Generation X - Harvard Business

Ok, I admit it - I like "10's lists". I also like articles that delve into the impact of culture on the work place. Tammy Erickson's article "10 Reasons Gen X'ers Are Unhappy at Work" in Harvard Business added to my understanding of generational differences and the impact of those differences on the work place.

As a "boomer" and son of a life long GE employee I came into my career with no other expectation than a job in corporate America. Since then I've moved around but remained attached to the idea of corporate job or close ties (consulting) to Corporate America. The article made me think through what many of my younger colleagues have experienced. It also made me think about perceptions - specifically what my own children think about the careers that lie ahead of them in light of what they have seen of my career and the careers of their friends parents. Note: I am the father of a high school freshman and a 6th grader.

Below are Ms. Erickson's 10 Reasons - but please read the full article because each reason has much more to it than the headings supplied below.

1. X’ers corporate careers got off to a slow start;

2. When you were teens, X’ers witnessed adults in your lives being laid off from large corporations;

3. Most corporate career paths “narrow” at the top;

4. Just your luck – the economy was slow when you entered the workforce;

5. And then there are those pesky Gen Y’s;

6. X’ers are, in fact, surrounded by a love fest – and not feeling the love;

7. X’ers are the most conservative cohort in today’s workforce;

8. Many X’ers’ are guarding a closely held secret;

9. Boomer colleagues are annoying;

10. Finally, your own parenting pressures are at a peak.

There are two items that resonated - #2 and #4. Many Gen X'ers would have been entering the workforce during the "corporate re engineering" efforts of the 1980's and the downsizing / economic downdraft of the late 1990's and early 2000's. They watched as parents, relatives and friends were laid off. I did not experience anything like that in my teenage years or during the middle years of my career. But the economy was very slow in the late 1970's when I entered the workforce and I did experience, first hand, tech bust in 2002 while on the verge of moving into the VP / C-level ranks. So I can relate.

My own children have watched as I have moved between jobs and while I have never really struggled financially, because I was able to move into consulting, those changes must have had an impact (note to self: discuss careers with children)..

The Issue: Immelt's Unpopular Idea

Here's a great example of significant "green" change at the corporate level. One that affects not only I.T. but an entire corporation.

http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/mar2008/ca2008034_906295.htm

Change is good..

Rule 4 - Change is good - use it to the benefit of the business and your organization.

One of the issues that I have seen over the past 30 years is that companies and organizations that make up those companies are unwilling to change or reorganize to meet the changing needs of the market or the business. GE was the exception (in my career).

We, as managers and team members, must be constantly looking for ways to improve the business - directly (increasing revenue or decreasing cost) or indirectly (improving efficiency or doing new functions with the same $). That is very difficult to do if it's not built into the culture. The only time that it is done consistently is when the organization is under financial pressure and downsizing is used as a way to cut costs. That should not be the case.

We should be using change and reorganization as a means to improve the business, change a trend, reward our people, send a wake up message to others or move people out who cannot perform. The net is positive - it can be disconcerting to those who don't like change but I the overall effect is positive - especially if it becomes part of the culture (and not while downsizing).

Know where you are going.

Rule 2: Know where you (personally) are going and make sure that your key people also know where they are going.

When I was first starting my career - as an Analyst at GECC (General Electric Credit Corporation). My boss's boss made a point of having one-on-one's with everyone in his area. He asked me where I was going in my career (what I wanted to do) in a year, then 5 years, 10 years, 25 years and by the end of my career. I didn't know. He told me to think through it, write it down, and come back to him when I was done.

It took a while - but I finally came back to him with several pages of notes. We didn't really discuss the specifics but we did discuss a process - every time I had a career decision to make I had to open that notebook and look at what I had written. Did the decision at hand fit in the roadmap that I had created. If it did, great - if it didn't - was the roadmap wrong (needed revision) or was it right. Either way it made the decision making process easier (not easy). I've made mistakes - but for the right reasons.

I have (still have) a map, and I have a process. I've used that process throughout my career. I've put 10's of people who worked for me and those who I've mentored through it. It works.

In the beginning..

Any job that isn't fun isn't worth keeping!

I've met many I.T. professionals over the years who enjoy their jobs, enjoy their collegues and make an effort to keep it that way. I've met quite a few who can barely drag themselves through the day. A few of those are senior people, with many years of experience, who should know better - know that it's time to move on.

This blog is dedicated to finding ways to make the job fun.

I've been in Information Technology for longer than I care to admit (since 1979 - you do the math). During that time I've worked for company's that I liked (GE, ARINC, Lucent/Agere, Ames True Temper) and a few companies that I disliked (Black & Decker, USF&G). I've worked for myself (I like myself so I guess that qualifies as a company that I liked). I've had jobs that I disliked while working for companies that I liked.

I was fortunate to have friends / mentors who didn't counsel me to "hang in there" - they counselled me to move on when the situation was not right.

So my first rule is; if you are having fun - stay. If you are not having fun -figure out what you can do to make it better. If you can't make it better - move on.

This is true for you and it's true for the people who work for you. (It's also true for your friends and family)..