I was sitting at a meeting the other day, when a gentleman started to ask a very long question. The woman sitting next to me had started a networking company, and about mid-way through his question, she leaned over and said, “You should be sure to introduce yourself to this guy - he’s passionate about the same things you are.”

The funny thing was, I had completely tuned him out because the question was so long. Meanwhile, she was listening and realized that he was passionate about my work, and that he might be a huge fan, supporter, or even asset to us some day.

It was a valuable lesson for me about one little thing (listening) that you can do to improve your networking skills.

What can you teach your employees about connecting with clients, co-workers, supervisors, or strangers that will improve your business?

Smith Optics has some pretty bad-ass branding going on. If you’re going to pick up a new pair of aviators from them, you’ll notice that each of their throwback aviator styles is named after a cool, throwback movie cop. Serpico. Foley. Rosewood. Taggert. (I’m still trying to decide if the Noltes are a hat-tip to Nick Nolte in 48 hours, or if they aren’t actually an aviator style.) And while I’m impressed by such awesome allusions, it brings to mind a problem I often see facing managers with young employees.

Beyonce knows that cops rock aviators

Popular culture evolves at light speed, and for whatever reason, the day most people step into the workforce, they seem to freeze-frame the pop culture of that moment and let further developments pass them by. (I know I’m slipping. I wasn’t even aware of the Twilight trend until I saw it lampooned on South Park.)

Now, it’s no surprise that busy people don’t have as much time to watch movies and buy CDs as their less time-committed counterparts. So, what’s the big deal?

The big deal is that popular culture is an important part of relationship building, particularly with young employees. And when you’re even a couple years behind, you’d just as well be on the moon.

Popular culture is often a huge part of the life of young people. Certainly part of its impact is that young people have the time to pay attention to it. But a large part if the power that pop holds for young people is that it allows a mode of expression. Whether it’s by visibly accepting or rejecting current trends, a young person can tell the world a lot about himself. The explosion in popularity of social media has made it abundantly clear that self-expression is high on the list of priorities for young people.

And this is why being even a little bit connected to current popular culture can yield dividends for the managers looking to connect with their employees. (Which, I’ll say again and again, is any manager looking to minimize turnover, lead an effective team of young employees, and, in so doing, make money.)

There is some art to talking pop with your employees, but it need not be intimidating. Four simple guidelines:

1. Don’t be afraid to be informed

Note: not be cool. Be informed. Find a popular show you enjoy and watch it. Check out the radio station or artists most popular with your employees. Go see the flick they’re all talking about. Give yourself one hour per week to check out so-called youth culture, and find something about it that you enjoy so it won’t be a chore. You don’t have to be all-knowing, but you should have at least a passing familiarity with a few bands, shows, or movies that your employees really hone in on.

2. Don’t be afraid to be ignorant

If you check out a show and don’t like it, don’t try to pretend you did. Certainly don’t try to pretend that you know more about it than you do. The truth is that for every bit of credibility you can gain with a single great popular culture reference, you can lose ten times as much with a single botched one. If you’re asked about something you’re not familiar with, the worst that can happen if you’re honest is that you’re seen as honest, if a bit out of touch. Whereas if you lie, you can be called anything from a tool to a poser… and out of touch.

3. Don’t be afraid to share your opinions

Did you think Transformers 2 was awful? Don’t be afraid to share the truth if you’re asked. You might not want to hammer it as “fare appropriate only for immature troglodytes,” but if you say “I didn’t like it,” and can even explain how you felt the movie could have been improved (e.g., a plot), you’ll be able to engage in a conversation that can connect you to your young employees. Remember: Not all young people like exactly the same books, movies, tv shows, or bands. There’s no reason you should either.

4. Don’t be afraid to share some throwbacks every once in a while

There’s a reason you loved them when they first came out, and odds are good that a young employee with tastes like yours will, too. If it comes up, don’t hesitate to bring in a CD or DVD to share with a young employee. So long as it was thoughtful and genuine, they’ll appreciate the effort, even if they don’t think it’s that cool. Better yet, if they do like it, you might be bringing back aviator shades in no time.

At one of the national brand restaurants I worked for, we received two e-mails:

• Each was concerned with a complaint from a customer.

• Each included the text of the original complaint.

• Each was forwarded to us from the highest levels of the company.

• Only one was worth a damn.

The first e-mail was from the president of the company. It began with a letter from a customer who was a doctor. He had observed an employee accidentally cut himself. No big deal normally, but instead of properly sanitizing the knife, board, and area where he bled, the employee wiped it with a paper towel and kept serving customers. As anyone with any experience in restaurants, blood, or basic common sense can tell you, this is a major no-no and unfairly puts customers at risk.

The second e-mail was from our franchise group’s operating partner. It, too, began with a letter from a customer. This customer had been using the restroom and observed one of the restaurant’s managers leave the restroom after performing the kind of hand washing (three, maybe five seconds, no soap) that is more likely to spread disease than it is to kill it. Again, anyone familiar with food service, pathogens, or common sense can tell you that this was a major no-no that unfairly put customers at risk.

Both e-mails contained some talking points from the president or operating partner along the lines of “don’t do this - there will be consequences,” and delivering that message was the point of sending the e-mails.

