In December 2013, India’s former foreign secretary and national security advisor Shivshankar Menon was addressing young Indian Foreign Service trainees. In the midst of sharing his experiences and some nuggets of advice for the new recruits, Menon offered a theory on why demeanour implicitly adds to the credibility of certain types of professionals.
“Notice how the more an occupation deals with risk, the more uniform their dress is? A soldier risks his life, the banker risks your money, and the diplomat deals with the risks of war and peace. It is in order to convey the assurance that they know what they are doing, to reassure society, the client or the interlocutor that these professions dress in what amounts to a uniform. And it seems to work,” he said.
