin Powell
I worked with a great leader who always used that Colin Powell quote.
Interestingly, if only because I’ve just discovered it myself, Marcus Aurelius died in Vienna (Vindobona as it was then) on March 17, 180AD. There is a (rather uninteresting) Mark Aurel Strasse close to the Roman Museum (Römermuseum) on Hoher Markt in the city centre.
Photo by Marco D’Emilia on Unsplash
If you want to get ahead, get a hat.
…as we’ve been saying since, apparently, 1934.
My own interest in hats has grown in inverse proportion to the growth of my hair. The first autumn rain pelting your near-naked scalp, or the dry, shrinking sensation of hot, summer sun on parts you previously supposed to be thatched will do that to a chap.
Thankfully, the Grey Fox has a guide.
Title image: the Bowie Fedora from Lock Hatters
