On Millennials

I was excited to see Cliff’s name pop up on my caller ID.  I was hoping that he wanted me to join him in a round of golf.  Well, he did present me with a great opportunity, but golf would have to wait. 

Cliff told me that he had met a guy named Chris at a Porsche event.  He said that Chris, a millennial, had written a book on Millennial Happiness.  He went on to say that  Chris needs help launching his book.  He thought I would be a natural connection for Chris.  I agreed, and Cliff made  the introductions.

Chris and I made contact and scheduled a meeting at The Corner Bakery Café in Buckhead.  I enjoyed our visit!  He told me that after graduation from Vanderbilt he joined a major consulting company.  Although the money was good, he did not have a life.  He wasn’t happy, so he quit his job.   Instead of looking for another job, he launched a project to write a book that would help Millennials create a life of happiness.  I was fascinated listening to him talk about the people he had interviewed, including many of his friends.   He spoke a bit about the values shared by Millennials.  Very interesting stuff!   Who doesn’t want to learn more about Millennials?  It seems that everyone wants to know what makes them tick.

December 4, 2013,  LinkedIn Talent Connect: “Millennials: How to Attract, Hire, & Retain Today’s Workforce.” Lead by Sondra Dryer of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Barry Sylvia of TripAdvisor, and Melissa Hooven of Cornerstone OnDemand.  The following bullet points list their values, followed by recommended employer responses.

•   Multi-taskers:   Keep them focused on their work and its importance.

•   Connected:  Make good use of social media.

•   Tech Savvy:  Be current in technology.

•   Instant Gratification:  Reinforce the value of their work, keep them on track.

•   Work-life balance:  Communicate company, flexibility as the work is  completed.

•  Collaboration:  Reinforce the value of teamwork.

•  Transparency:  Maintain open communication.

•  Career Advancement:  Communicate opportunities and requirements to advance

As I talked to Chris, he told me that he had a resource lined up to manage publication.  This company will print his book, and upload the digital version to Amazon.com.   What he needs is funding.   He needs to expand his network.  

After I fully understood his needs, we focused on contacts who might be helpful.  I told him of several local authors that he should meet and a few networking groups who might like to hear him speak.  I mentioned one of my clients who employs a large contingent of Millennials.  When we parted,  we agreed on next steps including a follow-up meeting to include Cliff, preferably over cocktails.  

It is safe to say that my generation doesn’t understand Millennials.  Except for military leaders, I have not heard much praise about their generation.  Frankly, I am confident that my parent’s generation had doubts about the Baby Boomers, and for good reason. The Millennials will shape the future.  Even if they don’t have all of the answers,  they have a better handle on the digital age.  Understanding their values and the way they approach life must be a high priority for anyone trying to reach them. 

Thank you for visiting my blog.  I hope you enjoyed my point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is important to me so; please leave a comment.



Jim Weber, President
Author of: Fighting Alligators: Job Search Strategy For The New Normal
New Century Dynamics Executive Search

Small Changes, Big Results

I am up to my neck in work.   I have a full-plate of search assignments and a consulting gig.  I have a major presentation to deliver in September.  I am talking with a client about beginning a C-level search. That is the good news!   The bad news is that I am six months behind on some tasks, like completing my expense reports, and three months behind in balancing my accounts.  Am I worried?  No!  I learned a valuable lesson (not sure when) that eliminates the stress of dealing with past due work.  Now, don't misunderstand, these tasks are not customer related.  They are merely administrative; important, but not urgent.   The secret I learned and came to embrace is that a little effort, over time, can support big results.  By investing just ten to twenty minutes a day, I will be back on schedule.

You may be wondering why I am completing expense reports given that I own my business.  Well, honestly it is a hold-over from my corporate career.  It is a useful discipline that I have maintained in my executive search business.  Quick Books allows me to print out weekly expense recaps which make it easier to compile my expense report.  Of course, those reports do not include cash expenses or mileage.  

I have learned that investing a few minutes a day on important but not urgent tasks improves my effectiveness.  It might not seem like much, but, I continue to become more productive.  It is far better than procrastinating until one is forced to make an investment in time to tackle the issue.  When I look back, I am reminded of a habit I developed early in my career.  I began each day by reading a chapter of a non-fiction business book, or the Wall Street Journal.  That practice helped me steadily advance my career.

Not long ago, I took some advice from Bill O'Reilly, the host of The Factor on the Fox News Network.   Mr. O'Reilly caught my attention when he suggested that a glass of water with a lemon wedge before every meal would help prevent overeating.  It was not the first time I had heard that, but I was receptive to the idea.  I had lost control of my weight and knew I must make some changes.  I tried it, and it worked.  Creating that habit was a small step.  It led to additional dietary changes.  Over time I shifted toward more fruit, vegetables, and protein.  These adjustments have allowed me to maintain my weight without spending time in the gym or on crash diets.  Significant changes begin with a single step.   

