Tie One On!
Dr. Andi Mitnick
Senior Consultant
A recent editorial in The Philadelphia Inquirer was addressed to the class of 2010, members of the much examined Millennial generation. In it, George Waldner, President of York College implored, "Put on a tie, will you?" He cited recent research on the state of professionalism among graduates of American colleges which supported what many of us already know: College grads are getting failing grades in professionalism.
I was thinking about this as I attended the graduation of a friend’s son from a prestigious university in Philadelphia. There was pomp. There was glory. There was Patti LaBelle. While a number of graduates were dressed somewhat conservatively, in suit and tie or appropriate dresses, so many more of them seemed to flaunt their newly won status as graduates in the most bizarre outfits. One young woman wore a bikini under her gown, but the wind revealed much as she walked to the podium. Another man wore Hawaiian shorts, shirt, leis, straw hat and flip-flops. Indeed, the number of graduates wearing flip-flops and other rubber or straw sandals made me wonder whether Atlantic City had experienced a massive windstorm and much of the beach was right behind me.
In fact, York College’s Center for Professional Excellence has found that six traits are often ascribed to unprofessional employees. The one mentioned most was sloppy appearance or dress. Perhaps as part of preparation for graduation, our college and university career centers must devote -- whether we like to admit it or not -- more time to addressing not just interviewing skills, but also unprofessional qualities such as poor communication skills, poor work ethic, bad attitude, a sense of entitlement, and yes, what not to wear to graduation. Or a job interview, for that matter.
Dr. Mitnick serves on the faculty of Kutztown University and as a Senior Consultant to the Center.
Re-tread, Not Retire
Baby Boomers are doing it again -- defining life markers on their terms. With the youngest of this generation approaching 50, they are re-defining what retirement and planning for retirement look like.
Many professionals in their 60s feel that they are too young to retire, or can't due to the recession. Add to this the fact that workers in their 50s are taking some time off from their 20-year careers to re-think what they'd like to do during their second adulthood -- re-treading their lives, so to speak.
Research by the AARP, Civic Ventures and other groups reached beyond the notion that Baby Boomers aren't ready to retire and asked: "What will they do next?" Most of those responding said that they had a strong desire to remain productive and set new career goals that extended well into their 70s and 80s.
With sponsorships by private companies such as Civic Ventures, and funding backed by public legislation like the National Servce Act that tripled the size of Americorps by including Boomer-aged volunteers in their payroll, Boomers are taking the time and have the money to pursue social-purpose work. Others are funding their own philanthropic ventures by taking early retirement.
Critical Thinking and Zero Tolerance
What is zero tolerance teaching Millennials about critical thinking? Who's to blame? Post your comments on Bob's blog.
Case Study
I manage a high-end driver education center that caters mostly to the children of affluent families. We struggle regularly with student drivers who text every chance they get, even while sitting on our course waiting to test their skills. We have to negotiate a fine line between enforcing a set of expectations about driving and maintaining a level of service to which affluent customers are accustomed. When we do ask student drivers to put the cell phones away, their typical response is, "My parents text and talk while driving. What’s the issue?" What would you suggest?
This seems is about setting forth clear expectations from the moment a family first has contact with your organization. We have to remember three important things:
1) Children emulate their parents, but that doesn’t make the parents’ behavior acceptable.
2) Most children learn early on to push the envelope, until the envelope pushes back.
3) Parents, not their children, are paying for the instruction and most would be troubled to think you’re allowing texting while learning.
This is true even if parents do it themselves while driving. Both parents and children have significant incentives to successfully complete the course. The parents want their children to be safe and maybe get a break on insurance. The kids want to obtain that ultimate ticket to freedom – a driver’s license. All of this provides you with leverage. Besides, what would happen to your liability insurance if it got out that you looked the other way on texting? I would implement four practices:
1) Include a prominent note in any literature you distribute, and on your website, that the use of cell phones during instruction is strictly prohibited.
2) Develop a commitment that parents and students have to sign agreeing to this prohibition and acknowledging that those who violate this policy will be removed from instruction that day and will have to be rescheduled.
3) Come up with a statement that all instructors will use consistently when they catch students texting. It might say something like this: "As you know, we have a strict prohibition about texting. Therefore, I have to remove you from this class immediately and we’ll need to reschedule you." With today’s busy parent schedules, you’ll only need to do this once and the problem will go away.
4) Show a few video clips and photos of the results of texting and driving during classes. Local law enforcement should be able to provide you with some gruesome scenes.
Regardless of the affluence or customer demands of your clientele, don’t ever compromise the quality of what you provide.
Let Us Help You With Your Next Event!
Allow us to help you make your meeting or conference an enjoyable and productive no-brainer!
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
to inquire about program topics and availability. Robert Wendover, CSP has been assisting organizations with their workforce talent transitions for more than 20 years. For more information or to inquire about your next event, read Bob's bio, preview his video, review our presentations, or contact us.
|
