Suiting Up
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Tom Landry coached in a fedora. So did Bear Bryant. And they both looked just as formal below their chins as they did from their eyebrows up. Sport coats, ties, and shiny wing-tipped shoes were the “leader uniform” in their era. Today we can’t imagine Andy Reid on the sideline in pinstripes with a pocket square or Kyle Shanahan holding his laminated play sheets without a flat bill on. Things change. Sports-- and the society they help form the fabric of-- evolve. Traditions live until they need to die, and then new ways of doing things take hold. What we wear to work is no exception to the ever-spinning wheel. And while I’m not sure the head coach’s attire matters much to the guys wearing helmets on the field, I have to wonder if it plays a role in how he does his job. In the trade-off of the necktie for the hoody, what might the head coach gain and what might he stand to lose?
The global pandemic did a number on the way we dress in general, not just in high powered professional roles. Most of us emerged from the lockdown addicted to stretchy fabric and soft, two-sizes too big shirts that we scarcely know we have on. It made zero sense to put on shoes and tuck a shirt in when we wouldn’t be leaving our homes. Casual and comfortable became the only criteria for dressing regardless of the size of the decisions that might need to be made that day. Months later, when the restrictions were lifted and we slowly and carefully made our way back out into the world, we mostly did so in what we’d been wearing while we did zoom calls from our couch. But we can’t blame the casual onslaught entirely on Covid 19. We were already slowly sliding down the informality slope before the world stopped spinning for a bit. Covid just added momentum to the path we were already on.
In my previous life, the one where I received more Air Jordan gear than I could ever wear, I skipped the quarter zip with the logo on days when “big girl” tasks lined my calendar. The gear was perfect for diagramming inbounds plays and watching film and running practice, of course. But when off-the-court duties called, I did better in professional clothes. The shift in wardrobe shifted my mindset. In slacks or a skirt, and shoes with heels, I approached things in a slightly different way. My outfit coincided with the role I had to play.
Athletes put on jerseys. Superman donned a cape. Suiting up is part of performing. It helps us do the job we’re called to do.
Unfortunately, in our society, formality has taken a serious hit. We wear shorts to church, jeans to a wedding, and t-shirts and beanies to Broadway plays. It’s as if dressing for the occasion is seen as some sort of exchange of personal freedom. We don’t want anybody telling us what to wear. Putting on clothes to play the part feels like a performative obligation. And we aren’t comfortable feeling obliged. As a general rule, we’d much prefer to come and go and dress and speak and act in the way we want. The thought of being bound by just about anything sends us running for the hills.
So we dress down. And the case for support isn’t weak.
For starters, casual is comfortable. We’re not distracted by shoes that hurt or a shirt that won’t stay tucked in. Theoretically, dressing comfortably can help us stay on task. Laid back attire can also make us seem more approachable. Something about a hoody and a pair of shorts is disarming. Theoretically, casual attire can undress intimidation. We sort of felt like we knew Obama when he rolled his shirt sleeves up. What we wear can create entry points that without it we wouldn’t have. But therein lies the rub.
Sometimes the suit gives us angles that we need to do our job.
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The gaps that might be created by a starched shirt and shiny shoes might be the very crevices that leaders reach through to pull their people up. And sometimes formal trappings build a window to see blind spots through. It can be hard to grow accountability when everybody is the same. A different look is sometimes called for to be able to shape a thing.
Athletic teams suit up to play. Bands suit up to march. Generals suit up to lead their troops. The uniform is part of the work. It frames the thought and the approach of those who wear it, not to mention all it does or doesn’t do for those who don’t. We dress to be prepared for what might be required of us, and how we look plays a role in what we have access to as we try to do our jobs. If we don’t suit up, we might just miss the chance to do it as well as we can.
P.S. Dress for Success