Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: How to Manage Generation Y

Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: How to Manage Generation Y

by Bruce Tulgan
Released March 2009
Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
ISBN: 9780470256268

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Book description

This book will frame Generation Y (children born between 1978-1991) for corporate leaders and managers at time when the corporate world is desperate to recruit and retain worked in this age group. It will debunk dozens of myths, including that young employees have no sense of loyalty, won't do grunt work, won't take direction, want to interact only with computers, and are only about money.

This book will make a unique contribution in four key ways:

It will disprove the idea that the key to recruiting, retaining, and managing this generation is to somehow make the workplace more "fun." To the contrary, Tulgan argues that the key to winning the respect of this generation, and getting the best effort out of them, is to carefully manage their expectations by never downplaying any negative aspect of a job.

He will show managers how this Generation thinks transactionally in all negotiations. For them it's about what they will do for you today and what you will do for them today, not tomorrow, not five years from today, but today.

He will explain why they have no interest in tying their futures to your corporation. But he will also make clear that they do have a well thought-out plan for themselves, one that requires that every job they take build up their skill sets, so they become more valuable employees for someone else--if and when you do not fulfill your end of the bargain, or drag your feet in doing so.

But most of all, it will explain to corporate leaders that for this generation their personal life comes first, so that each job they take must accommodate itself to some need defined by their personal life. Tulgan argues that until you know the personal need the job can satisfy for a potential employee, you and the applicant may be talking past each other. Those needs are so beyond the imagination of most bosses that Tulgan devotes a third of the book to explaining how they affect the job decisions of this generation.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. Dedication
  6. CHAPTER ONE: MEET GENERATION Y The Most High-Maintenance Workforce in the History of the World
    1. Meet Generation Y
    2. Who Generation Y Is—and Isn't—at Work
    3. Bringing Out the Best in Generation Y
  7. CHAPTER TWO: GET THEM ON BOARD FAST WITH THE RIGHT MESSAGES
    1. Diversify Your Sourcing
    2. Deliver a Killer Message
    3. Be Very Selective
    4. Close the Deal Fast
  8. CHAPTER THREE: GET THEM UP TO SPEED QUICKLY AND TURN THEM INTO KNOWLEDGE WORKERS
    1. Grab Hold of Them, and Don't Let Them Go
    2. Low Tech: Train Them One Task at a Time
    3. High Tech: Don't Fight Their Desire for the Latest and Greatest Information Technology
    4. Turn Every Employee into a Knowledge Worker
  9. CHAPTER FOUR: PRACTICE IN LOCO PARENTIS MANAGEMENT
    1. 1. Show Them You Care
    2. 2. Give Them Structure and Boundaries
    3. 4. Negotiate Special Rewards in Very Small Increments
  10. CHAPTER FIVE: GIVE THEM THE GIFT OF CONTEXT
    1. Giving Gen Yers the Gift of Context
    2. Teach Them to Play Work Well with Others
    3. Teach Them How to Shine in Presentations and Meetings
    4. Teach Them How to Deal with Your Boss's Boss's Boss and Other Big Shots
  11. CHAPTER SIX: GET THEM TO CARE ABOUT GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE
    1. Gen Yer's Customer Mentality
    2. When You Are at Work, Everyone But You Is Your Customer
    3. Teach Gen Yers the Basics of Customer Service
    4. Convincing Gen Yers to Care About Customer Care
  12. CHAPTER SEVEN: TEACH THEM HOW TO MANAGE THEMSELVES
    1. Teach Them to Make the Most of Their Time
    2. Help Them Eliminate Time Wasters
    3. Teach Them How to Live by a Schedule
    4. Teach Them How to Make a Plan
    5. Teach Them to Take Notes and Use Checklists
    6. Teach Them the Values of Good Workplace Citizenship
    7. Define What It Means to Be a Good Citizen in Your Company
    8. You Can't Teach Good Judgment, But You Can Teach the Habits of Critical Thinking
    9. Self-Evaluation Is the Beginning, Middle, and End of Self-Management
  13. CHAPTER EIGHT: TEACH THEM HOW TO BE MANAGED BY YOU
    1. Set Clear Ground Rules Up Front
    2. Establish a Regular Time and Place for One-on-Ones
    3. Give Them “Real” Power
    4. Create an Upward Spiral of Continuous Improvement
    5. Teach Them How to Get What They Need from You
  14. CHAPTER NINE: RETAIN THE BEST OF GEN Y, ONE DAY AT A TIME
    1. Instead of Trying to Eliminate Turnover, Take Control of It
    2. Push Out the Low Performers
    3. Don't Let Good People Get into Downward Spirals
    4. Turn the Reasons Gen Yers Might Leave into Reasons They Will Stay—and Work Even Harder
    5. Go the Extra Mile to Keep the Top Performers
    6. Give the Superstars the Most Time and Attention
  15. CHAPTER TEN: BUILD THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS
  16. Acknowledgments
  17. About the Author
  18. INDEX

Product information

  • Title: Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: How to Manage Generation Y
  • Author(s): Bruce Tulgan
  • Release date: March 2009
  • Publisher(s): Jossey-Bass
  • ISBN: 9780470256268