In this episode, host Tim Sweet invites Melanie Potro, a Business Stylist, to discuss the importance of personal style and its impact on leadership. Melanie helps leaders communicate effectively and develop a signature style that reflects their personal brand. They explore the significance of first impressions, the emergence of personal style in the post-pandemic era, and the differences in pursuing style for men, women and non-binary individuals. Melanie emphasizes the connection between authentic style and boosting confidence in leadership roles.

Melanie highlights how a signature style can enhance a leader's communication and impact, making them more memorable and effective. The conversation explores the psychological aspects of first impressions and how authentic style can inspire confidence in others. Melanie explains that men and women approach personal style differently, with women often being more self-critical and aware of their perceived flaws. She stresses the importance of feeling at ease in one's clothes and using personal style as a tool for self-expression and authenticity.

A key point discussed in the episode is the role of contrast in personal style. Melanie explains how understanding contrast can help individuals create a cohesive and empowering wardrobe that aligns with their personal values and goals. Tim and Melanie plan to have future episodes on two specific topics: how to save money when building a wardrobe with intent and the significance of contrast in personal branding and style. Don't miss out on the valuable insights and practical tips that Melanie Potro has to offer in future episodes. Whether you're a leader looking to enhance your personal brand or simply seeking to improve your style and confidence, Melanie's expertise will undoubtedly inspire and empower you. So mark your calendar and join us for the next episodes of "Sweet on Leadership."

About Melanie Potro 

Melanie Potro is a Business Stylist who helps leaders develop a signature style that aligns with their personal brand and goals. With over 30 years of experience, she has worked with influential individuals in the UK and abroad, helping them improve their appearance and confidence as leaders.

Contact Tim Sweet | Team Work Excellence: 

• Website
• LinkedIn: Tim Sweet
• Instagram
• Linkedin: Team Work Excellence

Contact Melanie Potro | MP Business Styling: 

• Instagram: mpbusinessstyling
• Linkedin: Melanie Potro
• Facebook: MPBusinessStyling
• Pinterest: melaniepotro

Transcript

Melanie  0:01  

If you want to inspire other people, want to make sure that they feel that you're trustworthy, competent, and so on, then you need to look at your appearance, because that's the first thing they see. So that can be really the entrance ticket, the ticket to open the doors for the next step in your career, or to get the big client on board or to make a big sale.

Tim  0:26  

I'd like to ask you some questions. Do you consider yourself the kind of person that gets things done? Are you able to take a vision and transform that into action? Are you able to align others towards that vision and get them moving to create something truly remarkable? If any of these describe you, then you, my friend, are a leader, and this show is all about and all for you. Welcome to the Sweet on Leadership podcast. So lucky to have you. This is episode 13. 

Tim  1:00

Hi, everybody, I've got a real treat for you today. This is going to be something that's a little bit out of the ordinary because we're not just going to be talking about leaders, we're going to be talking about leadership brand. And joining me today is Melanie Potro, and she's a good friend of mine, she's helped me personally. And she's an amazing stylist, who is dressing some of the most influential people in the UK and abroad. And Melanie, thank you so much for taking the time to join me today.

Melanie  1:28  

Thank you for inviting me, I'm really thrilled to be here. 

Tim  1:31  

Well, I think you've got so much to offer. And I'm more than happy to introduce you to people on this side of the pond. I know you have North American clients, but I hope more people learn about you and what you offer. Maybe we could just spend a moment and you could tell people how you arrived where you are, and why it's important work that you're doing.

Melanie  1:54  

Okay, well, I'm a Business Stylist and rather than a personal stylist, I address people in leadership positions to communicate more effectively, and to communicate with their personal brand in mind. So, I help them develop a signature style so that they are memorable. And they become more effective leaders, people who are inspired by them through their leadership as well. And so to make their voice carry further, yeah, so.

Tim  2:25  

I think that's such an interesting point. And when we first met, as you know, I used to be a chef. And I was in charge of the very first dishes that anyone would have coming into the restaurant. And often, I was also doing the last dishes they would see. But then we always had that saying that the eyes feast first. And people are going to make so many decisions about who you are and what you stand for in the first 20 seconds that we see you before you've even opened your mouth.

Melanie  2:53  

Exactly. I mean, some people even say it's only seven seconds, some people say it’s twenty seconds, it doesn't matter, really, but first impressions count. 

Tim 3:01

It’s less than a minute?

