I remember as a young man and being promoted to supervisor, that allowed me to wear a white shirt and a tie rather than the red ones the general staff wore, it made me feel pretty good and important. Eventually if I got promoted to assistant manager, I would be allowed to wear a suit and a tie.

Well I did get promoted to assistant manager, but even back then times had changed, and it was no longer seen as a requirement for even senior management to wear a suit. I didn’t get it at the time, surely I had worked for that privilege and no one would see me as a manger any more, just another person of the team.

A little while later I was interviewing for a position within my team and my area manager decided to stay in with me during the interviews. At the end I had made a firm decision of whom I wanted to employ, but it was overruled. The reason given was because he was wearing white socks. It was not a fashionable thing to do that at the time, probably still isn’t. I was told I needed to employ the chap who had turned up immaculacy dressed, highly polished shoes and an expensive watch to match. My area manager told me there and then, that how a man dressed, reflected in his standard of work.

Six weeks later this chap put his notice in and left after upsetting many existing staff including me. His time keeping was immaculate, 30 seconds after the end of his shift he was in his BMW and away home. His planning was also immaculate, planning the dinner party Thursday, planning shopping Saturday, everything except the job that was going to pay for all these things. He was so obsessed with his appearance that he would do nothing but move a pen and carry a piece of paper. One week later, I employed my original choice that was still there 7 years later, and maybe still is.

This was one of the many times over the years that I realised that wearing a suit and a tie does not earn you respect or even reflects your ability to anything well. Just look at the large organisations that have become successful over the years and ask, did they employ people or suits? Did they take the time to get the right people in the right job or did they employ on dress alone. Is Google full of office workers wearing ties and suits, is it a policy at Microsoft? I have another question, have you met anyone wearing a suit and a tie that did not have a clue what he was talking about? Did the suit and tie make this acceptable?

I remembered all this, this morning after reading and article in the Financial Mail about the “Entrepreneur Of The Year” that had chosen to run his own business because he was sacked for refusing to wear a tie. Clearly another intelligent, capable person judged on old-fashioned rules rather than ability to do the job.

As you can see from my photo in the header, I still have to wear a tie in certain situations, otherwise I don’t get the contract, I still need to play to the rules also, business adviser or not. But where I can, I try to dress as myself and not for business, I want them to see the real me because after all, it is myself and my skills they are employing.

If I came into your business, would you be looking at me, or the lack of a tie?