Millennial Miscomm

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I’ve read a plethora of articles on millennials, from topics covering how to work with millennials, to the changing face of the workforce and adapting to the millennial work ethic. A new generation of business professionals brings with it a variety of significant implications. Employers must respond with answers to two questions: how can we attract millennials and stay competitive? How can we capitalize on the changing workforce to do better business?

So, I get it. Everyone wants to learn more about the mysterious and unique creature that is “the millennial.” As a millennial, I appreciate the curiosity and adulation. Millennials bring to the table a whole new world of social media expertise, highly connected networks, and experience with new technologies. However, if you’re responding to the changing workforce by simply accepting millennial demands, you’re doing it wrong!

In case you missed it, millennials are considered the “entitlement generation.” We’re children of baby-boomer, helicopter parents who all received participation trophies whether we finished first or fifteenth in competitions. We expect immediate, if not instant, gratification in most settings (apologies if this page took longer than 2 seconds to load). Is this a culture that employers want to accommodate? How low can you limbo before you fall on your behind?

Full disclosure: I’m gainfully employed at an economic development organization where I manage social media, a website, and wear whatever hat that needs a good head.

I wish not to criticize my fellow millennials, but rather to break the mold and release the stigma. When we read and agree with these articles on working with millennials, written by experts (or even millennials!), we feed the entitlement beast. We give millennials the security blanket they expect! Ushering in a younger workforce is a two-way street. Why not ask millennials to adapt to what works now? Is it so radical to think that millennials could learn a thing or two from their predecessors? I don’t always agree with establishmentarianism. However, as we shape-shift as a knee-jerk reaction to change, we discount the establishment even if it’s successful. It would be a shame to rob the younger generations of the knowledge gathered from experienced businesspeople.

I propose only to welcome change with experience. Maintain an outgoing lane of knowledge exchange so that the broader cross-generational workforce can benefit. Millennials need maturation. Baby boomers need rejuvenation. Seems mutually compatible, right?

I’ll leave you with a quote from American economist and author, Thomas Sowell: “Much of the social history of the Western world, over the past three decades, has been a history of replacing what worked with what sounded good.”

Millennials, let’s learn from the wise generations before us. Just because the change we bring may sound good doesn’t mean it’s gonna work.

Busy Is The New Lazy

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Before we get started, I want to ask you a quick question: how’s work?

By the end of this post, perhaps you’ll understand why I, more often than not, can answer that question right now.

We’ve all engaged in a conversation about work, listening [hopefully] and responding as needed. If you follow the normal protocols, you can walk away having learned something new or discovered new opportunities. However, somewhere along the line, the normal protocols changed on us.

Now, It seems as though you’re lucky if you can pull enough teeth to glean any valuable knowledge from a work conversation. Why is that? “How’s work?” is a question that elicits boastful monologues, drama-ridden gossip, and/or vengeful workplace war stories. We’re given full license to brag, celebrate, vent, and complain! However, we’re no longer taking advantage of this gratuitous opportunity.

Instead, we’re substituting our otherwise engaging response with a single word: busy. Expression can be added, occasionally, with an extended vowel or emphasized syllable: “buuuusy,” for example. Perhaps, a heavy sigh and a head-shake can be included for dramatic effect.

Since when can one word, no matter how dramatic and expressive, articulate the thing we spend most of our hours awake doing? Well, since we got lazy. It’s easy to reduce all of the things we do [or should be doing] at work to a generic answer. This saves time and requires minimal effort. Most importantly, it makes you sound important. That’s why we do it, right? Myself included. What paints a better picture of busyness and importance than not even having the time to fully explain your work?!

This sounds like a solid communications strategy until you realize that every working professional with any semblance of a workload does that exact same thing.

My point is this: as soon as “busy” became en vogue as a work status, its ubiquity across conversations demeaned its true meaning. Being busy is now so subjective and relative that no one knows what that really means.

Today, I’m deeming the word “busy” a cliche. It’s a lazy attempt at sounding important. And, it’s a conversation-killer [a major pet peeve of mine]! Next time someone asks you about work, offer that person a worthy response that facilitates a dialogue. Don’t leave him or her hanging with a vague, meaningless remark that may actually work counter to your intentions. Converse. Share. Learn.

On the flip side, at least you now know how to end a drawn-out exchange with a service provider trying to sell things you don’t need.

I should get going, I’m busy.

Hey, You. How About Some Good Juju?

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In casual conversation, I frequently run into references of “bad juju.”  In most instances the reference is reactionary, conveying the sheer negativity of an unfortunate occurrence. We’ve all made or heard the reference. Frankly, I’m sick of my beloved nickname, Juju, being restricted to connotations of hardship and misfortunate.

I’m here to bring you nothing but Good Juju.

It’s time to change the status quo. I’ve created an ecosystem where bad juju ceases to exist and is replaced by only that which is positive, wishful, and, well…good. The only business in which I choose to engage is positive. My business brings Good Juju.

Good Juju Consulting is a sanctuary where brands discover their Good Juju, enabled by integrated marketing communications that create connections and build relationships. This is what will keep your audience engaged, whether you’re communicating with consumers, employees, key stakeholders, or the greater community. Good Juju stands by one simple truth: communicate value to succeed. Let’s eliminate all of the bad juju that exists in the forecast and proactively uncover some Good Juju.

No, this is not a “Hello, World” blog post. This is more than that. Consider this a, “pleasure to meet you and thanks for stopping by” post. Take a look around. Hang out for a while. Connect with me and let me know your thoughts! And remember, this is only the introduction. Stay tuned for what’s to be written.