Christian VelazquezBARA Process Lead| Cadena de Descuento BARAMonterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
How would you dress as a Project Manager to generate the most positive Impact on your team? If you look to formal you could decrease confidence on the team members who are more "relaxed" specially on an IT environment.
Thank you for your recommendations. Saving Changes...
Sort By:
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
As a project manager you act as a leader and team members as well as customers are watching you. You are the role model, you are the single one in charge while you need to empower and lead your team. You will be required to be respected by sponsor and business leaders and it helps building rapport with them also with your outfit, behaviour and competence.
So you play a role and it helped me always to dress decent, with business suite and tie. Saving Changes...
George MARKProject Manager| myProNotes.comLane Cove, Nsw, Australia
Monday - Thursday - Business attire. You can get away without the tie, but it depends on the business culture.
Friday - Casual. Saving Changes...
As someone who has worked on IT projects (not as a project manager) I can tell you that it does not matter too much on how people dress. Whether you are a manager, a technical lead, or a project manager it does not matter if you are dressed business or casual as your clothes will make no difference at all. The same is true for all the other IT workers. Some companies however may impose dress codes which must be followed by all the employees regardless of their position.
On many of my projects the people involved were working some of their time from home (including the project managers) so pajamas would have been perfect when working or talking with your colleagues on Internet meetings.
Nonetheless when some team members have to meet high ranking customer representatives a formal business suit is recommended no matter the position the team member has (consultant, business analyst, project manager, manager). Saving Changes...
Monday to Thursday – Business Casual (e.g., collared T-shirt with trousers)
Avoid Jeans and Sports Shoes
Fridays – Smart Casual (e.g., collared T-shirt with jeans and Sports Shoes)
Special Events and occasions – Suit or blazer with tie
Strictly avoid on all business days -
T-Shirts with slogans, graffiti, T-Shirts without collars, Torn jeans, Sleeve-less attire, shorts or track-pants, pajamas, & slippers Saving Changes...
The best solution is business casual dress, especially when working in office settings or meeting with clients, stakeholders, or team members. Saving Changes...
Program Manager, PPM&PMO Specialist.| Coppel, Mexico.Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
It's definitely true that striking the right balance between professionalism and approachability is key for a Project Manager (PM). In an IT environment, where the culture might be more casual, a formal look could create distance with your team.
Here are some tips for dressing as a PM I use to foster a positive impact:
Read the room: Observe how the team typically dresses and adjust accordingly. Aim at least for a step or two more dressed-up than the average.
Project the image you want: Dress for the role you want to be in. A PM needs to exude confidence and competence. Clothes that are clean and ironed can help with that.
I hope this helps!
Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
It will depends on the environment where you are located. In my case, from years, working in quit different organizations, I used tie and suit. Mainly because managers used it. In the last 5 years I use business casual, just because managers use it. To be honest, I always try to feel myself comfortable. I like very much to use tie and suit. Saving Changes...
Community Champion
