hi everyone happy new year my year sort
of ended and started with a bit of a
bang I’m sure a lot of people here saw
this an interview I did with inside
quest and one of the questions he asked
me about Millennials somebody had taken
that answer I’d put it on YouTube and
then somebody else put it on Facebook
and it kind of went bonkers it broke the
internet for a day there so so so
totally surreal so I thought what I
would do is lots of people been
commenting and lots of questions and
criticisms and it’s all good
and I thought I would answer some of it
and respond to some of it personally I
wanted to share the background of where
that answer came from as I travel around
and have meetings and give talks close
to it not a hundred percent of the
meetings and talks that I give someone
will invariably raise their hand and ask
me the Millenial question people would
say that they were struggling with their
Millennials in their workforce and I
would stand there on the stage and sort
of like sort of like and so I needed an
answer and so both with my own research
one research sort of observation talking
to people I had lots of conversations I
talked to high school kids and college
kids and recent college grads and I
started listening to them and asking
them questions in a different way so
that I could better empathize and
understand what they were going through
I also talked to friends who are going
through similar things and I fashioned
an answer and when I started sharing
this answer I got some amazing responses
first of all the Millennials who were
sitting in the audience would nod their
heads and it was really kind of intense
for me because they would come up to me
afterwards and say thank you they no
longer felt it was them they no longer
felt alone and they thought that some of
the issues that they were dealing with
with struggling with relationships or
depression they thought it was them and
it allowed them to take a huge weight
off their shoulders that they could
actually ask for help which quite
frankly was really really inspiring so
the background of the whole answer to
that question came from the fact that I
needed an answer apparently it was
bugging people and I think that’s one of
the reasons it sort of went so
viral as well and people asking this
question now I have to say I’m really
proud with the fact that it has touched
a nerve I’ve been hearing from friends
and from strangers that they’re putting
their phones away more often when they
go out with their families with their
friends I’ve heard we’ve had some emails
that people are now banning cell phones
in conference rooms which is just
wonderful in fact just this morning I
heard from a dear friend who he now
turns his phone off at seven o’clock at
night which I love and if somebody wants
to get hold of him they can call him
which is wonderful call him at home in
other words it’s having an impact and
I’m really proud of that even amongst my
own friends
I find that we’re more sensitive to each
other bringing phones to the dinner
table or to a conference table now of
course this is much bigger than cell
phones this is about relationships and
that goes the next point I think some
people were very angry that or at least
concerned that I left Millennials I took
Millennials off the hook that I said to
them that you know that that is not
their fault and the fact of the matter
is that’s true every single generation
is subject to issues of their own
upbringing for example can we really
hold it against those who grow up in the
great depression that they were a little
more miserly than the rest of us a
little more penny-pinching the rest of
zone either grew up in the depression of
rampant sakes
or the boomer generation who are very
cynical of leadership positions well
they grew up during the Vietnam War and
during Richard Nixon every generation is
affected by the environments in which
they grow up and the question was about
Millennials and the the point is that we
have to have empathy not just for
Millennials for anybody people are who
they are because of the environments
which they grow up with that doesn’t
excuse them but it allows us to have
empathy for the situation in which they
grew up in the same goes here of course
Millennials have a lot of work to do
only they can take responsibility for
their own behavior but what we’re saying
is the way we treat them or the way we
think about them and maybe the way we
label them let’s have a little more
empathy for the environment which they
grew up that for people
like me were older didn’t grow up that
way I have a memory of a time before
cell phones before email I went to
college and email was just beginning so
the point is I didn’t grow up the same
way and I cannot relate to how they’re
growing up it’s just about empathy
that’s all it is and I think it’s a good
practice for everyone to have a little
more empathy for everyone else but of
course Millennials have a lot of
responsibility for their own behavior
and they have to take action and do the
heavy lifting
hard work learn the patience to learn
how to build the relationships and
overcome some of the challenges they
feel so then it gets to corporate
responsibility I made the point that
companies bear a lot of the
responsibility here to build
environments in which Millennials can
thrive and that’s still the case I mean
the fact of the matter is as I learned
when I did all the research from leaders
eat last is that one of the primary
responsibilities of leaders is to build
other leaders to take care of people
this has nothing to do with Millennials
this this has to do with good leadership
good leaders teach other people how to
become leaders and I find that the best
companies have robust and remarkable
leadership programs and I don’t mean
teaching skills I mean teaching things
like work skills hard skills I mean
teaching things like human skills like
listening or communication or conflict
resolution things like that that’s what
the best companies do in other words we
are asking companies to please just do
what they’re supposed to be doing this
