The guy was picking out BluRay DVDs like they were candy. He wasn’t looking at price tags, he wasn’t looking at titles. He was just grabbing and grabbing and grabbing. What did the titles or prices matter to him? He wasn’t planning on paying. When he entered the department, he had looked up to see CCTV cameras, and had decided to risk that someone might be watching it.  It had to make him nervous. His palms had to be sweating. His heart was probably beating at a mile-a-minute.

I know mine was.

I was watching because I work nights in retail loss prevention, and having come by way of restaurants, office work, and consulting, I can comfortably tell you that it’s the most exciting job I’ve ever had. There’s no way to compare anything you’ll ever do in a restaurant or office to the thrill that comes with stopping a thief.

When I applied for the job, I knew confronting shoplifters was a part of the job. I figured it would be challenging and a bit edgy, but I never realized how rewarding it can be to resolve a theft.

I also didn’t realize that whenever someone took a dump in the urinal it would be my job to clean it. Imagine my surprise the first time I had to do that. Overall, I love the job, but every time I have to clean human excrement, I begin to resemble John Travolta explaining to Sam Jackson in Pulp Fiction that he is “a race car in the red.”

“I could blow, man.”

How cool are these? (Source)

In addition to moments in which I’m cleaning up someone’s bowel movements, I’m often struck to extraordinary boredom. Have you ever watched a t-shirt in an empty store for six hours, wondering if it will go anywhere? I have. And, no, it won’t go anywhere.

But my mission here isn’t to gripe about my job, it’s to illustrate the extremes of the emotions we face toward our jobs in a given week. At any job, you’re going to have moments when you realize you would do it for free, and you’re going to have moments that leave you so ready to quit that you’re already internally composing your resume.

Often, these moments are unexpected. And part of the reason is that we often don’t know what we’re getting into when we get a job. Sure, you can tell someone that it’s a rush to walk up to someone you know is stealing and confront them, but there’s no way to really understand the feeling until you do it.

But what’s at play even more than that is that we frequently don’t ask about the extreme moments. I know that one of my standard questions when I’m being interviewed is “Could you tell me what an average day in this position would look like?”  I wanted to know how I would be spending the majority of my time. For better or worse, I normally got an answer about what a normal day would look like.

But the more I think about it, the more I think that whether you’re looking to get hired or you’re looking to hire someone, the question shouldn’t just be about what an average day looks like, but what the extremes look like:

What kind of days would you work for free?

What kind of days would make you want to quit?

How do those compare to an average day at the office?

Whether you’re interviewing or being interviewed, understanding the extremes of I-would-do-it-for-free and you-couldn’t-pay-me-enough is much more valuable than simply knowing what an average day at the office looks like. This creates a situation in which someone knows to expect a few of both - rather than being blind-sided by them.

One last thought, though. You may not want to phrase it as “I’d do it for free” or “What would you do here for free?” Because even though I would have caught that guy stealing DVDs a thousand times for free, I didn’t mention that to my boss.

There’s no need to risk her taking me up on it.

Loyal friends & readers:

I discovered today that someone had hacked into my blog and posted a post without my permission. The post appeared to link to some inappropriate content. Should you still have the e-mail of the post, please delete it and do not visit these links - they are likely malicious.

We are taking steps to prevent another such occurrence, and please know that I would never send out that kind of content.

-tj

The second semester of my junior year of college, I was taking Reporting 2, one of the required classes for a journalism degree. By the end of the semester I had almost failed the class and unwittingly created an opportunity that is affecting my life on a daily basis.

I wasn’t giving the class my all. In fact, it’s fair to say that I was screwing up royally. The few assignments I did turn in were half-assed caricatures of good work, and I was barely even going to class. I’m still amazed that I didn’t fail the class altogether.

The professor suggested to the class that we submit columns to The Denver Post’s Colorado Voices feature. The program is an opportunity for writers who typically wouldn’t get published in the Post to run a few columns in the paper. My professor said it was a good way to write a few pieces and build a portfolio.

But I didn’t want to take her advice. I was practically failing her class, and despite knowing that my situation was of my own creation, I wasn’t shy about telling people that I wasn’t fond of this professor because we “didn’t see eye-to-eye.”  I resisted the suggestion until my father called me and suggested the exact same thing that evening.

Then I knew I had to do it. Information from one good source can be a fluke. But two… on the same day? Yeah, that’s a sign.

So, I wrote a couple columns and e-mailed them to the Post. A month or so passed, and I got a call from the Post, informing me that I had been selected for the Voices panel.  My editor and I met and she guided me through the process of selecting topics and writing them.

One of my columns was about Generation Y. It raised a few eyebrows, which didn’t surprise me, given that its lede was:

“All right, baby boomers, let’s get one thing straight: If I’m going to be paying for your Social Security, I’d like a lot less lip from you on the way in which I’m going to do it.”

I got a score of angry e-mails from people who thought I was an impertinent brat. I even got one from a writer who said that I had insulted half of living Americans, and all of the dead ones.

