In this issue:
- Announcing A New Revolutionary Four-'I'ed Break Through!
- WHYS HIRING – Give a Little – Get a Lot!
- Word to the Whys
- Whys Blog: Has Profanity Become Socially Acceptable?
- Whys Cracks
- Whys News Archive
- GenerationWhy.com
Word to the Whys
A person only hears what they understand.
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Two monologues do not make a dialogue.
Unknown
The most important thing in communications is to hear what isn’t being said.
Peter F. Drucker
To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.
Anthony Robbins
Nature has given us two ears, two eyes, and one tongue—to the end that we should hear and see more than we speak.
Socrates
Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.
Robert Frost
I remember Dad getting mad when he found all those termites in our house. But I was happy because now I wouldn’t have to go all the way into the woods to find termites for my termite farm.
Jack Handey—Author of Deep Thoughts
See
Eric in Action! Watch a video preview of Eric's
dynamic, insightful presentation style.
Links of Note...
The answers are just a few clicks away...
Getting
Them to Give a Damn: How to Get Your Front Line to Care About Your Bottom Line
the
new book by Eric Chester reveals the management techniques that leading-edge
employers are using to get these quirky, book-smart, and streetwise employees—Eric
calls them 'kidployees'—to contribute in innovative and entrepreneurial ways.
Available now. Order your copy today!
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Announcing A New Revolutionary Four-'I'ed Break Through!
A week ago, while traveling to the gym in my two-seater convertible, my cell phone rang and I heard a very familiar voice on the other end, “Eric, this is Samuel L. Jackson,… stop driving around in that fancy sports car and quit trying to build your damn muscles… And for crying out loud, stop trying to train people to do what they already know how to do! Drop everything you’re doing, and go take your son, Zac, to see my new movie, Snakes On A Plane!” I couldn’t get a word in edge-wise as he ranted for 45 seconds and just before he hung up, he said “I know it sounds crazy, but this just might be the greatest film ever made! So you better go see it or I’m coming after you!”
Make no mistake, folks. This was not a celebrity impersonator; it was really the voice of Samuel L. Jackson, the Oscar nominated actor, and a star I really dig. How did he know so much about me, my car, my hobby, and even my vocation? To say I was astounded would be an understatement.
You see, my son Zac is a movie freak, and he had gone to the Snakes on a Plane website and, at no charge, pushed a few simple menu buttons to order this hilarious and highly customized promotional call sent to my cell phone. Seconds later, my phone rang with Zac’s number appearing in the caller ID window making certain I would take the call and not let it go to voice mail.
This is the most amazing marketing gimmick I have seen in years, and definitely one created especially for Generation Why, the targeted audience for this ridiculous new movie. It obviously is working like a charm, because Snakes on a Plane debuted last weekend as the #1 box-office movie in America.
Okay, okay. I admit it. I just had to go see this obvious attempt to revive the B-movie, even though they’re still charging the A-movie ticket price. (After all, I didn’t want Sammy coming after me!) The film was so predictable, implausible, and downright idiotic that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can’t recall such a cinematic masterpiece since The Blob That Ate Cincinnati!
But set aside my juvenile taste in entertainment for a moment, because it’s the new high-tech, viral marketing campaign used to promote this movie that’s the real story, here. And it’s something that should make you carefully rethink how you’re connecting—or not connecting—with the newest members of your workforce.
In today’s over-sensationalized world of entertainment, where the consummate mediavores are under the age of 25, it’s taking considerably more to break through the barriers of pre-occupation and get their attention, and more importantly, get them to take action. The Four 'I's of this brazenly new promotional campaign are about leveraging technology to communicate their message in a way that is:
- Innovative (a personal call from a well-known celebrity)
- Intriguing (extremely fresh, captivating, and fun)
- Immediate (the call is placed instantly)
- Individualized (highly personalized, one-to-one message)
In your ever-increasing challenge to recruit, train, and manage Generation Why, realize how the entertainment industry has, once again, raised the bar for getting their attention, piquing their interest, and motivating them to take action. Then strategize with your leadership team to see how you, too, can incorporate the Four 'I's to make certain your message breaks through.
WHYS HIRING – Give a Little – Get a Lot!
Jim Collins’ best-selling book, From Good to Great, reminds us how important it is to "get the right people on your bus, and get them in the right seats!" Increasing your application flow is important, but hiring the right people from those applicants is perhaps even more important. Easier said than done, right?
What are the best questions to ask a Gen Why candidate during a job interview to determine if they are, indeed, a good fit for your particular business? Should you simply ask them the same questions you’d ask anyone else, or does this enigmatic generation warrant a different type of interview?
I am working on a new book about this controversial topic and am turning to you, America’s Whys-est employers, for the 50 Best Interview Questions to Ask a Gen Why Applicant!
Help Me Help You! If you submit an interview question that makes the Top 50 list, you will not only receive an autographed copy of the book, but you’ll also receive the finished manuscript before it goes to press; before the general public has access to it, and before it hits the bookstores. Also, unless you choose to remain anonymous, you/your company will receive full credit for the submission in the book.
Don't patiently wait to read this book...help write it! Simply send an email with the words “50 Interview Questions” in the subject line to eric@generationwhy.com. In the body of your email write out one or more interview questions that help you determine if a young applicant should be offered a seat on your bus. Also, provide a sentence or two of what kind of response you are looking for from the Gen Why candidate. Include your name, position, and company, and whether you'd like to be sourced in the book if the question is used. (You'll be able to see the submission before going to press.)
Check out Eric’s latest, no holding back, blog...
Has Profanity Become Socially Acceptable?
On a warm sunny evening last week, my wife and I were enjoying custard sundaes at an outdoor table at a drive-through burger place. Next to us sat a table of three teenagers, two guys and a girl, talking and laughing up a storm. They appeared to be normal kids, but were verbally challenged in that they were unable to complete any sentence or phrase without dropping an F-bomb or two, feeling it was their obligation to salt the air around them with the kind of profanity that would make George Carlin blush.
-more-
Whys Cracks
NOT ADDICTED TO LOVE – Keith Bakker, the director of the Smith & Jones Addiction Consultants clinic in Amsterdam, Holland, says he is expanding his practice to include a new addiction as difficult to break as drugs: video games. "We have kids who don't know how to communicate with people face-to-face because they've spent the last three years talking to somebody in Korea through a computer," Bakker said, adding he has seen signs of video game addiction in kids as young as 8. The in-house treatment, notes an Associated Press reporter, is "for people who can't leave their joysticks alone." (AP)
As rumor has it, that can make you go blind.
