“Sir Ken Robinson is a visionary leader who led the British government’s 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education, a massive inquiry into the significance of creativity in the educational system and the economy, and was knighted in 2003 for his achievements. His latest book, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, a deep look at human creativity and education, was published in January 2009.”

From TED.com

Video from 2006:

Video from May 2010:

Gen Y: Generational Challenges In The Workplace

This is an unprecedented time in the history of the workforce as four generations find themselves working side by side: Veterans, Baby Boomers, Gen X’ers and Gen Y. Bridging the generational chasms between, say, Veterans and Gen Y’ers presents some challenges that you may need to overcome if we’re all going to get along. Here are some of the generational challenges that Gen Y faces in the workplace.

The Human Factor

The majority of Gen Y’ers were born with cell phones in their hands and there are positive and negative ramifications of this. On the positive side, Gen Y embraces the technological marvels we take for granted today and they do not shy away from advancements in this area. The downside is that most of Gen Y is likely to be less adept at face-to-face communications, having experienced so much social interaction via texts, emails, IMs or Facebook. This lack of personal social skills and can be a hindrance at work as Gen Y may miss vocal cues or facial expressions the other generations picked up through observing. In the real world people laugh, they don’t LOL.

Everything! All The Time!

Patience is another key skill Gen Y needs to master and it’s a tough one. Gen Y takes for granted the pervasive connectivity, which means that they have grown accustomed to having the world at their fingertips. Gen Y tends to exhibit a lack of research skills. Hunting up facts and stringing them together has been replaced with Googling what you need to know and reading information that has been gathered by others. And this applies to every aspect of the job. Answers to work-related questions, work rewards, personal recognition from bosses and so on all have to be instantaneous.

Standing On Your Own Twenty Feet

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing Gen Y in the workplace is the ability to act on one’s own initiative. Gen Y has grown up with not only the world in the palm of their hands, but also lifelines to parents and friends who are only a call or text away. Gen Y perceives themselves as having a support group with them 24/7, people who will answer their questions, guide them and offer advice. The plus side of this is that working as part of a physical team comes relatively easy to Gen Y. The negative is that Gen Y display a lack of independence. Without that safety net to fall back on, Gen Y is behind the other generations when it comes to taking the initiative

Veterans Are From Mars, Gen Y Is From Venus

The workplace is an ever-changing landscape. Gone are the grey flannel suits and fedoras of the Veterans. And if Gen Y has its way, the office itself will soon be a thing of the past, cast aside in favor of telecommuting. However this hasn’t happened yet and Gen Y has to get along at work just like the other generations. Being thought/concept focused due to social interaction mostly through written communication, Gen Y’s powers of observation are in question. Throwing thoughts around while in your pyjamas in front of a computer in the basement can hamper Gen Y’s ability to observe and adapt to the formal restrictions of the workplace with regards to attire and demeanour. Also, being long used to sharing every personal thought they have with friends via social web pages and texts, knowing when/if to express themselves at the office is a skill they will have to pick up in a hurry.

These are just some of the challenges facing Gen Y in the workforce. As for the forthcoming Gen Z, the possibilities are boundless.

This article was written by Andrew Salmon from the life insurance website LifeCover.ca.

What he’s doing is essentially giving away the farm because he really believes in his book and the impact it can have on you and so do I or else I wouldn’t be writing about this today.

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2) You’ll also get free access to 7 amazing ebooks and special reports that will show  you how to live a more fulfilled life, easily take your life and career to the next level,  how to think & act like a millionaire plus much much more! All the beans are spilled  in these in depth resources of money-making, career, and life-enriching resources.

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When creating a blog it is as important to have a good design as it is to use proper etiquette and spelling in the text. One of the first things a person notices when viewing a blog is the design. Most often it is the design that hooks a reader in or turns them away from a blog. Design includes the images, format, colors, headings, and the links or buttons on the blog. Web design businesses help their customers create friendly blogs that will attract readers rather than confuse and turn them away. So if I lived in New Jersey, it may be wise for me to consult with, or even hire, a local NJ web design company to help give my blog a fresh, friendly design. However, if you are an everyday blogger like most of us, that probably won’t fit your budget; so here are some things to keep in mind while designing your blog.

Colors

Colors can create either positive or negative feelings for your readers, so choose your colors carefully.

The colors on a blog bring different feelings to the readers. Choosing colors that distract the viewer or create negative feelings are not a good choice. Colors that create such feelings include red, black, orange, and sometimes yellow. Colors that typically bring positive feelings include green, blue, brown, and purple. This does not mean that red will always cause negative feelings and blue will always bring positive feelings. With the right graphics and format the colors will add the friendliness and positive feelings readers will enjoy.

