Counter Mentor Leadership
FINALLY! A place you can go to get BOTH perspectives from the workplace. Boomer AND Millennial. This show is designed to demonstrate how seasoned leaders can benefit from mentoring AND countermentoring to create a high-performance workplace. We'll help you figure out how to blend the very best of both generations to create better relationships, better results, and a better life altogether. Join father and son, Kelly and Robby Riggs, as they debate and negotiate the best practices from two generations. Hint: Old guys rule. (Sometimes.)
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CM47 Are Millennials Good for Business?
05/28/2019
CM47 Are Millennials Good for Business?
If you're a Boomer, you're rolling your eyes....but, since Millennials make up the largest segment of the workplace these days, it's a legitimate question. Although we hear a lot these days about Millennial "snowflakes" and their participation trophies, what does the research say about the impact Millennials have on the workplace? Yes, as painful as it may be for the BOSS, it's time to get some real data-driven insight into the impact of Millennials on the modern workplace. As it turns out, what Millennials want at work isn't so different from what other generations have wanted, but what they bring to the workplace IS quite different, in many ways. So, are they good for business? Oh, and let's not forget that the youngest Millennials are in their mid-20s and the oldest among them are pushing 40. That means they aren't the new kids on the block anymore. There are now Millennial managers, and the mistakes that they are making as leaders aren't that different from their older counterparts. Luckily, there's research on that, too. Join Kelly and Robby as they examine the latest research on the impact of Millennials in the workplace and try not to get sidetracked by a few good rants along the way.
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CM146 Is it a Waste of Time to Understand the BOSS?
04/29/2019
CM146 Is it a Waste of Time to Understand the BOSS?
Millennials often struggle to figure out the BOSS. In many cases they don't even bother, and that's the question in this episode: Is it a waste of time to even attempt to understand the old, out-of-touch, technology-challenged BOSS? Scene: A group of Millennials get together at Happy Hour and before long they're talking about the BOSS: "Dude. My boss is killin' me. What a disaster." Yup. They don't understand you. They think they know everything. They don't have a clue about pop culture, and are trying to tell you how to do your job, and don't give you any feedback. What's the point of sticking around? It's a good question. But here's an even better question: Have you even tried to understand your boss? Have you ever tried to connect and find out what's important to him/her? Maybe, instead of griping about the BOSS, the really smart move (the one that demonstrates a little emotional intelligence) might be to try and understand them first? To work hard to make their job a little easier? Join Kelly and Robby as they break down the over-generalizations and the bad communication that prevent Millennials and Boomers from connecting at work. And stay tuned until the end for a set of principles that can help Millennials maximize their success in the workplace.
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CM145 Are Extroverts Better Leaders Than Introverts?
04/07/2019
CM145 Are Extroverts Better Leaders Than Introverts?
There seems to be an assumption that leadership requires certain personality traits. Perhaps not surprisingly, we all feel more comfortable following someone who is charismatic, decisive, and outgoing. Research confirms our intuition--even children know instinctually what kinds of people tend to get placed in leadership roles. So, we tend to assume that the best leaders are the best talkers--that extroverts make the best leaders. But is that necessarily true? Join and as they discuss our biases about leadership, what it looks like, and how leaders behave. More importantly, stick around as they share how the habits of great leaders can be cultivated by anyone with the discipline and desire to excel.
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CM144 Are Employees Holding You Hostage?
03/09/2019
CM144 Are Employees Holding You Hostage?
We've all got stories of coworkers behaving badly. It seems like we've come to accept drama as a condition of existing in the workplace. But what happens when some people's nonsense get punished but top earners get a pass? Obviously, it's a recipe for disaster--and a real crisis of leadership. Join and as they discuss a high-profile example of a talented performer getting away with bad behavior in the world of sports. As always, the difference between a winning culture and team dysfunction might just be good coaching.
