Although the median age of serving CEOs is mid-fifties, most senior leaders are first tapped in their late forties. The new CEOs selected this year are likely to be X’ers. Boomers — competitive, productive — are beginning to move out of the top spots, but not necessarily out of the workforce. Like the Cabinet members, they’re increasingly easing into roles guided by the no-nonsense views of Generation X.

Will these new roles suit the times? I think perhaps they will. Bill Strauss and Neil Howe, coauthors of Generations, posit that each generation makes a unique bequest to those that follow — and generally seeks to correct the excesses of the previous generation. They argue that the Boomer excess is ideology — and that the Generation X reaction to that excess involves an emphasis on pragmatism and effectiveness.

This generational priority will give X’ers a strong advantage in remaking organizations to reflect twenty-first-century realities: the need for transparency, accountability, real-time performance, lack of ideology, top-of-market effectiveness, and cash value. (emphasis added)

You will note that missing from her list of “twenty-first-century realities” which we Gen-Xers will be enforcing, with our emphasis on pragmatism and effectiveness, is anything about coddling spoiled brat youngsters who think they know it all two years out of college.

You will note that high on our list are things like accountability, performance, and value.

Draw your own conclusions.

-GXM

Manager in Fashion Retail –

I am not sure what has happened over the last 15 years since I graduated from college. This generation known as Gen-Y may be smarter but they do not know how to work in a business atmosphere.  I truly believe that unless they are given a syllabus or specific instructions, this generation would not know to wipe their butts.

When I was 13, I was allowed to get a job at a local clothing store.  The manager allowed me to work on Saturdays only for a six hour shift.  After taxes and all that wonderful stuff, I was left with $20 a week.  I still did it because I loved the job.  After college, I decided that I would continue the love of retail and went to Bloomingdale’s.  (Please let me make this clear to all who think I work in “FASHION”. I do not.  I work in retail where it is all about sales and profit.)

Over the years I have had my fair share of crazy, unreasonable bosses.  One of my favorite experiences was at Nine West.  I was told once to get on a plane and fly to Seattle to get [the customer's] orders because they were late in confirming their orders.  I got on that plane the same day.  There was another time when I came back from a business trip and found that my desk had been moved.  It was definitely a “Sink or Swim” workplace.  Then there was the time that business was horrible, and the shipment had not reached Macy’s Herald Square.  It was going to be the busiest weekend of the year.  I was told: “Figure it out”.  I decided to “walk” product into Macy’s!  No one told you what to do.  It was your job to figure it out or you would be fired.  It was simple, it was clear.  Do your job or leave.

I am now in a position where I have to manage and I am not good at it.  It’s the first time in my career where I have difficulty.  Strangely, it has been with all of my assistants born after 1980.

Assistant #1 graduated from __________ College with a degree in Fashion Merchandising.  When given training in Retail Math, she complained that it was too hard.  QUIT.

Assistant #2 came from a previous company so was supposed to have skills.  But she couldn’t even book airline tickets.  Finished a project and didn’t give it to me because I didn’t ask for it. FIRED

Assistant #3 came from ___________ College.  This one told me one day that she had nothing to do, so I gave her a project.  She then said she didn’t want to do it and actually said “I would rather do nothing”.  FIRED.

Assistant #4 came from _________ College.  If we had her work until 6:02 she would actually come in at 9:02 the next morning.  She would not do ANYTHING unless you put it on her “to do” list.  Asked us why she had to do anything.  FIRED

Recently, 30% of my company was laid-off.  We kept the people who could do more and would do more.  I am now in the process of looking for a new assistant and I am wary of hiring Gen-Y to fill the position.

I don’t believe they should be given any preferences.  I don’t believe that they are entitled to anything.  If they truly believe that the workforce in America is now going to cater to their ridiculous needs and they think it’s our responsibility to do so, they need to buy a ticket to crazytown or see if they can crawl back into their mommy’s womb.  Because no one is going to tolerate it.

COO of Manufacturing Company(Note: the emailer had been a teacher for twelve years.)

“Dont have your homework.  Great:  Zero. Moving on…

What, you want to tell me why? No, sorry, we have 47 minutes to get through this lesson (that I spent 7 hours on, learning the Smartboard, making it interactive, etc) and talking to you about forgetting your homework is taking up that time.

Ugh. What? Your parents want to talk to me about your missing homework assignment? Umm… After school? When I have a meeting? Umm…”

These GenY (Gen Whine-ers) are the ones who were pampered as kids (they all got trophies for playing, no MVPS here…

Keep ‘em coming.  I know from talking to other Gen-X managers that we’re thinking the same thing, but afraid to speak out because of corporate culture or whatever.  But understand that you’re not alone, and you’re not crazy to think that some of this crap we’re seeing is just nonsense.

Of course, we welcome your comments too, but if you’d rather just email, send your emails to: genxm – at – yahoo.com.

-GXM

It’s amazing to me how many times I have heard, “but I was here until 9pm last night, so I don’t understand why it’s a big deal if I come in at 10am.” You don’t understand?! Humm, let me see. Well, the office opens at 9am and you are expected to be here at 9am and while you may be busy, so is everyone else. Maybe if you would stop IM’ing your friends, checking out YouTube and updating your status on Facebook, you would be able to leave at 7pm. I don’t feel bad for you.

