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A few
weeks ago, I gave a conference presentation via satellite TV from Ottawa
to 500 participants in Toronto. I wore a jean shirt for the event. Based on my
presentation, ITbusiness.ca ran the following
article. Despite a couple of factual errors, it was a
fairly decent article.
A
couple of weeks later, Edge Magazine (part of the same media family)
called to say it wanted to run the story, and I agreed. They sent a
photographer. For the photo shoot, I wore the same jean shirt (as you can
tell by now, I like jean shirts).
A couple of days later, the photographer called me
with some surprising news. He said that his client, Edge, was unhappy
with the pictures, and wanted him to re-shoot with me dressed more formally.
Seems like my jean shirt was too casual, and one of the shirt pocket buttons was undone.
After
my initial shock, I did something I had never done yet in my career
— I
refused. Here’s are my reasons:
| 1. |
There
is a principle involved. Telework is supposed to be casual and
comfortable. It's about flexibility and results and not appearance,
old-fashioned cultural norms and management barriers. |
| 2. |
Casual
attire is by far the best 'fit' given the topic of telework and working from
home. That's why most of my media pictures are of me and my home office.
It's not out of place for me to wear casual attire in this setting.
In
most cases, it not as credible to appear in a story about
flexibility and telework with the subject in a
dressy shirt, or (pushing it even further, in a suit and a tie). |
| 3. |
I have appeared in
hundreds of major magazines
and North American daily newspapers, including The
Globe and Mail (even a multi-page spread in Report and Business
Magazine); CanWest newspapers; The Sun Media chain, etc.
Almost all of my pictures show me dressed in casual clothing,
usually in a jean shirt.
While very unusual, I even I
have a picture of me wearing a T-shirt in one of Canada's most conservative newspapers - The Financial Post.
Computing Canada (part of the same family as Edge) even quoted me in
an article called "I'm
Not Wearing Any Pants"
Not once have I
ever heard that I was dressed too casually for the topic. |
| 4. |
Last
but not least, the first photo session took almost two hours, I was simply not prepared to devote any further time to this.
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I
asked the photographer to tell the magazine's editor to call me to discuss,
but this was declined. I have
since learned the magazine will not run the article.
Bob
Fortier (and his jean shirt)
July
5, 2003
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