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CML 143: More (or Less) Emotional Intelligence
02/11/2019
CML 143: More (or Less) Emotional Intelligence
Bad behavior didn't use to be so public! But now, social media has made it possible for people to throw temper tantrums on a scale we could never imagine just a few years back. More and more, conflict gets played out on public platforms rather than between people. It's too easy to get a daily does of public conflict courtesy of major league sports. Professional athletes and organizations have become quite adept at airing their dirty laundry all over the media. It's not only unprofessional and immature, it also provides the perfect reflection of the kinds of conflict that happen in the workplace for those of us who ride a desk, not a bench. In this episode, Kelly and Robby examine recent examples of team conflict from the world of sports and discuss the vital role of emotional intelligence in building a high-performance team.
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CM 142 The Source of Workplace Failure You Don't Recognize
01/23/2019
CM 142 The Source of Workplace Failure You Don't Recognize
It's too easy to simply dismiss emotional intelligence as something you are too busy to consider. After all, where is the return on investment for these so-called "soft skills"? That's an easy question to answer, and the numbers are scary! EQ is vitally important to workplace success, especially for leaders! In this episode, find out why you cannot afford to ignore this hidden source of workplace failure.
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CM141 Your Friend Requests Are Annoying
03/12/2018
CM141 Your Friend Requests Are Annoying
How much time do you waste sending unsolicited LinkedIn requests or circulating awkwardly at networking events? How often do you roll your eyes when you get a Friend Request from someone you haven't seen since high school who now wants to sell you something? Ever experienced that clammy sweat that comes with delivering your "elevator speech" in an attempt to dazzle a captive stranger in a few nauseating minutes? If the very idea of networking makes you cringe, you are going to want to hear some good news from our guest, David Burkus, author of : Those methods DO NOT WORK. Ok, great. So... what do we do now? Join and on this new episode as they learn all the best strategies from David for networking now. Find out his best advice for maximizing your existing network and finally let yourself off the hook for skipping those cocktail hours with strangers.
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CM140 Coaching for Leaders
02/19/2018
CM140 Coaching for Leaders
Coaching is, for many managers, a highly under appreciated skill. It is usually assumed that anyone who is good at something, when promoted to manager, will naturally be good at teaching and coaching those skills. Not so much. Teaching and coaching are powerful skills that have to be learned just as much as the skills that get managers promoted. And those skills will make you a far more effective leader. In this episode, and are joined by perennial champion football coach, to talk coaching for leaders in the workplace. Coach Blankenship has won everywhere. He has coached two Oklahoma 6A schools to state championship titles (Union and Owasso). He coached Fayetteville High School to an Arkansas 7A football state championship in his only year there. To top it off, he spent four seasons as the head coach of his alma mater, the University of Tulsa, finishing 19-8 with a Liberty Bowl championship in his first two years, before falling to 5-19 his final two years. Hear Bill's tips for coaching through failure, setting expectations, how to create a winning culture, and much more. Learn how effective coaching unlocks the potential of your people and try to tune out the boys geeking out in the presence of a legend.
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CM139 Greatest of All Time
01/29/2018
CM139 Greatest of All Time
What does it mean to be the Greatest of All Time (the GOAT, as the kids say)? The GOAT may be a spectacular performer, but he or she also has that quality that makes other people want to be part of the magic. We know great leadership when we see it: Abraham Lincoln, Catherine the Great, Winston Churchill. Great political leaders guide their people through turmoil. Great leaders on the court or on the field (GO PATS!) create teams that work seamlessly toward a common goal. In the workplace, great leaders inspire us and bring out the best in us. So, yeah, we may recognize it immediately, but great leadership is hard to define and even harder to teach. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. What are the principles that great leaders know? What are the practices that great leadership employs? Join and as they discuss a recent example of great leadership and share the lessons that anyone can take into the workplace. (Also, find out the easiest way to get your hometown team into a national championship. Hint: it involves Robby moving there.)
