The choices you make about what you wear and the accessories you choose to carry speak volumes about you. If you don’t think about how you are perceived based on those choices, you are communicating something (and probably not what you want).

I was walking through the airport and I noticed a man in his mid-thirties wearing a blue suit and tie. He looked professional in a classic way. Maybe he was going to an interview or visit a client. He stood up and grabbed his High Sierra backpack. My perception of him changed immediately. He suddenly came across as though he was attempting to look professional and failing.

As a technical leader the established dress code varies. Maybe your situation allows you to wear jeans and a t-shirt. Maybe you need to wear something more dressy. Maybe even a suit. What you wear and how you wear it communicates a lot. Ensure that you are not sending mixed signals.

Your role as a technical leader is to bridge two worlds. You are a technical ambassador to the business world. How you relate to non-technical people in business will drive (or block) how successful you are as a technical leader.

If you choose to wear a suit, you are communicating that you understand the situation requires a suit. When you wear a suit along with more casual clothes, such as athletic shoes or a backpack, you defeat the purpose of wearing the suit in the first place. Further, you communicate that you misunderstand why you wore the suit in the first place.

I imagine someone thinking “listen, I’m technical, and people are accepting that a backpack is a reasonable choice to carry my stuff.” In some ways, you’re right - backpacks are much more accepted in many situations. But backpacks don’t belong with a suit. Never. The communication is confusing. You look like you’re headed to the pacific coast trail in a suit.

When you wear a suit, it requires a business bag. A black or brown bag, in ballistic nylon or leather. It has handles and a shoulder strap. It doesn’t look like you are headed on a hike. It belongs in a conference room. You’ve seen these bags all over. They are part of the uniform of a business man

I am not saying you can’t carry a backpack. The point is when your choices match, you reflect an understanding of the social norm. When they don’t match, you communicate a lower social awareness. I would propose that if you carry a backpack into a business meeting, you probably should be wearing something more casual. Slacks, khaki pants, maybe even jeans.

We learn and adapt to social norms outside of our comfort zone. Our success as technical leaders requires us to adapt and bridge the gap between the technical and the business world.