After the start of the recession in 2008, I wanted to signal to everyone at Facebook that this was a serious year for us. Great companies thrive by investing more heavily while everyone else is cutting back during a recession.

What do you do when you have to show that ‘you are a serious’ company and everybody around you has to take the business more seriously. How do you tell your employees, partners to roll up their sleeves and really get their hands dirty?

Well, wear a tie.

At least that’s what Mark Zuckerberg did in 2009.

From his timeline:

—

Jan 1, 2009.

My 2009 challenge was to wear a tie for a whole year. After the start of the recession in 2008, I wanted to signal to everyone at Facebook that this was a serious year for us. Great companies thrive by investing more heavily while everyone else is cutting back during a recession. But great companies also make sure they’re financially strong and sustainable. My tie was the symbol of how serious and important a year this was, and I wore it every day to show this.

—

Brilliant, right?

Related Discussion: What do you wear to office and does it make a difference?