Graphics

Graphics are a big part of web design. Graphics do more than entertain, they teach. When readers have a graphic as a reference for what the text is saying they can paint a picture in their minds that is clearer than with words alone. Graphics should be appropriate, clear, friendly and relevant. It is not wise to post a picture of dog when the blog is focused on construction. This may cause confusion for the reader. Too many graphics may cause the reader to be distracted and they may not read the important text on the blog.

Layout

The clearer the layout is the happier the reader will be. When a reader first sees a blog they will immediately have a feeling towards it. If the format is clear and the site is easy to use they will be happier than if the site is cluttered and the links on the blog don’t work. The right design will make the reader happy because they won’t be frustrated when trying to find the information they need. Improving the site visitors experience will improve your return visitors, effecting your sites overall traffic

For more information on blog design or Search Engine Optimization service, contact Ryan Chaffin through his blog: http://www.ryanchaffin.com. He has some really great articles on a variety of topics (not just blogging and internet marketing!)

I can tell by his interview that he “gets” youth marketing.  He discusses the need for collaboration, transparency, authenticity and to have a “killer product” behind the brand.

Mr. Youth has impressed me since the year 2006.  They truly stay ahead of the bleeding edge…they are the edge that all youth marketers should strive to reach…so check them out at http://MrYouth.com.

Congratulations Doug!

Read the full report here by by Janna Quitney Anderson, Elon University and Lee Rainie, Pew Research Center Internet & American Life Project

But…what I do know is about the hundreds of conversations I have had with over 1,000 Generation Y (born 1977-1997) over the last four years about everything from how they choose their friends to how they buy a home.  So, as someone who is in the real estate business, I am going to let you in on 10 secrets that I believe will help you reach this target market more effectively.

1.  Get to know this generation. If you know what Generation Y values, you can sell to them.  They value:

• Time
• Ongoing learning
• The ability to scrutinize and voice their opinions
• Access to information at the push of a button
• Creativity
• Integrity
• Transparancy
• Flexibility

So, if you consider the above values, you will want to also get brushed up on the following:

2.  The use of smart phones, texting and social networks. Generation Y is a new breed when it comes to buying a home (and yes…they are buying homes at an earlier age than their older siblings, and many are talking their parents into a loan or buying an investment home).   Before they even call you or text you, they have done their homework.  There is a good chance they know the home better than you do, so be prepared for a string of text messages or direct messages on  Twitter regarding the home.  With a smart phone, you can send quick photographs or a slide show of the home they are most interested.  I would caution you against setting up a meeting in your office first to talk about the home.  Your best approach is to text and interact by Facebook and then meet them at the home as quickly as possible.

3.  Talk to Generation Y as adults and as a support partner. Generation Y was born and raised by helicopter parents who have hovered over them from the day they were born.  So, when it comes to business and buying a home, they want someone who can be a true support partner…not a parent who is giving advice.  Sit back and let them ask questions and then sell based on bits and pieces that you pick up from their questions.

4.  Be 110% transparent. Generation Y has watched as some of the folks on Wall Street have ripped off vulnerable people right and left.  They have watched as their parents have been fired, downsized and laid off, so they are going to be pretty skeptical.  So…be upfront and as see-through as you can be.  If you make a mistake, tell them.  And by all means, drop the idea of trying to pull anything over on this generation or sell them something just because you want to make a sale.  If they know you are trying to oversell or you are skipping a thing or two, they will drop you like a hot potato, and they will tell their friends about the bad experience. If they have a tough question, answer it directly and don’t “sandwich” bad information between two pieces of good information.  (They know that schtick).  They want direct answers and they want them quickly.

5.  Be young in your approach without trying to act too “hip”. Gen Y does not even like the word “hip”, but you know what I mean.  Going back to number 3 on being a support partner…Gen Y wants to know that you are on their same level.  They are casual in their approach, so a more business casual dress is probably in order.  If your look is outdated or too uptight, it will turn them off.  Update your hair cut, get a great looking pair of glasses and just get a pinch of an update in your wardrobe.  Again…you don’t want to look too young, but you also don’t want to look like you just stepped out of a bad movie from the 1970′s.

Community Handprint for Madison, WI by Next Generaton Consulting

6.  Know what Generation Y is looking for in the neighborhoods they choose to live in.  If you look at the handprint to the right of Madison, WI, you will see the qualities that Generation Y is looking for in a city.  These same attributes can apply to a neighborhood.

