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Managers seldom talk about their ‘image’ but let’s be clear: you have one. The way you dress provides visual clues to the sort of person you are. Casual dress may be cool, but smart casual is coolest of all. Think about it. You don’t deliver thousand-dollar messages in one-dollar suits.

Perhaps you think I might be overestimating the impact of your appearance? Then let me point you to the election race between Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy in 1960. People still say the reason JFK won was because Nixon hadn’t bothered to shave. The people in makeup couldn’t hide his 5 o’clock shadow. You don’t win trust looking like a gangster.

one minute wonder Look around for someone else in your organization who always manages their image well. How do they do it? What are the ways that they make sure they look the part? What can you learn from them and introduce as part of your own appearance?

“Most things are judged by their jackets”

Baltasar Gracián y Morales, 17th-century Spanish writer

■ So what does smart dress do? It neutralizes people’s opinion of you. Instead of concentrating on your ill-fitting trousers or joke tie they concentrate on you and your message. When you dress professionally, then people assume you are a professional. You look the part.

■ Image doesn’t stop with clothes. Looking well groomed equally sends positive messages out about you. It tells people you care about the small stuff and that detail matters. So if you travel in a car, make sure it’s tidy. When you open your briefcase, don’t lift the lid on a mass of papers and clutter. If your cell phone or mobile rings, don’t have a ringtone that’s so awful people make remarks about it.

■ Last of all, what about your desk? You must make sure that you look like you have everything under control. Remember, a manager’s job is often about managing detail. An untidy desk sends out the wrong messages to your staff and colleagues.

All managers sell. We sell ideas, opinions and concepts. But, as any salesperson will tell you, people buy people. How you look either helps – or gets in the way of – that process.

Like it or not, people are going to judge you on your appearance.