When I talk with company leaders about their sales resource challenge, the topic of generation Y (or whatever we call it these days) rears its head. Somewhat tongue in cheek, I lump most everyone younger than myself under the heading KTDs - (Kids These Days.)
The conventional gripe seems to be that KTDs as a whole are poorly motivated yet have unreasonably high expectations about how much money they are worth as well as a fundamental belief that their work should be interesting and fulfilling. The nerve!
For those wondering whether this phenomenon is real. I am sorry to report that news of KTD’s proliferation has been greatly under-reported. The reality is much more concerning than the rumors and represents a disruptive challenge to business owners and our economy as a whole.
Select Metrix is a Minnesota based consultancy specializing in hiring solutions for small to mid size businesses and they have a lot of great content on this topic. Be sure to check out 3 Years and a Cloud of Dust
Last weekend, my wife and I went to see Sicko – the latest Michael Moore flick. For my mind it matters little whether you are a Michael Moore hater or supporter – the man makes inflammatory movies that elicit strong reactions and that’s worth the price of admission.
As a business owner (and upper income bracket earner), I recoil at the thought of paying exorbitant taxes so that someone who chooses to travel the world can return home when they need expensive surgery. I certainly can’t imagine trying to run a business where employees get six weeks of paid vacation and an extra week for their honeymoon.
That said, the movie forces you to acknowledge the uncomfortable reality of our value system here in America. Our Faustian Bargain seems to be: In order for certain members of a society to be fabulously wealthy…others must live in poverty. Similarly, for some members of that society to receive the best medical care…another segment must end up receiving no care. This is not socialistic dogma but a basic principal of balance.
The French, English, and Canadians aren’t commies – they just have a value system that relinquishes the right to extreme wealth in exchange for the absence of extreme poverty. With respect to healthcare, they relinquish the right to ‘the best’ treatment so that all can receive above-average care. For those of you looking to debate whether France or Canada truly offer ‘above-average’ care – that’s not the point I am trying to make.
So what does all this have to do with KTDs? Perhaps nothing but I am struck by the dichotomy between the image of powerlessness portrayed in Sicko and the impending shift in power represented by an ‘entitled workforce.’ I use the word entitled because that is often how I hear KTDs described. Most likely, this is a manifestation of jealousy. Honestly…if you had the opportunity to work less, enjoy a higher quality of life, and yet advance faster professional and financially than any generation before…would you do anything else?
Stated simply – entitlement is a logical reaction to circumstances where you can get away with something for a prolonged period of time. As such it is a symptom not the problem. Moreover, it will be the reality for some time. Employers that acknowledge the new reality and develop strategies to capitalize on this will gain yardage while those that gripe will find themselves in a world of pain.
Are you a KTD? If so, this old sales guy would like to hear what you have to say about this.
Friday, July 27, 2007
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2 comments:
I was once a KTD, this is a stage that we all must pass through. Its like a right of passage, or a phase to pass through while"growing up". I know you well enough to know that your parents probably told you that "you can do anything you want when you grow up" - and in past years when poverty was more prevelant and American weren't so rich compared to the rest of the world, most people took this to mean "work hard and you'll be rewarded". This may be why you chose sales - you get out what you put in.
Fast forward about 30 years and you have these same folks who used this "you can do anything" approach when speaking to their kids - and they apply some post wealth stipulations like "fulfillment", "greater good", and "society"... and now KTD's think they can do what they want while saving the world, sitting in their upper west side 4 bedroom condo with a parking space holding a BMW that they never use because it's sheik to take the train.
My first "real" job (not owning my own company), was at a fortune 500 ball busting sales gig. Churn and burn, 100 calls a day, 6 hours of phone time, Enterprise deployements, Manufacturer mentality at a reseller, and don't forget the $20,000 a day goal at the end of year one (just to weed out the slackers).
My first review with my boss was a disaster - he asked me about job satisfaction (and told me to be honest). I told him the job was ok, and I liked it because I was better than everyone else - but I didn't like that I wasn't making a difference in anyone's lives (except mine) and it wasn't very fulfilling. I never made that mistake again. I love my job, I can't wait to make another call.
I now find my self on the "grumpy old man" side of the fence. Bust your ass, get paid, don't complain unless you'll get more money if you win the argument.
BTW - trying to argue that we shouldn't change our value system to bring more people towards center after admitting that we are a society that made a deal with the devil isn't going to convince anyone you are right. (Devil is inherently evil, and thus all things associated with it are bad and undesirable). I thought a true salespro would have avoided this admission of being "wrong" when arguing in "wrong's" favor
I agree with Townsend that KTD's are that way because they can be that way. It is, in fact, totally natural. Everything is the way it is because everything is totally natural. BTW, that's also my basis for not judging anybody (in the biblical vernacular we commonly use). You can't do anything about the past anyway, so why fret over what has already happened?
But back to the purpose of this discussion - what to do about the KTD's. Don't whine about it (agreeing with Townsend here) - accept it. But you also need to recognize that the KTD value system is unsustainable. IOW, you can't keep getting something for free. Somebody is bankrolling this "vacation before reality". And it's not going to be employers because the economy is now global. America is in for a rude awakening - or rather America is undergoing this experience presently. Now I don't call it a Faustian Bargain - I call it a damn shame that so many people are so ignorant because it's going to be damn painful when reality slaps them in the face. The ones who blissfully escape their ignorance might seem lucky on the surface, but it's going to hurt all of us. Nobody lives in a vacuum - we are all affected by each other in some way.
The solution, if you care, is education. I'm not referring to our pathetic education system either. I'm talking about frank lessons in reality. It is any wonder that kids in school tend to hate it? They sense the utter bullshit that comprises a very large portion of it. We need to start paying for teachers that can teach on a different kind of level - however these people seem to barely even exist. Those that (sort of) do tend to be busy surviving, making money, or having fun. Maybe that is where the Faustian Bargain comes into play. Some of us could be giving back a little. Do you think we might regain a piece of our souls at the same time? BTW, I hope nobody takes any of this devil stuff literally. But it sure is a handy metaphore. Hey, I didn't bring it up!
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