Melanie  3:03  

Yeah. And you do it every day yourself, you know, whether it's in the tube, which you call underground, you know, you look at the people standing opposite you, you make assumptions, are they wealthy, are they religious, you know, like what kind of profession do they have, and so on. And you do that, obviously, as well in a professional situation. So, if you want to inspire other people, and want to make sure that they feel that you're trustworthy, competent, and so on, and you feel that you don't carry that across at the moment, then you need to look at your appearance because that's the first thing they see. So, that can be really the entrance ticket, the ticket to open the doors for the next step in your career, or to get the big client on board or to make a big sale.

Tim  3:50  

When we think about making those sales, it's often about trust and consistency. I was talking to somebody yesterday just about how their behaviours and their words in those little moments consistently needed to follow what they've stated as their purpose and their mission and what's important to them as leaders so that people can see that consistency. We can extend that to their image and how they show up visually, right, that has to be consistent with what they're saying.

Melanie  4:19  

Yes, exactly. The way I work with my clients is I develop a signature style because that will give them also other people the idea that they get to know them, they can recognize them the second time they see them. They say okay, I've seen this one before this builds trust that someone like this recognition and build a personal brand based on their personal values, their goals and their role. And this is really going in deep because we're starting rather than just looking at you know what style of clothes flatter you and what colours look nice, we are looking at the whole persona like and 360-degree version of you, and in which capacity you're working. So, that's the most important one. And we're looking at the goals of the person who wants to develop a signature style. So, we're looking at why do you want to do this? You know, what's not working at the moment? So, who do you want to dress? Who is your audience? Where do you want to carry your voice further? Who do you want to attract? And in which situations and in which environment do you work? You know, so you work from home, you go to offices, do you see people at business lunches, these are all different situations. So, you need to adapt to that.

Tim  5:37  

And it is something that warrants for me, it was a very enjoyable, introspective. And I'm still learning, by the way. So, I mean, you're still helping me, we're still working it out in a way. I'm not the easiest client. But the practice is very enjoyable. And, you know, I'm sure we've got lots to learn about this. And I do think it's going to extend over more than one conversation. So, we won't try to fit everything in today. Plus, I think we've got to give people a chance to, like you have a lot to teach over your course and just with your social media shares and whatnot, so that people should really connect you and learn a little bit more. I am going to have you back, though. But I was hoping that for today, one of the major things I'd like to cover is why is personal style emerging again, now that we've come through the pandemic, and things are normalizing? I'm really getting a sense that the cycle has now shifted, and we're starting to get more rigorous around our attention to style. Would you say you're seeing the same thing? 

Melanie  6:43  

Yes, I see the same thing, but in a different way than before the pandemic. So, I mean, as you said, the trend was in general, going more casual. If you look back 15 - 20 years, when I worked myself in investment banking, for Goldman Sachs, they were dress codes. And if you didn't adhere, you would be put to the side and told off and said, like, you know, the next time you need to come in, you know, and dress appropriately or do something and this was really enforced. And in the past 10 years, this has really changed a lot, especially for women as well, who were a lot more allowed to come in different styles, other than just a suit. You know, that could bring in more colours, more personality, and so on. And then we had COVID and everything became very casual. People started wearing tracksuit bottoms, and T-shirts. But now that everyone is coming back, and the economies are going into full swing again, even though it's not that rosy here in the UK at the moment. But we're all going back into the offices and a lot of people and also companies are rebranding, as you said yourself, you know, they're redefining their purpose. Some purposes and goals shifted as well because people got a different outlook on life. There's a lot more thought about sustainability and you know, showing up with your personal values in mind, and you want to communicate that, you just don't want to look like everyone else. You want to make sure that you stand out from the crowd and show up in a way that people understand that you are different, you know, like that. You are like standing out from the crowd

Tim  8:23  

And that it's you, right? 

Melanie  8:25

Yeah. Because yeah, that is very authentic. Yeah.

Tim  8:28  

In an episode that's going to precede this, I was talking to Claire Davis. And we were talking about how representing yourself as a leader, or when you're in the middle of a job search has really become about letting the humanity shine through, not just what your qualifications are. And in Episodes 11, and 5, I talked to Paul Farmer, who's a friend of mine down in Brisbane, Australia, and he focuses on the feelings that we need to go after in terms of success, personally. And so thinking about those two conversations, and now what you're saying. Would it be incorrect to say that 12 - 15 years ago, it was really the mandated fashion of the institution or of the team that you are on? And I mean, 10 - 12 years ago, I was wearing suits and cufflinks and tailored shirts, right? That was the how our team dressed. We dressed like that on purpose. And we enjoyed dressing like that because it meant we were, we were all about the job and getting it done. And we were showing up very intentionally to anything we did. We were a high-performing team, and we were gonna let people know it. And that was though largely company side. And so now we're ramping up again in terms of people being more intentional about how they're looking, but it's much more personal now. It's more about being authentic and saying this is who I am and that is an extension, not of your profession, but of yourself and how you're showing up. So, would that be the right? 