So, what was the difference between these two e-mails?

It was the customer’s complaint.

In the first e-mail, the writer was respectful, clearly thoughtful and educated, and seemed concerned that this dangerous event be properly addressed. He recounted his observations, shared the consequences he could foresee from the problem, and politely requested further information. By the end of the e-mail, I wanted to apologize to him and guarantee that the situation would improve, despite having no involvement in it. The e-mail carried a gravity and level of impartiality that only eyes from outside of the organization could.

In the second e-mail, the writer was belligerent, profane, insulting, and even went so far as to suggest that the manager was intentionally trying to get customers sick. (An absurd accusation on its face - one that seems even more reckless to anyone who has ever experienced the hurried result of needing to pee during a rush.) By the end of the e-mail, I wanted to find this guy and punch him in the throat. It gave him a level of credibility on par with Baghdad Bob.

Both of these e-mails addressed very serious problems that were direct results of customer complaints by sharing the complaint. The problem was that the second complaint was made by someone who was (and this is being generous) so upset that he lost any sense of how to properly address his concerns.

I knew the operating partner who forwarded the e-mail, and I can tell you that he was not abusive, demeaning, or even ill-tempered. He was a great person to work for. But when he chose to forward the text of that e-mail, he made it his message, along with its curmudgeonly demeanor.

Given the importance that the delivery of your messages has for your young employees, my claim that the second e-mail wasn’t worth a damn isn’t entirely accurate. That second e-mail was worse: it was downright damaging.

The Ford motor company has a lot to teach other businesses in America.

Ford is the only of the three major US auto manufacturers that didn’t need a bailout, and if that wasn’t impressive enough, Ford just reported a $1B 3rd Quarter profit. (That’s $1,000,000,000 - it looks so much sexier when you write it out.) This is a company run by very savvy business minds.

So if you can’t beat ‘em, learn from ‘em.

Business Week recently wrote about Ford’s social media campaign for the Ford Fiesta, and anyone thinking about social media applications in his business should consider the story required reading. If you haven’t heard of the Fiesta, don’t worry - it’s a model that hasn’t been released in the States yet and won’t be until early 2010. Nonetheless, Ford’s social media marketing for it has been underway for some time. The campaign, dubbed the Fiesta Movement, involved Ford giving 100 Ford Fiestas to social media users who would then create content about the vehicle.

(Complete non sequiter: Am I the only one mystified by the way car model years work? The model that will reach the US in early 2010 is the 2011 Ford Fiesta. How is it not a 2010 Ford Fiesta?)

Like Ford, most people now recognize that anyone who tells you social media are a panacea that generates millions of dollars for free is trying to fleece you. (And those who don’t realize it aren’t bothered by such pedestrian concerns - they’re expecting a large check from a Nigerian prince to arrive any minute.) At the bare minimum, serious investments of time and energy must be put into social media strategies to generate any ROI.

And Ford illustrates this brilliantly. A full 25% of Ford’s marketing budget for 2009 is going to digital and social media. They offered up 100 vehicles as a part of the Fiesta campaign. They don’t just believe in social technology - they’re putting their money where their mouth is.

But believing is only sufficient for saving Tinkerbell - execution is required to run a successful business. One of the toughest questions we here at Generation Why regularly field from employers is “We know social media is supposed to be the way of the future, but how are we supposed to use these new technologies to find and keep great young employees?”

As much as I’d like to offer up magical keys to the kingdom, the simple truth is that there’s no easy, one-size-fits-all solution. As you read through the Business Week story, notice how nuanced the Ford campaign was, just how much of it was specific to Ford and even to the Fiesta itself. Don’t expect any recruiting or retention efforts you make with the new technologies to require any less nuance or skill.

With that caution, there are a number of lessons I pulled out of the Fiesta Movement that are as relevant to marketing your employment brand to Gen Y as they are to marketing a new vehicle.

1. It’s user-driven. (Pun intended. Sue me.)

Ford has taken the great leap of faith and is allowing the end users of the product to be the generators of the content at the heart of its campaign. Odds are good there is some oversight, but for the most part this isn’t a top-down hierarchical approach to spreading the word about the Fiesta - it’s a word-of-mouth and peer-to-peer campaign. That translates into credibility.

Note also that Ford was looking for certain users. They weren’t trying to please everyone. They didn’t want the entire world to love the Fiesta. Instead, they sought out 100 people who were excited about the vehicle and would serve as ambassadors for it.

2. It’s measured.

Measurement is great because it allows you to prove the value you’ve created for a client or employer. More importantly, though, you can measure a campaign and see if it’s working. One of the great things about social media is that they’re agile. If Plan A isn’t working, it’s much easier to change your blog campaign to Plan B, C, or even D than it is to pull the plug on a national television campaign.

3. It’s patient.

Ford started this campaign 18 months before the Fiesta hits US highways. Why? Because they’re patient. They recognize that while the internet is a world in which everything can change in a matter of minutes, a really solid campaign will take time to plan, execute, and get to work. Real credibility and trust take time to build. Ford recognized this long before they needed that trust and started to build it.

4. Your turn

I may be sharp (if immodest), but I guarantee there are lessons and applications I missed. Share them in the comments section, if only to wipe the smug grin off of my face.