Core value · Beauty family
Style
A distinctive, considered way of doing things
What does style mean as a core value?
Style as a core value means doing things in a distinctive, considered way, bringing personality and intention to how you dress, write, host, lead or shape the space around you.
How you do something matters to you almost as much as what you do. Style is a distinctive, considered way of doing things: the way you dress, write, host, lead or furnish a home that people would recognise as yours. It’s rarely accidental. You’ve made choices, refined them over time, and you notice the choices other people make too. For you, style is a form of care and expression, a way of bringing personality and intention into ordinary moments.
What does style look like in practice?
- You have a signature way of opening a talk or signing off an email.
- You put thought into how the table looks when friends come for dinner.
- You pick a notebook, pen or bag because it feels like you.
- You develop a recognisable look for your team’s presentations.
- You’ll happily wear a favourite thing again before buying something new that doesn’t feel like you.
When is style overplayed?
Style can put the look ahead of the substance. You may spend more time on how a project is presented than on whether it works, or judge people quickly on their choices about clothes, homes or tone. It can also harden into a fixed image you feel obliged to maintain, even when your life has moved on. Healthy style evolves with who you are now, and leaves room for other people’s taste to be different. Once in a while, you could pick a habit of style you’ve kept for years and ask whether it still feels like you.
Often confused with
Style vs Individuality
Individuality is being distinct from others. Style is how that distinctiveness shows up in the considered choices you make about how things are done.
Style vs Self-expression
Self-expression is sharing your inner world through what you create or say. Style is the recognisable manner in which you do things, including practical ones.
Style vs Elegance
Elegance is graceful simplicity. Style can be bold, eclectic or loud, as long as it’s distinctively yours.
Questions to sit with
- What would people describe as your style, and how far would you agree?
- Where has keeping up an image stopped reflecting who you are now?
- What have you judged someone for recently that was really just a difference in taste?
More values in Beauty
Aesthetics, quality and style.
About the author
Matt Rutherford is a Career and Leadership Coach. The Values Finder is the same exercise he uses with his coaching clients. He also writes Stuff that MattRs, a weekly newsletter with practical ideas to help you think clearer and work better.
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