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CM138 Another Book About Millennials (a Shameless Plug)
01/15/2018
CM138 Another Book About Millennials (a Shameless Plug)
Our new book, , releases on January 16! But another book about Millennials? REALLY? Well, hold on, cupcake. Yes, there are a lot of leadership books out there and lots of books about Millennials. We've read them all--well, that is, the Pops has read a lot of them, and Robby has read some Tweets about a lot of them. We've done the research, and we have over two decades invested in helping leaders transform potential into performance, regardless of generation. You definitely haven't seen anything like Counter Mentor Leadership. #snarky #sarcastic #truth In other words, this isn't your grandparents' old-school approach to management. It’s definitely not #anotherboringleadershipbook. Counter Mentor Leadership is about harnessing the power of the tech-infected Millennials and the new GenZ. It’s about building a powerhouse, 4-generation workplace. And Boomers, if you think we're here to pat you on the head and send you on your way, you're in for a shock. Your old-school, because-I-said-so antics just aren't cutting it. #straighttalk Join and as they discuss their new book, how it came to be, and why you should put it at the top of your reading list.
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CM137 Boomer Fact or Fiction
12/18/2017
CM137 Boomer Fact or Fiction
Set in their ways. Technophobes. Coasting until retirement. Their way or the highway. You think you have Boomers all figured out, don't you? Think again. After arguing their way through all the stereotypes about Millennials in "," it was only fair that the boys take on all the assumptions that we bring to the table about Boomers. Raised to be hard working and risk averse by their parents who survived the Great Depression and World War, Boomers see themselves as stable and responsible. Millennials, on the other hand, often see them as old fuddy-duddies who aren't willing to try anything new. (Though the Pops doesn't see how pictures of your lunch represent anything useful and innovative, snowflake.) Join and as they pick apart what you think you know about Boomers and explain how generational--and relational--understanding is the key to unlocking the potential of the four-generation workplace.
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CM136 140 Characters is Bad for the Workplace (LOL)
12/04/2017
CM136 140 Characters is Bad for the Workplace (LOL)
140 characters has become the standard for social media conversations, but it's certainly playing havoc with communication in the corporate world. Email. Text. FB Messenger. With more communication tools than ever before, communication has nevertheless not improved. In fact, it's probably worse than ever. In this episode of the Counter Mentors podcast, and take on workplace communication and the many ways in which it completely sucks. From 140 characters to poor writing skills to managers who don't have a clue how to communicate, this episode gets a little bloody!
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CM135 How Did You Get Promoted?!
11/20/2017
CM135 How Did You Get Promoted?!
Were you recently promoted? Would you say it's going well? Too often, new managers find themselves scrambling to lead in the same field where they were once dominant. That's because the way companies promote people to positions of leadership usually has little to do with the skills that will make them successful as leaders. Yeah, we said it. They're doing it wrong. While competence is absolute necessary for credibility as a leader, it's just the baseline. The price of entry. Table stakes. The important question is what does it really take to be successful as a manager? If you want to be one, you need to know. If you want to promote the right people, you really need to know. In this episode of the Counter Mentors podcast, and take a close look at the flawed reasoning that gets most people promoted to management and suggest some changes you might want to consider the next time you look for someone to fill a management slot.
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CM134 Millennial Fact or Fiction
11/01/2017
CM134 Millennial Fact or Fiction
You've heard a lot of generalizations about Millennials and Millennial employees, in particular. There are a million articles about them. There are books about how to understand them. Everyone seems to think they have a handle on Millennials and their behavior. But what exactly is the truth about Millennials, and what is exaggerated? In this episode of the Counter Mentors podcast, and look at many of the claims made about Millennials and tell you if they are based on facts, or simply fictions created by people who don't understand them.
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CM133 Who Raised These Cupcakes?
10/16/2017
CM133 Who Raised These Cupcakes?
