2008 June | Texas Blue Lime Productions

Generationally Speaking

Friday, 2008-June-6 by lori

Tammy Erickson’s article, “10 Reasons Gen Xers Are Unhappy at Work” on Harvard Business Publishing, hit close to home with me. I feel like I’m reading a personality profile. 90% of the stuff she says is DEAD ON. (As a teen, I didn’t happen to know many people who got laid off, but that’s just a matter of who I knew and didn’t….not an inaccuracy for the generation.)

My favorite is #9.

And if Boomer colleagues are annoying, the Boomer parents of your Y reports are down-right over-the-top. Xâ€™ers canâ€™t believe the frequency of Y-parent interactions and are deeply turned off by parents who make their presence felt in the workplace.

read the full article

No Comments

Things I Heard

Thursday, 2008-June-5 by lori

I had a great day, yesterday, professionally. Here are a list of things that were said to me.

“Great job, Lori!”
“I just want to say NICE !!!!”
“Wow. What a nice thing to do. Thank you very much.”
“Cool web site!”
“I’m so glad you are here”
“You are the new…you are the future….”

Today, someone asked if I had everything I needed and if I could use any help. I was also tapped to work on a special project. And, two ideas I suggested are being implemented.

I’ve always been the kind of person who will thrive when I know what I’m doing right and shut down when all I hear is what I’m doing wrong. As a teenager, the music teachers who saw my real talent knew how to inspire me: they told me what I did well and then watched me instinctively fix the things I was doing wrong. Compliments coupled with instruction go a loooong way with me.

The most useful skill I got from Zeta I make every effort to start off positive and end positive. And, I hope to give twice as many positive comments as I do negative ones. Not only do I try to do this when I have to give constructive criticism, I need it when I’m on the receiving end. Knowing what I do well is just as (if not more) important as knowing what is incorrect.

Besides, this method brings more harmony to any relationship, including professional ones.

No Comments