I am now a mom in the workfoce where a typical day consists of waking before the rest of the house, getting clothes and breakfast ready for my two little children, ensuring they feel loved and that they laugh before I go, then I head to the train for my 1+ hour commute.  There have been plenty of days where I have been exhausted and don’t want to get up before the rest of the house or call out sick so that I can play with the kids instead (or for that matter, have a day to myself). But I don’t because that’s not responsible and that isn’t going to advance my career.  What is funny to me is that even with my duties in the morning I can still be at work, across state lines,  in time for a 9am meeting.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying that no one gets sick or that we all don’t deserve personal days. What gets me is the consistency of these behaviors. The expectation that it’s ok to walk in at 10:00am, when you should be here at 9am. The expectation that you will automatically get a raise or a promotion just because you did a good job – not going above and beyond your job description, just doing what you were hired to do. The expectation that because you get 5 sick days, you should USE 5 sick days. Really? The last job I left, I had over 100 sick days in the bank and I only used them for maternity leave.

I’m tired of hearing, “I don’t feel good. I’m sick. I need to stay home. I was here until 9pm.”

Suck it up and go to work.

-SGX

Offer Flexibility In a recent survey conducted by our company, over 58% of Gen Y rated flexibility as extremely important or very important to them. While we realize, it is not always possible to offer flexibility, you should attempt to where you can. Gen Y is involved in many activities outside of the workplace and they value the concept of flexible working arrangements. Be willing to discuss options with your employees. This is a key area for retention purposes. If Gen Y’s don’t feel like they are able to balance their work and personal lives, they will find another job quickly.

Riiight.  Considering this article was also written by a HR consultant, I have to ask whether every HR consultant in America has lost his or her damn mind.

In the spirit of comity and truthfulness, let me tell you what concept I value.  It’s called “productive working arrangements”.  We’re not company men from the 1950′s; we’re Gen-X.  We came of age during the computer era and went through the Dotcom boom/bust.  We get it.  Some of us remember having to punch a clock, having 15 minutes for coffee twice a day, and having to ask the manager if we can go to the restroom.

So flexibility, in my view, has to be earned.  You need to show me that you kick ass, that you’re productive as all hell, and that giving you the flexibility is going to result in higher productivity, better quality of work, and so forth.  But how the hell am I going to know if giving you flexibility will increase productivity if I don’ t know what your productivity is in a more “structured” environment?

Tell you what.  Stick to the schedule.  Come in at 9, leave after 6, work your ass off while you’re in the office, with zero flexibility, and show me how productive you are.  If you get enough done so as not to get fired while working in an inflexible environment, then maybe I’ll give you the flexible working arrangements you want — work from home, work your own schedule, whatever — and see how much more productive you are.  If you’re not more productive, then expect to get the flexibility yanked too.

Because I frankly don’t care what activities you’re involved with outside the workplace.  Achieving work-life balance is your problem, not mine.  If that includes finding another place to work, power to you — there’s the door.  What I care about — and therefore, you should care about — is getting maximum productivity out of you.  Get more done = make more money = more money for you, for me, for everyone in the company = more justification why I’m spending time away from my family.

This is not to say we’re against flexibility.  Not at all.  We value flexibility immensely, we Gen-X’ers, especially the moms and dads amongst us.  We’re happy to provide it, happy discuss options, happy to let you balance work and personal life goals.

What we’re saying is: Flexibility is a privilege.  You need to earn it.  Then keep earning the privilege every day.

-GXM

2. Communication style:

Gen Y employees speak a different language, so hiring and department managers need to practice a new style of communicating. Gen Y employees respond to humor, passion and the truth: don’t even think of “spinning” a message with this audience. As Gen Y employees increasingly dominate the workforce, people who work with them should also realize how important direct and timely feedback, frequent encouragement and recognition of efforts are to 18-30 year olds. While this may feel like pampering to some, the outcome is a set of employees who are engaged and motivated to show their best work.

In fact, here she is in an interview explaining this further:

Go to around the 4:40 mark to hear her explain how employers need to communicate to the Gen Y about “here’s what you’re going to get out of this job; here’s how I’m going to contribute to your work experience; here’s how this is going to open up more doors” and so on.

Then she says there are more opportunities now than ever in the past, and there’s “absolutely nothing stopping them”.  And why the Gen-Y should follow their passion and so on.  Which explains why Ms. Floren thinks the Gen Y needs to be catered to.

Ha ha ha!  Ho ho ho!  Hee hee hee!

Hi, Ms. Floren — welcome to 2009!

Allow me to introduce you to the new rules of communication.

You speak a different language you say?  Congratulations — get busy learning my language.  You respond to humor, passion and the truth, and don’t care to be “spun”?  Oh, too bad, so sad.  There’s the door — get out.

It is not my job as your manager to “learn your language”.  It is your job to learn mine.