Cupcakes. Is that Pops' favorite term for Millennials? Or is it snowflakes? OK, we'll allow that Millennials are different. They ask for more flexibility and personal attention (ahem, FEEDBACK) than any generation before them, but does that make them "soft," as some Boomers claim? Or is it more accurate to say that Millennials are a product of their helicopter parents and the technology they were raised around? Research has increasingly shown how kids raised with technology as a constant companion experience problems in young adulthood with social interactions. Still, even if all this is true, at what point do Millennials have to move on from how they were raised and own their behaviors? After spending their childhoods being protected from failure and allowed to "find themselves," Millennials often struggle in work situations that don't allow them to do whatever they want or craft a unique, personal experience. How much should they conform to the workplace? Why should work be what they want it to be? In this episode of the Counter Mentors podcast, and explore these questions and much more. Are Millennials (and Gen Z) really that different than Boomers were at their age?
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CM132 You Cant Be Efficient with People
09/24/2017
CM132 You Cant Be Efficient with People
Managers never have enough time, so they do their best to be efficient, even with people. The problem is that you can't be efficient with people! Developing your people takes time. In many ways, leadership is about changing the way you invest your available time. Join Kelly and Robby as they continue with this second episode about the value of recognition (and don't miss the amazing first episode, "").
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CM131 Recognition is for Everyone
09/11/2017
CM131 Recognition is for Everyone
Boomers often complain about how Millennials always want to be recognized, even if it's just for doing their jobs. But the truth is that everyone values recognition! Appreciation, feedback, and coaching cost you nothing and go a long way toward increasing productivity and satisfaction in the workplace. So, why aren't you doing it?! According to , "only one in three workers in the U.S. strongly agree that they received recognition or praise for doing good work in the past seven days.” Clearly, we have a recognition deficit, and we need to find ways to engage all employees -- Boomers and Millennials -- in ways that make them feel valued. Join Kelly and Robby as they welcome special guest Jeremy Todd Ford, VP of Talent at United Natural Foods Incorporated, to discuss the next frontier in recognition at work. You can't afford to get this one wrong.
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CM130 Do Cell Phones Ruin Relationships?
08/28/2017
CM130 Do Cell Phones Ruin Relationships?
Yes, your cell phone is integral to your daily life. Yes, you know you are on it too much. But does it ruin your relationships?
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CM129 How to Coach (and be coached by) Millennials
07/24/2017
CM129 How to Coach (and be coached by) Millennials
It seems like every Boomer manager is trying to learn how to coach Millennials...or something. On rare occasions, the enlightened Boomer manager can actually see the value in being coached BY a Millennial. In this phenomenal episode, we are joined by the incomparable Tim Sanders (@sandersays) for a discussion about how to coach Millennials...and the insane idea (to some managers, at least) of being coached by Millennials. Tim, a former Yahoo! executive, is the NY Times best-selling author of and . Describing himself as "obsessed" with the idea of mentorship, he shares his wisdom about what the mentor stands to gain from the relationship-- in other words, what Boomers can learn from Millennials! Join and as they enjoy a stimulating conversation with Tim about respecting the wisdom of the older generation and staying open-minded to the insights and ideas of the younger generation.
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CM128 Millennials Make Better Leaders
07/03/2017
CM128 Millennials Make Better Leaders
Who makes better leaders, Boomers or Millennials? Boomers may think they are the only ones getting anything done, and Millennials may think they are the only ones who know how to inspire, but it turns out these are both key elements of effective leadership. Research indicates that the most effective leaders are those who can produce results and have excellent people skills. And, according to that same it appears that Millennials (gasp!) actually make better leaders. (Though, as the Pops points out, those Millennials were raised by Boomers, so who REALLY deserves the credit here?) Join and as they dissect this recent research in the spirit of friendly competition--and discuss what you should be doing now to be a more effective leader.
