The Cranky Middle Manager Show #316 The Final Cranky Show and the Future of Work with John Blackwell
The Cranky Middle Manager show #186 Managing Generation Y Bruce Tulgan
Posted on 02. Apr, 2009 by Wayne in General, Podcast
Cranky Middle Manager Wayne Turmel talks to Bruce Tulgan, author of Not Everyone Gets a Trophy- How to Manage Generation Y. Also, dealing with a smartass kid as king and things ain’t that different than they ever were if the quote of the week is to be believed….and I do believe it.
Bruce Tulgan, looking like he’s about 12. Oh I’m getting old in a hurry.
Don’t forget about our Cranky Middle Manager book: “125 Quotes for Whacking Weasels- Centuries of Wisdom, Motivation and Snappy Comebacks from the Cranky Middle Manager Show ” 
Thanks to everyone who participated in our webinar.. we’ll be offering it again in June!
Show Notes:
0:00 Welcome back to a safe haven brothers and sisters. We are going to talk about those darned kids…. so it’s only right we dedicate this to King Josiah, youngest king of Judah and nobody could tell him anything either.
2:13 The quote of the week is from Hesiod- and it’s nice to know that in 2800 years nobody’s gotten any better at understanding the next generation……Oh, and thank you for attending our webinar on How to Create and Manage Remote Teams- we’ll be offering it again soon.
4:01 Welcome Bruce Tulgan. A lot of what we’ve heard about the new generation is that we need to be empathetic and basically treat them as strange alien creatures. According to him most of the so-called experts are just wrong, they don’t need a trophy just for showing up. How do we put this delicately, self-esteem is not this generation’s biggest problem.
8:04 If they’re driving you crazy, it’s kind of our fault and they frequently think their way is as valid as anyone else’s. They have a bit of a reality check coming. Oh and heaven help my daughter’s first boss.
9:30 What are some of the myths about these folks? One is that they’re not loyal. We have a bit of a discussion about what loyalty means. “Transactional Loyalty” sounds a bit like “Serial Monogamy” to me. If they realize they can’t earn what they want and need they’re out of here.
13:23 Second myth- they won’t do the grunt work. They will, they just want to make an impact right away and make the world a better place. They just want to prove themselves. They won’t do it for vague promises, and they want credit for everything they do. It’s about teaching them how you win by teaching you how you keep score and set expectations.
19:12 There is a lot more conscious work involved in managing Gen Y than you’re used to. they are super high maintenance, but the rewards are worth it. Right?
21:00 The third myth- they don’t know much. They know how to get the answers you need. They’ve never known an unanswerable question. Oh and they can multitask better than you. Deal with it. Call it Multiple Focus if it makes you feel better.
23:20 We discuss “Little Emperor” syndrome. As parents we planted these land mines. Ever try to give feedback to one of these humans without crushing their souls? Don’t soft-pedal authority, don’t lie and say they’re doing better than they are, but you have to be very clear about the metrics. Don’t try sink-or-swim approaches either, they don’t do so well that way.
26:38 Who is the most effective employer of young people? Bruce uses the US Marine Corps as a model for guidance, direction, support and leadership.
Resources:
Rainmaker Thinking. Bruce has a video newsletter that’s kinda cool, check it out.
Check out my newest book: 6 Weeks to a Great Webinar
Don’t let the weasels get you down!
