STAN J TONOSKI,
Entrepreneurial Coach
Making Business Better
|
Home
|
 |
At the 2007 International Coach Federation convention in Long Beach Ca., there was a panel of Generation Y’s discussing what it is to be a Gen Y. By definition, Gen Y is those young people 12 to 30 years of age. As a baby boomer, I found the panel members fascinating and extremely bright and articulate. One 19-year-old man had the poise and delivery of a seasoned CEO. This young man developed software, which he has been selling to the US governments since he was 12. He is not unusual in that a very high percentage of Gen Ys are entrepreneurial. Research shows 97% of Gen Y own a computer, 94% own cel phones; 76% use instant messaging and 15% of those are logged on 24/7; 34% use websites as their primary source of news; 28% own a blog and 44% read a blog. They are able to multi-task and to connect easily with others usually preferring some form of technology to do so. Their lives tend to be an open book as they post a lot of information about themselves on the internet in order to stay connected with friends. They will not tolerate lies or BS and have well-tuned BS detectors. They are looking for you to be straight up. They are also more racially and culturally tolerant than past generations. They tend to be very creative in very new ways. They have challenges in that their parents taught them that they could do anything yet did not teach them it was OK to fail along the way. They are embarrassed by failure and have difficulty asking for help. They are apparently the most stressed group in today’s society. In a separate discussion about the future of the world, it was clear the Gen Ys are generally well equipped to deal with the leadership and societal challenges we all will be facing in the near future. As a coach, my concern is how do we integrate the Gen Y into a workplace where their values and belief systems are so different from that of the traditional business models. I believe that with the changes occurring worldwide in business it is incumbent upon the baby boomers and the Gen Xs (the group in between) to be the most flexible in making the changes necessary to integrate Gen Y. I have had comments from Gen X that they are scared of Gen Y. I have heard from Baby Boomers who are adapting and have had great success in integrating Gen Y and from those who simply will not work with them based on their own experiences with them. I believe these results are based on perceptions and not on reality. What is your take on this? How do you see Gen Y being integrated? How do you see the rest of us adapting? How do we make it work, as these young people are our new crop of leaders? I look forward to the positive changes these young people will bring. Best regards, Stan Tonoski "Starting a business/being an entrepreneur still seems like the surest bet to maximize the possibility of making a huge impact on the world." Ben Casnocha (Ben started his first company at age 12. By the time he was 16, he was nominated for Inc. Magazine's "Entrepreneur of the Year.")
|
