Catalyst Voices - Ed Young, "To Young Leaders" from Catalyst on Vimeo.
Friday
Millennial generation the next big thing
By Peter W. Singer, Special to CNN
March 24, 2011 10:13 a.m. EDT
Editor's note: Peter W. Singer is senior fellow and director of Brooking Institution's 21st Century Defense Initiative. He is the author of the report, "D.C.'s New Guard: What Does the Next Generation of American Leaders Think?"
(CNN) -- History will mark 2011 as the year the baby boomer generation, which has so dominated American politics and society, first became eligible for retirement. But little is known about the new guard of American leaders, the Millennial generation, born between 1980 and 2005. There are more of them than baby boomers and, at numbers three times the size, demographically dwarf Generation X.
They have already made their power felt in everything from the Facebook phenomenon to the unlikely rise of Barack Obama to the presidency. And they are only now entering the scene. But what comes next?
To answer this question, the Brookings Institution organized a project in which we surveyed more than 1,000 young Americans -- student leaders, kids attending young leader conferences, policy internships. These are kids seen by their peers as leaders and who want to become presidents, legislators, generals, journalists and diplomats.
Our questions ranged from how often they text and tweet to which nation they think will be the most powerful in the world when they are running America. Although we can't guarantee we captured the views of a future Colin Powell, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, the report captures the views of a representative set of young American leaders as their generation stands poised to take over.
Some of the findings were to be expected -- they text and tweet like crazy, an average of about 79 times a day; they admire Apple and Google; they don't think terrorism will end in their lifetime. But many other outcomes ran directly counter to common preconceptions and media reports about today's young people:
-- They don't get their news from blogs or comedy shows. Blogs and comedy talk shows were ranked last as their primary source of news. Newspapers and the evening TV news are definitely losing out, but their first choice is a news organization website. That is followed by cable news shows.
-- Mom and dad, not Puffy or Pat Robertson, matter most to their politics. Some 60% cite parents as the influence on their own politics. This is strikingly different from baby boomers, who tended to think the opposite of whatever their parents wanted. For all their proclaimed self-importance and coverage in the media, celebrities and religious leaders actually had the least influence (2% and 1%) among young people when it came to political views.
-- Isolationism, not globalism, is winning out. Fifty-eight percent of the young leaders think that America is "too involved" in global affairs and should instead focus more on issues at home. This level of isolationism, forged by growing up in the time of 9/11, Iraq and Hurricane Katrina, doubled the number recently seen in adult survey results. Indeed, contrary to the idea of young, globally minded Obamacrats vs. inward-looking Tea Partiers, young Democrats are actually more likely to hold isolationist attitudes than young Republicans.
-- China scares them. When asked to name any countries that they think will present the biggest problems for the U.S. over the next 10 to 20 years, China was listed the second most frequently, behind only Iran and ahead of nations such as North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and Russia. An almost even number -- 42% to 39% -- believe that China will be the most powerful country in the world in 2025, when these young people will probably start moving into power. Indeed, a majority of young Democrats and independents think China will be more powerful than the United States.
-- They don't admire what the TV channel TLC, which runs Sarah Palin's reality show, wants you to think. When asked to name a figure who personifies the type of leadership needed for the 21st century, only 9 out the 1,057 young leaders, of whom about a third were young Republicans, identified Palin.
Other figures with an outsized media portfolio who were similarly ranked by a surprisingly few number were Gen. David Petraeus (1 vote, actually 2 less than Adm. Mike Mullen), Jon Stewart (2 votes) and Glenn Beck (2 votes). Celebrities and religious figures did equally poorly, with just 3.4% choosing someone like Bono. By contrast, Obama, (chosen by 8.7% of young Republicans), John McCain, Colin Powell, Hilary Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Ron Paul (the isolationist appeal again) were leaders far more frequently cited.
These attitudes are certainly not set in stone, as generations and circumstances certainly evolve. But they shed light on the beliefs and values of an emerging generation of leaders, at one of the most important times in American and global history. Like their attitudes or not, young people who think this way now will likely dominate our politics for some time to come.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Peter W. Singer.
March 24, 2011 10:13 a.m. EDT
Editor's note: Peter W. Singer is senior fellow and director of Brooking Institution's 21st Century Defense Initiative. He is the author of the report, "D.C.'s New Guard: What Does the Next Generation of American Leaders Think?"
(CNN) -- History will mark 2011 as the year the baby boomer generation, which has so dominated American politics and society, first became eligible for retirement. But little is known about the new guard of American leaders, the Millennial generation, born between 1980 and 2005. There are more of them than baby boomers and, at numbers three times the size, demographically dwarf Generation X.
