Last week Thursday, much of the media turned its attention to the White House “beer summit” to which Harvard University Professor Louis Gates and Cambridge Police Officer James Crowley had both been invited. The gathering was to serve as an end point to a discussion that had emerged following the arrest of Gates by Crowley. President Obama had described the event, and the very different perspectives each party brought to it, as a “teachable moment.”

 

From observing the summit, among the lessons to be learned—and one that no member of the media highlighted—was the attire that both guests deemed appropriate for a White House visit. Unlike the 2005 White House visit of a women’s champion lacrosse team, a visit in which nearly all attendees arrived at the White House donned in flip-flops, both Gates and Crowley opted to wear suits and ties. Their dress communicated respect for President Obama and for the office in which he serves.

 

In the aftermath of the lacrosse team’s visit, many young people expressed surprise that anyone would suggest wearing flip-flops communicated disrespect for the White House. Rather, they suggested many lacrosse team members had simply chosen to wear their most comfortable shoes.

 

As much as anyone else, I like comfortable dress. And I suspect both Gates and Crowley would have been more comfortable last week without their suits and ties. Both recognized, however, that sometimes foregoing one’s personal comfort is a cost of doing business. In some cases, for example, when you’re a younger professional services provider meeting with clients, it’s what one does in order to put your clients at ease. In other cases, as Gates and Crowley showed, it’s what one does to demonstrate simple and genuine respect.