Enough with the praise already, and start working smarter

Well put. I would also add: Don't hesitate to ask for constructive criticism. I'm thrilled when an employee sits down with me and asks, "Can we talk about how I could have made that project better?" or even more generally, "What can I be doing better?" (In general, it's the already really good workers who ask these questions, and soliciting this sort of feedback can help them become great.) I will spend significant amounts of time helping people who express a genuine desire for it. You might be surprised how rare these people are, though, so believe me, your boss probably has a couple of slots open for this kind of thing.

I think this provides a good counterpoint to the overall perception stemming from the 60 minutes article. That is, because we got medals for 4th place that we continually want to be praised and rewarded for mediocrity. That holds absolutely no interest for me and many other gen-yers that I know. I don't want to be praised by my boss because I was simply in the office past 5 o'clock. The only reason I want praise is so I can at least feel like I'm actually accomplishing something and making a differnce, so I can be sure that my job is more than putting cover sheets on TPS reports.

The voice of reason speaks! Painting any group with too broad a brush is never a good thing and that's exactly what tends to happen with Gen Y (including the 60 mins piece). It may make for good tv or compelling journalism, but it's far from accurate.

From the millenials I've worked with, I've always found them to be conscientious, hard working, and dedicated. The transition post-college is a tough one, but most figure it out with time and guidance.

Ryan,
For the first time in a while, I agree with you 100%.

I, too, am tired of hearing what slackers we are while we're out there working our tails off.

And your comments on empty praise are dead on. One of the most frustrating moments so far in my career was during the first few weeks of an internship when I was praised by my boss for my "impressive envelope stuffing skills". I've never felt more belittled or insulted when I knew I had so much more to offer. No, I didn't mind stuffing envelopes. It was part of the job. I minded that it was implied that my knack for doing so should somehow be lauded as an important accomplishment.

But constructive, meaningful criticism is important. My last boss was a bit of a bully, but for some reason, had been avoiding me as a target. The problem was I was getting no feedback from her, whatsoever, and it was driving me crazy and making it impossible to improve at my job, which I really wanted to do. So I went into her office one day and told her that I would rather get regular negative feedback than no feedback at all. I knew I was leaving myself wide open to some harsh criticism, and that's exactly what I got, but I felt better when I left, at least knowing where to go from there.

Maybe I'm atypical, but that doesn't sound like a member of a generation that wants a trophy for last place.

Hi all,

I definitely agree with a "Smart worker" philosophy. That is the millenial generation (I feel weird calling myself as "A Generation) at its best. But what percentage of us is that?

I also agree STRONGLY with the feeling of being a fish in a vortex, never mind out of water. College didnt prepare me for doing anything except school work. Where some of that is transferrable (Ie, written communication, explaining where you're coming from when challenged, oral presentation), most are not.

I am conscious of the fact that with a humanities or business degree, one seems to possess no skills that can actually DO anything.

How I'm supposed to impress someone on my job the first day – I quickly realized I could NOT.

And in order to actually produce something of substance eventually, I could not pretend either. I had to ask questions and learn, even if I looked less than star power. I think our generation realizes it and for that reason we have nil tolerance for BS, puffed up verbosity and Cover-your-butt denial of not instantly knowing how to make a judgment call on something. But before we go getting off on our virtuosity (Myself included), I think we do that because we know and have practiced less practical skill coming out of college than our generation before us (On average). And we have to collaborate and learn from each other, have to spend our energy gaining expertise instead of projecting our expertise to the "Right" people, to catch up.

And for that reason we dont burn out doing nonsensical hours. We realize we will have to do it again tomorrow, and who can keep that up just to worry about someone's opinion of you?

Great post; although we've all discussed and heard these points before this article is an excellent, concise place to point the less-informed.

By the way, congrats on hitting the 1,000 subscriber mark!

Thanks for the comments everyone. The whole argument against our generation is completely overblown and sensationalized by the media. A big part of our goal here is to refute these arguments and try to give a little perspective.

