Case study: do “clothes make the man”?

Of course not. But they sure can help him get things done. Consider what happened to Glenn, the Executive Director of a major local non-profit, and a man of high principles who has been working for nearly two decades to preserve wild lands in Oregon and Washington.

As an environmentalist, he tries to live light on the earth, and is very conscientious about his consumer habits. Although he deals regularly with major donors and makes many public presentations, he had given little thought to his clothes until one of his donors suggested he could do better. I’ll let Glenn take it from there:

I’ve always been a guy who believes that what matters is the person under the suit, not the suit itself—that undue attention on appearance is an attempt to make someone appear substantial who isn’t.

Joy showed me that there isn’t anything fake about wearing clothes that look good on me, in colors and styles that express who I am. I realized that truly expressing myself in the way I dress is a more powerful way to make a difference in the world. And for me, my highest value is to make a positive difference in the world.

First Joy identified a palette of colors that worked best for my coloring. Next, she assessed the contents of my closet, helping me remove things that didn’t fit, were poor color choices or simply blah. Then she orchestrated a shopping experience so easy that in just a couple of hours I had an entirely new wardrobe.

Now, nearly every day someone comments on how nice I look. Of course, I still don’t believe that appearance equates to substance. But I am aware that people’s reaction to me is fundamentally different, and more positive, thanks to Joy.

Glenn L. Portland, OR

P.S. He’s looking so great that the executive director at another organization asked him to refer her “to the person who helped you upgrade your wardrobe and image. It seems to me that she worked totally with who you are, authentically, and just nudged it a bit in service of the things you want to achieve and create for yourself and your organization. I have an employee who I’d love to see do the same thing.”