Is it possible to be overdressed in a professional environment?

The easy answer is yes. If you show up in a tux or a cocktail dress there will be questions.

 

But there are much more subtle issues.

 

Brandon Mahoney shared a story about being promoted and then wearing suits like the VPs; which alienated him from the people he was supposed to be managing. When he went back to dressing like his team, in jeans and t-shirts, the relationship got better.

 

Even as a consultant I have been way overdressed to be able to connect with the people I was supposed to be interviewing for an organizational development survey.

 

Fayaz Nagoor Shaikh suggested cracking a joke about how you are dressed to break the ice. “Why did I wear this?!?!”

 

Clearly it is easier for a man if he is overdressed. He can just take off his tie and maybe his jacket. As a woman, it’s a lot harder to fix that situation in the moment.

 

But Dr. Wayne Buckhanan made a really good point. If you dress for an interview or a first meeting in a way that isn’t you, there is a risk they will hire that person rather than who you really are. It’s better to dress authentic to yourself and let them decide if that is the person they want to have on their team.

 

(It should be noted that Wayne works in tech where there is a good bit a leeway in the dress codes.)

 

Near the end of our conversation I asked how you figure out what you should wear into a new client meeting and Brandon provided some good tips.

 

How big of a deal is it to be overdressed, how do you figure out what to wear and what do you do if you find yourself in a situation where you aren’t dressed appropriately?

 

Connect with the panelists:

Brandon Mahoney: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drstartup/

Co Founder of Launch Point Labs, National venture firm where he is the expert in creating sales departments. He is known as Dr Startup

 

Fayaz Nagoor Shaikh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fayaznagoor/

He is a transformation expert and a people-focused leader, building organizational capabilities through innovative, human-centric solution design

 

Dr. Wayne Buckhanan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waynebuckhanan/

Geek who loves people and teaching. Recovering university professor Trainer working with human development professionals. 

 

Dr Robyn Odegaard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard/

Concierge High Performance Psychologist providing luxury level support to executives, entrepreneurs, celebrities and athletes as well as the Facilitator of the Quick Hits podcast

 

Want a summary of the Quick Hits plus the links to the LinkedIn pages of each of the panelist to show up in your in-box every week? Let me know where to send it: https://drrobynodegaard.com/quick-hits-notifications/

 

  #QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on pertinent subjects. If you would like to join a conversation or have a topic you would like to hear discussed, please message me. https://www.DrRobynOdegaard.com