What does a work from home executive wear to work? Most of us hang out in comfort clothes and a relaxed wardrobe when we are home from work. However, if you work from home, you may need to rethink this idea. Or, you may want to consider the reality of what is professionalism to you and how do you want to present it to your clients.

Case in point.

I often have clients come to my home at odd hours of the day, when I’m not expecting them. If you have a home-based business where controlling the traffic is not a problem, this may not be an issue. However, mine is not that type of business, because I live in a small town and many of my clients are also friends who feel comfortable dropping in at all hours. Until recently, this was not a major problem, if your clients are friends, they won’t care if you are dressed in grungies and an oversized tee, in fact their attire may also be somewhat casual when they arrive. Recently my business has been expanding to include a variety of clients whom I have never met and don’t know me from Uncle Tiddly.

Three days ago a client arrived at my door with a referral (a new client to introduce to me).

You have to have the whole picture here – so I’ll describe this scene for you. We moved into a trailer on our home site while our home is being built, and there have been a few delays in the construction – we are building it ourselves, and time is a major issue. The trailer was an old trailer, clean and in good working order, but it doesn’t have any ‘curb appeal’. The deck is a ‘built to get by’ type of deck, tacked onto the front of the trailer, for my kids to play on. And my steps, while sturdy and safe, appear to be something out of a dump yard. This isn’t a permanent living situation, so I’ve really made few attempts to make it look particularly nice, other than a few potted plants on the deck and a nice lawn – which grows naturally here. The fence around my kids play yard is temporary also – so it is just woven wire, nothing spectacular.

The guys who run the concrete had been here that morning, and I was dressed in jeans, a tee, and grungy tennis shoes, all coated in cement – because I’d been doing the edge work on my concrete. My hair was in a ponytail – and I was dripping with REAL sweat (this is not the ‘ladies perspire’ kind of stuff – this was the smelly stuff contractors do).

My client wasn’t even surprised to find me in that condition – he was here when we were digging the footings around the edge of the basement, by hand, because the machine quit mid-way through the process. (And this guy knew me back when I ran a construction crew and was climbing on the roof to pound nails with my roofers. In fact, he was my foreman at one time.)

However, the gentleman, client, he brought to meet me, is wanting to run for Governor of our fair state, and his interest in meeting me was to contract my services in the area of business management and planning.

Besides all the other ‘situations’ surrounding my life at the moment, my office is in ‘organized crates and boxes’ in my living room. While it isn’t the most effective method of doing business, it’s working quite well for me during this transition. Since local clients are all good friends, I’ve made no attempt to keep my business location a secret, however, for those who don’t know me, I’ve made arrangements to use a more professional conference room when I need it.

The prospective governor was a bit overwhelmed by my ‘lack of professionalism’ during working hours, on our first meeting. While I’m certain he took circumstances into consideration, his first impression will probably remain the most memorable. Most people will understand that hard work is a valuable asset no matter what type it is, and will realize that a person who works that hard on the finish work for a driveway will also work that hard on a business plan and proposal. This man was able to see the finished product of my ‘terracotta’ finished driveway, as well as the design work on our home, and will undoubtedly be invited to a housewarming to view the finished product – but he’ll never forget the sweaty contractor he first met – even when I’m dressed in a designer suit at political meetings and business events. In fact, as life and memories go, I fully expect him to remind me of our first meeting at the most inopportune moments, as we continue to do business.

So, how does a work from home professional create a permanent professional aura even when the commute is twenty feet through toys, dirty socks, and screaming children?

There is a way… and it works… even for Gubernatorial Candidates who arrive unexpectedly.

The aura of professionalism.

To be successful in business you need to have an aura of professionalism. Needless to say, if this is the uniform you wear, the arrangement of your office, location of your business, or some other external influence your aura will often fail you. The aura of professionalism must come from within. It must be a part of the person you are, and it must be REAL.

