I was sitting in the living room, finishing off my dinner, when I looked at the clock and realised it was time to get glamed up. I was invited to a colleagues birthday party that Saturday. Going to a party and just knowing one person is a challenge even for an extrovert. Her place was really cute, tall ceilings and wooden floors. There was food and drinks, it was a party after all. I got introduced to Ksenia, she was a friend of the birthday girl. She was in consulting at the time too, naturally we had a lot to talk about. She had traveled to Düsseldorf, all the way from Munich, just to attend the party. I was impressed...
I remember my first few years as a Management Consultant. I was 23 at the time and totally in over my head. I always looked older than my actual age, but because of my international background, I approach people differently. Some people get confused and cannot deal with that amount of trust that is given to them. They think trust needs to be earned and when someone hands it out, something is wrong. In reality it is just a different way of seeing it. You can trust someone until they prove you wrong. This makes every interaction so much easier. I used to have so many rules, at the beginning of my career, I thought with their help, I could outsmart...
It was early 2016 and I had heard the buzz about Sheryl Sandbergs book: Lean In, which actually came out 2013, it just took a while to reach Germany. Tom had gifted it to his mother and once she had read it, she took the promotion they had been offering her for while. When I heard that, I went to buy the book immediately. I read it cover to cover and one sentence resinated with me. At the time, I was in management consulting and I wanted to start my own business. I wanted to do and learn more, outside of my daily job. In consulting it is frowned upon to have a side hustle, because the little time left on the weekends...
Even though the dress codes are getting more and more relaxed, especially since Home Office is becoming the new normal, some invitations might still have dress codes.
If you are uncertain what you should wear, here are some suggestions, on how you should dress to be on the safe side. However, if you are more extravagant, and you have a lot of self confidence, you should definitely stay true to your style and slay.
