Today at JA Business Week it’s all about presenting yourself in the best possible way. The boys and girls were split and got the opportunity to hear from an image consultant about how to dress appropriately in the business world.
The girls heard from Patti Shyne who is a local image consultant that has worked with everyone from local media personalities to national celebrities to international politicians. She stressed that it is important to minimize appearance distractions when in the professional world and that confidence is the most important part of ones appearance. She recommended to the students to keep their make-up and jewelry to a minimum and to dress professionally and well groomed at all times because you have no idea the influence the people you meet may have on your future.
Kyle Pastrano, of Watson & Co., gave appearence tips to the boys. He also stressed to the boys that they are always being evaluated on what they are wearing and how they look, no matter what situation you are in. One of his tips was to always look nice, that wearing dark pants is the easiest way to do that. Even if they can’t afford the expensive clothes, there are always options in every price range.
The second session of the morning had the first year students participating in The Great Tinker Toy Experiment lead by 9News‘ Gregg Moss. This is an interactive leadership challenge that demonstrates to student the impact of different leadership styles on the effectivemenss and success of a team. Students were placed into groups and created a ‘product’ out of popsicle sticks. Business professionals lead the groups, each using a different leadership style (democratic, delegative/laissez faire, authoritarian/autocratic or consultive/participative.) Groups experienced the pros and cons of these different leadership sytles and once the product was completed they tried to ’sell’ it to potential ‘buyers’ in the room. The success of each group, just as in the real work, is affected by its leader and the leadership style he/she imposes.