There are times when I answer the telephone in a less than professional voice, just this morning; I got caught responding to my son with “what’s your problem?” just as the person I was calling answered the phone. It wasn’t a professional call, though I did want to present a professional attitude, and my start off – was BAD. But, laughter and a calm response will almost always bring the situation back under control. Here are a few effective suggestions for creating the aura of professionalism that will get you through those moments:

Smile when you speak to someone.

Always. Always. Always. Smile when you speak. EVEN when you are angry – smile when you speak. I often explain this to my children with the old adage that if you smile, others will wonder what you are up to, and while they are wondering, you are busy gaining control of the situation. It is always easier to communicate with another person if that person perceives you to be happy and in control. An angry or upset person is ‘reacting’ to other people’s behavior. A happy person has made a choice to be happy under any circumstance, especially if the situation merits anger or sadness.

Be gracious and courteous.

One of the most effective public personalities of our time was Jacqueline Kennedy. I’ve looked back in history journals, in newspapers, even in books that have been written about this lady. I can’t recall a single specific accomplishment by this lady, though I’m certain that she had many accomplishments, the point is that she is highly recognized and esteemed in our nation and around the world. The recognition she receives is because she was always perceived as a gracious courteous lady. This must have been a choice she made to present herself in this manner because there were many moments in her life that would not have instigated that type of response from any woman. A gracious courteous person has made a choice to respond to life in this manner, and is effective because of this choice.

Use a professional vocabulary.

No matter what the situation, cursing brings your image to the gutter. I’ve seen people loose prestigious positions because of their vocabulary. I’ve also witnessed management decisions not to promote highly qualified personnel because of the individual’s vocabulary. It takes no longer to express yourself in a professional manner than it takes to curse. Learn to use expressive words in your writing and speaking language that are uplifting and enriching to your life, rather than degrading and destructive. Again, this is a choice you make about your life and your stature in life, making this choice count is as easy as utilizing the millions of wonderful words in our working vocabulary to express yourself in a gracious manner.

Be selective in your actions.

You can literally take a relationship to a new dimension by selecting your personal responses. My prospective client, for instance, could have seen me in a highly reactive apologetic mode at being caught in those circumstances by a client, but my choice action was to include him in the situation and present to him my ‘home in progress’. By choosing to include him in the situation, we maintained a level ground of communication, alleviating the problem that arises when one person is apologizing for a state of condition, while the other acquires a position of supremacy because of the apologetic response.

Choose to act in any situation like the astute professional that you are to maintain a level playing ground for yourself and those whom you are working with.

Always consider the other person before yourself.

This is actually a biblical principle that works in all of life, and is effectually at work in your life whether you read the bible or believe it or not. When you speak to someone else about their interests instead of yours, YOU are putting that person above yourself. If you concentrate on your clients, rather than your personal condition at the moment, you will be effectively lifting that client into a position where you can ‘serve’ him or her without degrading your position in your business or loosing your control over the situation. This is a particularly effective tool when you are starting out and haven’t yet ‘proved’ your position. If you never allow the conversation to dwell on your situation, it will always be centered on your client and what you can do for him or her.

Choose to always be more interested in others than in yourself and you will successfully fulfill your goal of achieving a professional aura that will follow you in whatever you endeavor to accomplish.

Professionalism is truly in the most real sense a state of mind that you attain and maintain through all of your life activities. If you don’t have it now, you can achieve it, by selecting how you act and what you do, by simply deciding that you want it and following the ideas above. There is no job that is less important than any other, and the people who do them are all equally important. If your perception of the position you hold recognizes the importance of the position in the whole scope of life, then you will act in a professional and worthy manner effectuating the professional aura of success.

Copyright (c) 2005 - Jan Verhoeff

Jan Verhoeff, is a business-consultant. She has twenty-seven years of experience in the area of setting up small businesses, developing business and marketing plans, and promoting profitability within established businesses. Visit her site at Work at Home Mom's Co.

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