Melanie  10:04  

Yeah, that's correct. I mean, you really, you still have dress codes, even though they're not like official or not always so conservative, which you used to think about best posts. So if you go for example, into the conservative industry, you still see a lot more suits, you see a lot more blue and navy and black, a neutral colours. And if you go into a creative industry, such as marketing, or even architects, so you see a lot more casual clothes, and people dress in more colours and textures are different as well. These are also dress codes, but overall, you have the brand as the red thread in, you know, maybe a company's style, but everyone has some scope, to interpret that, to show up with their own personal brand. And especially as a leader, you are at the forefront, you know, you want to really show up and give a bit of way of your personality. 

Tim  11:03

Yeah, make it a window.

Melanie  11:05 

So, you take something that's really personal to you, and you show up with that. And the better you know yourself, what suits you, but what connects with you, you know, everyone has a favourite color, you know, even if it's from your childhood, there's something that connects with you. If you bring that in, that makes you also more approachable, more authentic.

Tim  11:25  

Confidence is such a huge deal for people that if you are dressed in a way that feels like you and shows yourself, then I think it can be a road to confidence as well, if you've planned it out, and you've taken that time and treat it almost as self-care and preparation. I remember that this is a slightly different context, but early on in my career as a regional manager, I was running a safety initiative. And we had a lot of head lacerations. So I brought in this factory I brought in mandatory bump caps, they're not quite hard hats, they're just things that protect people's heads in case they stand up underneath a belt or something. But it was the act of putting on the uniform or when I was a chef tying my knot because I was a classical chef. So, we would wear neckerchiefs, with a formal, intentional knot tied in them that was sort of a symbol. And you were putting on a uniform and kind of readying yourself for the day. It was an extension of getting ready. And even if you're tailoring that to your own needs, it's kind of a reminder of you're putting that time into yourself and so maybe that can lead me to a different question. And that is I think that's always been or perhaps more commonly been the case for women. I know from my experience, from my wife that she would always spend a lot more time getting ready for something that I would. But what is the difference in that pursuit of style and individual style? How might it be different for women or men, or non-binary people and anyone in between? What would be some of the differences that you see?

Melanie  13:03  

I have obviously primarily worked with women over the past 30 years. I've made a lot of made-to-measure clothes, and also work in bridal couture, as we just talked about. And one thing I really noticed with women is they are a lot more self-critical and self-aware about their bodies and their flaws, or perceived flaws. And as such, going down to find a style that is really authentic and that boosts the confidence has a really great impact. So, if you feel we always think it's like you're feeling at home, you know, like when you feel at home in your clothes, you know, you feel empowered, you know, you feel you can do anything you want. If you’re at ease, you move around and, you know, that is the one thing that I would like to achieve. And with men, I've also worked with men a lot and especially lawyers or people in more conservative industries, and a lot more pragmatic, you know, they say, Okay, I need to style that works, that connects me with people because this or this or this doesn't work or I can improve, but they don't reflect so negatively on themselves. You know, like if, whether they're tall or small or overweight or not, you know, like any of these things, it doesn't matter. They just like put it on and they're happy to get advice. And with women, it's a lot more they're a lot more layers to it, like with regards to their body image as well as getting advice and taking advice, you know, like fold in itself because you're competent by should you take this and there's a lot more of this whole critical thinking going on when you style women. So, I always like to think though it's like taking someone by the hand and you know, giving them the room to explore and leading them towards what is really in them. You know, just opening up that door, opportunities as well. So.

Tim  15:01  

I really love that thought about feeling at home, and almost taking care of that fear or that part of the equation. So, we can move past it during the day and focus on what's underneath a little bit, and say, Okay, I've got the outside sorted. Now let's spend a little time getting the inside sorted and make sure that my inside self is ready for the game. So, I mean, it really is part of the whole package. And I like the idea, just a feeling together. I'd say that's the single most important for me personally, is that I have a lot of things that are together in my life, and I have some other things that sort of fall by the wayside. And it's really about taking that time to make sure that, you know, if I'm inspiring confidence in others, I better not look like I'm not, at least mostly started.

Melanie  15:53  

Exactly, yeah. If you look put together, people will assume that you got your stuff together.

Tim  15:59  

Yeah, they can assume.