Devin – The points of this post have been stated before, but like you said, it's for the less-informed out there. And thanks for the congratulations, we have been waiting to hit 1,000 for a long time!

-Ryan

I agree Ryan, and I also think that if you are a smart-hard worker you WILL get more (deserved) praise than others because you are being proactive by asking for feedback and letting your manager know you want to be better. Our generation does seek for recognition but for more than just the courtesy award.

We Xers had to fight through some of the same sterotypes that the Millennials are fighting now. Hang in there, it will eventually be a non-issue.

Previous generations have always had a hard time with the following ones and now there are four generations all having to work together. Take note of that and it will make working with other generations a lot easier. Better yet, try to understand why they are the way they are and it becomes entertaining. At some point you will get to hear two boomers battling it out in an office – now that's entertainment.

One final note – don't underestimate your college education and how much it will help you in your career. Much of that seemingly useless, in-depth knowledge of calculus, compiler design, corporate finance, world history or music theory has given you a real foundation. At some point I guarantee you that without knowing it, you will start making decisions based on that knowledge. It may be something as large as an architectural design decision on a large piece of software, or something as small as sitting at the proverbial water cooler and being overheard by management talking about medieval monasticism, impressing them on some level and opening a dialog that leads to a promotion.

Scott

For all the complaining, Dorsey and Healy believe their generation will transform the office into a much more efficient, flexible and yes, nicer place to be. But until then, a message to bosses everywhere: just don't forget the praise.

"We want to hear it and truly we'd love for our parents to know. There's nothing better than Mom getting that letter saying, 'You know, Ryan did a great job. Yeah, I just wanted to let you know you raised a fantastic son,'" Dorsey says.

"Send it to grandma, too," Healy adds, laughing.

Well stated, Ryan. I wish more of my Boomer peers would read your candid and insighful comments. Regretfully, many in senior leadership roles in organizations haven't taken time to understand Millenials and therefore can't appreciate your unique and yes, different way of approaching what you do and how you live. Perhaps some of the antagonism is prompted by the remorse that comes when you realize you've allowed something to consume more of your life than you ever intended and you're a bit jealous of those who have figured out early in the journey how to make a living and still have a life.

When I see my Millenial son crawl out of bed for a 6:45 a.m. marching band practice, when his school responsibilities don't end until nearly midnight on many Fridays, or when he is still working on an AP English assignment when I go to bed at 10:30 or 11:00 p.m. I can't buy the blather that says your generation doesn't like hard work. I applaud the smart-hard approach. I've slammed my head against the wall of ineffectivity enough times to know that it's a slow way to improve your performance.

Ryan – I wish you could have presented yourself this way on 60 minutes. Instead, I felt as though you only gave them further proof that our generation is flaky. Good post though.

Jacqui – I had a very similar experience during my internship. After working there 7 months and doing some major work my boss pointed out to candidates for an open HR position that I was great at doing postings. It was really the last straw in my relationship with my boss.

More importantly, why in God's name would anyone expect a sixteen year old to take a part-time job making $8,000 a year at most, when they could spend that time focused on schoolwork and athletics and net a $10,000 a year 4-year scholarship?

However, I do agree with the objection to hard work. I completely object to people making work harder than it has to be – which most of the time, is not that hard. We don't even know the concept of hard work, because, as Ryan points out, it takes us twenty minutes to make an Excel spreadsheet, when it would take someone else and hour and a half. Most of work is just not that hard for us (I'm excepting obvious moments of hard work, like while putting together a presentation or when having one of those days where the client's nuts and everything about the project melts into radioactive sludge.)

If someone wants us to "work harder," probably what needs to happen is they need to give us harder work.

"More importantly, why in God's name would anyone expect a sixteen year old to take a part-time job making $8,000 a year at most, when they could spend that time focused on schoolwork and athletics and net a $10,000 a year 4-year scholarship?"

Because some of us sixteen year olds grew up in lower middle to lower class families in inner cities (me in Boston) and had to support our families, even our schooling (I went to private school and my dad couldn't pay one year due to him messing up his tax return and the divorce from my mom, so I ended up taking two jobs that year to pay for my junior year of high school. It was either that or go to gang ridden Madison Park, not the safest place for a white person).

