What does it take to be a member of the C Suite?

This is a question that comes up quite often. There are number of best sellers on the market that claim they have the secrets. I should know because I probably own most of them!

Here are my top six critical attributes if you aspire to the C Suite:

1. Work smart and hard
2. Know you belong as a member of the C Suite
3. Speak in headlines
4. Look the part (body language, facial expressions and clothing)
5. Understand the audience
6. Manage up
7. Have a good sense of humor
8. Always be ethical
9. Treat famous people like they’re not
10. Treat not famous people like they are

Most importantly, possess the drive and passion for what you do. That element almost alone, will propel you into the C Suite.

Google search came up with About 11,900,000 results to the question: Can you wear white before Memorial Day?

Traditional guidelines suggest one does not wear white before Memorial Day. This means white shoes (exception white gym shoes) slacks, coats, handbags, etc. Tell this to the folks under 40 and the fashion designers.

Today you can wear white before Memorial Day but it really depends where you live and what you’re wearing. White leather shoes designed to look like an athletic shoe but worn as a casual shoe, are being worn year round in warm climates. Other fashion hits this year have been white trench coats, ski jackets and jean jackets

So, now if you want to wear white before Memorial Day, pick a clothing item that makes sense. You never want to be the Fashion victim.

There is one rule, though— never wear white hose unless you are a nurse!

Hearing loss is not only for the older person. Because of ear phones, cell phones and loud music, many folks are having difficulty hearing. So, here are some things to remember to make sure you can be heard when you are having a conversation with someone who may have a hearing problem:

Do:

• Chose quiet area to sit in
• Make sure you are facing the person you are speaking to
• Maintain eye contact
• Speak slowly and pause after each sentence
• Ask questions twice
• Let them know when you are going to change the subject

Don’t:

• Sit near a door or near an entrance
• Shout at the person
• Turn your head away before you finish your sentence
• Change the subject without warning
• Be impatient when they cannot hear you
• Speak while they are speaking

If you follow these guidelines, communication problems will be minimized and conversations will flow easier.

Recently, it seems we have gone from casual clothing that’s too tight to clothing that appears too baggy. Casual clothing tends to be on the relaxed side. However, there is a significant difference between relaxed and baggy.

You know your clothing is too baggy when:

• Your jacket, shirt or sweater is falling off your shoulder by an inch or more
• The seat of your pants has an air pocket coming out of it
• You can grab an inch to an inch and half of material on the sides of your pants

Natural fabrics tend to lose shape, causing them to look baggy, if they’re not occasionally cleaned.

We never ever want to our clothing to look baggy. It is definitely not an in or a smart look.

It has been determined the growth of business in the U.S. will come from small businesses. As an owner of a small business one of the challenges I face is rejection. This is especially acute when I’ve worked hard to put together a proposal or responded to a casual inquiry from the internet.

No matter how long I’m at this, it is still hard when I don’t hear from people after they have promised a call. We take it harder because our reach for clients is not the same as a large corporation.

However, when we are the person doing the rejecting –do we make that call? If so, how do we to tell them we have hired another person? More often than not, we do the same to these folks that we don’t like being done to us.

So, I have made it a practice that once I realize that I will not be hiring a person I call them immediately. I thank them for the time they have spent learning about my needs.

I also mention that in the future if I know of someone who might use their services, I will mention their name. It has happened that I have given a vendor’s name that I didn’t use but that was a potential fit for another.

It is much more professional to be up front than not to call or e-mail at all.

It is easy for men because their jeans are 99% straight legs. That means they can wear sandals, boots and any type of shoe to dress up or down their look. Either the relaxed or fitted leg style works best for men.

For the gals, it not so easy. Here are some guidelines:

• The straight pant leg can be worn with flats, heels or boots.
• The slightly flared pant leg looks best with boots and a mid or high heel.
• The widely flared pant leg looks best with boots.

Color is what suggests the jean to be casual or dressy. A darker color without stress marks is considered dress. If you are going to wear jeans on a casual day at work, a darker color will always look more polished.

We always want to look smart and in with style even when wearing jeans.

