WEAR THE APPROPRIATE COSTUME 197
Apple employee to wear more informal attire than a Wall Street
executive.
Once you invent a product that changes the world, we can
talk about dressing down. For now, here’s the best wardrobe
advice you’ll ever hear: always dress a little better than everyone
else, but appropriate for the culture.
DIRECTOR’S NOTES
Dress like the leader you want to become, not for the
position you currently have. Great leaders dress a little
better than everyone else in the room. Remember, when
Jobs was looking for funding at the bank, he dressed in
an expensive suit. Wear clothes that are appropriate for the culture. Steve
Jobs can get away with a black mock, blue jeans, and
running shoes because everything about his brand is
built on the concept of disrupting the status quo. If you’re going to dress like a rebel, dress like a well-off
rebel. Jobs wears St. Croix sweaters. It might look like a
black T-shirt—but at least he spends money on it.