The Trophy Kids Grow Up. How the millennial generation is shaking up the workplace. Ron Alsop.
The Trophy Kids Grow Up. How the millennial generation is shaking up the workplace. Ron Alsop. 2008. ISBN 9780470229545. One can read this book two ways. First to rail against the millennials who
- job hop
- seem entitled
- are not willing to wait to climb the corporate ladder
- want it all, quickly
- are unafraid to challenge the bosses
- seek a meritocracy
- bring along helicopter parents
- seem to need endless feedback
- require detailed checklists of explicit work directions
- prejudge a company from what its website says
- a lack of manners and suitable etiquette
Or you could hail them for
- a much better sense of real altruism than any generation so far to date.
- seekers of work life balance
- a desire to get the work done, in any location and then do what they want
- reducing the need for huge offices and cube farms
- working for much of the time without supervision and not just nine to five.
- showing how intrinsic motivation is a growing influence on modern productivity ( See Driven by Dan Pink)
- helping break us all free of the reward punishment management model ( which Dan Ariely shows is counter productive today)
- using any and all technologies at a whirlwind adoption rate.
I think I will hail them for their pressure on HR and recruiting systems. I will recognize that having four generations in the workplace now calls for some pretty serious negotiation and mediation skills. But our culture is evolving and will not stop. This is a clearly written book, based on what is really happening in the workplace as we have all seen it. If you have to hire people today, you need to read this book.
Related articles
- Why Won’t Millennials Work? (millenniallemons.com)
- Retaining Employees in the Millennial Generation (hrscorecard.wordpress.com)
- “Millennial Moms”: Marketing to the Millennial Generation (millenniallemons.com)
- Are Millennials cut out for this tumultuous job market? (cnn.com)
- Managing Different Generations Requires Different Techniques (thinkup.waldenu.edu)
- The millennials are coming – what does it mean for sales training? (customerthink.com)
Category: Lifeskills, Management