is not about companies picking up the
slack for Millennials this is about
companies doing what they’re supposed to
be doing for all their employees it will
probably have an even more powerful
impact on the Millennial Generation
however given the environment in which
they grew up so yes companies still have
a responsibility to develop systems
programs trainings peer reviews new
kinds of incentive programs that are
different from all of the things that
came with us from the 80s and 90s that
are for all employees not just
Millennials but Millennials will benefit
a lot so finally I have to say and I
think some people probably heard me say
this before you know I joke that the the
book shop has an entire section called
self-help and it has no section called
help others and I think one of the
things that this the popularity of this
this question to this the answer to this
millennial question has done is it’s
proven to me that we need a new industry
we need we need an industry call to help
others industry where we practice
empathy on a regular regular basis that
we share ideas we write books we write
articles all about how we can empathize
and help others go through life and by
the way if everybody’s reading those
articles those books watching those
videos that means that they’re going to
help us to I mean wouldn’t you want to
go to work in a place where everybody in
that company is preoccupied with helping
each other succeed rather than just
stabbing each other in the back to help
themselves succeed and quite frankly I
think this is wonderful so here’s what
I’m committing to do I want to keep
learning about the subject I don’t
consider myself an expert on any of
these subjects I consider myself a
student on these subjects and when
something sparks my mind I become
curious and I start asking people and
investigating and researching and that’s
what I’m going to keep doing so as I
have more ideas as I have more to share
as I learn more I’ll pop up on one of
these every now and then or write or
blog or something and I’ll share
whatever I know for the benefit of all
of us and please please please keep
writing in email us or post on Facebook
tell us what you’re learning tell us
some of the experiences if you have a
criticism absolutely give it to us but
make it constructive please help us what
we can learn this is all about all of us
trying to make our world our companies
our populations better that’s what it’s
about this is about all of us we can all
take responsibilities for our cells and
we can all help others take
responsibility for themselves also so
let us work together let’s be the
catalyst for building the help others
industry what a wonderful way to start
the year we’re going to build an
industry together thank you very much
and I will probably do one of these
again soon as I
keep learning so yeah thanks very much
and thanks for helping me spread the
message I can’t tell you how powerful
it’s been the past few days and it’s
going to be an amazing year happy new
year everyone
of ended and started with a bit of a
bang I’m sure a lot of people here saw
this an interview I did with inside
quest and one of the questions he asked
me about Millennials somebody had taken
that answer I’d put it on YouTube and
then somebody else put it on Facebook
and it kind of went bonkers it broke the
internet for a day there so so so
totally surreal so I thought what I
would do is lots of people been
commenting and lots of questions and
criticisms and it’s all good
and I thought I would answer some of it
and respond to some of it personally I
wanted to share the background of where
that answer came from as I travel around
and have meetings and give talks close
to it not a hundred percent of the
meetings and talks that I give someone
will invariably raise their hand and ask
me the Millenial question people would
say that they were struggling with their
Millennials in their workforce and I
would stand there on the stage and sort
of like sort of like and so I needed an
answer and so both with my own research
one research sort of observation talking
to people I had lots of conversations I
talked to high school kids and college
kids and recent college grads and I
started listening to them and asking
them questions in a different way so
that I could better empathize and
understand what they were going through
I also talked to friends who are going
through similar things and I fashioned
an answer and when I started sharing
this answer I got some amazing responses
first of all the Millennials who were
sitting in the audience would nod their
heads and it was really kind of intense
for me because they would come up to me
afterwards and say thank you they no
longer felt it was them they no longer
felt alone and they thought that some of
the issues that they were dealing with
with struggling with relationships or
depression they thought it was them and
it allowed them to take a huge weight
off their shoulders that they could
actually ask for help which quite
frankly was really really inspiring so
the background of the whole answer to
that question came from the fact that I
needed an answer apparently it was
bugging people and I think that’s one of
the reasons it sort of went so
viral as well and people asking this
question now I have to say I’m really
proud with the fact that it has touched
a nerve I’ve been hearing from friends
and from strangers that they’re putting
their phones away more often when they
go out with their families with their
friends I’ve heard we’ve had some emails
that people are now banning cell phones
in conference rooms which is just
wonderful in fact just this morning I
heard from a dear friend who he now
turns his phone off at seven o’clock at
night which I love and if somebody wants
to get hold of him they can call him
which is wonderful call him at home in
other words it’s having an impact and
I’m really proud of that even amongst my
own friends
I find that we’re more sensitive to each
other bringing phones to the dinner
table or to a conference table now of
