Freedom

"Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitude"
- Harvey "Joe" Henderson

This quote resonated with my friends and I as we pumped Public Enemy on our way to our favorite skateboarding spot. It was a Hilti distribution center outside of Detroit, MI - just off Freedom Road.

I've opposed the trend of Generational Diversity because I find it confining. But, I can't seem to get away from it. I guess my hypocrisy keeps life interesting.

Today on the Howard Stern show. The elder statesman host gave a young upstart some advice. John Suscovich is leaving the staff at the greatest show on Earth to ride his bike around the world. Mr. Stern advised the young man that this idea was "ape shit crazy". John being grateful for the sage-like advise from the King of All Media nodded, smiled, and thanked Howard for the opportunity. Well played John!

What Howard doesn't understand is that the world doesn't work the way it did in when he was holed up in a Detroit Motel room waiting for his next radio show. John Suscovich appreciates the opportunity but he is not bound by it. I love the old school work ethic of the baby boomers but the angst comes from generational miscasting. I am of Generation X and even when I got out of college I rushed to the first company that would employ me....grateful for the opportunity, ready to work my way up the ladder.

Times have changed - Deal With It!

There is a pivotal scene in the movie "The Social Network" when the Dean of Harvard advises the Winklevi that at Harvard they create their own careers. That is inspiring advice. I wish someone would have given me that perspective. I didn't know I had the option of creating my own company and selling it to Google. Howard Stern, at the time he graduated BU, simply didn't have that option. So...we look upon the young with a sense of jealously and say - "there is no future in riding a bike".

"It's not about the bike"
- Lance Armstrong

I wonder if my grandfather wishes he didn't spend every day of his working life in the Iron Ore mines of upstate Minnesota? I bet he would have shaken his head at my pink shirt. He probably would have been in disbelief that a social network would be worth 20 billion dollars as well.

We have to be honest with ourselves. If we worked at our own pace, maintained our health, did not have to punch a clock, and made twice as much as we did today ~ that would be awesome! Freedom of schedule and work/life balance are nothing to be envious of. There are something to be admired.

If you ground your hands down to put food on the table, that is something to be proud of. If you came up with an idea and were given a million dollars for it, that is something to be proud of.

We are free to live the life we wish to. Some of us just choose to do the safe thing!

Don't Forget to Remember

Dave

When You Were Young

Last night I watched the Fab Five documentary on ESPN. It was a tear jerker. I went to High School in Michigan during the University of Michigan's greatest recruiting effort. These five basketball players were our age, they were amazingly talented, and they were not taking any BS from anyone. Fresh out of High School they got on to the hard court and beat the crap out of the Seniors who had been on the big stage for 4 years.

For the first time in our lives, My friends and I had comrades who were changing the world. If they could do it, we could too. We, like them, were cocky and full of life! It was an amazing time in my life....young and full of hope!

And so we revisit the Generational Phenomena in the workplace: The tired generalization that Gen Y is an entitled group without discipline. The Fab Five were held to similar stereotypes of Generation Y...Full of Talent, lacking discipline.

I teach Human Relations courses through Dale Carnegie University. My latest group of students includes a Fab Four entrepreneur group in the Computer Programming world. I am enamored by their uncompromising drive to conduct their professional lives by their own rules. They navigate their careers with a chip on their shoulder with the same confidence that the Fab Five had when they took the court. I remember that point in my life and how great it felt to be untethered by the regulations of the 'more senior' workforce.

The questions surface:
Do You Wish to Lead your Millennial Superstars to Success?
or
Do You Wish to Regulate the Motivation of your Millennial Superstars?

Allowing Awesome
At Harvard, MIT, and other elite educational institutes; the purpose is to create a career not qualify for a job. These institutes have empowered the young upstart geniuses who grew up with their heads in computer monitors. The premise: why would you want to work for someone who you are smarter than? Awesome Question and one that fuels the motivation of the young.

Why not change the world instead of fitting into it?

The Leadership Perspective
Most organizations have a logical formula for success. Put people in positions to navigate a system that will produce results. Makes sense.....to those who are of the stability mind frame. However, the systematic development model is a prison to the creative minds that will soon run our country. Bless Them!

If you wish to curtail energy...you are a Manager not a Leader!

Generation Y is not an entitled generation! They simply have greater potential than we do...end of story! They are less programmed for predictability. This should be celebrated!

