Archive for 'Videos'
The Carrot Principle by Chester Elton — Book Brief
Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by admin.
In The Carrot Principle (not an affiliate link, I get no commission), Chester Elton gives much useful information on how to inspire workers to do better, do more, and achieve their potential.
Elton has authored numerous books on this topic and works with organizations to set up internal programs for recognition, rewards, and motivation.
This is another highly produced vignette from BNet.

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“Generation We” and What it Means For the Workplace
Posted on 10. Jan, 2009 by Jerry Roberts.
Watch this video. It has great value for any employer who is trying to understand the young people who are known as Generation Y, The Millennials, and now, by a new emerging label, Generation We — offered up in Eric Greenberg’s book of the same title. We’ll use that name in this article.
How different are we?
Although staged and edited carefully for maximum impact, the basic premise should get all of us thinking about how we will relate to them as they enter our workplaces. They aren’t as confusing as one might think.
In fact, many Baby Boomers recognize them as being very familiar. In many ways, they’re identical to our generation. The technological toys are different, the music certainly is, but as you watch the video you’ll hear Boomer mantra throughout. Boomers boldly stated their intentions to change the world, and did. Sometimes it was done through smarts, and sometimes sheer superiority in numbers.
Smarts and numbers. Exactly the key advantages of Gen We.
Gen We is in a hurry. So were the Boomers. We still are. The bones may creak some, but we’re still operating in high gear.
Managers in the Boomer group ought to look at Gen We with a fair amount of anticipation, not dread.
Generation X, the one in between these two large and highly active groups, is the one that ought to be sweating, not Boomers. The X-ers have to contend with both.
Boomers have no intention of letting anyone push them out of the way and diminish their influence, while Gen We is just now getting its feet wet and establishing itself.
It’s going to be a very loud time for Planet Earth, not just the U.S.
Perceptions vs. realities
In his article, Perception vs. Reality: 10 Truths About The Generation Y Workforce, Dr. Randall S. Hansen, publisher of Quintcareers.com, discussed some of the perceptions and realities of these workers, and the challenges that face them and their older supervisors. Among the most notable are:
Perception: Gen We doesn’t work hard. Reality: They do, but they work differently than preceding generations. My response: Everybody should keep their eyes on the results. In other words, substance over style.
Perception: Gen We has a poor work ethic. Reality: They see life and work as being seamless and believe that work should have interesting experiences and fun. My response: Most organizations could use an infusion of fun. Still, you’re paid for delivering results. If the results are there and we can party in the process, it works for me. If not, we have to make adjustments. Gen We has to understand that organizations don’t exist for their amusement, but to accomplish a set of goals. Boomers and others need to come to grips with the fact that having a good time on the job is okay — if we’re getting the work done.
Perception: Gen We doesn’t respect authority. Reality: They do respect authority, but they have been taught to question everything. That can be a good thing, as lots of questions often bring new ideas and solutions. My response: Boomers also questioned everything. The difference is that we were taught to go along with authority as our parents had. We just disobeyed.
Perception: Gen We is not loyal to employers. Reality: They’ll stay as long as they see a path to move up, that their skills are being advanced, and their work has meaning. My response: I have absolutely no problem with any of that. Every worker, regardless of their generation, should want the same.
I recommend Dr. Hansen’s article and others you can find on the Web. The more that all workforce generations understand about each other, the better off we’ll all be.
New ways of connecting bring opportunities
One of the principal differences is how we connect with others. Boomers were taught to be self-reliant, that if something was to get done we’d have to roll up our sleeves and do it ourselves. Many Boomers reach out only when they get to the end of themselves and need help. Gen We is different. They look to collaborate first, not as a last resort. What does that mean for those who lead the “We” generation?
It means that we can tap into their resources. Young workers are wired into social networks, often several of them, and often spend hours each day connected as if they were a lifeline. In many ways, they are. Information flows freely, is shared widely, and the results can be pretty impressive.
I’ve seen reports that job seekers are now bypassing Monster.com and other job boards, and instead are posting to their networks that they’re looking for work, and they’re happy with the results.
What if we say, “Mary, we have a problem and need your help. Here are the details. If you’re okay with it, please post this on all of your social networks and let’s see if we can get some answers.”
Slam dunk! Mary now gets to do openly what she almost certainly does secretly — networking on company time. I think her enthusiasm will be at a record level, and she’ll work hard to see that her networks deliver that solution, at least partly because she’ll want that option open to her in the future.
As a bonus, Mary’s opinion of us just changed. We are now cool. I’ll take it.
Are they taking over?
Eventually, each generation makes room for the next. Gen We will one day rule.
Will this 90 million-plus member group unify into a single voice and “control” the political landscape, as one young woman in the video suggested?
On some issues, perhaps. In general, no.
The Baby Boomers didn’t unify in that manner. Neither will Generation We. Too many other factors always come into play. They will fragment into sub-groups and special interests, just like every other generation of people that has inhabited the planet.
Gen We will have liberals and conservatives in their ranks, even if those factions don’t exactly model the people we associate with those labels today.
I predict that they’ll become more diverse than any previous generation, and yet end up being as confused by the one that follows them, just as we have been.
Generation We, or whatever name we eventually settle on, offers incalculable opportunities for all of us who work with them, and I plan to be involved in every way possible.
My place in this brave new world
My role is to use what I’ve learned to help guide my Gen We workers into becoming the best future leaders — or followers — they can be…then to see that they get the opportunity to use what they’ve learned.
With an open mind I can allow them to teach me as I teach them. Isn’t that a basic element of social networking?
Want to know more? You can get a free download of Greenberg’s book, Generation We, by clicking here.
Watch that video again, then ask yourself what you can do to connect better to this provocative group of young people.
I’d love to see your comments on this topic! Please share your ideas below.

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Pete Carroll — Something Good Is Just About to Happen
Posted on 07. Jan, 2009 by Jerry Roberts.
Here I am a UCLA fan since I began to follow sports as a kid, and I’m putting the USC coach on my Web site. I’ll probably hear about it from a couple of my Bruins buddies, but it’s hard not to like Pete Carroll for what he represents.
In this 12-minute video, CBS’ 60 Minutes talks to Carroll a little about football and a lot about life — and the difference he is having with troubled youth in the gang-infested streets of South-Central Los Angeles.
This is a great example of how to leverage one’s celebrity into a different kind of currency than most celebs pursue. Carroll uses his name and position to get peoples’ attention, then gives of himself to help others. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Carroll’s mantra is, “Something good is just about to happen.”
Imagine if every manager believed that and walked around his/her organization with that attitude, and could get their team members to drink as little bit of that kool aid.





