Millennials are Strategically Political

A question was broached here at Employee Evolution by one of the readers, who asked just how politically active Millennials are. While Ryan and I knew our own personal answers, neither felt confident enough to answer on behalf of our whole generation without some more data. Now that I've looked at the trends myself, I've found that what was superficially a simple question has a bit more of a nuanced answer than I expected.

Before I begin, I would also like to state that this is only in regards to America. While other countries may have similar circumstances, it would be beyond presumptuous and into the realm of arrogant to even begin to offer a global primer on such an issue.

Do not Compare us to Baby Boomers via the Vietnam Protests.

In short, it depends on what your definition of "is" is. If you attempt to compare our generation to that of the Baby Boomers (as Thomas Friedman does in his article Generation Q), then what you would naturally come up with is a picture of apathy. In the midst of a war that is extremely unpopular by the public at large, and with presidential approval ratings some of the lowest in modern history, you would expect us to march out of our classes and jobs and into the streets. Riots should be happening, and hippies abundant.

While the latter may be true on some campuses, the former hasn't happened because of one key difference between Vietnam and the War on Terror: A draft. While you can argue that the less privileged of our generation have to utilize the military as an economic decision and that makes it a hidden draft, because this would be an indirect culling, it doesn't elicit as much of a public reaction. And without larger numbers of our generation in war, there is simply not enough of a personal outrage to go from working within the system to breaking the system down entirely.

Looking at political activism among the Baby Boomers, you'll see that it is entirely absent in regards to various genocides and other acts of atrocity (The Khmer Rouge regime comes to mind). I am certain that if forced conscription were to occur again, you would not only see riots, but riots organized ten times as effectively than in the past due to social networking online.

Socially Conscious Consumerism

On the environmental front, bamboo and hemp clothing lines are expanding. The LEED standard, while maybe not being used literally, is still being used as a yardstick for an amazing amount of new buildings. Meanwhile, boycotts of products grown with forced or child labor are growing. According to studies done by Cone, Inc. and AMP Insights, our generation is one of the most socially conscious yet. Just in 2006, under a third of us have boycotted certain products from companies we disagreed with ethically, while 70 percent consider a company's social and environmental commitment when purchasing products.

While it is easy to characterize and diminish us by our seemingly "idealistic naivety" about how the real world works, we are growing into a generation that is using not only our personal time, but our own money to reinforce positive business models. As we continue to rise in income, and thus in contribution to the overall GDP, this effect will only grow larger.

We Tend not to Vote, Unless it Matters

While the percentage of voters in the 18-29 age demographic has increased over the past two elections, our votes relative to the older generations are still abysmal. Because of this, politicians have less incentive to appeal to our interests, which in turn makes us even less inclined to vote. Not to mention the issues that we feel most are most important (the war, education, the environment, and social equality) are by no means easy to solve in five-second sound bytes.

Another issue that drives down our voting, at least if questionnaires are any indication, is the rampant cynicism and hollowness of campaigning today. Young people have grown up with the Internet. Whereas the TV was a one-way interaction, the Internet allows for a much greater contributory culture. Because of this, we value compromise and negotiation over hard ideological stances; we're looking for results. This leads into the last factor that influences voting, structural limitations.

The one area we see young voters really participating is when they go to college or their parents live in a swing state. Often, the students will register in whichever state is more balanced politically, so that they feel their vote has more of a difference. However, local registrars in heavy college towns ultimately decide on whether many of these voters can vote, due to ambiguities in the legal term of domicile. While some places are deeply appreciative of the young voting effort, others have cracked down for various reasons. Ultimately, if districts were drawn to be more bipartisan instead of gerrymandered, you would see voter increases in all demographics, but especially in the young voter category.

So What Does it all Mean?

While I worry about how our fantastic volunteerism rates fall (heavily in upper-income households and among the college-educated), I'm not yet ready to call out that this is a class divide, nor that it is simply resume padding. Regardless of that possibility, our dedication to volunteering and single-issue campaigns is having an impact. Looking at the data, what I see is that we Millennials have a variety of opinions and causes, but we are driven in whatever they may be. We don't harbor illusions about the political system, so where it works, we use it, and where it doesn't, we substitute our own solutions. I spoke earlier about the lack of activism regarding the Khmer Rouge regime, and their nigh-genocide of a full third of Cambodia. A parallel can be drawn to the failure of governmental action in Darfur. However, if you look at the number of high school and college organizations sending aid, and the level of awareness, there is mounting pressure on the U.N. and A.U. to start to produce a measurable level of success in the region.

We may not hold a significant amount of power yet, but in the meantime, we aren't simply waiting our turn for the reins. In our own ways, we are already making a difference. Politics ultimately comes down to the people, and how we live together on Earth. To me, incorporating civic engagement and policy desires into a person's everyday lifestyle is far more inspiring than any one-time demonstration. I'm glad to see that among my generation, I'm not the only person that feels such.

BIG News: We're Starting a Company

It hit me. It was time to do something big with Employee Evolution. We needed to take it full time.