Rebecca Ryan and her team at Next Generation Consulting developed this smart handprinting system, and they are doing some amazing work around the country using their metrics to determine how attractive the city is to Generation Y.  They look at 7 indices to determine if your city can pass the “Gen Y cool factor”.  These same principles can apply to neighborhoods and should be used as selling points when talking to the age 22-31 buyer:

1. Cost of living
2. Access to ongoing learning
3. Strength of social capital
4. After hours “things to do”
5. “Around Town” Index (is it easy to get around…can you park your car and walk to grocery stores, shopping, dining out, night life and theaters
6. Earning power
7. Vitality…is the city buzzing and is the city taking care of the environment?

To get the full scoop on this study and more about Next Gen Consulting, visit this page.

7.  Be the first to respond, and use your time with your Gen Y buyers efficiently. Time is one of their top values, and if you don’t return a text or a phone call quickly, they will just move on to the next realtor on their list.  Yes!  They are impatient, but we are all becoming that way in life.  We want overnight delivery, we want a phone call back within an hour, and I watch as a Gen Y sends a text and watches their phone for an instant reply.  You may not agree with their impatience factor, but they did not create their impatience…we Baby Boomers did and handed them the technology to force them into craving quick responses, the ability to multi-task and to change their minds quickly.  So…get em while they’re hot!

8.  If you are someone who has been talking negatively about Generation Y…calling them entitled, job hopping and lacking gratitude, you will need to truly change your attitude before you try to sell to them. Just as I said in number 7, if Generation Y is coming across as entitled or demanding, it is because we raised them to be that way.  They could become one of the biggest assets to your business, so if you have a negative view of the Generation, then you have not studied them enough.  This is one of the brightest generations we have seen in the history of mankind, and if you are only seeing  a few “negative sides” of this generation only, they will smell it a mile away.

9.  Make sure to be partnering with people who can help out younger buyers with their first loan. Generation Y is coming into adulthood with a great amount of student debt, so you are going to need to get creative in finding homes that are affordable and meet the criteria they are looking for.  Many Gen Ys are not bashful about going to family and friends for “start up” loans, and as a realtor, you will need to be looking for ways to make this work on the financial side without putting the young buyer into deeper debt.    Many Gen Ys are big into subletting and may be looking for a first home as an investment just for that purpose (especially if you are in a college town).  I have heard the word sublet about 200 times in the last two years from the Gen Ys I spend time with.  They are a bit nomadic, and they do often job hop, so an investment in a home that they can sublet or a room they can sublet is always a great point of discussion (they totally get the sublet concept).

10.  Be as flexible as you can without totally interrupting your business. This generation craves flexibility, and the best way to be flexible is to use new media (texting, Facebook, Twitter) to interact with this audience.  If you can squeeze in a quick showing during a lunch break or after work, Gen Y will love you (and they will tell their friends about you!)

11.  Start surrounding yourself with people ages 20-32. Generation Y does not hire people or realtors based on advertising or marketing collateral.  They partner with professionals based on what their friends tell them.  If their friends know and like you, they will tell others about you.  If they don’t know you exist, then of course they have no way of passing along your name and information to others.  So…get to know this demographic of buyers.  They are so interesting and so much fun!  Really…your life is going to change if you just take these steps to move closer to the younger buyer.

Read more on GenomeWeb News

Lately the same question keeps coming up with clients. How do I manage the over-the-top expectations of my Gen-Y employees?

Here is my 2 sense based on my own consulting experience and ongoing interviews with Gen-Y employees.

Firstly understand the generation you are dealing with. A generation who is twice as educated as previous generations and brings in-house expertise in everything from web 2.0 to change. They may have a lot to learn, but they also have a lot to give.

Secondly ensure that in the first month of onboarding, you ‘contract’ with your Gen-Y employees as to what they can expect. This should start with an open conversation where both sides express their needs and offering and end with a roadmap for the next six months.

This generation demands that we return more value on their assets (time, passions, skills, and knowledge) so make sure if your employee’s core job role is administrative, you create the flexibility for them to spend 20% of their time on committees, special projects, etc. that leverage their intellectual assets and passions.

Lastly create regular check-in points where you take 15 minutes to debrief their ‘highs’ to date, ‘lows’ to date, ‘issues’ to date and future plans. This investment of time has a high payoff – avoid the costs of turnover, create a pipeline of future leaders and enable you to better leverage your Gen-Y assets.

As with any high potential employee, open conversations regularly are key.

If you have not already checked out our latest Gen-Y survey results, click here.