The Everyday Icon Style Podcast

Episode 168: The Executive Presence Blueprint: Building Confidence Through Style

• Tiffany Howard

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This episode focuses on building executive presence through effective style choices in the corporate world. Listeners gain actionable tips on refining their wardrobes to align with professional goals, boosting confidence, and enhancing their personal brand. 

• Defining executive presence as a blend of confidence, poise, and trust 
• Understanding the vital role of appearance in professional settings 
• Exploring how style impacts self-confidence and perceptions of authority 
• Discussing the three pillars of executive presence: essentials, attention to detail, and authenticity 
• Providing strategies for auditing and refining wardrobe choices 
• Encouraging listeners to define personal style goals to elevate their career 
• Highlighting the importance of investing in key wardrobe pieces 
• Suggesting planning outfits to alleviate decision fatigue 

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Speaker 1:

Ignite your style with the Everyday Icon Style Podcast. I'm Tiffany, your style navigator and confidant here to lead women in corporate America on the quest to discover their timeless style. Let's revolutionize your wardrobe, empower your confidence and embrace your inner icon. Are you ready to redefine your corporate chic? Then let's get started. Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Everyday Icon Style Podcast. I'm Tiffany, your dedicated wardrobe strategist, dedicated to helping executive assistants and corporate professionals elevate their wardrobe and, in turn, your careers. And in today's episode, it's all about unlocking what I like to call the executive presence blueprint. And today we'll discuss how to use style as a tool not only to build confidence, but to also exude authority and align your appearance with your career goals. And by the end of this episode, you'll have actionable steps to refine your wardrobe and start showing up as the best version of yourself, both professionally and personally. So if you're ready to get started, let's go on ahead and dive right on in.

Speaker 1:

So what is executive presence? And why does style still matter? Because I think people think, because we're in this new age, new era of working, that style doesn't matter. But I'm here to tell you otherwise. So, first, executive presence. So what is it? Executive presence is a combination of confidence, poise and the ability to inspire respect and trust. Now, while our skills and performance are critical, our appearance plays a significant role in shaping others' perception of us. Remember, you only have about seven seconds or less, so think of this as your visual business card. The first thing people notice before you even speak is how you look and based off of that, they are going to judge you. We have to be honest and truthful about that. So, in part, we're kind of going to be creating your visual business card and what and how it is what it's going to say for you and before you do.

Speaker 1:

Now here's the thing about style. I think we think that style is about clothes and accessories. I'm here to tell you that is absolutely false. It's about sending the right message. Are you showing up as someone else, as someone who is polished, or someone else's version of polished and prepared and professional? If your wardrobe doesn't align with your ambitions and your goals, your career goals, then it's time to reassess your wardrobe as a whole, and sometimes it may just be something as simple as tweaking that. I want to make this clear you have enough degrees and you are way more than qualified to do.

Speaker 1:

Whatever role you're in, whether you're executive assistant, whether you're a manager, whether you are on the track to go to the executive or the C-suite, you have that portion down. The one thing that may be holding you back is that people don't see you as such, and when you look at other people in the roles that you want to go to, or even your current role, and you want to be able to be seen more as a person of influence and a person who is if you're an executive assistant, that is literally like the right hand of the CEO, cfo, coo you have to position yourself so people can see you as such. It's kind of a delicate balance between your skills and your visual appearance as well. So how exactly does style build confidence? Now, there is actually, whether we want to believe it or not, and I am also realizing this as well that there's a psychological link between how we dress and how we feel. So this is where we build the confidence. So when you wear clothes that fit well, they suit your personal style and they align with your professional goals, you will automatically and naturally exude confidence, and it probably will take some getting used to, because it might be something foreign or something that you're reinventing. If you want to reinvent your wardrobe or your style and here are a few ways that style will impact your confidence so one fit and comfort Clothes that fit you perfectly, make you feel comfortable and self-assured, so you're not pulling at it all day if it's too tight or if it's sometimes even too big, trying to make it not look so big and bulky on you.

Speaker 1:

Alignment with goals Dressing for the role that you want, not just the one that you have and we've all, if you've been around long enough, we have all heard that a time or two and this can even boost your ambition and motivation. Even if you're not looking to get to the next level or role, it will still align you to where people will see you in such a way for your goals and whatever that goal may be it might be maybe you want to do more speaking engagements. Where you want to do more, not necessarily speaking engagements, but say you want to do more roles along educating, making sure you know training that's what I'm looking for. So maybe you want to train new people. Well, they can't see you as a trainer if you don't look like that and to make it part of your goals, so, as you're building out your goals, you want to put a piece in there to make sure that your wardrobe is that. And we are going to go through and make sure that, no matter what you put on at the end of this year or however long it takes, your wardrobe will always align with what it is that you want to do.

Speaker 1:

Positive feedback loop this is a new one. So when you look good, you feel good and that energy is contagious. So it will slowly build in you and as you begin to do it more and more and work and build and develop your style, it will slowly begin to affect your confidence and you'll slowly begin to see it. And guess what? When you begin to see it and feel it, others will see it as well. So number three is what I like to call your three key style pillars of executive presence. Now, when creating your wardrobe that enhances your executive presence, I want you to focus on these three pillars. I want to make it as easy as possible for you. Easy as possible for you your essentials I wouldn't don't want to say basics, I like the words your essentials what I like to call your corporate capsule wardrobe.

