Don't worry about the young people

 
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Greetings from Charlotte, NC, where we relocated my home and business over the weekend. That's what I was doing instead of blogging. Thanks to those of you emailed me to find out what was going on. The "In case you missed it" and "Business reading to start your week" blogs will return next week. In the meantime, here's today's blog, inspired by the move.

I've read a lot of commentary about young people and an awful lot is laced with worry. Supposedly they're overprotected, self-centered, and not all that practical. In general, that hasn't been my experience of them as a group. Our move brought that sentiment to a head and to this blog.

When we let on that we were moving, our two children who live in Charlotte volunteered to help us. They each donated a day of time to drive up to Greensboro from Charlotte to help us pack.

They suggested ways to use technology to make things go better. Technology is a natural part of their lives. For us, it's bolted on.

The best suggestion was to use Craig's List to sell items we didn't want to move. When they found out that hiring professional movers for an inter-city move in our state was a hugely expensive operation, they suggested using professionals to load and unload a rental truck at each end of the move. Both our son and son-in-law volunteered to drive the truck.

On moving day the young men showed up early, helped with the final packing, and helped carry out furniture to minimize the professionals' time. They were veritable human dynamos, packing and carrying until the job was done.

Then, one loaded up his car and the other climbed into the truck and off they went to the new place in Charlotte. Our daughter was there already, giving the place a final cleaning before our move-in.

She had also organized a working party of friends of theirs from work and college to help with the unloading and unpacking. In the spirit of full disclosure, I should mention that my wife was "Tailgate Mom" for several of them when our kids were at Clemson, but that only explained a connection, not the enthusiasm.

Close to twenty showed up in the early evening to wait for the truck. When it arrived they created what looked like a human ant trail. People grabbed a box at the truck, took it into the house and placed it, then returned to truck for another one.

Others helped place and unpack some boxes inside. A couple made a beverage and pizza run when things got late. The dog got walked. By the time I arrived late, after finishing some business in Greensboro, the work was just about done.

When it was done, they stayed for a little while, to chat with each other mostly. Then they drifted away to their homes, making sure to say good-bye first.

This experience sealed some thoughts I already had about young people in today's workplace. The ones who were at our place hauling boxes around on Saturday night were either all Generation Y or Generation Y with a couple of Generation X. There are three things they demonstrated to me.

They are technologically-savvy in the way that a fish is water-savvy. Technology is just a way to get things done. To use Peter Drucker's definition, it's "knowledge applied to useful work."

They work extremely well in groups. There is a self-organizing energy about them with people picking up roles based on what needs to be done and what they do well or like to do. Our daughter was the overall organizer but once she set things in motion, she didn't need to do much.

They are very hard workers. In a project like our move, it's easy for someone to slack off, but I didn't see any of that. What I did see was a group of young people doing hard physical work, applying their heads to it, and enjoying the process.

None of this was new for me. I'd seen it before among these same young people, but also among people the same age at client's workplaces and in church groups. It seems to me that the people of my generation, Boomers, are very good at telling other people what they should do. These young people seem to be very good at getting things done.

Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.

 
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Wally Bock has helped people learn to be great bosses for more than a quarter century. His latest book, Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership, makes learning key leadership principles almost effortless by teaching through a story and providing lists of resources for further growth.

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Comments

  • 6/2/2008 8:40 PM Dan McCarthy wrote:
    Wally -
    Welcome back, you were missed! What a great story - not only young people, but it says a lot about you.

    I too have had nothing but positive and encouraging experiences with young people. First of all, I have two teenage daughters, one in collage, and I have to tell you, they and their friends are respectful, hard working, and care about the world around them. MUCH more so that I ever was at their age.
    I also have the opportunity to meet a lot (hundreds each year) of young entry level professionals where I work. All of our new hires come to headquarters for 1-2 week training programs, and I get to do the Monday morning management meet & greet. My day to day experience with these employees, from all over the country, has been extremely positive. I read so many Gen Y articles, written by “experts” that point out all of the radical differences, good and bad, with this generation. I see some of it – like the 3 things you’ve observed – but so much of it seems like overblown hype.

    Best wishes with your new home and office!
    Reply to this
  • 7/5/2008 10:59 AM Ask a Manager wrote:
    I'd say that it says a lot about the kids you've raised!
    Reply to this
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