I have no idea when this changed.  When I was coming up in the world, if my boss told me to do something, and I didn’t quite understand him, then it was my ass if I did the job badly due to “miscommunication”.  I don’t recall my boss sitting down to patiently explain why and how I should do a task — if I had a question, it was incumbent on me to ask, not on him to anticipate it.

When did this change?  Well, whenever that changed, it’s going to change back.  Get used to it.  We did.  Recognize that many of us Gen-Xers who came up in a business world where we weren’t pampered and catered to 24/7/365 have no sympathy whatsoever for you.

You need direct and timely feedback, with frequent encouragement and recognition?  Oh, I’m so sorry — but I’m running a company here, not a goddamn day-care center.  We’re not here for ten hours a day to make you feel better about yourself, give you self-esteem, or to win “Best Places to Work for Twenty-Somethings” awards.  We’re here to make money so that we don’t go bankrupt and have to lay off people whose families depend on the company.  If that makes you uncomfortable… there’s the door.

So let me tell it to you like this, in the style of Jenny Floren:

We Gen X managers speak a different language from you, so hired and department staff need to practice a new style of communicating.  We respond to proactivity, yes-ma’am positivity, passion, loyalty, and the truth.  Don’t even think of spinning why you screwed up the last assignment due to “miscommunication”.  It is your job to know what I expect of you; not mine to explain it in patient detail to a putative grownup.  As Gen X managers increasingly dominate the workforce, people who work for them should also realize how important direct and timely reports, frequent check-in’s and seeking approval are to 31-40 year olds.

While this may feel like slavery, keep in mind that I am paying you.  You are free to leave at any time to seek your destiny as the lead guitarist of the next punk-trip-hop breakthrough band.  But while you work for me, you had better understand that the outcome of the above communication policies is a set of managers who give a crap about you and might be persuaded to give you a hand in climbing the corporate ladder.

And if you think you are irreplaceable, that you are “uniquely gifted”, well my young friend, you had better hope you’re right.

But unless you are Tom Brady, I seriously doubt your “unique gifts” are really all that unique.  And even Golden Tom might not be all that uniquely gifted, considering how well Matt Cassel played last season.  If Tom Brady can be replaced… believe me, you can be replaced.  I can be replaced.  We all can be replaced.

While I am harsh on you Gen-Yers, understand that deep inside (very deep), I’m trying to help you become real professionals.  Professionalism means understanding what business really is, and what business communication is really about: getting things done.  Professionalism means taking ownership of your work, and ensuring that you understand fully what is expected of you by your manager.  It has never been, and it will never be, the other way around in any healthy organization.

So, when it comes to communication, remember: You will learn my language, or you will learn the joys of collecting unemployment.

-GXM

But we part ways when it comes to the workplace.

One of my biggest issues is dealing with Gen-Y staffers who are apparently from a different planet.

Maybe it’s because you guys entered the workforce during the single longest expansion of the economy.  Maybe it’s because of the Internets.  Who knows?  But for whatever reason, you seem to think the world owes you something, that companies need to cater to you and your needs, and that you need to be taken seriously.

There are articles upon articles about how to recruit, retain, and manage you Gen-Yers.

On recruiting you people:

If you can’t lead them, join them. It’s key in this case. To recruit Gen Yers, you have to live and work by their rules. If they came to your site, that means there is some interest. Amplify your site with banners that would interest them and their interests. They are the generation who founded blogs. As an example of how you can reach them, Lynn suggests placing HR recruiting-specific banners in blogs that they would normally visit.

On retaining you, once you’ve deigned to dignify us with your presence:

There’s little consensus regarding what millennials’ attitudes are about their 401(k) plans, but they definitely want something in addition to their salaries: that rather intangible benefit, meaningfulness. Many experts believe that the millennials’ exposure to the 9/11 terrorist attacks has left them with an unyielding desire to find substance in their lives, whether on the job or elsewhere. “One student recently told me, ‘I’m not looking for an extreme career. Instead, how do I make each day matter?’” says Lisa Giannangeli, director of marketing for MBA admissions at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

And of course, on managing you Gen-Yers, we have this:

This generation is used to positive reinforcement, feedback in the moment and very specific and clear direction at all times. What they may seem to lack in interpersonal sophistication they can make up for in effort, if they feel comfortable that they can learn safely. They are highly trainable. Make it easy for them to learn and don’t make them feel stupid if they mess up. Just turn it into a learning experience. And yes, you will need to be patient.

Now, here’s the thing.  The world has changed.  The economy has hit a rough patch.  Many firms are closing up shop, while others are laying people off.  We Gen-X managers find ourselves looking at our staff with a new and critical eye.  We do not have a lot of trouble recruiting young people nowadays who are tech-savvy, highly educated, and highly talented.  In fact, we’re letting many of you go.

It ain’t about living and working by your rules anymore, boys and girls.  It is now about living and working by ours, your managers.

In the hallways, meeting rooms, and cafeterias with others of our generation, we Gen-X managers gather and discuss the common problems we have in dealing with your spoiled generation.  This blog is a way for some of us to share and commiserate with each other, and, in the spirit of helping you through your Awakening To Reality phase, offer some words of advice.

Welcome to Gen-X to Gen-Y.  Your bullshit will no longer be tolerated.

-GXM