Boost Your Profile & Your Profits

The Worldly Womans Guide to Style & Influence in the Business World

Ben Angel is an author, stylist and columnist. This post appeared in QCG Magazine in 2009.

I used to believe that I had to change my outer appearance and personality to fit in - I now realise how wrong I really was. I also understand how much pain it caused me personally to ‘edit’ myself to make others feel more comfortable.

Thank god those days are over. In today’s competitive work and business environments we need to do whatever we can to stand out for all of the right reasons and that includes wearing your heart and personality ‘literally’ on your sleeve. It is more important than ever that we express our individual personality traits to the wider market to achieve cut through and connection. But what happens if you’re too scared of being judged and standing out? Consider the following;

“Personal branding is self-expression amplified to influence and command attention.” Ben Angel

Personal branding is packaging an individual to become more marketable whether it is to; attract a new lover, satisfy an existing one, obtain a new job or promotion or attract new clients. It is made up of everything you are, do and have:
 
·          your clothes;
·          your hairstyles;
·          your intentions;
·          your interactions;
·          your facial expressions;
·          your emotional energy/femininity;
·          your tone and medium of communication.

A powerful personal brand congruently reflects the internal representation of an individual through external advantages. It is self respect at its core. Our outer world is a clear reflection of our inner world. Every single day when you walk out of your front door you are letting the rest of the world know how you feel about yourself by what you wear and how you behave.

Interestingly, a study done by the University of Alabama (2003) found that individuals with low flirtatious activity tended to correlate with low energy levels. The study also demonstrated that these individuals also thought of themselves as less attractive than their flirtatious counterparts. This study has massive implications for addressing self-esteem issues. Hands down THE most attractive quality (whether sexual of otherwise) is a person comfortable in their own skin; someone who is confident without being arrogant. When you are confident in yourself you are also less likely to be adversely affected by what others think of you, thereby free to express your personality more clearly to prospective suitors (work and otherwise) and even more likely to flirt too.

The happier you are in your own representation the more relaxed, confident and influential you automatically become to those around you. It is this authenticity that gives you the personal power to express yourself congruently in all environments. Share more of yourself in each of your interactions and be willing to show who you are minus the fear of being judged. It is important that we respect ourselves first and foremost. Everyone around us will follow suit when they see our gratitude for our own little idiosyncrasies (and believe me I have many of them myself!)

The confusion begins when what we see on the outside doesn’t reflect how we feel on the inside. To assist in developing this congruency in communication (for ourselves more than for others), I’ve created some basic guides on how to dress for various industries. Although there isn’t room here for us to explore every subdivision, you can look at the objective of each industry and find one that reflects yours. From there you can take relevant elements and apply them to your sector with an added dose of your own personal expression for good measure. It is the personal expression that completes the outfit and makes it work.

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Business Consultation/Professional Services:

Objectives: To appear credible and instantly trustworthy in front of key stakeholders.

What to wear: This is the one place that you will want to lean on the more professional side however it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it in style. Wear tailored clothing and suiting that projects someone who is up to date with current business trends and modes of thinking. Black suiting will always be a stable in the professional wardrobe, however, if you are confident enough and your position calls for it, use Michelle Obama as your inspiration and go for bright vibrant colours in classic cuts, i.e. garments with structure.

If you are an independent business consultant and your clients aren’t as corporate, your personal brand will dictate the stylised elements that come through in your clothing.
 
What to look for: Quality over quantity, stainless steel watches, classic yet stylish earrings/jewellery (nothing too loud unless your brand calls for it). Keep in mind, the darker the colour you wear, the more power you will be perceived to posses.

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PR / Marketing / Advertising:

Objectives: To be a trendsetter; to combine industry knowledge with ballsy credibility.

What to wear: The focus is on integrating creative elements by way of jackets and jewellery. Choose staple items that you can dress around. Tailored jackets will be your best friends as you can throw them over the top of dresses and tops that are inexpensive and easy to change as the seasons change.

Heels are essential as they give you presence through adding height and giving you that needed ‘structured’ element to ensure you are presented as professional and organised. Add splashes of colour to your outfits and various design elements that are expressive in nature, i.e. flowing garments with high tailored cuts. Mix prints with solid colour items to keep you looking professional and grounded in the same breathe.

Find balance in looking up to date but remember that the key to success is relaxed chic: don’t obsess about what you wear.

What to look for: Pieces of clothing with quirky design elements, i.e. a watch with an interesting face, jewellery with interesting stones/colours/settings, tops with interesting patterns.

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Beauty / Mind, Body & Soul:

Objectives: To appear healthy, vibrant and professional.

What to wear: Your objective is to be the epitome of health and vitality. Give clients every reason to place their health and well-being in your hands. If you are a personal trainer, your own health and fitness is of high priority. If you are a beautician, your own skin care regime will also be of upmost importance.

Clean clear colours are essential. Think whites, nothing faded or dirty looking and of course practical to the nature of the work that you do. Life coaches: casual bottoms mixed with beautiful jackets and statement pieces of jewellery. Update your wardrobe every season to project an ever-evolving, positive and successful attitude. As a coach your clothing can more closely reflect who you are as a person than any other industry as you yourself are meant to be the embodiment of an amazing and successful life.

What to look for: Colours that give you a healthy glow. Hold them up to your face, do they give you colour or make you look washed out? Life coaches, go for it and express your ‘self’.

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Final Note:

What we feel on the inside affects what we display on the outside and what we display on the outside affects how we feel on the inside. it is an infinite loop. Take a sincere and honest look at yourself and identify all of the things that you love about you. Share that with the rest of the world and observe how your own reflection changes in the positive reflections of those around you. And remember, fitting in was always overrated anyway!


Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here. For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au

Posted by Ben Angel, conference speakers on 26th February, 2010 | Comments | Trackbacks
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