Quote:
Originally Posted by speeder
I don't quite understand Rusnak's POV, (other than he likes being a contrary guy); whom am I supposed to be making an impression on when I go to Home Depot or stop for gas or the dozens of other times that strangers might see my footwear? Some prick with a mediocre life who's obsessed with status uniforms in society? 
I actually do agree that it has value to dress appropriately for various situations and that this can vary for different regions and whether urban/rural/etc. When you are in the bread basket of America, (farm country anywhere), men all pretty much dress the same with flannel shirts and trucker hats to be warm and comfortable and keep the sun off their nose. You cannot tell who the gazillionaires are and I like it like that. In my crowd, you would look down on people who are brilliant, incredibly generous and wealthy beyond your dreams. People whose biggest challenge is how to give away hundreds of millions this year. The dress code is a little different from someone who thinks that $5M is a huge amount of RE.  |
Dennis, I take that as a compliment! LOL! Let's say you're a doctor, judge, Congressman, lawyer, etc. You really don't want to be wearing clothes with holes in them and flip flops or whatever when you go to the grocery store to get a quart of ice cream. Why? Because your patients/ constituents/ clients will get an impression of you as a slob. This is assuming that you're going places/ on the make, so to speak.
I like to frequent a dive of a little coffee shop in Fowler, CA where locals go. I run into guys who are worth easily eight figures, but dress in Redwing work boots, trucker hats, and jeans. They don't wear suits, but they wouldn't be caught dead wearing soccer shorts, flip flops, and a wifebeater. Why? Because they have responsibilities to run multinational companies. They look like farmers, and working guys. What they don't look like, is a Portland Hippie. I also know some of the world's largest farming families on the coast. When the head of one (I am related to them) is out and about, he wears dress shirts and slacks 365 days of the year with boots. He owns a town, and could buy most of the area around Laguna Seca. I should say he could own more of the area. He looks like he should - a person who is closer to a billionaire than a millionaire.
Anyway, it's a matter of perspective. I am accountable to my company 24/7. I'll never again work for someone else, and I haven't had a dress code since I was 23. I'm 46 now, and I recognize that how you appear to others does matter, if you have responsibilities. I have learned from others who are successful. While I don't emulate them, I recognize that you can't afford to look like a flake, slob, or lazy person if you are a leader of men and women.