Melanie  16:02  

Well know, that you know what you’re doing, you know, but if you look like someone puts their clothes on in a random way, you know, like, you know, well, that, you know. Oh my gosh, who is that person? So, that might be super competent. But you first assume otherwise, you know, someone looks sharp. You know, I was like, with men, I always like to look at Obama. He had like, the signature style, he looked always sharp, but he didn't always look the same. Obviously, always, most of the times he wore suits, you know, we know, we know that. But he would address the young audience, he wouldn't wear a blazer, he would put up the sleeves, you know.

Tim  16:39

Wear a sweater, yeah.

Melanie  16:41

Yeah, or sweater and address the audience, you know, in a more conservative setting, he had his suit on, but he looked always sharp, you know, so sharp. And that's something obviously that you can get also through made-to-measure, but it was also suitable for his job for his role, you know, inspired confidence. You have different roles, and you require different kind of attire. So.

Tim  17:05  

Absolutely. So, I think just to sum up where we've come today, you know, really, we've had a chance to hear a little bit more about you, we've also been sort of exploring around just how important it is, and how worthwhile it is for the self, to spend a little bit of time in this space, and to really dress the way you deserve, I think, as a leader. You've talked to us about and reminded us how important it is to be visually balanced with what you're trying to convey, and that it can really help amplify yourself and your message. And I think we've also sort of covered that the time is now. It's going to begin to ramp up and these are skills that people can learn. And I think when I have you back, I really, as I said, I'm going to have you back, there's a couple of points I just want to earmark that people could get interested in. One is that when figuring the wardrobe and the style out, you can actually save a lot of money, at the beginning, by going out and buying with intent at something that you've shown me.

Melanie  18:07  

Exactly, you can put together a capsule wardrobe, you know, like all pieces are fitting together.

Tim  18:13  

Fitting together. If people are scared about this, there's actually there's a light at the end of the tunnel, because it helps you in making your life actually lower stress and helping you feel at home every day. And the other thing that I want maybe as a separate conversation, one of your services or one of your, I would even say one of your kind of gifts that you showed me, was really talking about, both from a wardrobe perspective or a colour palette perspective, you talked about the importance of contrast. And this is something that was absolutely game-changing for me, or at least was such a surprise to hear about. And I remember I've shared it with a bunch of people and they think it's just one of the neatest things. Both it's important to understand as a skill when purchasing clothes and dressing. But also just sort of as a metaphor, understanding how you show up, the degree of contrast you have as part of your brand, and how to leverage that either your contrast is really staccato and different, you know, high contrast, or maybe you have a much more subtle style. And so I want to have the contrast conversation with you. And I– 

Melanie  19:21  

Yeah, definitely you also just can, you can look at nature. And you can see what a contrast does to us, you know, the warning signals and you know, anything that's toxic, and anything that's pleasing for the mind, even the flower bouquets and anything that just, well when you see someone, so that's really where you relate to your own contrast levels. And we talked about that as well. I know so because that's so important as well, like whether you have a strong contrast within yourself or not.

Tim  19:50  

So, we're going to book those two dates pretty quickly. All right, Melanie, I just want to say again, thank you so much for joining us. I'm going to make sure that we have links for you in the show notes, but very quickly, where can people find you if they want to search you out?

Melanie  20:05  

So, they can find me on LinkedIn, Melanie Potro and my Instagram as well, mpbusinessstyling. And so that's the easiest way to get in touch with me.

Tim  20:15  

And one of the ways they can start working with you is through your course correct?

Melanie  20:20  

Yes, I do offer a six-week signature-style course, for leaders. And well the outcome is really that you have a capsule wardrobe that is fit for purpose, and that really suits your personality, your role, and your finger clicks on all that.

Tim  20:38  

So, you've made that really accessible and yeah, easy for people to get into.

Melanie  20:42  

Yeah, a really empowering wardrobe that is a game-changer for your career.

Tim  20:47  

Awesome. Well, we'll have some contact information for that as well in the show notes. Okay. Melanie Potro, thank you so much for joining me today. And we'll see you again real soon.

Melanie  20:57  

You're very welcome. And thank you for inviting me.

Tim  20:59  

All right. See you, Mel.

Melanie  21:01

See you.

Tim  21:04

Thank you so much for listening to Sweet on Leadership. If you found today's podcast valuable, consider visiting our website and signing up for the companion newsletter. You can find the link in the show notes. If like us, you think it's important to bring new ideas and skills into the practice of leadership. Please give us positive rating and review on Apple Podcasts. This helps us spread the word to other committed leaders. And you can spread the word too, by sharing this with your friends, teams and colleagues. Thanks again for listening. And be sure to tune in in two weeks' time for another episode of Sweet on Leadership. In the meantime, I'm your host, Tim Sweet, encouraging you to keep on leading.