One of the most polished executives in the banking industry and across, is Ida Liu. Ms Liu is the Global Head of City Private Bank, leading private banking activities globally, overseeing the delivery of wealth management strategies to ultra net worth families and their businesses. She was named as one of the most powerful women in Finance by American Banker (2024).
Ms Liu needs no convincing that executive presence goes beyond the knowledge, the expertise and how we communicate; that executive presence is also about appearance.
Qualitative data shows that appearance is the lens through which we evaluate expertise and communication skills. This evaluation happens in mere 250 milliseconds.
If we don’t look the part those around us might not even bother with our expertise and leadership capabilities.
In this Article we write about concrete steps that you can take to improve your appearance.
So what do we value the most when we look at the executives?
Research shows that the most valued trait in appearance is being polished and groomed.
Observing Ida Liu in a number of interviews, it’s obvious that Ms Liu has mastered the executive presence. Here are the Six Principles that you can apply to your own daily endeavours:
BOLD COLOURS – bold colours can be wearable. The best way is to go for the mono look. Choose one, rich colour and stick with it.
SIMPLICITY – choose tailored clothes, especially suits with clean cuts.
ORIGINALITY – choose one style with some room for change. Decide on an item such as jewellery, scarf or perfume to seal the total look (e.g. Ms Liu is often seen with a brooch).
JEWELLERY – wear tasteful, simple pieces and keep them down to a minimum.
MAKEUP & HAIR – wear simple and effective makeup to complete the total appearance.
CONSISTENCY – make it a daily endeavour to always look your best.
Image: Flickr, Ida Liu Milken Institute Global Conferences, 2023.
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