Dress for the position you want

By Jim Cathcart

Last week I was in Portland, Oregon for a speaking engagement at the Hilton Portland. At the end of my speech a woman walked up to me and said, "I was in your audience back in the 1980s, in Chicago I think, and something you said that day made a big difference in my life." I smiled and asked what I had said.
She said, "You told us to dress for the position we want rather than for the position we were in. I followed your advice and it really paid off for me. I still follow that advice and share it with others."

What an inspiring comment! It warmed my heart to hear that an idea I had shared was still paying dividends for the audience.
The essence of my message back in Chicago was: people judge us by our appearance as well as our behavior and even though we don't necessarily look like we truly are, our appearance is our choice. We have chosen a particular look because it makes us feel comfortable or expresses something we feel.

The trouble is, we often don't choose our "look" very intelligently. I believe that we could all benefit by dressing and grooming ourselves as if we were already in the next position we aspire to reach. If you are a manager, dress like an executive. If you are a new sales person dress like a veteran sales leader. You get the idea.

Dress for Success was the title of a book by John T. Molloy, published in the 1970s. It was one of many that proved the value of choosing to carry yourself, dress yourself and conduct yourself as the person you intend to be instead of simply the person you currently are.

Remember my "Daily Question" from my book, The Acorn Principle:


In the Spirit of Growth,
Jim Cathcart