Rip Van Winkle Coming in Off the Bench
(Source: http://englishfor1a.blogspot.com/2008/04/rip-van-winkle.html)

Ronald Reagan ran the country the last time I started a job at a company I did not own.  April 1986.  The day before I managed to step off a beam in my attic, put my foot through a ceiling, and badly turn my ankle such that I showed up in my pinstripe suit with one black wingtip and an untied sneaker adorning my feet.

And therein lies but the first of the adjustments that has me feeling a little like Rip Van Winkle. 

To Wit:

Wardrobe

What the hell do I wear?

Wardrobe decisions revolved around tie selection before.  On went the black suit, black wing tips, and starched, white shirt.  After that all that had to be decided was the tie.  Red power ties held court, with a few yellow ones thrown in for good measure.  I liked red, but also had an affinity for gray colored ones as well.  Children, at the time, used to spit up on them, causing me great angst when having to jettison a silk necktie with baby formula stains. 

Now?  Dress pants and blazer?  Tie or no tie?  Jeans and open collared shirt?  Dress pants and open collared shirt?  Dress loafers?  Casual loafers?  You don’t want to be one level below office par, but you don’t want to be two levels above office par, either.

Time/Electronics

In 1986 there were no such things as cell phones, facebook, or twitter.  Now you get to work 24/7 and have to watch what your write in your private life lest a client catch wind of it or a boss see something inopportune uttered about them ... however indirectly.

 In the old days, you wandered the hall with red penned content to find the analysts.  Now you IM the guy in the next office rather than get up to communicate.

Likewise, if you were speaking with someone, you had their undivided attention.  Now their wireless PC has them checking email and monitoring other things while you try to talk to them.

Environment

Anita Hill had yet to enter the gender interactions lexicon back in 1986.  I remember well those discussions in 1991 as I had many female staffers and male peers who had admonished me for having a staff so heavily laden with women given these men felt it made for bad office politics.  The hearings did enable a lot of frank discussions and was eye opening.  Practically a generation removed, it will be interesting to observe carefully in hopes of refraining from chewing on my insole inadvertently.

Age

In 1986 I was the up and comer who had a hard time being taken seriously by clients given a lack of “gray hair.”  Now I will have a hard time getting peers and reports to take me seriously because I do have gray hair… and have to wear glasses.

And in technology, the utilization waves slosh back and forth across operating units.  Wait long enough, they turn back, akin to wide lapels or narrow lapels on suits or hem lines on dresses and skirts.  New names for old concepts. 

Lunch

Back then I can and did eat anything.  Now I have the metabolism of a cadaver and have to watch what I put into my mouth to forestall the inevitable transformation into a cadaver.  Yogurt and fruit will be the order of the day rather than pizzas, subs, and bags of potato chips.

Maturity

I still lack it, believing in the credo that it is never too late to have a second childhood.  Much more comfortable in my own skin now as opposed to 26 years ago, I imagine it will be far easier to handle what comes my way. 

And with that, time to tee up one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite musicals…and dive into the PowerPoint decks I must red pen before officially starting on the job.

 You gotta love Susan Sarandon ...