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CM127 Embrace the Millennial Mindset
06/12/2017
CM127 Embrace the Millennial Mindset
Adopt the mindset of a Millennial? Are you kidding? What does that mean exactly? Half days at work and trophies for everyone? Sleep until noon and get credit for trying hard?? OK, we jest... But you might be surprised, because that mindset, which is most definitely different than the Boomer mindset, is not something terrible - it's just different, much like previous generations were different when they entered the workplace. True, they have a different set of perspectives, and they often approach a problem with different ideas about the solution, but why are Boomers so resistant to that? Why can't they embrace new perspectives? Join Kelly, Robby, and special guest Brian Fanzo () for a raucous conversation about the elements of the Millennial mindset, and the benefits to the workplace when Boomers "change the freaking program!” Show BONUS: Brian reveals how Boomers can harness the Millennial mindset to produce amazing results-- a must-see episode!
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CM126 Never Trust Anyone Over 30
05/28/2017
CM126 Never Trust Anyone Over 30
Who do YOU trust? The phrase, "Never trust anyone over 30," was coined by Jack Weinberg, a political activist at Cal-Berkeley in the 1960s. Now on the other side of the fence, Boomers are more likely to say you shouldn’t trust anyone under 30. In return, Millennials just give Boomers the side-eye (whatever that means). The reality is that trust - as a general idea - is seemingly non-existent in society. Today, people don't trust politicians, public schools, the media, banks, big business, or even the police. And then there is the very common distrust that exists inside the workplace between generations AND between managers and employees. Bottom line? Millennials and Boomers don’t trust each other, and it is wreaking havoc in the office. Luckily, we found an expert to help. Our special guest, is Vice President & Trust Practice Leader for The Ken Blanchard Companies. He has been named a Top 100 Thought Leader in Trustworthy Business Behavior by Trust Across America. Join and as they discuss the importance of trust in leadership and what Boomer managers can do differently to build trust with Millennials.
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CM125 "Working While Distracted"
05/15/2017
CM125 "Working While Distracted"
Distractions are a HUGE contributor to performance loss in the workplace (wait until you hear the number!). How many of your employees are "working while distracted"? We went off about Millennials and their cell phones in Episode 21, "," but there are many more distractions to be aware of - even some that affect Boomers! Once you figure out how much you're losing as a result of the deadly disease called "working while distracted," you may decide to make a change or two. This week, we are joined by "Distraction Expert" Curt Steinhorst (), whose work is focused on this singular problem. Join and in a conversation with Curt to find out more about distractions in the workplace and their impact on performance.
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CM124 Who Works Harder?
04/22/2017
CM124 Who Works Harder?
"Those cupcakes." Yes, Boomers love to pile on Millennials. To them, it often comes down to their perceptions: lazy and entitled. They don't need to ask who works harder, because they already know. They lay claim to the last remnants of work ethic and ability to overcome adversity. They walked uphill to school every day. Both ways. After hours of chores. Millennials? Please. Those little snowflakes are allergic to hard work. Boomers are at their desks, 8 to 5, like clockwork - and then some. They show up and get it done, day in and day out, year after year. "But wait just a second," says the Millennial. "Who cares who works harder? It's about getting things done, and we can get more done at Starbucks in two hours than you can do all day." They can't understand why they have to be in the office at 8:00 am; why they have to be in the office at all (really??), since they can use their mobile devices and an Internet connection to get everything done. So, really, who works harder? Do Millennials have a work ethic problem? Does having a mobile device level the playing field? Join and as they take on the ultimate Boomer vs. Millennial smackdown. Who will walk away with bragging rights? Or will they discover common ground? With these two, you never quite know...
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CM123 How Do You Conflict
04/02/2017
CM123 How Do You Conflict
Boomers...Millennials...conflict. Seems like a natural progression, doesn't it? So how do you conflict? How should Millennials confront Boomers, and how should Boomers do performance management so it doesn't sound like constant criticism? Generational differences in perspective create conflict, but, clearly, conflict is not just a generational thing. In its simplest form, conflict is simply frustrated expectations --- you expect one thing, but get something entirely different. Boomers expect Millennials to be at work on time and be respectful, but maybe they fall a bit short. Millennials expect feedback and direction, but perhaps that doesn't happen. How do you deal with it? Can you prevent it? In this episode, , the author of "Conflict Without Casualties," joins and to shed some light on conflict, and drop some knowledge bombs on dealing with the natural conflict that exists between Boomers and Millennials.
