So what is the dress code for business in Austin?

For years, I had a pretty easy choice when it came to determining what to wear to work. It was usually the basic blue uniform with a sweater when the weather determined the need for it. About once a week, one of my commanders would determine that a certain day was "Warrior Day," which meant wearing my green or battle dress uniform.

For 20 years, my basic work wardrobe was easy to determine. Now, 11 years later, I am still trying to figure out what appropriate for meetings.

Yesterday, I traveled to Austin to visit with some technical types. Having attended a lot of events with techies, I knew that wearing a pressed short sleeve shirt with jeans would be appropriate. I was right. The folks I met with had on shorts, T-shirts and didn't wear socks.

Having traveled between both Austin and San Antonio, I have seen a interesting difference in what I would ex-military types would call the "uniform of the day."

For example, in San Antonio, it's appropriate to wear a suit jacket with a pair of trousers. In Austin, a dressed up person would sub jeans for the more formal business wear.

But the question arises: "Do clothes really make the person?" I find it refreshing that in Austin, it's not the cut of the cloth, but the passion of a person's brain and heart that truly matter.