Speaker 1:

That's even better. So we want to invest. Of course, these are going to be high quality, timeless pieces, like your tailored blazers, your sleek trousers trousers, your classic blouses. These items form the foundation of your wardrobe and can be easily mixed and matched. Now, ultimately, we want to have a mix and match wardrobe, so it'll be a little bit of everything but this 15% of your wardrobe. This is going to be laying as if we're building a house. This is your foundation, and once you have a strong foundation to build upon, then everything else that we put on top of that will be icing on the cake and it will have different functions. As you begin to build the house, and I think what happens is is that when we try, or when you've been trying, to build and create your style, you don't have a solid foundation. And having a solid foundation will help get you that much closer to your ideal strong style. And remember, this is only 15% of your wardrobe. We are not doing a whole capsule wardrobe, unless that's what you want, but I like to say just 15% of your wardrobe for that one.

Speaker 1:

Next, attention to detail. This is very key. It's sometimes very small, but you would be surprised how many people pay attention to the details closer, more closely than what you think. So with this, it is going to ensure that your clothes are clean, pressed and in good condition. Your accessories, like your watches, your belts, your everyday jewelry and shoes, are just chef's kiss and top notch. I would also include in this your grooming, so your hair, your nails, your waxing, your skin care, your body care, your health all of that is the attention to detail. And you want to begin to do that and begin you to actually begin to pay attention and quiet as it's kept. That's probably the easiest place to start when building your style is the attention to detail and then kind of building everything else. But all of this is one cohesive mix right here now.

Speaker 1:

Lastly, of the three key pillars is authenticity. Please remember this personal, personal style is personal. What I can pull off. It looks good on me, but it might not look good on you. So you want to be authentic, even though we are in these professional and corporate settings. Yes, it is time to not look cookie cutter anymore but to bring your personal style, because it is equally important to stay true to your personal style, whether it's a pop of color, a unique accessory or signature style element. It could be cardigans. It could be your signature scent. You could do this with your jewelry. Let Let your wardrobe reflect who you are. For so long we have had to have this be part of this cookie cutter to where we all kind of blend in. And, yes, depending on where you work, you do have a dress code, but you can find and be authentic to yourself within the confluence of a dress code. So please remember, when you're doing this, above all else, to be authentic to who you are, because if you're not, you're going to feel uncomfortable and you're not going to exude the confidence and build the confidence that I know that you have. So, lastly, I'm going to provide you with some actionable steps to build your executive presence through style. This is the blueprint.

Speaker 1:

I want you to audit your current wardrobe, if you're new here or if you've been around a while. The biggest thing that I say the issue is is your closet and it's literally holding you back. So I want you to spend an afternoon and I want you to go through your closet. I want you to identify what no longer fits, that's outdated, that's worn or torn or no longer aligns with your professional goals, and if you want to do that, in the description box below. I do have a guide, which is your weekend wardrobe guide to how you can do in a weekend, begin to elevate and update your wardrobe, so be sure to grab that.

Speaker 1:

Next, I want you to define your style goals. I want you to ask yourself what do I want my wardrobe to say about me? And I want you to use these goals to guide any and all of your future purchases, not just within the workspace, but outside of the workspace as well. What do you want your wardrobe to say about you? It could say whatever it is that you want it to say, and use that when you're going to pick pieces. Hmm, does this say or convey what it is that I want people to say, or how I want people to see, or how I see myself?

Speaker 1:

I want you to invest in key pieces. Start by purchasing one or two high quality items that can elevate your wardrobe instantly. For example, a tailored blazer Jewelry is good, and I'm getting into that a little bit more. Maybe investing in your everyday jewelry. That will help investing in those key pieces you could do. Finding your color palette is another to help you with buying your key pieces.

Speaker 1:

So I want you to begin to not be confined to what we know, but I want you to also going through these key pillars to build your executive presence, have fun with it in the process and plan your outfits. I did this when I first started my job a couple months ago, but I've kind of fell off. However, it is valuable and is actually a good thing to do, so hopefully I'll be able to get back into it, which is at the beginning of each week. I want you to plan your workout fits for the week Now. This eliminates decision fatigue, because that's what holds us back from dressing the way we do and we end up rushing, and it ensures you're consistently presenting your best self and this way in the morning, instead of rushing out the door, you're actually able to go at a nice slow pace and enjoy getting dressed in the morning.

Speaker 1:

So I hope you enjoyed today's episode and if you are ready to build your executive presence through style, here's what you can do. Next One you can, of course, subscribe to this podcast so that you don't miss future episodes packed with tips and inspiration. Next, follow me on Instagram at Tiffany, at underscore, the wardrobe editor. I have changed it so many times, but all of it is in the description box below. And lastly, if you are ready to transform your style, be sure to access the Weekend Wardrobe Edit Guide, and you can click the link in the description below of this podcast to grab your copy today and start transforming your style this weekend. So I want to thank you so very much for tuning in to the Everyday Icon Style Podcast and remember style isn't about perfection, it's about progress. So until next time, stay healthy, stay safe and always remember to show up as the everyday icon that you are.