course this is much bigger than cell
phones this is about relationships and
that goes the next point I think some
people were very angry that or at least
concerned that I left Millennials I took
Millennials off the hook that I said to
them that you know that that is not
their fault and the fact of the matter
is that’s true every single generation
is subject to issues of their own
upbringing for example can we really
hold it against those who grow up in the
great depression that they were a little
more miserly than the rest of us a
little more penny-pinching the rest of
zone either grew up in the depression of
rampant sakes
or the boomer generation who are very
cynical of leadership positions well
they grew up during the Vietnam War and
during Richard Nixon every generation is
affected by the environments in which
they grow up and the question was about
Millennials and the the point is that we
have to have empathy not just for
Millennials for anybody people are who
they are because of the environments
which they grow up with that doesn’t
excuse them but it allows us to have
empathy for the situation in which they
grew up in the same goes here of course
Millennials have a lot of work to do
only they can take responsibility for
their own behavior but what we’re saying
is the way we treat them or the way we
think about them and maybe the way we
label them let’s have a little more
empathy for the environment which they
grew up that for people
like me were older didn’t grow up that
way I have a memory of a time before
cell phones before email I went to
college and email was just beginning so
the point is I didn’t grow up the same
way and I cannot relate to how they’re
growing up it’s just about empathy
that’s all it is and I think it’s a good
practice for everyone to have a little
more empathy for everyone else but of
course Millennials have a lot of
responsibility for their own behavior
and they have to take action and do the
heavy lifting
hard work learn the patience to learn
how to build the relationships and
overcome some of the challenges they
feel so then it gets to corporate
responsibility I made the point that
companies bear a lot of the
responsibility here to build
environments in which Millennials can
thrive and that’s still the case I mean
the fact of the matter is as I learned
when I did all the research from leaders
eat last is that one of the primary
responsibilities of leaders is to build
other leaders to take care of people
this has nothing to do with Millennials
this this has to do with good leadership
good leaders teach other people how to
become leaders and I find that the best
companies have robust and remarkable
leadership programs and I don’t mean
teaching skills I mean teaching things
like work skills hard skills I mean
teaching things like human skills like
listening or communication or conflict
resolution things like that that’s what
the best companies do in other words we
are asking companies to please just do
what they’re supposed to be doing this
is not about companies picking up the
slack for Millennials this is about
companies doing what they’re supposed to
be doing for all their employees it will
probably have an even more powerful
impact on the Millennial Generation
however given the environment in which
they grew up so yes companies still have
a responsibility to develop systems
programs trainings peer reviews new
kinds of incentive programs that are
different from all of the things that
came with us from the 80s and 90s that
are for all employees not just
Millennials but Millennials will benefit
a lot so finally I have to say and I
think some people probably heard me say
this before you know I joke that the the
book shop has an entire section called
self-help and it has no section called
help others and I think one of the
things that this the popularity of this
this question to this the answer to this
millennial question has done is it’s
proven to me that we need a new industry
we need we need an industry call to help
others industry where we practice
empathy on a regular regular basis that
we share ideas we write books we write
articles all about how we can empathize
and help others go through life and by
the way if everybody’s reading those
articles those books watching those
videos that means that they’re going to
help us to I mean wouldn’t you want to
go to work in a place where everybody in
that company is preoccupied with helping
each other succeed rather than just
stabbing each other in the back to help
themselves succeed and quite frankly I
think this is wonderful so here’s what
I’m committing to do I want to keep
learning about the subject I don’t
consider myself an expert on any of
these subjects I consider myself a
student on these subjects and when
something sparks my mind I become
curious and I start asking people and
investigating and researching and that’s
what I’m going to keep doing so as I
have more ideas as I have more to share
as I learn more I’ll pop up on one of
these every now and then or write or
blog or something and I’ll share
whatever I know for the benefit of all
of us and please please please keep
writing in email us or post on Facebook
tell us what you’re learning tell us
some of the experiences if you have a
criticism absolutely give it to us but
make it constructive please help us what
we can learn this is all about all of us
trying to make our world our companies
our populations better that’s what it’s
about this is about all of us we can all
take responsibilities for our cells and
we can all help others take
responsibility for themselves also so
let us work together let’s be the
catalyst for building the help others
industry what a wonderful way to start
the year we’re going to build an
industry together thank you very much
and I will probably do one of these
again soon as I
keep learning so yeah thanks very much
and thanks for helping me spread the
message I can’t tell you how powerful
it’s been the past few days and it’s
going to be an amazing year happy new
year everyone
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