Us vs. Them

A SIMPLER, SMARTER WAY TO MANAGE GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN THE WORKPLACE

• Forget complex multi-generation models nobody can use!
• Discover useful solutions rooted in enduring human psychology
• Improve communication, productivity, loyalty, career planning, and innovation
• For all executives, HR pros, talent strategists, and entrepreneurs
  Millennials. Gen X. Boomers. The "Greatest Generation." How do you get them all working together? It isn't nearly as complicated as the "experts" claim. You just need to understand one simple dynamic that's as old as the human race: there's us, and there's everyone else.

Jeff Havens clears away the foolishness so often associated with managing multi-generation workplaces, and gives you a simple, sensible framework for resolving every generational issue you'll ever face.

Havens shows why workplaces have always presented "us vs. them" dynamics based on age and experience, and always will. Then, he offers practical solutions for specific intergenerational issues associated with loyalty, work ethic, innovation, change, and career advancement.

Ready to get past stereotypes and promote vibrant collaboration across all generations? Then you're ready for Us vs. Them.

For 30 years, discussions about generational differences at work have grown increasingly complex and frustrating. "Experts" have identified three, four, now even five distinct workplace generations-each allegedly unique and requiring their own management approach. If you buy all that, then it follows that the more generations you bring aboard, the tougher it is to collaborate productively.

But the conventional wisdom is 100% wrong. It isn't so complicated-or difficult. In Us vs. Them, Jeff Havens offers a simpler, more intuitive model-and most importantly, actionable solutions. Based on his

internationally acclaimed keynote presentation, Us vs. Them will simplify your workplace in ways you didn't think were possible.

Think of two generations, not five: Older, more experienced workers and their Younger, less experienced counterparts. Suddenly, you can frame generational issues more sensibly-and find simple solutions to problems that once seemed intractable.

Us vs. Them addresses the root psychological causes of generational tension at work: causes based in the hardwired human tendency to see others as "one of us" or as "one of them." This dynamic has existed forever, and it always will. Once you understand it, you can learn to manage it...and when another "new generation" comes along, you'll be ready for them, too!

Simpler, more effective ways to:

• Motivate employees of all ages
• Learn from colleagues who think differently from you
• Inspire more enthusiasm, loyalty, and productivity, especially among new hires
• Prevent veteran employees from coasting toward retirement
• Frame change more successfully
• Promote innovation
• Plan succession and advancement
• Accelerate your own career progress

Auteur

JEFF HAVENS is one of North America's most in-demand presenters. His extraordinary ability to deliver high-quality education in an entertaining way has earned him dozens of repeat clients, all of whom appreciate his insistence that education is the only way that we improve at anything, and that we'll all improve better and faster if we enjoy the learning process. By combining traditional presentation content with the entertainment value of a comedy show, Havens has found enthusiastic audiences in government, academia, small businesses and the Fortune 50, all while still being one of the youngest members of the professional speaking circuit. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Vanderbilt University and lives in Michigan with his wife, Laura, and their dog, Pancake. For more information, visit www.jeffhavens.com.

Contenu

Introduction: Why This Book Needed to Be Written 1

Part One: Simplifying the Picture 11

Chapter 1: Destroying the Four-Generation Myth 13

Generational Differences Throughout the Ages 15

How Marketing Created the "Multigenerational Workforce" 17

So How Does This Relate to the Generational Question? 19

The Four (Totally Invented) Generations in Today's Workplace 21

The Two Major Problems with the Four-Generation Model 24

Chapter 2: The Two-Generation Model 37

And...Your Point? 38

Generation Us and Generation Them 41

Us vs. Them, the Professional Version 45

How the Us/Them Dynamic Operates 46

Chapter 3 Consolidating Generational Arguments (or, Let the Stereotypes Begin!) 53

Two Visions of the Future 63

Part Two: Solving the Problem 71

Chapter 4: On the Nature of Loyalty and Its Effect on Work Ethic 73

The Importance of Loyalty 75

Are Today's Younger Workers Really Less Loyal Than Previous Generations? 76

How Is This Possible? 81

What Is Dunbar's Number, and Why Should I Care? 82

The Rise of the Internet and Its Effect on the Desire for Loyalty 84

The Search for Connection Goes Global 88

So if All This Is True, Why Do Young People Seem Less Loyal? 92

Loyalty Is a Two-Way Street 94

What We Used to Hear About Work, and What We're Hearing Now 98

What Does This All Mean? 101

So What Can You Do? 106

Chapter 5: On The Pace of Career Advancement (In Any Career) 115

A Secret About Every Old Person You Work With 119

Experience, Experience, Experience 121

The 10,000-Hour Rule (Which Is a Lie but Gets the Point Across Anyway) 123

Advancement Is a Process 125

Quiz: Show Me The Money!!! 126

And Now, Something for Old People 130

The One Thing Technology Can't Improve 131

How This Causes Tension 134

Advancement Never Stops 135