I wish I came from a richer family where I could focus more on athletics and music and creative activity. But I couldn't. I had to work to support myself, and sometimes my mom (who was recovering from pill addiction via hip surgery), or face the consquences of irresponsiblity.

And honestly, I don't even think that most college degrees get you prepared for the real world, or even make you more money for most professions unless you are in the technical, medial, or law field. The difference, according to most studies, is 5-15K, and over a person's lifetime that is NOTHING towards what they have to spend to comfortably live.

Most successful and innovative businesses from the late 90's and today are from either "slacker" types like Paul Phillips and Mark Cuban, or those who started out as a doctor or lawyer only to hate it and find another less competitive yet steady profitable calling for "smart work" as the OP dilligently pointed out.

Your line about "don't praise me for an excel sheet that took me 20 minutes to put together" just resonated with me so much. My last job was working with three women in the 55 -65 age range and while they were incredibly smart and good at their jobs, I felt it was completely laughable that they would look at my translating hand sketched plans into excel sheets and look at me like I had performed a miracle. I really hope my next job takes me someplace where my computer skills won't be oohed and ahhed over as if highlighting cells or designing a marketing plan table were up there will painting the Sistine Chapel.

I could not agree more about the fake praise. I always hated those token "participation trophies" as a kid and actually challenged a professor when he congratulated me for making the Dean's list (half the school was on the list, how exactly was that an honor? He agreed).

As it became clear that I was moving on from my last job, one of my managers (who was desperate to keep me) started praising everything that I did. I actually received praise for a politely worded e-mail. That was unneccessary and pointless. I dealt with e-mail requests all the time and I politely replied to all of them. I didn't need her praise to be polite before nor did I need it that time. Her hollow praise certainly wasn't going to convince me to stay when the owner was throwing temper tantrums in my office (not joking, she actually stomped her foot and screwed up her face). I did appreciate her praise when she over heard a particularly difficult conversation with said owner because it was constructive and deserved.

I think Millenials may need more guidance at work either because we have been trained from infancy to seek guidance or because we are not as prepared for the working world as previous generations. Guidance should not be confused with praise. Guidance is constructive but not always positive. Guidance requires the manager to pay attention and really understand what the employee is doing. Praise requires nothing but a cheery smile and a couple of trite phrases.

Why am I paying you for 8 hours when you're only working 6?

The whole "praise" issue is a Babyboomer one. As a GenXer, I feel your pain here. Who wants sunshine blown up your skirt by some Boomer who is impressed that you can use the templates in Powerpoint? And then when you don't kiss ass, you're the bad guy who won't recognize the effort.

Don't let 60 minutes or any other popular media get to you. Here's what they said about Xers:

"(Gen Xers) are more materialistic than past generations but have less hope of achieving their goals." – "Essentials of Marketing" textbook, Fourth Edition

"(Managers) say (Gen X) employees often:
Are not reliable
Are not willing to work long hours
Think in terms of "job" – not "career"
Have unrealistic expectations about raises and promotions" — "Managing Generation X"
An article by Claire Raines on the website http://www.generationsatwork.com

"Indeed, some managers wonder why they should invest in training a new employee if she's going to take those hot new skills – skills you've paid for – and jump to another company. That can't be good for the bottom line." — "Managing Generation X" Article by Mindy Blodgett post on CNN.com

Gen Xers indulge in "selfishness in personal manner, risk-taking with sex and drugs, crime, violence and social decay…" — "Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation"
By Neil Howe and William Strauss

The fact is;
Generation Xers make more money at a younger age than the Babyboomers did.

Gen Xers are currently the most educated generation – 2002: 56% of 25-34 year olds had attended at least some college 1990: 45% did.

And Gen Xers bought homes sooner – 47% of 25-34 year olds owned a home in 2003, compared to 43% in 1990 (not bad for a bunch of kids who were told they'd never own their own homes).

