Baby Boomers & Gen Y: Email, Collaboration, Feedback, and Conflict

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The following are a few of the questions asked at the panel I served on a few weeks back. My answers were relatively short due to a limit of about 30 seconds, or a few sentences, for each answer. By all means, these answers are my personal opinion and would love to invite further discussion and your insights via comments or email.

Is Email dead? Honestly, I think email will never die. Most of my friends spend more time checking email than they do sleep. Email is an extremely powerful tool socially and business wise when used efficiently and effectively.

There is a lot of evidence that Gen-Ys are a lot more into collaboration than previous generations. Any thoughts on that? Without a doubt. Gen Y like to feel connected to an organization or company and we place special emphasis on establishing relationships along with personal and career development. Collaboration can satisfy those needs. Also as a generation, we tend to be more open to diversity, not just gender or race, but intellectually too, than previous generations. From group projects in school to youth sports leagues fostering teamwork and team playing….all leads to collaboration. With collaboration, you get infinite amount of intelligence and accumulated experience…which is huge.

PK mentioned that Baby Boomers dislike feedback, but Gen-Ys want it instantaneously. If you have a Baby Boomer boss, do we have a problem? (SIDE NOTE: PK’s presentation showed that Baby Boomers tend to think negatively of feedback, like bad news, and are more accustomed to annual reviews.)

A possible conflict that does not have to be a big problem at all. Smart companies and offices will start now to train managers to give constant feedback. Like I said earlier, Gen Y as a generation tend to focus a lot of energy on personal and career development. We like our work to be meaningful. We also like to be connected to each other, in forms such as collaboration. We are big on improvement, and we see constant feedback and constructive criticism to help us improve. Feedback = consistent improvement. If we feel disconnected and receive small feedback, you can expect us to seek more meaningful work elsewhere.

In your opinion, what are some of the positive qualities of the Baby Boomer generation? Baby Boomers are very dedicated to building a stellar career and to provide a comfortable life for their family. My father was very willing and driven to building his company, and ultimately became successful. Their work ethic and drive I think is their strongest quality.

And some of their negative qualities? I would say lack of balance. For me personally, my parents divorced while I was in high school. My father was very dedicated to his business, their strongest quality, but rarely had time for family and personal. It’s realistic to say that half of my friend’s parents are divorced too. I saw my parents and those of my friends too dedicated to the office, and not to family. You see this in a trend of Gen Y now, in how we rather find work more meaningful to us and a sense of balance of life and work. Lack of balance is a negative quality of Baby Boomers.

If you were to imagine yourself working in a perfect environment, how would you interact with your peers? Your boss? Gen Y is big on communication and staying connected. We also love the idea of flexibility, and taking advantage of tools now available via Web 2.0 to connect and communicate anywhere, not necessarily the office from 9-5. Since we are big on collaboration, I would like to be able to trust and communicate effectively via email, social networks, etc with peers and my boss. No need for useless meetings and the typical 9-5 office hours.

We like to balance work and life, so we would enjoy the freedom to work at home or away from the office as much as possible. I also see a shift of being paid for task, not time, or hourly wages. I can see us more as free agents. ….

The last question led into more of a discussion into the mindset that I would like to be paid per task, not time. Also the idea of instead of employees, people will work as free agents. I further discussed that I personally believe people will be hired to work, collaborate, and complete projects through communication not necessarily taking place in the office. Be paid for task, not time. Be flexible with working arrangements and communication from peer to peer and peer to boss. I will eventually discuss more of this later in future posts.

Overall, it was a blast to participate in the panel. I could have spent hours discussing possible answers to some of the questions above, so it was hard to only jump to one answer in 30 seconds or only a couple minutes. The response and feedback from the audience was extremely positive and enthusiastic, and basically really fun! Please, please, please feel free to discuss your point of views and answers with me. I’m always looking to hear others thought and inputs. Questions or answers, please let me know!

“Baby Boomers, meet Generation Y…”

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I have been pretty busy, mostly productive though, during my first weeks of summer. I have experienced some new things and met some very influential and interesting people so far. Just recently, I was invited to serve on a Generation Y expert panel by P.K. Agarwal, the Director of DTS for the State of California.