But one of the e-mails I got didn’t contain insults or disagreements. It had a job offer. That job offer turned into a job. That job parlayed into a role in the new company the boss man was building. And that role is growing and changing today.

I never thought I’d be working for a start-up, pinching pennies, holding my breath on go-to-market day, equally excited and terrified. I had assumed that guarantees were given when you completed your degree. If you’d told me that I’d be a part of a new national movement to foster work ethic in teens and young adults, I’d have laughed in your face.

But here I am.

All because of that class. All because I made that one choice, and it turned a small opportunity into another which turned into another and another and became something I couldn’t have imagined when I was skipping class and avoiding work. I don’t believe that screwing up that class has improved my situation today, but I know that class was a turning point in my life.

The lesson I learned about opportunities that day was two-fold:

First, they multiply. Accepting one opportunity always creates at  least two more.

Second, they multiply in unexpected ways. You may know what you’re missing when you pass up a given opportunity, but you’ll never know what other opportunities it may have created that you’ll miss.

In the spirit of opportunities, I’d like to take this opportunity to invite you to check out The A Game. We regularly hear employers complain that teens and young adults lack work ethic. Our goal is to change that.

Sometimes it’s just more fun to be bad.

Too bad that doesn’t apply when you’re running the show, expecting your young employees to follow your lead to the promised land of profit. Next time you’re looking for a quick summary of the things top Gen Y performers avoid in their employers, look no further than the seven deadly sins.

1. Wrath

The days of yelling and screaming in the profitable workplace are long gone. Sure, you can yell and scream, and, sure, you can find some people who will tolerate it. But the people who will put up with that will never be the top performers your less bombastic competitors are hiring and retaining.

2. Avarice

AKA: Greed. If the only thing you’ve ever wanted out of your business, your life, and your employees is more money at the expense of anything resembling morality or a work-life balance, you’re not going to get far. This generation doesn’t describe “corporate responsibility” as an oxymoron; it calls it a requirement.

3. Lust

Lust is a sin because you’re valuing someone’s appearance over who they actually are. The overriding principle that one’s substance is more important than his surface is a staple of the Gen Y mindset. And don’t make the mistake of limiting this principle to its sexual connotation; it applies to clothing, piercings, hair-cuts, or any of the entire range of ways a people can modify their appearances.

4. Vanity

Pride goeth before a fall. And fall your business will if you don’t allow your Gen Y employees to keep themselves motivated by applying new methods to old processes or getting hands-on in the decision-making processes. So swallow the pride that tells you that the old was is the best way and test it, regardless of how unwilling your employees are to make that same concession about their new ways.

5. Envy

You sometimes hear people call this one “nostalgia.” Pretty much any story you hear that begins “Back in my day…” is a perfect example. Times have changed. Things are different. You think we have it easier than you did. We know. Instead of dwelling on the differences, adapt to them and enjoy it a bit. You just might find that the “good old days” left a little something to be desired, even if things still aren’t perfect.

6. Sloth

Remember that one employee you hired who had a passion for Shakespeare? No…? What about the one who played guitar in a rock band? Still not ringing any bells…? I know you’re busy and I know that running a business is an involved process, but if you don’t take the time and energy to get to know your employees and build relationships with them, there are plenty of Gen Y employees who will argue that your managerial style would be greatly improved by staying at home in bed.

7. Gluttony

Gluttons over-indulge themselves to the point that something that was once good for them now works to their detriment. All too often, managers and the people running companies institute policy after policy and checklist after checklist, knowing that a strategic approach to business can be a good thing. But as the checklists and checklists-for-checklists pile up like cholesterol in an artery, they clog the flow of business and eventually choke its livelihood. All the while, your Gen Y employees watch the disaster unfold, frustrated that no one listens to their pleas for the business to be run according to its necessities, rather than its checklists.

Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to try to tackle three jobs at once, but I tell people I’m a stubborn bastard who doesn’t like quitting. Of course, that’s a load of crap - I’ll give up on a 5K if I’m not in the mood. The truth is I have problems saying “no” to people. And when they’re offering me money… let’s just say that “yes” is a comfortable answer.

Before I continue, I want you to know that I’m not even operating on the pretense that this is about managing Generation Y. It’s a very personal statement about my experiences that I hope can shed a little light on my life - and hopefully teach you a bit about someone you know who is like me.

I never thought I’d find myself working so much as two jobs at once, as I’d always maintained that one job was one too many. But time makes fools of us all.

It all started with graduation. Yes, graduation. That gilded moment when you’re supposed to move from the low-paid world of “student” and into the high paid world of “career man.”  At least that’s what schools tell you when you apply. The reality is that there’s a step between those two stages of life, and it’s more like a staircase when you graduate in the middle of a speculative bust. (On the bright side, sub-prime mortgages sound cooler than tulips.)

When I graduated, I found myself working for the family business. It wasn’t my ideal job, but I had already made peace with the fact that no one was going to pay me ungodly amounts of money to sip drinks from a coconut. About a month after I started there, I was recruited by a friend working at a restaurant. I was a little hesitant to tackle the extra obligations, but I would be working with a good friend, and the looming threat of student loans, debt to mom & dad, car payments, insurance, and the reality that I have to save for retirement all suggested that supplemental income was a good idea.

