by kgettelfinger | Feb 23, 2009 | Career management, WFN Defined
What happened to the X Generation? Maybe I should be asking Douglas Copeland this question? These days its all Boomers and Millennials. I attended a meeting of leaders from various organizations and heard the most disturbing comment. A woman was mentioning that she was heading an important summit for the government to discuss current/impending issues of environment, economics etc. She was very proudly stating that she planned to make sure to include good representation from Generation Y, but not Xer’s “who cares about them, okay well maybe I’ll include the Xer’s.” This brought an uncomfortable laugh from the group and the tag line probably was added as she realized her major faux pas. As an Xer, I was offended. Maybe because the marginalization of my generation has become the norm. I have seen countless articles on generational differences and every association has made this the topic of at least one gathering in the past year. In each of these the conversation is about dealing with Boomers and Millennials. An entire generation is being overlooked and I think it’s a mistake.
The X Generation is the group that will bridge the two larger generations and sure the bridge isn’t as exciting as what has happened on one side or might happen on the other but your Generation X employee’s will likely make or break your companies ability to transition. They have drive and independence. And they have a lot they can teach to both the Boomers and Millennials. They are now or will be soon running your company. If you jump too soon to the next generation you miss out on a lot of knowledge and a lot of great energy for organizational change. In these times we can’t afford to marginalize any particular group or we risk missing opportunities for positive change. Generation X will be your facilitators of change. Don’t forget to include us in the conversation.
by kgettelfinger | Feb 10, 2009 | Career management, Uncategorized
I love technology. I’ve seen how its proper use can transform a process and create valuable efficiency. I’ve seen it impact my life in very positive ways (I’m not sure I could keep things straight without my Blackberry).
I’ve also seen it derail a system and make things more difficult or at a minimum get in the way of its own success. Too often people/organizations gravitate toward a technology for its promise of the good life without really examining how the features will fit into their life/process. Technology is meant to enhance a process, it can rarely replace one perfectly. I have yet to find a process that will replace my lovely manual to do lists for example. No one system seems to really understand the way I think. There are systems out there which purport to mimic my mind and thought flow but to date none of them have convinced me to change my behavior completely. And who can blame the software? I don’t think you can successfully implement a software solution if you don’t understand your process to begin with and my mind still has its mysterious elements. I will never be able to make the most of those slick systems until I understand how to map out the process of my thinking. That will take time and multiple iterations for me to achieve success. But, I like my paper process and my wall size to do list. I can’t help it. I’m not ready to let it go. So while on the one hand I will happily help companies think through their implementation and integration strategies and put them into play, my inner ludite will likely be with me for a long time.
by kgettelfinger | Feb 9, 2009 | Job Transition, Uncategorized
As someone who doesn’t normally caffeinate to start my day, it is funny that the coffee shop has become my new office. In fact I had one day with four meetings in two different coffee shops. Today it was only two meetings in two coffee shops (same chain different suburbs). I learned my lesson from the first time though and switched to decaffeinated beverages. Otherwise I risk appearing as a chipmunk on crack (hello shakes). Apparently, I’m sensitive to caffeine.
Coffee shops are such great places to meet with people without making a production out of it. And you start to run into people you know if you do enough of it. Ad hoc networking at its finest. I wonder what the record is for most coffee shop visits in one day and how many different shops/chains? I think coffee shops must be doing pretty well in this environment because I am not alone in my routine. They are full of folks working on laptops and meeting with people.
I won’t be giving up my home office though, having my dog sleeping under my desk just can’t be beat.
by kgettelfinger | Feb 4, 2009 | Uncategorized
Our need to define ourselves by what we do rather than who we are makes for a difficult road at times. I do X. Therefore I am X. People know what X is and they get the feeling they understand X so they understand me. I do Y. Therefore I am Y. People know what Y is and they get the feeling they understand me. But wait I do X and I do Y. Whoa. People don’t understand what XY is so they can’t understand me. So they will either force me to pick X or Y or they will ignore me entirely so they might rest easier.
I think our strengths tend to be about who we are and how we do things more than what we do. Trying to understand who someone is and what their strengths are can be difficult and even if you feel you can identify what someone is good at the ability to figure out how to apply that to what needs to get done is not always obvious. Management understands what needs to be done. Individuals need to understand how their gifts apply to what needs to be done.
The ability to be aware of who you are and how to apply that to what needs to be done is a skill we do not teach people. It is an ability to extrapolate information and an ability to combine X and Y and get XY or even Z. There are people who have this naturally and I think there are a lot of opportunities to learn these skills through life but in formalized education or training we are most commonly teaching people what to do rather than how to understand what needs to be done and how they best can do it.
by kgettelfinger | Jan 29, 2009 | Job Transition
It’s amazing how much there is to do when searching for your next gig. I have to do lists a mile long and the type of things on them vary widely. I heard a stat that 80% of jobs are found via networking so I’m spending a lot of time there but it’s also important to follow multiple paths. You really don’t know where your next inspiration will come to you. I’ve been meeting people for breakfast, coffee or lunch. Talking with people on the phone, emailing, linking in, some online searching and applying and finding ways to volunteer my time. That last one is really important. I can only focus on job search for so long. I need projects that are adding value to the world, now so I’ve been volunteering for projects through groups with whom I’m involved. It’s keeping me from going batty and it feels really good to do something constructive.
I am a fairly organized person, but I’m finding that I have to be even more so right now. Since I’m going down so many paths and following up with so many different people I’m living by the list. I’ve also found I’ve had to categorize my time so I’m spending it on the right things without missing anything. And keeping track of all the great ideas people are sharing with me is a challenge. I want to act on them all at once but it just isn’t possible. I’ve actually scheduled things like exercise and calling friends. Last night I think I got my first good sleep in three weeks.