PK also gives speeches and seminars about current trends, and this years trend was understanding the next generation coming into the workforce; Generation Y. He educates people around the country about Generation Y and the tools we use (Web 2.0, social networking, etc), and how it will drastically change the workforce. It was a fun experience and pretty interesting, and plus, free food is always a bonus!

At the presentation, I served on a panel which was asked questions by the audience following PK’s speech and power point. For this specific event, the audience consisted mostly of IT Managers and employees of th State of California. The majority of the audience were Baby Boomers as well as a few Generation X. Most of the questions were directed at the differences between the mindsets and attitudes of Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y, and the possible conflicts that could arise in the workplace. Glenn at Globalized observes this in his recent post here.

Some specific questions or possible conflicts that the audience seemed to be most interested in were about Collaboration in the workplace and online, Gen Y and flexibility in the workplace, Feedback from Managers, and the how positive and negative qualities of Baby Boomers will collide with positive and negative qualities of Gen Y. Over the course of this week and next, I will present the questions asked and my answers to them.

Something to Learn From Children

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I just started reading Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly and absolutely loving it. One thing that particularly captured my attention was how Mihaly explained the difference between pleasure and enjoyment. According to Flow, we can experience pleasure by without any investment of pyshcic energy, whereas enjoyment happens only as a result of unusual investments of attention.

Mihaly then explains how easy it is for a child to experience enjoyment. Flow states that every child is a little “learning machine”, as children are constantly leaning new movements and words.

This instantly reminded me of how children always look so happy, and how contagious a kid’s smile can be to an adult. It’s also evident today that children obviously smile and laugh way more than adults do on average. One reason children could be happier, or enjoy optimal experience more often, could be due to the fact they are constantly learning.

After these children go to school, the exitement of learning new things tends to wear out. 2 years out of highschool now, I notice a majority of people I went to school with say they are “done with school, and will never have to read a book again”. Adults in general tend to rarely read 1 book a year, and according to this article, 1 in 4 adults read no books at all.

One way adults can enjoy optimal experience and be happier more often is just to learn from children. Constantly push yourself to learn something new and enlightening. Personally, I notice a huge difference between the attitude of friends my age who read and educate themselves and those who don’t.

Point is, dedicate yourself to learning something new, constantly. Whether its through reading a book, attending seminars, or taking classes. Just don’t work a job because it pays money. Work a job that forces you to learn something new. It is amazing how much there is to learn and experience, and it really just starts after highschool. Always seek to learn more, and overall enjoy life more.

The Importance of Summer Goals

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Finals are finished and the summer has already snuck up on me. After seriously take deep relaxation and catching up on sleep lost during finals week, its time to evaluate what I want to do this summer. I normally coast through summer with no defined goals and things to accomplish.

Sure everyone has the basics; like saving money, travel and to leave with memorable and fun times, maybe complete summer school. For many college students, the summer can be the perfect launch pad for the near future. With a surplus of free time, summer goals can help position yourself to reach and accomplish your big long term goals for the next couple years . I plan to use this summer to experiment in practicing lifestyle design, along with goals to making a better, newer, stronger version of myself. So here are a few of my goals to accomplish this summer….in no particular order.

  • Build solid relationships with new people, and enhance present relationships
  • Meditate 15 minutes each morning
  • Thoroughly read and study 1 book a week – expand my library
  • Find an ideal apartment/condo downtown or in midtown, near Sac State
  • Experience Yosemite
  • Watch David Beckham and the LA Galaxy play live
  • Continue building my website
  • Maintain work out regimen, 3 times a week
  • Learn to play the acoustic guitar
  • Practice and improve my Spanish
  • Revamp and restart the Financial Fraternity
  • Get published in a newspaper and magazine
  • Find more mentors and meet new influential people
  • Start savings for my 2010 South Africa trip for the World Cup
  • Attend 3 seminars

Definitely take the time, preferably with a good friend or a goal buddy, and map out clearly defined goals to accomplish this summer. Goals do not have to be serious and all business; make goals to have fun and experience enjoyable times with good people. Become a better, faster, stronger version of yourself by making goals to have a kick-ass summer.

I will be posting my progress of certain goals throughout the summer. Chances are, I will be constantly adding more goals to the list as during my summer encounters.

