Culture and Trends

Since my new book launched in January, I've sent out 273 complimentary copies. I know for a fact that at least four of those books were delivered. These books were not sent out unsolicited to a random list of people I was hoping to engage, but rather to clients, prospective clients, major media contacts, and close colleagues who requested them. Each received a personalized, autographed hard cover book accompanied by a hand-written postcard. Reviving Work Ethic retails for

When you think back on your days as a high school student, you'll recall that the majority of the faculty and staff who interacted with you did so in an authoritative and controlling manner. If there was a disagreement or a point of contention, you were quickly reminded that they were the adult and you were the kid, erasing any doubt as to who was going to emerge from the conflict victorious. I experienced this as a student, and again when I became a young teacher. I wanted

Distracted workers are to employers what distracted drivers are to other motorists -- a constant and growing threat. There isn't a manager on the face of this planet who is willing to share the focused attention of her employees with the screen of a cellular phone. The reality is that employers are being forced to find ways to contend and compete with a ubiquitous technology that didn't exist when they, themselves, were just coming into the workplace. But as you'll see in t

In this highly entertaining infographic produced as a join effort between the University of North Carolina Business School and the Young Entrepreneurs Council (both largely comprised of the under-30 crowd) viewers are able to see the clear cut differences between older workers and millennials (a.k.a. Generation Y, Generation Why, Boomlets, Nexters, etc.). Through surveys, the respondents that represent this young cohort indicate their preferences and desires when it comes to

In 1989, 56% of the 16- to 19-year-olds in America were actively participating in the workforce. This meant that an employer hiring a young person in the late eighties and early nineties had better than a one-in-two chance that the young person they were considering understood what it meant to hold a job. In 2012, however, only 33% of those in the same age group are actively participating in the workforce. And the numbers for African-American and Hispanic teens are much lo

Are your seasonal employees going to have a blast this summer? Not away from work; but rather, at work? If not, they’re likely to vaporize before Labor Day. Job seekers are attracted to opportunities where ‘fun’ is included in the job description, so employers use the heck out of it. (Good thing for them the FTC isn’t monitoring their job postings or many would receive hefty fines for bait-n-switch advertising.) The reality is that work, in its purest form, is not all that

Fans of The Beverly Hillbillies will remember the running joke that Jethro (the most educated of the entire Clampett family) had "made it all the way through the 6th grade." Yee-Haw! When this series originally aired in the sixties, no one celebrated such a modest accomplishment. Of course you made it through the 6th grade, and the 7th, and the 9th. Everyone did. It was expected that every student made it through to high school. The first celebration of academic accompl

Infographics seems to be all the rage, and I enjoy them as much as anyone. But rather than take the information at face value, I feel it's a good practice to first examine the authoring organization, and question their stake in the implied conclusion(s). This one offers an interesting look at the use of technology and how it ultimately impacts the academic performance, behaviors, and even the mental state of teens who are the heaviest users of technology and the Internet.

I love it when an article writes itself. This is a gift from heaven. The company, Tempo, has creating an entertaining and revealing infographic that defines the problem (wasting time), the biggest offender (young employees), the reason (lack of job satisfaction) and offers several ideas and solutions, including (but not limited to) their own software product. All I can do is sit back and applaud. Er, ...I mean, all I can do is sit up and get back to work! Like this infog

by Mark Sanborn and Eric Chester (This is Part 2 of 2 offering ideas on how to recruit, manage, and retain 'firsters' - i.e. young adults entering their first 'real' position. Here's a link to Part 1.) In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Dennis Nally, the chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), summed up the challenge of today’s first time, entry level employees, or “firsters”: “How they want to work…is very different than the prior generation. If your

by Mark Sanborn and Eric Chester After graduating from college, Eric started his career as a high school business teacher and coach. Mark launched his career selling in the magazine business. Do you remember your first job? I mean your first time in a “real” job, an honest-to-goodness, full-time job after you completed your formal education? Odds are, you reflect on it as both a challenge and a rite of passage. The challenge came from acclimating to something new and learni

Plenty. You see, an entitlement mentality is not innate, rather it's learned and often engrained into an individual. It stems from multiple experiences of an individual getting something for nothing, leading them to believe they are deserving and should have what they want without putting forth the effort that is normally required to produce that result. This cognitive conditioning usually begins at an early age. Last year, a community Easter Egg Hunt in Old Colorado City

Full Disclosure: I am a Denver native and I bleed Bronco orange. I love Tim Tebow as person and a player. That being said, I am ecstatic that Peyton Manning will be Denver's starting quarterback next season. Although it's sad to see a guy with the class, the character, and the work ethic of Tim Tebow move out of town, he's being supplanted by someone who, many experts believe, is the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. And that guy is also a man of great class, char

I am a music lover. My iPod is bursting with tunes from every genre imaginable. Although I always tend to gravitate to oldies, classic rock, funk, 80's, and even my dad's elevator music, I have great respect for a lot of the new stuff coming out today. Bruno Mars is an artist that will be around for many years. If you saw his performance on the recent Grammys, you know how phenomenally talented this 27-year-old is. He's kind of Elvis meets James Brown meets Prince. I am

With almost 2 million YouTube views in three days, this video has definitely struck a nerve with parents everywhere. (To get the full effect of his extreme measures, you have to watch to the shocking end.) There won't be any gray area; you are either going to love or hate his parenting tactics. Has dad gone too far, or not far enough? What would you do if your kid posted this message for the world to see? How would your parents have reacted if they knew you even felt thi

Chilly weather has presented me with an opportunity to watch television with my 4-year-old granddaughter, Brooklyn, who controls the remote. Her favorite show is the wildly popular preschool phenomenon, ‘Dora the Explorer.’ This program looked so simplistic and unimaginative to me, I thought I’d never make it through an entire 21-minute episode. However, after watching a few episodes, consider me a fan. It’s not the content of the program that I find so compelling; it’s th

My good friend, Mark Sanborn, is a prolific speaker and a NY Times Bestselling Author. As much as I enjoy hanging out with Mark socially, I admire his work even more. He is both an inspiration and a mentor, and I don't throw either of those terms around loosely.In his Leadership Lessons eZine today, Mark posted what he terms his Work Manifesto. Frankly, I'm envious and wish I'd writen in. Then again, it speaks so well to how I feel, it's almost as if I did. I post it toda

With all the protesting in major cities across America, you'd think that employers aren't hiring. Ain't true. Although there are more than 14 million unemployed in America , a recent Manpower Survey found 52% of US employers are having difficulty filling critical positions. The obvious disconnect is that employers are struggling to find A) qualified applicants who B) possess a decent work ethic. Let's be clear. There are job candidates who have the right skill set, but e

I know very little about the Occupy Wall Street protests other than what is printed in the papers. By all accounts, the majority of the participants in the demonstrations are unemployed and they feel as they have been victimized by corporate greed. Demonstrators claim to speak for "99 percent" of Americans rallying against the wealthy 1 percent. I can promise you that I am not in the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans, and yet I flatly reject the notion that any of these demo

My good friend and colleague, Mark Sanborn, knows a thing or two about work ethic. He's not only the author of the NY Times Bestselling book, 'the Fred Factor', he's one of the finest leadership keynote speakers of our time. Mark's always at work creating value for others, and he's done it again with his new book, Up, Down, or Sideways, which I highly recommend.RWE readers, here's Mark Sanborn - To succeed when times are Up, Down, or Sideways, you have to produce things and