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THIRTY IS THE NEW TWENTY-ONE

Recently I’ve seen various pieces discussing why people don’t want to work anymore.  Is that true?

When I review the articles, they offer a list of circumstances that drive the perception that folks don’t want to work.  The reasons go from not enough pay to the rise of entrepreneurship.  Really!

In my experience interacting with clients, local universities, and just plain folk I don’t get the impression people don’t want to work anymore.  I do find that new graduates are much more selective about the roles and companies they choose to contribute their talents to for their work.  As is commonly the case with media of any type, social or print, hyperbole rules the day. 

Work drives self-confidence. Contribution to a cause or a goal in achieving a mission makes getting up every morning worthwhile. It’s just that these days young people want more than a paycheck. They have been so accustomed to the abundance of their childhood there’s a feeling that things continue status quo forever. 

I was chatting with a group of young associates the other day and they all were focused on discussing their next adventure in an exotic location or their personal fitness goals and preferred diet.  Of course, in their late 20’s none is married or has children.  Most live in rented apartments and drive older vehicles. So, I commented to them that the age of thirty is the new twenty-one. Boy was there an uproar.  “What do you mean?”  Well, being a baby boomer, the answer was clear. At the age of thirty most of my generation had a family, a mortgage, two cars, and had never been to Borneo on holiday.

The point here is that the impression that no one wants to work anymore is driven by the reality that work is a sideline to life for the generations succeeding baby boomers.  While boomers, like me, are in the waning stages of dedicated work lives. Hence, employers find it challenging to hire and retain a consistent workforce.

Culture, as described by language, rituals and artifacts of a civilization are changing in our time. No longer are the rituals of marriage and family associated with youth. The artifacts of success have changed from material wealth to a wealth of experiences and selfies. The language of work has been replaced by the language of health, fitness, and travel. 

Employers must be aware of the cultural change and adapt appropriately.

  • Clearly articulate the underlying mission of your organization so aspiring employees know what to expect.
  • Offer multiple accession tracks with off-ramps to accommodate a stop-out period for travel or mid-career maternity/paternity.
  • Be open to the virtual vagabond employee through planning where new hires may have an on-premises work requirement for a determined period before remote options are available.
  • Purposefully create cultural norms that represent the business to both internal and external stakeholders.

This cultural change is a tough nut for management.  It’s a 180-degree flip from what we as a culture have been accustomed to for over a century.  It’ll take time and effort to achieve the productivity desired of employees while meeting their intrinsic needs. Remember our friend Maslow?  Today’s workforce places self-actualization achievement over basic needs, they assume they will have their basic needs met somehow.

April 23, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , , , | Leave a comment

College Sports Transformation: A Lesson for Business

In 1976 I joined the Michigan State University Sports Medicine staff as a 17 year old freshman. It was my dream, all I ever aspired to do was support high level athletes in their pursuits. The experience I gained in just one year was phenomenal. Working with Big 10, yes there were only ten schools in the Big Ten at the time, athletes, physicians and Athleteic Trainers shaped much of my life. I loved collegiate athletics. Not any more! I can barely follow Division 1, FBS schools without shaking my head.

The transformation from an extracurricular activity that allowed opportunities for gifted athletes to achieve an education has turned into a full-on business endeavor for college football and basketball. Now, the gymnasts, fencers and swimmers still go to class and take advantage of the athletic scholarships. These athletes ride around in vans, stay in cheap hotels and remain uknown to most people. They complete their studies at a high graudation rate and become contributing members of society, as far as I know competitive fencers don’t demand $20 milllion contracts.

Over the past few years with the introduction of Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) contracts and the Transfer Portal the landscape in collegiate athletics has been entirely transformed. It’s a new world. So new that coaches are retiring, fans have not idea who actually plays for their Alma Mater from year to year and female athletes take a pay cut when they go pro.

The immediacy of the transformation has been so dramatic it makes any commercial business green-eyed with jealousy. So let’s break it down and do some comparison between the collegiate athletics transformation and a typical business transformation.

OBJECTIVE

Collegiate Athletics: Generate growth for the institution and individuals through enhanced revenue.

Business: Generate growth for the business through enhanced revenue.

STAKEHOLDERS

Collegiate Athletics: Institutional Leadership, Athletic Directors, Media Outlets, Individual Athletes

Business: Business Leadership, Shareholders

INVESTMENT

Collegiate Athletics: ZERO (any and all new costs are borne by commercial investors)

Business: Varies by magnitude of transformation and company size. Let’s throw a number at it from my experience in the large enterprise space of $100-$200 million off the bottom line.

COMMITTMENT TO END STATE

Collegiate Athletics: Extremely High, little or no resistance to adoption

Business: Dependant on multiple variables. In most cases resistance is typically high in the early stages as committment to end state is high. Over time resistance becomes higher, if not managed correctly, and committment wanes.

SPEED TO VALUE

Collegiate Athletics: Immediate following court decision and contract negotiations with athetes

Business: On the balance a major transformation time to value is 3 to 5 years.

LEARNINGS

Transformation, when driven by legal means, can be fast and furious much like the whirlwind caused by Sarbannes-Oxley following the Enron debacle. When a transformation is driven by a vision for the future without the stick of legal or regulatory rules the pace is slow, the investment high and the speed to value lengthy.

Conceptually the “burning platform” for change should always carry both a positive result and a negative outcome. Many times a business contemplating transformation will focus only the potential positive outcomes. Putting some fear into stakeholders about the negative consequences of transformation assists the psychological acceptance and adoption of the future vision.