Why Gen-Y Should Practice Meditation

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“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.” – BuddhaMeditaton

For the past 6 months I have waken up every Friday morning at 6 AM to participate in a meditation club. I was lured to “Mind Your Business Club” by my friend Grant. Basically, we have 30 minutes of meditation, followed by 30 minutes of discussion related to meditation, Buddhism, and everyday life. I never quite understood the point of meditation. The only thought that came to mind of meditation was Yoda, who I thought was a true badass, so I decided to give it a go.

Basically, I have come to love meditation, and try to practice it whenever I can. Meditation is also something I believe Generation Y should atleast learn about and try. In our generation, when we have an abundance in material goods and satisfactions, it is even more imperative to seek self-fullfillment and self-happiness. Meditation can be one avenue to achieve that.

There can be huge benefits to anyone who decides to take meditation seriously.

  • Deeper Levels of Relaxation and Reduces Stress: Honestly, I have never met anyone my age, or any age for that matter, that says they have to much relaxation. American Society seems to be a hot zone for stress. This is one benefit any can enjoy.
  • Observe and Control Your Own Thoughts: While meditating, you want to focus on your deep breathing. The goal is not to focus on one dominant thought. Hundreds of thoughts will pop up, and you just let them pass. “Think about nothing”. This is extremely difficult, and becomes easier with practice. Its great though, for you can sit back and see what really is on your mind in a contolled and relaxed manner. Not when your pissed off in traffic or vulnerable to make a fool of yourself in the moment. You seriously become your thoughts. Why not learn how to observe and control them?
  • Improve Concentration: While you attempt to obserce and control your own thoughts you will build your skill of concentration. In a information-packed world with literally thousands of distractions every minute, concentration is important. Concentrating on your breaths, and not giving into any one particular thought during meditation, will allow you to become better self-controlled and allow you to concentrate better in other aspects of life – work, school, etc. The more concentrated you can become, the more efficient you will be.
  • Better Understanding of Yourself and the World Around You: As you meditate, you really see a movie of all your thoughts before your eyes. You will notice which thoughts come up more, which seem to bother you the most, etc. Also, as you meditate, you can observe your thoughts without all the prejudices and other negative factors you might carry with yourself throughout the day. Since your more relaxed and more concentrated, you can better understand the daily issues that arise. This is huge to better understanding your school issues, work, relationships, and overall, your purpose and motivations in life.

Just start out trying to meditate 5 minutes a day in the morning, at lunch, or before you go to bed. Meditation is one way to live a more balanced life. And the more balanced you are, the more stress-free you tend to be. Meditation is one thing I believe all Generation Y should consider and practice.

“He who laughs last doesn’t get it”

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I realize more and more the gift of Laughter. Laughing is healthy for you and obviously makes things more fun. Besides releasing endorphins and increading your heartrate, its great for relationships socially and in the workplace. According to Robert Provine, from the book A Whole New Mind, laughter has more to do with relationships than jokes. The best times and memories I share with people close to me are all something I could laugh back on. And seriously, some of the best ab workouts I’ve had are due to laughing.

Laughing in particular is also extremely beneficial for the workplace, according to this article from Forbes. People who can laugh tend to be more creative, as laughing comes from the right-side of the brain, and people who can laugh together often can work together. If you do a group project or you meet someone for the first time, and you go for the opportunity to try and share a laugh with your new acquaintance, there is no harsher feeling than being rejected. Being able to laugh with others, and yes, sometimes at yourself, you can develop more meaningful relationships, more pleasant to be around, and hey, live happier and healthier.

With this in mind, I’m going to check out a Laughter Club, as there are a couple here in Sacramento. It combines elements of yoga, meditation, aerobics, and social contact, according to A Whole New Mind. You could probably find one in your area here. Try and notice how much, or how little, you laugh daily.  Laughing can definitely enhance the way people experience relationships, school and work, and life.  Seriously, this no laughing matter.

Life is like a Metaphor

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Metaphor is the understanding of one thing in terms of something else, and is a product of Right-brain thinking.  The book, A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, stresses the importance of developing and using Right-brain thinking in the businesses world and life. 

Left brain = literal and textual.  Right brain = metaphorical and contextual.  Knowledge workers tend to be dominated by left-brain thinking.  Practicing to balance both sides will be crucial for business and life in the future or globalization and self-fullfillment and happiness. 