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. My point is that when you're young and technologically savvy, you can be scarey to old farts. Ignore it. You'll have their jobs in five years anyway.

Suzanne Kart, Gen Xer, http://www.generationxpert.com

Lisa,

Would you rather pay for input or output?

If I was running a business, I wouldn't care how long it took people to accomplish their goals, as long as I was getting the results I wanted.

In the future, and even somewhat in the present, results-driven organizations will be far out performing input-driven organizations.

Gen Y Sound Bites…

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/08/60minutes/main3475200_page2.shtml According to Sunday's 60 Minutes segment, Millennials are nothing but a bunch of narcissistic, praise hounds who want nothing to do with hard work. Judging by the dialogue we…

I think what Lisa is trying to say is she'd rather pay me for 8 hours of presence than 8 hours of work.

When i read about praise i had to remember this interesting article about if too much praise is not dangerous.

nope, I don't want to pay you for 8 hours of presence, I want to pay you for 8 hours of work. I'm paying you for your smart-hard work; and I'm assuming I'm paying you a salary based on an assumption of, on average, 40 hours a week. If you're getting all your work done in 30 hours a week, come talk to me. I'll fill up the other 10. If you're cutting out 2 hours a day, then your not adding full-value to my company for the salary I'm paying you.

If you'd like to work on a goal-basis; then I'll give you a fixed-price contract for accomplishing that goal, and I won't care what hours a day or week you work, or how long you take to do it, as long as you have it done by the agreed upon deadline. Under this system, I'm paying you based on my perceived value of the goal; under the salary system, I'm paying you based on my perceived value of what you can do for the company.

If you think your value is more than the salary being paid, let's discuss it; don't unilaterally award yourself a 25% raise. In my books, that borders on unethical behavior. If I perceive your value is more than your being paid, that's what raises and performance bonuses are for.

We're saying the same thing.. I think Ryan, myself and many others would consider a few hours of downtime to be replaced with personal time to be an excellent bonus for effectiveness.

I'm a "Gen X'er" age 37…roughly 14 years older and further along into the work force than the "millennials" that are the focus of this blog and of the 60 Minutes piece.

I have a wife and two young children, ages two and five. I currently work for a large corporation, reporting to the office most every day…

When I was in my early to mid 20's I chose to pursue a passion for sailing…working as professional crew aboard charter yachts based out of the Northeast U.S. and the West Indies. I did this for four plus years and had the time of my life.

This choice played right into the "slacker" label of Gen X…a group of people who were supposed to not have the same amount of respect for hard work and productivity that the baby boomer crowd manifested. While in a narrowed view being a boat bum and not a corporate wage slave was "slacking" – in fact this experience was so fundamental to who I am now…on so many levels…that I simply can't fathom not having done it.

Now that I'm a husband and father – and my responsibilities have multiplied – I couldn't be more thankful for my somewhat dull but steady corporate job. Sailboats are for the weekends. I reflect back on the time I spent following the wind in my early to mid 20's and smile.

Priorities change and shift. Responsibilities accrue. Hard work and diligence are not so much a choice as a necessity if you want to be a successful person in whatever field or focus you choose.

I have no question that the "millennials" will meet their responsibilities and contribute greatly as they move through life. I agree with others who commented that older people can both fear and envy the freedom of youth. The truth of the matter is that everyone, if they are fortunate, gets his or her shot at being in their 20's and, my friends, it's over all too quickly.

Live, laugh, love and pursue your passions. Push the envelope and redefine the boundaries. It's exactly what you SHOULD be doing!

Regards,

WBM

Lisa – being a salaried employee *means* you're working on a goal-basis. You are given a job description and you are asked to adequately fulfill those requirements. Hence why salaried/exempt employees do not get paid overtime. The 40 hour week is merely a standard template for how productive you should be.

If we follow your logic then, do you pay your employees overtime when they have to stay late to finish a project?

WBM, very well put. You and I are of similar age and similar life-stage, and apparently with a few interests in common as well (namely sailing; I envy you those 4+ years like I can't even tell you). You make a strong case for valuing the temporary freedom of your 20s.

