What's Next, Gen X?

What's Next, Gen X?

by Tamara J. Erickson
Released January 2010
Publisher(s): Harvard Business Review Press
ISBN: 9781422156155

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Book description

You're a member of Generation X-the 30-to-44 age cohort. And you've drawn the short stick when it comes to work. The economy has been stacked against you from the beginning. Worse, you're sandwiched between Boomers (with their constant back-patting blather and refusal to retire) and Gen Y's (with their relentless confidence and demands for attention).

You're stuck in the middle-of your life and between two huge generations that dote on each other.

But you can move forward in your career. In What's Next, Gen X? Tamara Erickson shows how. She explains the forces affecting attitudes and behaviors in each generation-Boomer, X, and Y-so you can start relating more productively with bosses, peers, and employees.

Erickson then assesses Gen X's progress in life so far and analyzes the implications of organizational and technological changes for your professional future. She lays out a powerful framework for shaping a satisfying, meaningful career, revealing how to:

-Identify work that matches what you care most about

-Succeed in a corporate career or an entrepreneurial venture

-Spot and seize newly emerging professional opportunities

-Use your unique capabilities to become an effective leader

Provocative and engaging, What's Next, Gen X? helps you break free from the middle and chart a fulfilling course for the years ahead.

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Table of Contents
  5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  6. INTRODUCTION
  7. Part I - You as a Generation
    1. CHAPTER ONE - Shaping Generation X
      1. Generation X—A Brief (Demographic) Definition
      2. The Temper of the Times
      3. Family and Friends
    2. CHAPTER TWO - Taking Stock
      1. A Slow Start: Weak Economy and Pipe-Clogging Boomers
      2. It’s Hell in the Hallways
      3. Your Balance Sheet at Halftime
      4. Parents, Caregivers, Friends: Life Outside Work
      5. Distinctive Contributions: Innovation and Humor
      6. So, What’s Next, Gen X?
      7. The Happiness of Pursuit
    3. CHAPTER THREE - What Are They Thinking?
      1. Traditionalists
      2. Boomers
      3. Generation Y
      4. The Re-Generation
      5. Across the Ages
  8. Part II - Evaluate Your Next Steps
    1. CHAPTER FOUR - What Do You Want?
      1. Shared Desires of Your Generation
      2. Finding Your Individual Desires and Priorities
      3. Getting Engaged with Work
      4. Your Personal Life Lures
    2. CHAPTER FIVE - A Hard Look at the Options Ahead
      1. The Availability of Work
      2. The Nature of Work
      3. The Nature of Organizations
      4. Implications for Where the Jobs Are
      5. Beyond the Corporation
    3. CHAPTER SIX - Trading Up
      1. Increase Your Effectiveness at Work
      2. Leveraging Your Contributions for Success—By Any Measure
      3. Expanding Your Options
      4. Balancing the Needs of the Organization with “Life”
    4. CHAPTER SEVEN - Branching Out
      1. The Alternative Workplace
      2. The Entrepreneurial Path
      3. Portfolio Careers
      4. Explore and Experiment
    5. CHAPTER EIGHT - The NeXt Generation Leader
      1. A Model for Leadership Today
      2. Increase Collaborative Capacity
      3. Ask Compelling Questions
      4. Embrace Complexity and Seek Disruptive Information
      5. Shape Identity
      6. Appreciate Diversity
      7. Leadership Day-to-Day
  9. NOTES
  10. INDEX
  11. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Product information

  • Title: What's Next, Gen X?
  • Author(s): Tamara J. Erickson
  • Release date: January 2010
  • Publisher(s): Harvard Business Review Press
  • ISBN: 9781422156155