 George Lakoff writes that metaphor is central to reason, and believes that human thought processes are largely metaphorical.  Lakoff says that metaphors are central to development of thought, and how we think metaphorically in nature.

Metaphorical thinking helps us understand others, which will be crucial in business as we will come into contact and work with people of diverse backgrounds in the forms of collaboration. 

Besides in the business world, and as Pink notes, that the more material benefits and comforts brought to use by abundance will matter much less than the metaphors by which we live by.  As Lakoff explains, “A large part of self-understanding is the search for the appropiate personal metaphors that make sense of our lives.”

Realizing, understanding and thinking more metaphorically are great tools to consider using while dealing with life and work.  Metaphors are creative, fun, and can connect people together powerfully.  As Pink caps it off, the more we understand methapor, the more we understand ourselves.

Got Flow?

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Flow is something I try to attain and work on every day. Flow is also referred to as “On the money” and “In a groove”. According to the definition on Wikipedia, Flow is a mental state of operation where you are fully immersed in whatever you are doing. The best example that comes to mind is sports. The best, most clear, and exhilarating moments of flow I have had in my life was during my high school basketball career. Besides sports, I have also felt it in engaging conversations, school projects, writing my thoughts, and even driving.

The father of Flow, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, lists the components of flow and also tips on how groups could flow together here.

When I think of flow, I think of passion, drive, purpose, and love. To really enjoy life to the fullest and savour the moment sort of speak, always try to find your flow, your groove in whatever it you set out to do in life. Be it your job, relationships, your home and hobbies, if you have trouble trying to find flow with it, chances are you probably could be happier doing something else. Every successful person of their trade has mastered the art of flow, from Kobe and Tiger to Mark Cuban. They find something they love to do, and excel at it.

In any situation you put yourself in in life, ask yourself the crucial and deep question: “Got Flow?”

Set a Designated BS Day

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Probably my worst habit is bullshitting on the internet.  Second is worrying about small things.  For any bad habits you have, I’m sure I’m not alone when I spend, actually waste, countless hours on these habits.  I’ll go on the internet to check something out related to school, then I will get sucked into what I call “BS Surfing”.  I just randomly surf the internet and wasting time on things that arn’t relevant to anything I am trying to accomplish.

The same goes for worrying about everyday problems.  I once read one of my favorite Mark Twain quotes:  “I have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”   I also waste too much energy and time worrying about totally irrelevant BS. 

So starting from now on, I will simply keep a small notepad labeled “BS”.  If I find any urges to research something, or worry about something, I will write it down on my BS list, and move on.  I will then dedicate a part of one day a week, for me Sunday afternoons, to go crazy on researching any BS I want to, and also contemplate about any of the small worries that bothered me during the week.

 You’ll find that you will no longer have the need to research what you wanted, and you will most likely laugh at all the small things you worried about.  Basically, to make my life more efficient, I’m going to expiriment by batching my “BS” time wasters together on my designated BS day.

1 Hour a day = Nine 40-hour Workweeks a Year

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I recently read an article provided by the website of John Assaraf, author of Having It All. If you dedicated 1 hour a day to anything; from working out, studying Spanish, writing, or practicing visualization and meditation, you can seriously become kick ass at whatever it is you spend that hour doing.

Honestly, an hour is not much to invest towards anything you would like to start, study, or do in life. Never think little of an hour, or even dare to waste one. Sure one hour of a day doesn’t seem to account for much, but over the course of one year, imagine dedicating 9 40 hour workweeks to studying the brain or learning the guitar. You will become great, definitely well above “average”. The ROI of one hour a day can potentially be HUGE.

I plan to dedicate at least one hour a day to learning something new or being productive, not busy, in a task that will bring me closer to my goals. If needed to, you can mix it up monthly too. Dedicate 2 months to this, start a new activity the following months, etc.

This is great for full time students like me. Of course, like Tim Ferriss, I will dedicated months at a time to traveling abroad and studying or learning a new hobby. But for now, I will use this concept as efficiently as possible.

Imagine the hobbies you could learn and pick up and become great at with this simple concept. If you ever wanted to learn or practice a new thing, what would it be?