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CM122 You Are Your Own Worst Enemy
03/20/2017
CM122 You Are Your Own Worst Enemy
In this episode, we unpack the idea of "emotional intelligence" (EQ). We discuss how and why a low EQ can easily make someone their own worst enemy in the workplace. Certainly, leaders are far more effective when they possess a higher EQ, but emotional intelligence is just as important for the success of every employee. Robby tries to share an article (see show notes) claiming that Millennials have higher "emotional intelligence" than Boomers. After that brief comedy show, we quickly shift our attention to the groundbreaking work of (a Boomer, of course). Goleman identifies five components that contribute to the idea of emotional intelligence. We take a look at those components and offer several examples of how they work. We also look at how we often go wrong with them. Join and as they talk about, among other things, why you shouldn't tell everything you know - even if you're right.
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CM121 Get Off Your Cell Phone
03/04/2017
CM121 Get Off Your Cell Phone
It rarely takes more than a few minutes for a Boomer manager to start complaining about how much time Millennials spend on their cell phones: "Will you get off your cell phone? No wonder we can't get anything done around here!" But is this a real problem or a perceived problem? While Millennials feel lost without their phones, is it a Millennial problem or a more general cultural problem? Do cell phones actually impact workplace productivity? One of the most significant changes in the workplace in the past 15 years has been the impact of the Internet and social media as sources of distraction in the workplace. Join and as they take a long, hard look at the use of cell phones in the workplace and try to separate fact from fiction. The problem is getting Robby off his cell phone long enough to even have a show this week.
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CM120 Failure is NOT a 4-Letter Word
02/18/2017
CM120 Failure is NOT a 4-Letter Word
Many Boomer managers tend to forget their own past failures, while attaching a Millennial employee's mistakes to everything imaginable: laziness, entitlement, and too much time texting and checking social media. Millennials themselves, rather than expecting a free ride and a trunk full of trophies, are reportedly more stressed out than any previous generation about the prospect of professional failure. But is that changing? In a world where superstars recount failure as the vital turning point toward their success, is it now OK to fail? Is there really such a thing as "failing upward"? Or is this new way of talking about it just reinforcing Boomers' criticism of Millennials and Millennials' unwillingness to take risks? Join and as they discuss common attitudes towards failure and why they are killing performance.
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CM119 Why Can't You Act Like Adults?
02/06/2017
CM119 Why Can't You Act Like Adults?
Boomers LOVE to criticize Millennials when they don't "act like adults"--- an observation that is often subjective. Of course, not every Millennial is guilty of childish behavior, but both generations love to generalize! However, where there is smoke, there is often a fire around somewhere. Some Millennials just can't seem to draw a line between work behavior and after-work behavior. Sometimes, however, younger employees just have different ideas about workplace etiquette, and Boomers can seem out of touch when they criticize them ("How about you take those headphones out of your ears and focus?"). So, in an effort to create a great workplace, how much should each side compromise? Should Millennials suck it up and "act like adults"? Should Boomers come out of the dark ages and get with the program? Or is one black-and-white answer not going to work? Join and as they take on dysfunctional behavior in the office and figure out what is childish and what is negotiable.
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CM118 3 Things Millennials Hate About Managers
01/22/2017
CM118 3 Things Millennials Hate About Managers
So you're trying to figure out how to manage Millennial workers? Guess what, it's not working out very well. Your old-school, micro-management approach scares off all the talented young employees. There are three habits in particular that Millennials hate about managers. Despite the stereotype that all Millennials have grown up coddled with a shelf full of participation trophies, they really just need a little bit of feedback and face time. Is that too much too ask? Companies need a new approach to managing Millennials that will unleash their potential. Join and as they reveal what Millennials hate about managers, and offer a better way to communicate and collaborate. Hint: Millennials may need to make an adjustment or two to make this all work out (!).
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