My brave new world

I wrote a few months ago about a friend who had changed jobs after 25 years and what I leap of faith I thought it was. A brave new world. My situation pales in comparison, but as my friend so eloquently put it this week, "change is change."

I have on purpose not addressed the changes that took place at my office last week. That's because some people I really like were affected deeply by the changes, and I would hate to say something in an attempt to be amusing or funny that could be misconstrued in any way. The worst thing for me would be to alienate someone I care about by using a poor choice of words. So, I've left it alone until now.

Anyway, one of the changes is that I got a new boss. I don't purport to understand the hows and whys of our new arrangement, but I have to think that the folks I work for are really smart, and they wouldn't make a decision like this unless it was the right one.

But, I digress. So I got a new boss, and she's a woman. Actually, I got two new bosses, and both of them are women. One was more or less a contemporary of mine, but now I'm reporting to her, and together we are reporting to the new head honcho boss.

I had a female boss when I first got into the industry in 2000, and she was a Beeyotch with a capital B. Since then, it's been just men, and only two of them. I think having a female boss again will be an odd thing. For example, she sent an email this week to her new team, asking each of us to tell her about our favorite drink, our favorite dessert, our favorite color, our pet peeves.

Are you kidding me?

I doubt that the men I used to work for even recognized that I might have a favorite anything. And even if they did, they certainly didn't care enough to ask me about it.

Don't get me wrong - I love it that she recognizes that we are all individuals and have our own likes and dislikes. She met with each of us and visited with us about what we need from her and the best way to manage us. Again. Are you kidding me?

I am optimistic about things for now, although I do not expect this to be all rainbows and sunshine. She's got more backbone than a lot of men, and she's been with the company since college, on a meteoric rise to the top. So, while she's all huggy and kissy with her management style, I expect she will be a total ballbreaker at the same time.

It has been a tumultuous few weeks, and I am actually looking forward to settling in and doing my thing under the new regime. Charles Darwin said, "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

So, ever forward friends, as I find find my place in this brave new world.