When I was in college in the mid to late ’70s, we had suffered through the “Hippie” reign. Because of this, the majority of the average college person’s wardrobe consisted of flare-legged jeans and T-shirts. About 90% of my wardrobe was made up of about five pairs of jeans and around 50 T-shirts with various designs and logos on them. I wore these just about everywhere I went.
I enjoyed dressing casually while in college and when I went home to work in the family business, I continued to wear my standard attire. My job in the family was not very well defined. I was the “Manager Trainee,” a job description that included just about anything Dad wanted me to do. He had in mind letting me work through each department in the business so that when the rotation was done, I would have a pretty good idea just what went on throughout the business. Looking back I think it worked pretty well.
While I was working in the warehouse, or driving the delivery truck, the T-shirts were quite acceptable for my daily uniform. There came a day, however, when Dad decided that I needed to grow up a little. To help me along, he encouraged me to dress more professionally. I still remember the day… I was wearing a T-shirt with a large Mickey Mouse on it. Dad called me to his office and asked me to close the door. I sat down and asked what he wanted. He said, “Carl, you need to do something about your clothes.”
Somewhat surprised, I asked, “What do you mean?”
He said, “Well, you dress like a kid… and you’re not a kid anymore. Remember what Paul said in the Bible? ‘When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child, I understood as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things.’”
Well, I knew that it was from the Bible, and I knew it was true, but at the same time, I was crushed. I couldn’t believe that my own dad would give me a hard time about what I wore to work! Disgruntled, I left his office trying to figure out how I could circumvent this “command.” However, as I cooled down, I realized that Dad was right. The time had come for me to grow up and become a man… and that included dressing more professionally.
About that time, I was taking the Dale Carnegie Course in Human Relations. In that course, you learn to set goals and follow through with them. So I set a goal to replace my wardrobe with newer, more professional clothes. It was a big goal! I started small and with the help of some of my friends, the mission was accomplished.
It is somewhat true that “clothes make the man” and Dad knew that I would make a “better man” if I would learn to dress more professionally. I wonder if I would still be working in a warehouse if it weren’t for Dad and his insight.