How many times have you seen someone roll their eyes? They could be answering a question to you directly or answering a question in front of the audience. A Google search for “rolling eyes meaning” yielded 457,000 hits

Here are some of the writings from the internet:

• An expression of dismay or exasperation: actually or metaphorically moving one’s eyes to follow along an imaginary line of vision through the extreme range of the eyeball on the periphery of vision above the horizontal, from right to left or left to right.

• Idiom: If you roll your eyes, you show with your eyes that you don’t believe someone or aren’t interested in what they’re saying.

• Rolling your eyes is considered rude because it is a gesture saying you’ve got to be kidding or is she even thinking? It’s kind of like if you were talking and I let out a big sigh.

• It shows that you’re not interested in what they have to say. It’s equal to flipping someone off.

So, what do you do when you need to answer a question that may seem ridiculous or redundant because you just answered it? The best solution to prevent your eyes from rolling is to look the questioner in the eye, repeat the question and answer with a smile. You never want to be accused of rolling eyes.

The biggest challenge for a newly formed team is understanding each other’s communication styles. Some prefer conversations over the phone. Some choose e-mail. Some like immediate responses, even if it is not urgent. The best way to be on the same page communication wise, is to produce guidelines. Here are some tips to help begin the process:

Team Leader heading:

Operating Tips for Working with _________ on My Team

As I assume ___________, I want to ensure smooth and effective communication by sharing my operating style with you and learning about yours. By honoring each other’s styles, we will create an excellent team.

• Spell out the business protocols (example: always come to me first with a problem and if you cannot reach me do this) __________________.
• Best to reach me using _______________________________________.
• I will respond to you by ________________ within __________ time.

Team Member heading:

How I Like to Communicate as a Member of ___________Team

This questionnaire is designed to enable you to share your preferred operating methods with me so we can ensure efficient and effective communication. Please complete this survey and return it to me by _________ via e-mail:

• My preferred method of communication is via __________________.

• If an issue needs immediate attention, call me at _________________.

• In case of an emergency, contact me via __________ and expect an answer from me within __________________________________.

When you layout communication preferences for all to see like this, it will definitely make information exchanges less stressful, helping to ensure a successful team.

80% of women do not wear hose with their shoes (pumps and dress flats.) It seemd like they all wore socks with their athletic shoes until recently.

I was at an event and the women who did wear hose wore black opaque stockings. They were cold and also were wearing dresses. Both the dresses were shorter and the heels very high. I was surprised because it seemed most women were not wearing hose especially if they were under 40.

So, the question that always comes up is do you have to wear stockings?

Fashion rules say you never wear hose with toeless sandals. But the reality is dress policies have gotten so relaxed about hose that most women stopped wearing it!

It began as comfort and a mini revolt. The celebrities first started wearing sandals without hose (even though you can buy panty hose without toes to wear with sandals). Then it moved into not wearing hose all together. Of course, then everyone else started to do the same.

The hosiery industry had to become more innovative. Check out http://www.silkies.com/search.asp?SKW=cat1_f@&CAT=SILKIES. This is just one of the many sites that show hosiery companies fighting back by offering different styles and patterns to influence women to wear hose.

My tip for those who have very bare white leg and don’t want to wear hose is to wear slacks. Make wearing hosiery a non issue.

Smoking is bad for your health. Plus, we are not living in an era where smoking a cigarette is considered chic. If you are a smoker and want to minimize the odor, do not:

• Smoke before a meeting.
• Wear a heavy cologne to mask the cigarette smell.
• Hold your cigarette the whole time you are smoking.
• Smoke in the car while driving.

These are the things you can do as a smoker to minimize the effect of smoke odor on your body:

• Smoke at least two hours before making contact with anyone.
• If you wear a cologne make it a light flower scent.
• Keep your cigarette in an ash tray while smoking (this keeps odor away from you).
• Keep an unscented fabric softener sheet in your pocket. It will absorb the smell.
• Wash your hands with mildly scented soap before going into a meeting.

Smoking has long ceased being elegant but if you do smoke, make sure it does not define you.