In Praise of the Black T-Shirt at Work

Aug 8

I read this quote at Innovation Zen in an article called “Wear a suit to work? Not as smart as you think.” and it really resonated with me:

Think about Steve Jobs, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg…

Managers and MBAs wear suits. People that want to make money wear suits. Professional athletes that want to look important wear suits.

People that want to change the world do not.

I know a really smart guy who wears a suit to work everyday. And I think he’s got a pretty good shot at changing the world. But I think a lot of people who rock the world are in black t-shirts and flip-flops.

What am I wearing today? Black t-shirt. Black velvet vans. Jeans. Maybe I should go change the world.

About the Author

Frank Roche

Frank started IFRACTAL over 7 years ago with Sarah Chambers. Together, they've created HR communications and HR software for some of the world's leading companies. Frank is also studying Flamenco guitar and origami.

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Jim Stroup says:

August 8, 2007 at 9:41 am

Hello Fred,

Black’s not my color, but I’m all for it being about the work – the purpose – and not about strutting around like peacocks.

By the way, you’ve been tagged !

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Frank Roche says:

August 9, 2007 at 7:05 am

Hi Jim,

Comfortable is what works. I know that people in suits get more attention and conferred prestige, but there is something about being able to get oxygen to the brain without a tie.

It’s funny, someone who works with us recently was at a client site and said, “I did most of this work with no socks on. Now it’s tough to be there in a tie.” I laughed.

Cheers.

Frank

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