31st Edition
November 7, 2023
Dress codes and other important things…
In the you can’t make this up category, I thought I would share a few thoughts about dress codes. For decades I have been a proponent of casual dress. I still contend that I started casual dress at First Union in the mid-1990s, by removing my tie late in the afternoon after returning from working out at the YMCA. It seems strange now, but back then many executives never took their suit jacket off during the entire day. Imagine that. Although First Union no longer exists, it was once a prominent bank in the Southeast, and it had a conservative dress code, as all banks did during that era. I always wondered why…
Wearing a suit doesn’t make a person smarter, nor more honorable, (as we all painfully learned during the financial crisis.) So, why do dress codes still exist? Well, maybe they don’t any more…
I’m not quite sure what to make of pictures of the Pennsylvania Senator standing before the podium in the United States Senate wearing gym shorts and a hoodie. Nor the Senate’s decision to relax its dress code. I would feel like a hypocrite to condemn either. But where do we draw the line when it comes to dress codes, and other controversial developments, a list that seems to grow longer each day?
Working remotely is one of those perplexing things, in my view. Workers today expect to be able to work remotely, many demand it, and corporations, facing tight labor markets, quickly oblige. Meanwhile, seasoned veterans scratch their heads and wonder what will happen to all the collective wisdom they won’t be able to pass down to the next generation. The incalculable wealth of knowledge that gets shared during informal gatherings, coffee breaks, and lunch conversations, will soon be lost forever. Data can be shared via email, but wisdom cannot. To me it is like the difference between telling your girlfriend you love her in a text, vs. looking her in the eye, holding her close and whispering those same words. It just doesn’t have the same impact. Do face-to-face conversations still matter? It is clear to me that they don’t to a large percentage of younger workers. Only time will tell whether businesses will regret not capturing the wisdom of its elders.
I have mixed emotions and thoughts regarding all the gender issues being discussed and debated. Whatever side of any issue we choose to be on, we should always conduct ourselves with grace and compassion. I don’t see a lot of either, frankly. Having said that, I always come back to one question – Do any of the changes to historical norms serve to strengthen the family unit, whether they are legislated or mandated by unelected bureaucrats? In my view, that is the critical question and the proper place for the debate to start. Sadly, I don’t think that question is being asked, let alone answered as it relates to gender issues.
I’m also somewhat confused about the state of college sports. The realignment of conferences seems to be absolutely crazy. USC and UCLA in the Big Ten? Really? As everyone knows, it is all about money. Is money the most important thing in our country? Is it the most important thing in your life? What should be? Kind of an important question that merits reflection and discussion, don’t you think?
Meanwhile, it saddens me that there will never be another Rose Bowl featuring Ohio State v USC (University of Southern California). The two storied programs have met seven times in the Rose Bowl, with USC winning four and Ohio State three. Given all the changes driven by money, it seems fair to say that college football will never be the same. It has become corporate, no longer collegial. The game is overcoached and over officiated. Commercials and senseless interviews have replaced the half-time pageantry of marching bands. In “The Shoe,” Ohio States’ home stadium, the entrance of the marching band at the start of the game is one of the most spectacular moments in all of college sports, yet it isn’t shown on TV. What have we lost by this money-worshiping takeover of college sports?
Our country is approaching the age where great civilizations tend to decline. Many historians point this out and speak of America in the age of decline. I can see why they feel that way. If we don’t understand history, aren’t we doomed to repeat it?
Let me close by attempting to answer my previous questions about what is and should be the most important thing in our country. A foundational question, yet one that is easy to answer. Faith, Family and Community. Everything we do, every change we make, or even propose making, should strengthen these pillars of a just and virtuous society. Without all three, America’s future, as the greatest country in the world, is in peril.
Please help me grow my readership by forwarding this to a friend(s). In the meantime, say tuned for my next newsletter. Thanks
Michael Kayes
*These views are my personal opinions and are not the viewpoints of any company or organization.