And soon I was working 50 to 60 hours each week between the two jobs. Sure, they were a bit of a strange mix: Pre-employment evaluations for public safety agencies by day, frying up falafel by night. But what the hell, right? I could make my car payments, and I could afford to go out for beers with the guys. Life was good.

As I soon found, though, working that much is exhausting. I started to forget what feeling well-rested felt like and got used to hammering through, regardless of how tired I was. Ironically, what little R & R time I had was spent engaged in activities that were not particularly restful. When you’re up all night at the bars Friday and Saturday, it’s hard to feel well-rested come Monday.

But I felt it was worth the exhaustion and unusual schedule - I was learning a lot. So, over the next few months as my work situation evolved, I decided to go with the flow. I jettisoned the restaurant job for a job in retail loss prevention. After a year at my dad’s office, I started with Generation Why, where my responsibilities have steadily increased. Earlier this year I began working with a photo company - I shoot photos, do paperwork, and I’ve recently been trying to drum up more sales for the company.

And I thought I was tired before.

Some days I ask if it’s all worth it. I tell myself that I’m developing dozens of different skills in incredibly varied settings. I mean, when you spend your morning telling eight-year-olds how to pose for photos and your evenings telling shoplifters to “gimme my stuff back,” you’re stretching your interpersonal boundaries. Not to mention time management, balancing the needs of different offices, prioritizing, and learning how to say “no.”

But as valuable as developing life skills can be, there are days when I wonder how I’m going to put it all to use. And when I wonder if I’ll ever use it, I inevitably wonder if this is worth it. The long days. The  impact on my social life. The amount of time I spend doing things I don’t want to do versus the small amount of time I spend doing the things I want to do.

I’ve never been this exhausted. And while I know that I’m the most skilled, competent, and motivated that I’ve ever been in my entire life, there are days I’d trade it all for one less time-consuming job that pays a whole lot more.

Your turn:

Ever worked a whole lot? What did it teach you? Was it worth it?

Have you ever wondered why Generation Y thinks it can change all the rules? Look no further than this:

On Friday, YPulse’s meredith reported that an MTV Sticky report on European youth included an exercise in which the researchers asked 100 European teens to “‘challenge, criticize, and collectively re-write the 10 Commandments’ as a way of reflecting generational change.”

Yikes.

I’m a fan of generational change. I think that on the whole we move forward as a society with each generation, and that Generation Y has great things to offer the world. But this particular exercise is not an example of the kind of generational change that can invigorate a team, revolutionize a workplace, or commit to an incredible cause. No, this exercise is a perfect example of the pathetic, self-indulgent bullshit Generation Y was raised on.

Whether you believe in God or not, and wherever you stand on the propriety of displaying the commandments on public property, you have to find this galling. To tell you the truth, I’m surprised that this fires me up as much as it does. I haven’t been to church since I was in high school. I enjoy watching South Park, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and other irreverent comedy almost as much I enjoy making fun of people to their faces.  But for whatever reason, when I read this, I could feel my blood pressure spike.

And it didn’t get any better when I read the new 10 Commandments:

1. Have faith in yourself.
2. Respect your parents.
3. Be honest.
4. Take responsibility for your own life.
5. Live life to the fullest and be passionate.
6. Keep your promises.
7. Work hard to succeed but not to the detriment of others.
8. Be tolerant of others’ differences.
9. Be happy and optimistic, even in adversity.
10. Create, don’t destroy.

None of these seem like terrible advice, but do you notice anything missing from that list?

Rule #1 is now: “Have faith in yourself.” The number one priority on this list is Me. Me, me, me. The list doesn’t acknowledge, or even mention in passing, the concept that there is something greater than one’s self - be it a higher moral order, overarching societal utility, or God. But why would it? It’s the result of a group of young people being asked “If you could make your own rules, how would they look?” So, it’s no surprise that the rules are self-serving.

What is surprising is that people feign shock when young people ask why they have to show up on time. As a growing generation, Generation Y was taught that questioning norms was a good and natural thing to do. We were taught time and again the myriad ways in which our ancestors and elders were morally deficient. And as we grew, new technologies were making it possible to question behaviors that had, up to that time, been considered fundamental to the workplace.

It’s too late to change that fact. It’s too late to raise Generation Y again.

But as business owners, managers, and co-workers, we don’t have to accept the notion that everything is open to revision.

• Yes, technology has revolutionized the way we deal with customers. No, customer service will never cease to be important.
• Yes, the measure of a man is his character. No, people will not trust you if you dress like a bum.
• Yes, previous generations have held beliefs about race, religion, and gender. No, that does not mean that murder or adultery will ever be acceptable.
• Yes, I want you to work with me to find reasonable terms of employment. No, the terms on which I employ you are not negotiable once you’ve agreed to them.

Ask yourself which of your company’s rules are negotiable, and which ones aren’t. Be as flexible and accommodating as you can on the flexible ones.

But don’t give an inch on the others.

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.