Dress Like a Champion and Be One

You have probably seen dozens and dozens of articles about how to dress for success and how to make a great first impression. It still shocks me how many people just don't follow these ideas and how they damage their prospects in an interview, in a sales call and in life. I have about 45 staff and I can tell you that many times I have decided not to hire someone before I even got to the handshake. Appearance IS everything until you have spent enough time with a fabulous personality and demeanor to make it NOT everything.

Here is my list of critical dress for success tips that I hope are a little more practical that something you would read in a text book. Each one of these has a story:

1) Shine your shoes. Gentlemen, women always look at shoes so that means you need to pay attention to them as well. Anyone can put on an expensive suit but it takes care to shine your shoes. Ladies, the same applies to you. Great dress, bad shoes, bad overall.

2) Hang your jacket while driving. Nothing worse than arriving at a meeting and looking like you just took an overnight flight sleeping in your suit to get there.

3) Smell nice. Now gentlemen, I didn't say bathe in it. Ladies I don't mean you need to smell like a flower shop. Just recognize that a well selected scent has a positive impact on the people you are meeting with and their perception of you.

4) Have a Power Suit. Go out and spend some extra money on a dark suit or dress. It needs to be just one step nicer, better quality or more expensive than you normally buy. When you put this on, you feel like a closer, a boss, the person in charge, extra handsome or sexy. Your performance improves when you go in feeling incredible.

5) Make the clothes fit. I just re-learned this one myself. After working with a trainer for the last two years I keep having to take clothes back in to re-fit them to my new and improved body. Well fitted clothes are just as important as the quality of the clothes. This also applies if you need to let your clothes out a little. Better to have a larger waist size and look great than be squeezed into something too small. People don't know the dress size or pant size anyway!

6) Casual Friday is not that casual. I learned at an early age from my mother to always be over-dressed versus under-dressed. Many people have taken casual Friday to an extreme. Take it down one notch. Usually a tie guy, go without a tie. Usually wear a skirt, maybe try pants. A T-shirt and board shorts are not making the right impression unless you are in the surf industry!

7) Be Fresh. Invest in your clothes like they were a key part of your success (they are!). Find a pro at a store who can learn about you and take care of you. It should be a fun part of your career to constantly be looking great and coming up with new things. This does not mean you need to spend the children's college fund to look good. Shop smart and you can find all sorts of items that will help you make an incredible impression.

The Lost Generation ... Great Monday Morning Video

Hey I got this from a friend today and although I rarely fire off Youtube links, I sure liked the cleverness of this one ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA It is a terrific message that should make you ask, what am I focused on today and this week? It is moving you towards what you believe strongest in?

The Power of Attitude

It is strange to me when people I run into don't see attitude in every situation as being most important. Sometimes people seem to think that if you have a business problem that your marketing might be the bigger issue. Or that cash flow supersedes attitude in operating a business. On a personal note, people have all sorts of things they rank above attitude. Most of those responses focus on people's situation. I'm sorry but attitude always comes before situational or tactical things to focus on. And for one good reason ... attitude determines your situation - in work, in business, in life.

I have a great friend named Kevin Burns (www.kevburns.com) who is an expert on Attitude. Kevin has written books on it (which I recommend picking up) and has demonstrated time and again that atttitude really is everything. When the economy was on fire over the last few years people found it easy to maintain a great attitude. As the economy cools, attitude becomes potentially harder to maintain but its importance doesn't fade away. In fact, now it is critical to set your attitude and focus on it.

Here's a little step. At the start of every day, maybe over breakfast, have a brief conversation with yourself determining what your preferred attitude is going to be today. At the end of the day, as you brush your teeth, check in and grade your attitude performance. It is a great way to make your attitude an active, conscious part of your day. People love a great attitude ... its infectious ... so stand out with yours today!

Take a Walk

Last week I had an event that was about 8 blocks from my home. For some strange reason, I announced, I am walking! My girlfriend's look of shock told me how much time I spend walking places. I grabbed an umbrella and hiked off the 8 blocks. Traffic was at a stand-still and I passed cars for blocks (traffic I would have sat in). It had just finish raining about 90 minutes before and there was a freshness in the air.

It was fantastic exercise to shake off my day at work. It was good think time. It was good solitude. I got home from the event and thought, why don't I walk more places? I really couldn't come up with a reason beyond habit. It is just a habit to jump in the car to go anywhere. Is it a good habit? I am convinced its not.

Don't get me wrong I am not selling my car today to upgrade my bike or buy a year's supply of running shoes. I am all for hybrids though. My point is that I don't need to abandon my car to be able to start to set new habits. Maybe it's, I walk if it's less than 1o blocks. Maybe it's I bike if I can be there in under 10 minutes. Summer is a great time to challenge your transportation methods and look for old fashion ways to get around.

Clarity and Power

Contribution for most people in their personal lives translates into maybe running a race for charity once a year or, maybe, coaching a kids soccer team in the spring. Both noble and valuable contributions to our community. These are seasonal or event based times for contribution.

How are you contributing and enriching your life each day or week? Are you contributing to the betterment of you, your family, your community or a larger group?

It is presumed you make a substantial contribution to your work and career. What about when you get home? Ask yourself: who are the people and groups I am making contributions to each day or this week? You may have a single person or maybe large associations but you need to know your audience and be conscious of your contributions to them.

Set time aside to determine what you want to contribute, who you want to focus on or share it with, when you want to do it. I know people that take time our each week to volunteer. I know people that raise money every week for their cause. I know people that just make an effort every week to educate others. What is your way? When time to find time becomes an issue, turn off the television.

Contribution is so critical because it is a selfish act. As you consciously start to contribute more to the success of people and community, you get so much more. As our lives get more complicated, the simple act of contributing more can bring clarity and power.