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How to Dress Like a CEO
By Yoji Cole
April 17, 2008
For people with a desire to make it to the C-suite, dressing the part is extremely important. Look too ruffled or too showy and the people who decide who is a CEO, CFO or COO might pass you over for someone who brings the "full package" -- smarts, work ethic, and the proper look.
For foreign executives and others who have not had access to American corporate norms, achieving the right corporate look can be a challenge.
"I would say for someone who actually took a while learning how to dress right--not having grown up in this country and not having many coaches in this area--it was trial and error," says Subha Barry, director of multicultural careers and inclusion at Merrill Lynch, No. 7 on The 2008 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity®.
Barry is from India and earned her MBA at Rice University in Houston. To deal with her wardrobe conundrum, Barry eventually went to a "wardrobe editor" who cut her wardrobe to a third of its size and took her shopping. The editor asked Barry what items she wore on a regular basis and why.
"She made me think about it. Now I know what looks good on me. What styles and colors look good," says Barry.
For executives with aspirations for the C-suites, here are five things to think about when dressing for the office:
- Have the navy blue suit.
"It's not that they'll shut down the interview if you're not wearing the blue suit, but how you dress is one of the most important components of how people judge you," says Lewis Maltby, president of the National Workrights Institute (NWI).
Maltby, prior to joining NWI, was the general counsel for Drexelbrook Controls, where he interviewed a few chief executive prospects. The navy blue suit is a corporate staple that all executives should have in their wardrobe. CEO prospects should look at pictures of the company's board of directors. If they're wearing suits and ties, then follow their lead, says Maltby.
"The thing you need to remember is that you may be a very strong candidate but you're not the only candidate for this job ... the competition is intense. There are lots of people with track records trying to get that job and you need every edge you can get. You can't afford to not do the smallest thing," says Maltby.
- Don't be ostentatious.
Maltby adds that "you might not want to wear gold cufflinks," since too much flash can work against a CEO applicant or negatively stereotype a senior executive angling for the C-suites.
Raymond Arroyo, chief diversity officer at Aetna, one of The DiversityInc 2008 Top 25 Noteworthy Companies, says that corporate America is much more lax with its dress codes than it was in past years at certain companies, depending on the culture. Even senior executives can get away with wearing khaki pants and long-sleeve button-down shirts, as demonstrated by Bill Gates.
"But that said, you want to make sure you're tidy, clean and that you don't wear too much cologne or perfume," says Arroyo. "Who you are should transcend the clothes you're wearing. The clothing is an aid and a compliment to who you are and not a hindrance to where you want to go."
Arroyo also recommends executives utilize a diversity of styles throughout the week.
"You can wear a nice suit with a matching tie two days and the next you can wear a nice sport coat or khakis and a button-down shirt," says Arroyo, who when interviewed was wearing a suit.
"But on Friday I didn't [wear a suit] and on Wednesday I won't wear a suit either," says Arroyo.
- It's not about sex appeal.
Women executives must often make sure their clothing is not too snug, unbuttoned too low, or hiked up too high, says Miriam Muley, CEO of The 85% Niche, which increases market share among women, especially multicultural women.
"Skirts should be at knee-length and no higher," says Muley.
And as for the blouse? Muley suggests that women button up. Remember the controversy over Sen. Hillary Clinton's blouse in July when she spoke on the Senate floor about the burdensome cost of higher education? A lot of people and publications, including The Washington Post, wrote about Clinton's revealing attire. They wrote less about what she said in her speech.
"Clinton's [neckline] was a little too low," says Muley. "And I wouldn't wear sleeveless either. You want to neutralize as much of that [sexual] thought and behavior as you can."
Muley admits that message sometimes falls on deaf ears among Generations X and Y and can chafe against cultural norms that uphold female sensuality. But when a woman's goal is the C-suite, she should err on fashion's conservative side, she says.
"It's all about the gestalt of what you bring. For me, it's important not to wear adolescent colors such as baby pinks and soft yellows. I wouldn't wear those colors to a high-powered meeting because they dilute your power," says Muley.
- Accessorize. Don't excessorize.
Muley says women she admires include Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives--the first woman ever to hold that post.
"She wears pearls and exudes grace and power," says Muley. "Pearls are not flashy. Flash is not good. Pearls are understated and elegant."
- Mimic Quality.
Clothes should fit well and not look like they are cheap.
"Women in a position to become CEO should wear the best knits," says Muley, whose favorite designers include St. John and Dana Buckman.
Maltby agrees that quality is important but adds that a male executive's suit doesn't have to cost too much: "I don't mean you have to buy a $1,000 suit. It's a matter of looking professional."
"Look at what you are aspiring to be and make an investment and dress as though you are already in that job," says Barry. "I look at Indra Nooyi, Chair and CEO of PepsiCo. (No. 28 on the Top 50) who wears her shawl and it's her trademark. When you look at the women CEOs, I think their personality fits their style."
Read an in-depth interview with Nooyi in the May issue of DiversityInc magazine, available soon.
In addition to Nooyi, Barry says other women CEOs who exhibit quality fashion sense include Anne Sweeny, president of the ABC Network and Irene Rosenfield, CEO of Kraft Foods. ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co., No. 36 on the 2008 Top 50. Kraft is one of DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies.
"But the key is to truly look at your own sense of style, shape and fit and wear what will look good on you and not what will look good on someone else," says Barry.
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