One difference I think folks see — rightly or wrongly — between GenX and GenY during their 20s is the fact that GenY seems much more comfortable with exercising that freedom from the safety and comfort of their parents' homes. Crewing a charter yacht may not have been as stable or lucrative as your eventual 9-to-5, but it doesn't strike me as irresponsible "slacking". I expect that you were taking care of yourself, while assuming the risks and learning the lessons that come with it. Experience like that is valuable.

Lisa, when we're putting together a project schedule we assume about six hours of productivity per day per employee. The other two hours isn't for anything other than communicating, small talk, meetings, coffee/smoking breaks, etc.

I once had a boomer boss who couldn't stand that while the deadline was looming, she was the only one running around like a chicken with her head cut off. Several times the team simply told her we'd get it done by the deadline, and we did and then went out for cocktails which drove her absolutely batty.

She always saw us as a bunch of lazy Xers and Millennials – but she was always very appreciative when we got the job done and thank goodness, that's what made the yearly reviews.

This is great Ryan and congrats on the TV spot! I also thought the 60 Minutes overview was way overblown in terms of generalizations about gen Y, but hey that's what the public is absorbing. I think the whole emphasis on praise vs. helping Millenials become great leaders in organizations is what creates the desire for us to leave our jobs. I love praise as much as anyone, but praise alone is not going to get me the corner office or the top job in my field, either. We also need real constructive criticism and coaching to get to the next level. So while I'm glad CBS is bringing generational issues to light, it's important that you highlighted here our hard working ethic that needs to be recognized as well.

Joshya…

I was thinking the same thing…

You say "A smart-hard worker will take advantage of technology and figure out how to get eight hours of work done in six hours, convince his boss to let him work remotely and spend the next two hours updating his blog, making business connections online and going to the gym to keep in shape."

As a manager, not only is this not ever going to happen on my watch, but if you can actually get eight hours worth of work done in six hours, then I am sure I can find you two more hours of work to do.

Sadly, the reward for high productivity is more work. Then, just maybe then, if you follow that prescription for a few years, you might actually start to get it, and get more money as well. Work at work, life after work. You can blog to your heart's content when you are not on the company's dime.

No matter how badly you guys want this, the 30 hour work week from home lifestyle is not going to take hold.

"As a manager, not only is this not ever going to happen on my watch, but if you can actually get eight hours worth of work done in six hours, then I am sure I can find you two more hours of work to do.

Sadly, the reward for high productivity is more work."

That's all the more reason for employees to be more productive, but not to tell their employers until after they've tried using their downtime to think of ways to make more money outside of work. The managers should do this, too. Everyone's in it to get a good deal for themselves by maximizing revenue and minimizing costs, including the employees.

[...] You could get screwed by lack of feedback. Lots of managers are uncomfortable giving feedback (especially negative), so they'll avoid it if at all possible. For example, I once had a [...]

I would like to hear the millennial perspective on commercial law practice…where you bill clients for your time. It is assumed that all lawyers are smart, hard working and efficient but at the end of the day you add up the hours on your time sheet and that's the basis for how you'll be paid by your clients. Large law firms, where young lawyers get the best training for commercial law, have billable hour requirements that pretty much require new associates to work full days, 9-10 hours, often six days a week. Your thoughts?

Hmmm…Lisa, if I'm getting 40 hours of work done in 30 hours and you "fill up my time" with more work, then you are getting a really good deal. If I am capable of accomplishing 25% more, then I sure as hell ain't going to give it away. I'm going to look to set up my life so I realize the benefits of my own talents – either by having more free time or by earning more money with my additional time.

As my employer, you benefit from my swiftness even if you let me go home early – can anyone say "quick turnaround", "rush project." This has value. What I hear with the demand on the time is a slavery mentality, that the employer is actually buying the minutes that are the stuff of my life itself.

No thanks!

ROWE forever! I will do something I rarely do – promote someone else's blog over my own by entering the site of Cali and Jody, the originators of the Results Only Work Environment in the Web site slot above.