Let's Celebrate!
You know if you see the 'new girl' as a threat and she knows that you wish to categorize her motivation..."slow down, your making us look bad". Lame!

When I was young I thought I wanted to climb the corporate ladder. I did what I was told, made my numbers, and completed every task on time....only to receive more tasks. I was miscast in an organization that lacked the ability to utilize my strengths. I wanted to do everything....they wanted me to do nothing. I wish someone, anyone, would have told me to create something instead of advising me to 'slow down'.

I hope I never stop moving forward. I hope the youngsters in this world keep me practicing. I am 100 times more motivated by the young than the old. My direct and extensive experience has given me no reason to think otherwise. Sorry....

Mark Zuckerberg, Tony Hsieh and Blake Mycoskie have shown us that motivation does not need a predetermined system of efficiency. That if we choose to categorize, we limit ourselves. That the gift of creativity is what makes companies great.

The Age of Predictability is Over! Generation Y will take over much quicker than Generation X has. Your position at the negotiating table may change much quicker than you think...

You Better Get on The Bus!

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

The A Word

"we don't use that word"...the young man across the table from me retorted as if I had insulted his family. This, a response from the Generation Y upstart who had asked me for 'career advice'. His encouragement halted when I told him that he needed to develop a 'system of personal accountability'.

Generational Motivation has been a hot work place topic of late. At times unfair in it's generalized presentation and beaten to oblivion on the conference circuit.

Today we will simplify Generational Diversity down to one word:
ACCOUNTABILITY

Otherwise, know as The A Word....

There are two sides of Accountability:
1. The offense at the binding nature of The A Word
2. The offense at the offense of the distaste of The A Word

We don't like that word...
As our conversation evolved, the young man explained to me that his distaste for the A Word was a result of uninvited entitlement. Since he came into the workforce he had been barraged by company veterans cornering him with advice about 'how things are done around here'. He didn't ask for the advice, he found the nature of the advice to be binding, and he thought those giving the advice were trying to regulate him rather than encourage him.

Can you blame him for having a distaste for the word every elder statesman presented as a right of passage?

Uphill both ways in the snow...
As time endures, facts become more distant and legends grow. Every 'more experienced' team member will tell you one of the following things:
* I was number 1 in the company in (pick a date)
* Back in my day, we didn't choose our benefits, we were thankful to have a job
* You cannot win without having a system of accountability

Everyone gets to a point in their career (and life for that matter) when they want to give back. They see young people and are inspired by their energy and optimism. Often, the advice they choose to give is in an effort to help young people avoid making the mistakes that they did.

Can you blame a 30 year company veteran for wanting to share her knowledge in an effort to extend a legacy?

Are we really so different?
If I hear another speaker tell me that Gen Y is tech savvy and entitled I am going to puke!

Business is evolving through technology. Having a more efficient operating system means we commute less and spend less time at the water cooler. We get things done faster and we have more time to do things we actually enjoy. Because of this we enjoy work more!

Don't Hate the Player, Hate the Game!

We are all distinctly great at certain things. Our age is not of consequence. What is of consequence is the Corporate Culture that we grew up in. There was a time when micro-managing was more prevalent, employees were held to strict hours and professional attire was not optional. That time has gone and we are no less productive.

The 'kid' who sat across from me listened to my advice. He felt better about asking for it than having it force fed to him. He also knows that his expectations for himself are far greater than those of his company.

In Conclusion:
a. Don't go assuming tenure gives you license to spread your industry knowledge.
b. Humbly accept guidance when it is given.
c. You can be accountable without being threatened (if only to yourself).

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

Benefits by the Numbers

In October of 2010 I took to LinkedIn to engage the top producers in their respective fields. The intent being to discover what top talent is
looking for in an employer and what said employer needs to retain said
talent.


The survey includes a generational perspective of:
* Benefits
* Pay Scale
* Expected Tenure
* Opportunities for Advancement
* The Importance of Recognition of One’s Achievement

The results clarified some forgone conclusions and debunked others.

Study Summary:
1. Google remains the Employer of Choice
2. Cash is still king, but a fun loving work environment is more important
3. Lack of pay is the last reason for leaving an employer
4. A Bad Boss is the number 1 reason for employee departure
5. Recognition from Senior Leadership is significantly more important than recognition from one’s peers
6. Top performers are seeking long term employment
7. Pay by performance is equally important as salary
8. Employees need to be recognized for their achievements at least once a month

The glaring facts
Our ability to conduct our work day at our own pace, to have a company vision we believe in, an opportunity for advancement and the need to 'have fun' at work are now the driving factors in the job search of those who have options.