At dinner, on my quarterly business trip to Indianapolis I contemplated my next move. When I returned to the hotel, I began to research similar sites. What made them BIG? What was their revenue model? How could we get funding? Then, as fate would have it, my phone rang.

It was Penelope Trunk. I assumed she was calling about my weekly post on her blog. I couldn't be more wrong.

She asked me if I ever thought about teaming up our sites.

"Kind of," I said.

The truth was, I thought about collaborating on a bunch of projects with Penelope. Maybe a book, possibly consulting work, but I never thought she would want to acquire us.

Still, I understood why she wanted to – she was scared. In a recent BusinessWeek article I became the primary source, while she was quoted in the shadows. The guy she had been promoting, mentoring and teaching was stealing the spotlight.

All jokes aside, she recognized potential. Something bigger was on the horizon and the best way to make it happen was to assemble our resources and start a network working with Penelope full time.

With that said, I'd like to proudly announce the new company, Brazen Careerist, Inc. We haven't yet acquired our URL, but things have been in the works since July, and I have to admit, it's a huge relief to finally tell the world.

Our goal is to create a network of career-related blogs geared toward Gen-Y. We'll be launching with a small, base network that, with time, will become the go-to site for all things career.

Our future goals know no bounds. We will be launching a jobs section with a distinctive spin, bringing companies that aim to evolve the workplace for the better straight to the employees seeking them out. Shortly after the initial launch, we'll be unveiling an array of other features that we know you will find extremely useful.

Heeding our own advice, Ryan Paugh and I are ditching our big-city lives and heading west to Madison, WI, where we will set up shop and be able to work face-to-face with Penelope on a daily basis.

We're a little nervous, extremely excited and undecided on the harsh winters. But our bags are packed and we're ready to go. By the time our leases run out on September 30, we'll already be in the mid-west. So here's to the journey!

Thanks to all of our supporters over the past six months – we hope you'll continue to join us for the ride.

Multitasking vs. Time Management

What's the best way to get things done?
As I start writing this post, I'm also brainstorming, talking to a friend, adding to my to-do list, outlining a project, remembering what groceries I need to pick up and eating lunch. Chances are, I'll finish this post later, while I'm watching the news or catching up with my sister or a friend on the phone.

Young workers today are accustomed to the always-on-go, do-several-things-at-once mode. Growing up, Gen Y had schedules so full, weekdays lost their names and became things like "Soccer Day" and "Piano Lesson Day." Post-high school was no different, and we're still going strong as we begin our careers. We can eat, write, watch TV and have a conversation all at the same time without a giving it a second thought.

In popular terms, we are expert multitaskers. We're by no means alone in this ability, but it's a skill we bear proudly as a badge of honor. As we enter the workforce, though, we face some interesting challenges – work isn't exactly the same as catching up with our MySpace friends while watching the latest episode of Lost and eating dinner. Each time an e-mail pops up, a new idea hits us, the phone rings, a boss or co-worker wants to chat, or a training opportunity comes up, we quickly turn our attentions to it.

The problem with this is, to the typical worker, it seems like the distractions and interruptions never end. You don't seem to have time to even start that project your boss gave you three weeks ago and said, "let's meet once you've had time to work on this," never to mention it again. Even though we are great at multitasking, it seems almost impossible to get everything done because of all the interruptions. And there are a lot of them. According to a report from Time on research at the University of California, the typical worker can be interrupted every 11 minutes.

The other problem is, most of these daily distractions fall under the umbrella of "work," but that simple fact doesn't make them easy to manage. Sure, we can check our e-mail while typing up a memo and reminding our co-worker that word he's thinking of. We are doing a lot at one time. But, for some reason, the work always seems to keep piling up. So, does the "skill" of multitasking actually help us better manage our time?

Research seems to show that multitasking may actually be more of a hindrance than a help, especially for young workers who are keen on taking care of whatever's popping up now. We may be up-to-date on how to use the latest technology, but that doesn't mean we always work smart. The New York Times recently published an article summarizing some of the top research into multitasking. It turns out, multitasking may help us do more things at once, but it doesn't help us do them well – or even quickly for that matter. In fact, it slows us down.

It may sound crazy, but the research shows that brain actually focuses better when you're just doing one thing. Apparently, in my case, it's true. As I'm finishing this post, I've finally had to turn off the TV and write when everyone else is in bed. The difference is, now I can focus.

So, is this enough to convince you to break the habit of multitasking and focus on time management and getting things done? Okay, I'll give you snacking and listening to music while you're reading this blog. I mean, come on, what do they expect from us?

Why I started blogging

People often ask why I decided to get into this whole career blogging world that I have come to love. Usually my answer is something about giving my generation a voice in the corporate discussion, or standing up for all of my peers and friends who openly discuss their bitterness towards work. These are true statements and they are some of the reasons I decided to make my voice heard. However, this is not actually why I started blogging.

