Gandhi's Lesson on Dressing - A leadership Lesson

Its been long enough that I havent written anything, here is the lesson from Gandhi about dressing for people and occasion.

I was fortunate enough to read some of the wonderful blogs. While I was going through one of them. I was bit amused and surprised with the comments. My question for all of you including the author was “well does the title of the job and the dress go hand in hand in a work place”. One of the well known brands tag line goes like this “What you dress is what you are”.. Do you agree with this?

But if you were ask me, it doesn’t most out of times, the well known Sr. manager with hell out of visibility in his role may not have the best possible dressing sense. It becomes rather tough if you are from a middle class family to burn out your wallet for fancy clothing. Well I look back at myself as some of you might feel agitated to buy expensive and fancy clothes, I always felt a man is not made of the way he dresses but it’s what he is got in his brain makes the impact.

Some may not agree with the comment I have made but some may!! because Gandhi never wore an “Armani Suit”, neither had he have the luxury to go for Gucci wallet. His style statement was as simple as anything but the impact was immense because of the circumstances. Let me make very good point here, a person’s dressing makes an impact only when the circumstances are conducive. What would have happened if Gandhi were to go with full suit on and ask people to fight for freedom, well it would have been a complete Joke its like Bill Gates building a new corporation of beggars. Would that sound familiar to you?

I always had one of my friends grunting about the way I dress, I thought that if I have to dress normally that will make me look simple and “simplicity is the most complex subject to practice”. Lately enough, I changed my attitude and changed my dressing sense, I agree with the people who say dress well. But the real point is looking at the occasion more important than what kind of dress you want to wear.

 It’s rather expensive and fanciful to think about the way people dress; I have never had that fortune and an opportunity of wearing the most fabulous clothes, what people call designer clothes so far. Given a chance I would rather want to spend on myself than spending on those expensive designers who seem to change the way people and society think. By spending our money on these clothes we are stamping on people who lead their life making some simple clothes. We must create a favorable business environment for all, although my thoughts may hurt your perceptions. But remember when you die it doesn’t matter whether you wore designer fabric or you wore some simple cloth only thing which matters is what you did with what you had.

Recently I visited a showroom to buy some clothes for myself, I was quiet shocked with the way salesman approached me. I must admit I still remember when I came to Bangalore first time how salesmen on footpath use to attract customers. They had very peculiar way of doing business, they understand that majority of people who come to Bangalore will visit Majestic for one other reasons. They make sure that there are at least two or three gentlemen who are part of that shop to be discussing seriously with the shopkeeper so to make people think and Join them in the bandwagon of cheating. Once you go and see the product whether you like it or not, you are suppose to buy.. You have no choice left because they will force you to buy; one person whom I know was sharing his rather shameful experience of getting slapped by a footpath shopkeeper for not buying the product.

Being a leader it is very important that you dress well and more importance and emphasis must be laid on the kind of followers you have. Gandhi and some of the great leaders understood this aptly hence they were able to lead people and people followed them like sheep’s.

Remember at last its what you fought for with what you have matters a lot, dressing and presenting yourself plays a major role in leading. Hence dress for occasion and for the kind of people you lead, you can’t lead to change world until unless you change yourself.