What we didn't consider
Money is less a driving factor in employment than it used to be.

Generation Y has been categorized as the validation generation...our survey debunks these stereotypes in indicating that everyone wants to be recognized for their effort (at least monthly).

Despite the 'job hopping' categorization of today's workforce, our survey shows the majority of Top Performers are seeking long term employment (10+ years).

A Bad Boss can drive anyone from any company.

Statistics and case studies are everywhere. The default to many surveys is who is conducting them and what do I stand to lose by being honest.

It is my conclusion that this random survey of the Best of the Best gives us dependable data.

Note to Employers:
Big pay checks and generous benefits do not make up for lack of leadership
Everyone needs to hear Thank You!
Your company culture is what drives retention

Listen and implement requests from the field. Validate effort in a genuine manner. Create fun and a vision to believe in....Lead by Example.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

The Seventh Rule of Awesomeness

The story of Great Expectations transitions when Finnegan Bell has moved beyond his roots to the big city and found a new group of friends. His uncle Joe brings his doc worker's demeanor to a big city Art Show and Finn becomes embarrassed of him.


As Fred Sanford once said, "the same people you see on the way up, you gonna see on the way down"

The seventh rule of Awesomeness is: Even a Broken Clock is right twice a day!

In Human Resources we have been overwhelmed with the changing Generational Landscape of our workforce and how to scale our company directives in an inclusive manner. The idea relevant, the underlying masquerade transparent.

Fact: There are people over 80 that use Twitter
Fact: There are 25 year old's that don't use Facebook
Fact: There are Gen Xers that don't have cell phones

In short, one cannot categorize another based on their age, organizational tenure or technical skill. It's getting old......(no offense Baby Boomers)

The greatest Human Characteristic is Grace. I like people who are confidently calm....I dislike people who are arrogant out of insecurity. Confidence and arrogance are different forms of socialization. People who pretend are always exposed. People who are genuine live through their own validation, they do not wait for it from another.

Here are a few tips to keep you in your britches:
* Everyone has something to teach
* Innovation is only part of the puzzle
* Human interaction is still the gateway to everything
* No idea is completely unique
* Those who project insecurity really just want to be your friend
* Listen before you preach


Most importantly, when your Uncle Joe comes to visit you at college, remember where you come from. Allow him to share his moonshine with your dorm mates!

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich

Never Stop Working

Generations X & Y have been characterized and often criticized for redefining the scope of the Global Business World. In the dawn of the 90's, suits turned to jeans and casual sweaters, punching the clock turned to lap top logging and cutting out of the office for a lunch time martini turned to cutting out for a mid-day work out.....oh, and smoking in the office is pretty much foe paw everywhere.

The one thing more mature generations cling to is a tireless work ethic and motivation without benefits. "In my day....", is a term that was heard by every Thanksgiving fire from Granddad's and Gramma's alike. There was a time when people walked to the office uphill both ways in the snow, punched a clock without breaks, wore uniforms and were not permitted to leave said office until their checklist was complete.

At some point, working hard was replaced with working smart. But in these seemingly unending times of economic challenge the new buzz phrase is "more with less". Strangely enough, a new generation of workers seems to be accepting the challenges of the modern economy not by reverting to presupposed professionalism but by simply working hard. No longer does looking busy seem to be popular so much as holing up in one's apartment over a lap top until the project is complete.

Technology has created three distinctions:
* Endless virtual office hours
* Comfort of work environment
* A free landscape for mind expanding idea generation

This Holiday Season, when your grandfather mutters under his breath as you walk in with full Bon Iver beard, pose three questions to him:
1. Did you ever work a 20 hour day?
2. Was that suit comfortable?
3. How many of your 10,950 days at Widgets Inc did you actually enjoy?

After which he will tell you to pound and send you off for another pint of Old Grandad.

Sure, the Holidays would be no fun without stories of the old glory days. But let's agree on a few points:
* True motivation has nothing to do with ones wardrobe
* Long hours seem shorter when you are genuinely engaged in your organizational cause
* Grandpa and Gramma Rule!

Happy Holidays!

- Dave

References:
http://www.earlyengagement.com/