They have already made their power felt in everything from the Facebook phenomenon to the unlikely rise of Barack Obama to the presidency. And they are only now entering the scene. But what comes next?
To answer this question, the Brookings Institution organized a project in which we surveyed more than 1,000 young Americans -- student leaders, kids attending young leader conferences, policy internships. These are kids seen by their peers as leaders and who want to become presidents, legislators, generals, journalists and diplomats.
Our questions ranged from how often they text and tweet to which nation they think will be the most powerful in the world when they are running America. Although we can't guarantee we captured the views of a future Colin Powell, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, the report captures the views of a representative set of young American leaders as their generation stands poised to take over.
Some of the findings were to be expected -- they text and tweet like crazy, an average of about 79 times a day; they admire Apple and Google; they don't think terrorism will end in their lifetime. But many other outcomes ran directly counter to common preconceptions and media reports about today's young people:
-- They don't get their news from blogs or comedy shows. Blogs and comedy talk shows were ranked last as their primary source of news. Newspapers and the evening TV news are definitely losing out, but their first choice is a news organization website. That is followed by cable news shows.
-- Mom and dad, not Puffy or Pat Robertson, matter most to their politics. Some 60% cite parents as the influence on their own politics. This is strikingly different from baby boomers, who tended to think the opposite of whatever their parents wanted. For all their proclaimed self-importance and coverage in the media, celebrities and religious leaders actually had the least influence (2% and 1%) among young people when it came to political views.
-- Isolationism, not globalism, is winning out. Fifty-eight percent of the young leaders think that America is "too involved" in global affairs and should instead focus more on issues at home. This level of isolationism, forged by growing up in the time of 9/11, Iraq and Hurricane Katrina, doubled the number recently seen in adult survey results. Indeed, contrary to the idea of young, globally minded Obamacrats vs. inward-looking Tea Partiers, young Democrats are actually more likely to hold isolationist attitudes than young Republicans.
-- China scares them. When asked to name any countries that they think will present the biggest problems for the U.S. over the next 10 to 20 years, China was listed the second most frequently, behind only Iran and ahead of nations such as North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and Russia. An almost even number -- 42% to 39% -- believe that China will be the most powerful country in the world in 2025, when these young people will probably start moving into power. Indeed, a majority of young Democrats and independents think China will be more powerful than the United States.
-- They don't admire what the TV channel TLC, which runs Sarah Palin's reality show, wants you to think. When asked to name a figure who personifies the type of leadership needed for the 21st century, only 9 out the 1,057 young leaders, of whom about a third were young Republicans, identified Palin.
Other figures with an outsized media portfolio who were similarly ranked by a surprisingly few number were Gen. David Petraeus (1 vote, actually 2 less than Adm. Mike Mullen), Jon Stewart (2 votes) and Glenn Beck (2 votes). Celebrities and religious figures did equally poorly, with just 3.4% choosing someone like Bono. By contrast, Obama, (chosen by 8.7% of young Republicans), John McCain, Colin Powell, Hilary Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Ron Paul (the isolationist appeal again) were leaders far more frequently cited.
These attitudes are certainly not set in stone, as generations and circumstances certainly evolve. But they shed light on the beliefs and values of an emerging generation of leaders, at one of the most important times in American and global history. Like their attitudes or not, young people who think this way now will likely dominate our politics for some time to come.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Peter W. Singer.
Wednesday
10 Hard Things to Say and 5 Ways to Say Them
By Ron Edmondson
In any relationship, there comes a time where it’s necessary to say things which are difficult to keep the relationship strong and make it better. This is also true in a healthy team environment.
For me personally, that often involves having a hard and challenging conversation with a team member…someone I love being on the team, but know they need correction in an area that is affecting the team. These are always discussions I’d rather not have, but I know are necessary for the continued health of the relationship, the team, and the individual.
Over the years, I have had many of these issues which required “tough love” to address them, but dealing with problems like this have included me having to say things such as:
* You’re too controlling as a leader…
* You can be perceived as a jerk to people…
* Your personal life is dragging down the team…
* You have body odor…
* You’re making unwise decisions…
* You are non-responsive…
* You don’t know how to take constructive criticism…
* You are moving too fast…
* You are moving too slow…
* You are uncooperative…
I should note that not all of these have been said with my current team…for example, to my knowledge no one on my team has body odor…thankfully, but through my years in leadership, I have had to say each one of these statements to someone I was supposed to be leading. Those conversations, as awkward and uncomfortable as they were, always proved to be good for the team and the team member. There have been times when someone needed to have similar “tough love” conversations with me and those discussions always made me better, as difficult as they were to receive at the time.