What’s In It For Me (WIIFM). Student athletes are all in! They see dollar signs everyone for themselves personally. University leadership sees millions of dollars flooding into their coffers from media contracts. The WIIFM is clear and strong for collegiate athletics. In business the WIIFM is much softer and more challenging to quantify. Most workers in a business see very little gain from a major transformation. Possibly some reduced manual labor or the promise of contuing employment with the opposite also being in the back of their minds of automation replacing their employment. Leadership and shareholders hope that the transformation moves faster than market forces.

The primary learning from the rapid transformation of collegiate athletics is that a clear message resonates, backed by significant risk of non-adoption with strong WIFFMs for all the stakeholders impacted.

Take a strong, committed stand to your transformation efforts. Tell an honest story that articulates both the positive and the negative. Drive ahead at mach speed, do not delay the change.

April 16, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tyrannical False Choices

In a world filled with decisions, we often find ourselves trapped in a web or false choices. These pesky little monsters force us to pick between two seemingly opposing options with little room for nuance or creativity. It’s like choosing between a lukewarm cup of coffee or a swift kick in the butt. Binary choices are fraught with foolishness.

Society and the business world loves to shove these false choices down our throats. Imagine standing at a crossroads, torn between two paths. On one side, you’ve got the safe, vanilla option – the kind of choice even Sister Mary Margaret would approve of. On the other side, it’s a winding unpaved path to the unknown where your insurance company fails to cover you.

False choices rely on conformity. They’re like grade school bullies, shoving you in the ‘normal’ locker. Follow the rules or there are consequences.

You’ve got to always question the framing of a false choice. When I was growing up my dad would ask me with a smile “Do you want to go to New York or by bus?” Now is that really a choice? What he was actually asking was ” Do you want the answer, or can you figure it out yourself?”

Every choice we make leaves something behind. In my book “Beware the Shiny Object” I talk about the value and importance of Just Deciding. There is really only one choice that is irreversible, the rest of them offer opportunities.

You can break free of false choices and make your own decisions. Leave the binary mindset behind:

  1. Seek Third Options like they’re hidden treasure. When a false choice rears its ugly head give it a good whack and invent other options.
  2. Expand the Conversation to explore the gray areas. Gray areas are where ideas can be synthesized and explored.
  3. Turn Multiple-Choice questions into forced ranked choices. Life isn’t a multiple-choice test – it’s a messy, exciting show-your-work blue book.

It seems everyday governments, businesses, and society give us a never-ending stream of false choices to contend with from what to call each other to where to work to how to mow your lawn. If we all spent less time whining about the foolish list of false choices and more time deciding on what works best maybe, just maybe, false choices will slowly disappear.

April 9, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Selling Air

I’ve been selling air my entire business life. Having never been a hard goods or software seller the ability to sell a vision to clients is essential, it’s like selling air—intangible.

From my earliest days of developing business in the aerospace and defense world where I was selling a vision of the latest and greatest flying machine, yet to be built, to the selling of a new business strategy. Selling a vision of what can be requires skill, strategy, and a deep understanding of the client’s needs and desires.

Just as air is vital for life, a compelling vision is crucial for the success and growth of any business. When I used the phrase ‘selling air’ with my associates recently they chuckled a bit and blew me off. So, I thought it would be a good time to explore the parallels between selling a vision and selling air.

Air is everywhere, yet we only notice its importance when it’s absent or smells bad. Similarly, a clear, inspiring vision may not be immediately apparent to clients, but its absence can lead to stagnation or failure. To sell air, it begins with first making clients aware of its value and the benefits it provides. Similarly, selling a vision requires you to articulate its benefits clearly and convincingly.

One of the challenges of selling air is that it’s invisible and intangible. Similarly, a vision is often abstract, making it challenging to communicate its full impact. Overcoming this challenge, requires skilled and compelling storytelling coupled with vivid imagery to make your vision come alive for your clients. Help them visualize the future you envision and how it will positively impact their lives or businesses.

Similarly, the selling of a vision and selling air requires a tailored approach to different clients. Just as different people have different needs for air (e.g., athletes need more oxygen than sedentary individuals), different clients have different needs and priorities. When selling a vision, take the time to understand each client’s unique challenges, goals, and aspirations, and tailor that vision to address their specific needs.

Just as air quality can vary based on location and environment, the quality of your vision can vary based on how well it aligns with the client’s values and objectives. Ensure that your vision is not only compelling but also relevant and aligned with the client’s long-term goals.

Selling air requires trust. Clients must trust that the air you’re selling is clean and safe to breathe. Clients must trust that your vision is achievable and will deliver the promised benefits. Build trust by providing evidence, testimonials, and examples of how your vision has worked for others.

As essential for life is air, a compelling vision is essential for inspiring and motivating action. Your vision should not only be aspirational but also practical and actionable. Clearly outline the steps required to achieve your vision and the expected outcomes.

Living in the world of intangible selling can be both frustrating and glorious. Facts, figures, and features have no place here. Deep data only confuses the vision and distracts from the story.

Succes begins with showing the value of the future, constructing a compelling story to bring it to life that means something deep in the client’s soul. What is it that excites them about their personal future? About the future of the business? Achieving the visceral commitment to achieving the vision demands alignment with their values and goals, a bond of trust, and a clear roadmap for achieving the vision.

Go ahead and sell some air, it’s essential for life!

April 2, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , , , | Leave a comment