One evening last fall my dad called. We often discuss random topics and potential business ideas. But this call was different because was unusually excited. He went on a tangent about baby boomers retiring and Gen X being too small to fill their shoes. He told me about the shortage of experienced workers in the non-profit community, and the need for baby boomers like him to begin passing the torch to the younger generations.

I said, "I'm sure this is all true, but what can we do about it?

My father said, "You and Dan (my brother and a budding entrepreneur) should write a book with Mom (a talent development expert in the banking industry) about the passing of leadership from today's managers to generation Y.

It was an interesting idea, and given my initial experience in the working world, I could see how bridging the gap in leadership is necessary. The book never happened. Who knows, maybe it could have worked. But what has transpired from that original idea has been pretty cool.

I studied the topic like crazy. I turned every happy hour conversation with a random peer into a learning experience, and I started writing. I probably spent five to six hours a day reading, writing and studying the topic on top of my 9-to-5 job. Then I started a blog to get some more insight and to make my voice heard. All of a sudden a famous columnist and author asked me to write a weekly column for her. I jumped at the chance.

For months now I have been writing about what I look for in a job, how I like to work, changes I would like to see. Many things I write seem to resonate with young and old alike, and of course, many people disagree with my posts, from all generations. I do not represent the views of an entire generation, it would be ridiculous to pretend I do. But that is why a blog is the perfect forum for this discussion; we can all have our say.

Read the rest at The Brazen Careerist.

Why 'Managing Up' Is Worth the Trouble

As a workplace consultant and career coach (and Gen Xer), I was thrilled to see Employee Evolution develop. I fully support the desire to change the American workplace, so I thought I'd share how I've seen 'managing up' get some new professionals heard – and ahead.

There are three rules to managing up. But before we can follow them, we must first embrace one principle: that all working professionals, even new ones, are salespeople. I realize this thought makes most people cringe, but we are all selling ourselves; our services, our ideas, and our visions for the future. Managing up is just another form of selling. I tell clients, "think of your co-workers and managers as customers." That being said, successful selling on-the-job begins with a simple concept: "Ask, don't tell."

We've all experienced a bad salesperson. You know the type, an intense individual who has all the answers and makes it a point to bombard us with every single one so we supposedly have no choice but to buy. It's such a turn off; we say to ourselves, "How dare he act like he knows exactly what I need when he doesn't even know the first thing about me." Worst still, when we balk, he acts frustrated, like we're completely inept for not immediately wanting to buy what he's selling. Sound familiar?

Unfortunately, I've seen and worked with young professionals who have unintentionally done this. They hit the work scene, complete a surface assessment, and determine what they think is wrong and should be fixed. They believe in teamwork, and so in a sincere effort to help, they start to make suggestions on how to improve things. I will also tell you that many times, their ideas are great, and with a little collaboration, could be very useful. However, great ideas can often take time to be accepted, just like a sale can take time to close. But, some young professionals find their patience running short – becoming immediately frustrated and angry when their ideas aren't acknowledged or implemented. I've even seen some get so upset that they make sweeping generalizations about their job, manager, company, and even their industry, subsequently sending them looking for a whole new career. While in some cases the decision to move on made sense, I've seen plenty of instances where the new employee didn't do their homework and left prematurely, missing out on a great opportunity to grow. From what I've seen, if we want to get older generations (a.k.a. upper management) to actually listen, make changes, incorporate our ideas, and utilize us in a more challenging capacity in the process, we need to prove to them we truly understand and respect their perspective.

At this point, you might be saying, "Why do I have to do all this work just to get my ideas heard? They should be more understanding. They are the ones who aren't being good team players." I know how frustrating it is. I also don't agree with the older generation's attitude towards us younger ones, but instead of getting mad, I really believe it's wiser to be resourceful. Here's a story to consider…

I recently worked with an executive whose management team ranged in ages of 24 to 67. I was impressed by how well they worked together and respected one another's ideas. I specifically asked him how the younger managers had gotten positions of power at their age. His answer: "I don't care about age. I simply hire managers who know how to manage me." When I asked what he meant, he replied: "I look for managers who understand how to ask me things, people who know how to communicate and build consensus. In short, I look for people who are smart enough to know how to educate me, ultimately broadening my perspective and helping me see the value of the solutions they propose." Now, you might think this CEO is a swell guy, full of compassion and understanding. Wrong. He is one of the most direct, intense executives I've ever met. He is no 'people person' and I'm sure he has scared many an employee away with his professional nature. But, the people that work for him have figured out what it takes to connect with him, and they are reaping the rewards.

In summary, I really believe managing up doesn't mean "sucking up" or even "looking up" to those in charge, it means "teaming up" with them in a way they can relate to. And that means, in some cases, being the bigger person. For those of you who are still saying, "They are the older ones, they need to do the changing," I say, you could be in for a long, lonely career progression. Managing up does more than help to overcome challenges with the older generations in the workplace, it shows the capacity to be an effective team player. Up, down, or across, managing in the workplace is every employee's job. So why not practice managing up now in preparation for leading tomorrow?

If you want to learn the three rules to managing up, click here to begin.