The Power of Nice: Are You Cramping Your Style?

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Lisa Bruckner of Hendricks Park gave us invaluable information about our professional style and has a brilliant company that can guide men towards achieving that certain flair with ease.  But it immediately made me wonder…what about those people who have tremendous style in the aesthetic sense, but nothing more?  What about those people who look really good, but offer nothing more or, worse, get offensive when it’s time for them to open their mouths?  I think I would rather be known for sporting a potato sack.

Behaving inappropriately in the workplace either by design or by ignorance is a silent killer for professionals.  No one at the office is going to tell you the reason you weren’t invited to an impromptu client dinner is because your table manners are atrocious or you become awkward when it’s time to make small talk.  And, your boss will be reluctant to broach the subject of how the women in the office complain about your brash and crude comments (talk about an HR nightmare) since he has much bigger fish to fry than to try to teach you some manners.

So, here are the big 5 ways you could be cramping your own style:

1.  Your language.  No one expects Shakespeare, but they also don’t expect to be embarrassed.  Check the potty talk and cursing at the door.

2.  Your handshake.  It’s always a shock to run into a smartly dressed person who offers a limp fish handshake.

3. You conversation skills.The ability to make polite conversation about nothing in particular is nearly a lost art.  Make sure you don’t speak in acronyms (‘IDK’ for ‘I don’t know’), resort to gossip or get too controversial.  Healthy debate makes for great conversation, just make sure it doesn’t get heated.

4.  Your posture. Whoever tailors your clothes will not take into account that you slouch when you get tired.  It’s never a good look to have your clothes tug, pull and bunch because you are slumping in a chair.  Stand and sit tall.  It makes you look confident and capable.

5.  Your table manners.  It doesn’t matter if you are in the company cafeteria or an awards dinner, having poor table manners is a turnoff to everyone.  At best, it makes you look incompetent.  At worst, it’s simply gross.

So put your best foot forward, just as Lisa Bruckner says and do so as you run - not walk - toward style and substance.