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Well Duh! Teaching Millennials Common Sense by Friday
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Allow 24 hours for the webinar confirmation link to reach you. |
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NO! This not another webinar bashing those under 30. It’s just that these digital natives have come of age immersed in a different world than the rest of us. They’re impatient. They think everything can be obtained with the click of a mouse. They’ve learned that work is something you fit into life rather than the other way around. Think like a Millennial for a second.
If you’re in your twenties, you’ve grown up with digital technology that helps you think your way through the day. You’ve learned that convenience is the key to having a good life. Everyone has told you that you are entitled . . . entitled to a good education, a good job, a good salary. If you have a question, you Google it. If you need a connection or an opinion, you Facebook it. If you work a job, it’s up to your boss to inspire you, train you and provide you with constant feedback. If you get stuck on a problem, you text somebody in charge for an answer. After all, that’s their job.
If you’re a Millennial, you depend on different resources.
You are part of the mobile generation. You are where you are. As long there is an iPad, iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Fire, Nook, or Kindle in your hands, you have the world at your thumbs. You can connect with your friends, choose a restaurant, check the news, locate a store, pay your bills, search for a mate, and shop for whatever without leaving the comfort of your double-shot, extra-hot, vanilla latte. So you should be able to find the solution to every problem on-line. Right? WRONG!
Here’s the problem . . .
Menu-Driven Technology Does NOT Provide Solutions! Problem solving is about reasoning and computers don’t reason . . . not even Apple’s “Siri.” Anyone can punch numbers into a calculator and get the right answer. Anyone can type the right information into a software program and accomplish many of today’s everyday tasks. But when it comes to making judgments, resolving differences, persuading other people, dealing with ambiguous situations, evaluating performance, juggling conflicting priorities, and a whole host of other everyday challenges . . . many digital natives get stuck.
And we did it to them!
Older people complain that Millennials have no common sense. They lament the lack of work ethic. They grumble about young workers’ shallow way of thinking. But if you came of age hearing that you can have anything you want 24 hours a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year, you would believe it too. After all, young people are like sponges. They believe what they hear, especially if they hear it enough. Besides who wouldn’t want to hear “It’s all about you?” The problem is . . . real life’s not like that! So as Millennials have graduated from home, school and the mall to go to work, they are being faced with making reasoned decisions and judgments and living with the consequences. There’s no escape button, no do-over and no parent to save their butts – just a boss who’s pissed that they have no “common sense.”
“But wait!” you may say.
“My Millennials are bright and well educated!” That’s all fine and good, but intelligence and education are not the same as reasoning, critical thinking skills, and good habits of mind. Yes, there are some young people who put their peers to shame because of the mentoring and coaching they have received. But here’s the challenge, these accomplished souls are far outnumbered by those looking to the Kardashians and Snooki for career advice!
In some cities, as many as 55% of high school students don’t graduate within four years, some not at all. As many as 40% of those entering college end up in remedial classes before being allowed to matriculate. Surveys abound demonstrating that many of today’s young people are simply not engaged in learning and what it takes to thrive in the workplace. Yes, it’s a national crisis. But it’s also your crisis. Without young workers who can actively think for themselves on the job, you’re left with babysitting every task, every project and every customer relations challenge.
You can’t just hire good problem solvers. There are simply not enough of them to go around. No matter what field you’re in, you have to grow some of your own! Problem solving skills, reasoning and critical thinking are acquired through trial and error, experience, and a willingness to take calculated risks. With today’s emphasis on standardized testing, these are not attributes taught in school much anymore. Many young people do not bring these skills to the job. It’s up to you to instill them.
Most Millennials have developed a dependence on menu-driven thinking. “If it can’t be found on-line, it must not exist. If it was really important, it would be on the first page of Google. If I really need to figure it out, I’ll just text my friends.” Of course, none of this works when there is judgment involved. The biggest problem is . . .
Scaffolding.
If you hear the word “scaffolding,” you probably think of buildings and construction. But in this case it’s about piling one experience on top of another to create a framework of reference points from which to make informed judgments. These reference points help refine decisions and enable the person build confidence in their judgment. Confident problem solvers thrive no matter what the job because they have learned that trial and error is something to be valued.
Those coming of age prior to menu-driven technology learned how to solve problems and make calculated decisions based on the experiences in their lives. Everyone of that age can remember the critical mistakes they made and hard lessons they’ve learned. While not pleasant at the time, they grew from these discomforts, increasingly confident of being able to navigate the challenges of everyday relationships, obstacles and consequences.
Millennials have had a much different experience. Between helicopter parents, policy makers focused on fairness, merchants selling convenience and the all-powerful “escape” button on keyboards, many in this generation have assumed that there is always a way to avoid the discomfort of learning “the hard way.” But . . . learning through trial and error when there is no going back is the way the scaffolding of life is erected.
Many Millennials struggle with everyday problem-solving.
These are all real examples, gleaned from our work with managers. If you’ve seen these behaviors in your workplace, then this webinar is for you! Click the Buy Now button to register.
Allow 24 hours for the webinar confirmation link to reach you. Want your young workers to take the initiative? We’ll show you how. We will teach you a SIMPLE five-step process for getting Millennials to solve problems independently, every single day. We’ll show you how to encourage the scaffolding practices so critical to ensuring the development of critical thinking skills. We’ll share the fail-safe secret for reliably assessing an applicant’s problem solving strengths and weaknesses before hiring. Using these principles and others, we’ll will help you turn your Millennial team members into independent critical thinkers, releasing more time for you to get your work done and thrive in your job.
Bob Wendover has written the book on it!
Bob has spent more than a decade studying the impact of menu-driven thinking on the critical thinking development of those under 30. In fact, he coined the term. As director of The Center for Generational Studies, he has been on the frontline of this revolution. He has met with and interviewed hundreds of managers and educators who deal with this phenomenon in their classes and workplaces day after day. He’s discovered what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to fostering critical thinking skills in this impatient and demanding generation. In his forthcoming book, Common Sense by Friday, he explains the reason for this phenomenon. But more importantly, he identifies what effective managers are doing to teach these young people to be resourceful thinkers. He’ll share these insights and strategies in this one-of-a-kind webinar.
Allow 24 hours for the webinar confirmation link to reach you.
Here’s what we’ll cover . . .
Enrollment is limited in this session. We want to make this as practical as possible. That means there’s got to be time for you to process what you’re learning with those around you. We can’t do this if there are too many people and too many questions.
We’re scheduling this webinar for sixty minutes, but Bob will be on the line for ninety to answer all the questions and address all the issues you have. Like you, we’ve been through too many sessions where there’s lots of information, but no real learning. We’ll make sure you leave this webinar with practical strategies for fostering problem solving practices among those on your team. Here’s what you get . . .
How much? Just $79
Where else can you get a content-packed session like this for less than $80? Sure, you can sign up for something free, but you generally get what you pay for. Besides, even marginally improving the problem solving practices of your team will add to your bottom line and make you look good in front of the boss. On top of that, you get access to the session recording so you can pick up the finer points on the second or third time around.
Reserve your space today!
Don’t forget, we’re limiting the session to 25 connections. Remember that you can have as many people in the room as you wish on your end. Make it a lunch-n-learn. Schedule a staff training around it. Build it into a management meeting. Or just listen in yourself while you’re getting other work done. The truth is most people wait until the last minute to sign up for webinars, but you don’t want to lose out on this one-of-a-kind, limited-enrollment session. Click the Buy Now button below to reserve your spot!
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