I have learned 5 principles for dealing with those times as a leader:
Handle as quickly as possible - If the problem is clear in your mind (and usually everyone else’s mind), and you’ve witnessed the problem long enough to know it’s a pattern, don’t delay long in addressing the issue.
Be honest - This is not the time to shift blame, make excuses or dance around the issue.
Be kind and helpful - You may read my post 5 Ways to Rebuke a Friend. Although this post deals more with a subordinate than simply with a friend, the previous post suggestions are helpful here also. Your end goal should be to make the team member and the team better after the conversation.
Have a two-way conversation – You should be willing to listen as much as you speak. You may not have all the facts exactly right…or you may have…but give the person a chance to respond to the criticism you are addressing. This also means you should have a two-way conversation, and not a multiple party conversation. You should address the issue with the person you have a problem with, not with others on the team behind his or her back.
Move forward after the conversation – The person being corrected should leave with your assurance that you are moving forward, and, provided improvements are made, do not plan to hold the issue against him or her. It will be important he or she sees you responding likewise.
Know when enough is enough – You shouldn’t have to have these type conversations too frequently. Talk becomes cheap if there’s no backing to what’s agreed upon. If there seems to be no improvement over time, harder decisions or more intensive help may be needed. If you have done the other steps here, there is a time when tough love says “that’s enough…no more”.
One of the most difficult times for me as a leader is addressing issues like this with a team member I genuinely care about, but I know it’s one of my roles as a leader to address these most difficult issues.
What steps would you add to my list?
What would you add to my examples of difficult conversations you have had with someone on your team?
In any relationship, there comes a time where it’s necessary to say things which are difficult to keep the relationship strong and make it better. This is also true in a healthy team environment.
For me personally, that often involves having a hard and challenging conversation with a team member…someone I love being on the team, but know they need correction in an area that is affecting the team. These are always discussions I’d rather not have, but I know are necessary for the continued health of the relationship, the team, and the individual.
Over the years, I have had many of these issues which required “tough love” to address them, but dealing with problems like this have included me having to say things such as:
* You’re too controlling as a leader…
* You can be perceived as a jerk to people…
* Your personal life is dragging down the team…
* You have body odor…
* You’re making unwise decisions…
* You are non-responsive…
* You don’t know how to take constructive criticism…
* You are moving too fast…
* You are moving too slow…
* You are uncooperative…
I should note that not all of these have been said with my current team…for example, to my knowledge no one on my team has body odor…thankfully, but through my years in leadership, I have had to say each one of these statements to someone I was supposed to be leading. Those conversations, as awkward and uncomfortable as they were, always proved to be good for the team and the team member. There have been times when someone needed to have similar “tough love” conversations with me and those discussions always made me better, as difficult as they were to receive at the time.
I have learned 5 principles for dealing with those times as a leader:
Handle as quickly as possible - If the problem is clear in your mind (and usually everyone else’s mind), and you’ve witnessed the problem long enough to know it’s a pattern, don’t delay long in addressing the issue.
Be honest - This is not the time to shift blame, make excuses or dance around the issue.
Be kind and helpful - You may read my post 5 Ways to Rebuke a Friend. Although this post deals more with a subordinate than simply with a friend, the previous post suggestions are helpful here also. Your end goal should be to make the team member and the team better after the conversation.
Have a two-way conversation – You should be willing to listen as much as you speak. You may not have all the facts exactly right…or you may have…but give the person a chance to respond to the criticism you are addressing. This also means you should have a two-way conversation, and not a multiple party conversation. You should address the issue with the person you have a problem with, not with others on the team behind his or her back.
Move forward after the conversation – The person being corrected should leave with your assurance that you are moving forward, and, provided improvements are made, do not plan to hold the issue against him or her. It will be important he or she sees you responding likewise.
Know when enough is enough – You shouldn’t have to have these type conversations too frequently. Talk becomes cheap if there’s no backing to what’s agreed upon. If there seems to be no improvement over time, harder decisions or more intensive help may be needed. If you have done the other steps here, there is a time when tough love says “that’s enough…no more”.
One of the most difficult times for me as a leader is addressing issues like this with a team member I genuinely care about, but I know it’s one of my roles as a leader to address these most difficult issues.
What steps would you add to my list?
What would you add to my examples of difficult conversations you have had with someone on your team?
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