Last week I met a CMO, who  noted that I had recently published my first book.  He asked me how long it took to write.   Somewhat tongue-in-cheek, I told him that it took five years of weekly blog posts.   The book did grow out of my Blog, so my response wasn't entirely facetious.  My colleague Stan, and I have a running joke about ideas for his book.  I ask him why he doesn't start by writing a blog.  He tells me that his working style is to sit down and bang it out all at once.  I just laugh.   We both know he is too busy to block out that amount of time, so I keep poking him.

In my view, productivity improvement is all about replacing less than optimal work habits with more productive behavior.  Technology is very helpful.   The voice to text service on my landline eliminates the need to check my voice mail box. Using the "rules" option in Outlook helps me organize my email by topic, client, and assignment.  It is another valuable time saver.    My iPhone has been a major productivity enhancer.   Now I need to find an app to integrate my mileage and cash expenses into my Quick Books account.   If I can eliminate that irritant, well, you get the idea. 

Thank you for visiting my blog.  I hope you enjoyed my point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is important to me so; please leave a comment.


Jim Weber, President
Author of: Fighting Alligators: Job Search Strategy For The New Normal
New Century Dynamics Executive Search

---

Conflict Resolution 101

I was talking with a friend this week, well listening actually.  He was venting about difficulties he was having with a client.   He was agitated.  It seems the client’s demands are beyond their agreement.  Meeting their needs is taking time away from other, more substantial clients.  He said that he needed to find a way to end the relationship and move on.  No value judgments here.  Finally, he asked me how I would deal with this client, based on my experience.  "How do you handle conflicts like this, Jim?"  I quipped that I preferred a flanking maneuver over a frontal assault.  In other words, find a way to finesse the situation.  Look for a win-win outcome.  Then I explained that I liked to step back, confer with colleagues, and take the time to craft the proper response.   That seemed to make sense to my friend, and we moved on to other matters.       
 
Later, our conversation got me to thinking.  Building a productive business relationship requires an investment of time and energy.  Protecting those relationships is fundamental to success.    How does one protect that relationship  if conflict develops?   So much of our contact today is via email.  Communication moves very fast.  It is easy to misinterpret one's intent.  Often,  we don't take enough time to evaluate the tone of our missives.   It is easy to talk past one another and raise the ire of the reader.  Consider the crass language one encounters across social media sites.
 
Early in my career, back when we had secretaries typing our memos, my boss continually reminded me that the written word, by its nature, tended to be cold.  It is all too easy to misinterpret one's intent and to take offense.   He coached me to be careful with my tone to ensure that my message was accurately received.   Believe me; I needed the coaching as I carry the "snarky" gene.   I haven't always followed his advice, but when I have    the result is always better.  I have had situations with clients that were going in the wrong direction, possibly to a dissolution of our relationship.  In very few cases a divorce was the best outcome, so I let it happen.   Usually, the association was too important to lose.      
 
I have found that conflicts can be resolved by whatever media one chooses, mail, phone, or face-to-face.  My preference is via phone or in person as we all tend to behave better and can assess the other's emotional response.  Often a two-step process can be effective.  I like using a dispassionate email to outline the situation and then request a phone conversation or personal meeting. The important point is to step back, cool off, and get the perspective of a trusted colleague.  Never respond in the heat of the moment, unless you want to end the relationship. Even then, terminating a relationship has consequences.   Your reputation is at stake. However, that is a topic for another post.      
 
In a recent situation, following this process, I presented the facts from my perspective.  Based on those facts, I outlined the strategy I was following.  I did not make any attributions to the other party as to his intent, motivations, or the validity of his position.  At best, that would have been speculation which would further inflame the situation.  I did suggest some actions that would put the project back on track, and invited the other party to schedule a phone conversation.    The outcome was the win-win situation I had hoped for.  The project was put back on track and successfully concluded.
 
Our actions have consequences which impact our reputations and livelihood.   Resolving conflicts require a cool head and a good plan.  You must keep your emotions in check even if it means biting down hard on your lip.  Remember Steven Covey, seek first to understand.  Let the other present their position and suggestions to resolve the impasse.  Repeat back their statements to ensure that you understand their concerns.  Make your points while working to find common ground.    Most of all, never, ever respond to any email or voice mail message while you are angry. 
 
 
 
Thank you for visiting my blog.  I hope you enjoyed my point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is important to me so; please leave a comment.


Jim Weber, President
Author of: Fighting Alligators: Job Search Strategy For The New Normal
New Century Dynamics Executive Search

Current Search Assignments

1. GM, Private Club based in Southeast,  Confidential Search:  New
2. Director of Business Development, Atlanta-based B2B Professional Services Company: New
3. Training Director – Southeastern-based Restaurant Group:  New
4. Senior Accounting Manager – Atlanta-based Manufacturer.  New
5. Controller - Orlando, FL-based Restaurant Company:  New

For more information, contact Jim Weber:  JimWeber@NewCenturyDynamics.com


Thank you for visiting my blog.  I hope you enjoyed my point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is important to me so; please leave a comment.
Jim Weber, President
Author of: Fighting Alligators: Job Search Strategy For The New Normal
New Century Dynamics Executive Search