Old Farts and Upstarts: Managing across the generations

(as posted to the Generation X Discussion List) Subj: New Member Date: 98-06-30 06:07:29 EDT From: TrainMag@AOL.COM (Bob Filipczak) Sender: GEN-X@LISTSERV.AOL.COM (Generation X Discussion List) Reply-to: GEN-X@LISTSERV.AOL.COM (Generation X Discussion List) To: GEN-X@LISTSERV.AOL.COM I've been lurking here for about a week and I must say: Jesus, Mary and Joseph you people generate a lot of e-mail. Which is why, of course, I joined. I'm not going to pretend I haven't got an agenda. I do. Up till recently I was a business journalist for a trade magazine that went out to corporate trainers. Along the way, I got to do some very cool stories. The only one that put me on the charts, however, was a little piece called "It's Just a Job: Generation X at Work" in April 1994. It got mentioned in a lot of national newspapers and got me a bit of attention. Anyway...now I've got this book deal; after four years of talking about writing the book I now actually have to deliver the bugger. True to my disciplined writing habits, the book is due Sept. 15th. So that's where you come in, if you're willing. The book is called, tentatively, "Old Farts and Upstarts: Managing across the generations" and there are three co-authors: me, the GenX representative, Claire Raines, the Boomer rep and Ron Zemke, the GI Joe Gen spokesperson. So, since you all seem verbally active and more than a little fun to follow, I could just lurk here and pick up tidbits and, more importantly, ambiance.... Or I could throw out questions over the next two months, quizzing, survey and generally making a pest of myself in order to get this book done and move on to more important things. I choose the latter. So if any of you have some stories about working with Boomers, either positive or negative, or with the GI Joe Generation (55+) that you'd like to share, please send them my way. We can keep this private of make it more public (my preference) since people usually have strong opinions about their work and how they are managed. For the record: I'm pro-union, pro dog castration (Twas such a good idea, I thought, that I got myself a vasectomy), and currently pro-stituting my skills for a regional brokerage firm in Minneapolis. I'm on my second marriage, I've got two big dogs that drag me around the neighborhood and I'm a serious writer of fiction. My poetry should never be left in an open container and I ride a moped to work every morning until the snow flies. Finally, the reason I got attention for the 94 article is, I think, because it was the first piece in the popular media to portray our generation in a positive light. I myself am 36, so I'm right on the cusp, but have always identified with this group and will continue to do so. If any of you wants an e-mail copy of the article I wrote four years ago (edited by Boomers, you can tell), e-mail me a message privately and I'll send it to you. Thanks. Lagduf "You live and you learn, or you don't live long." --Lazarus Long --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send the command (without quotes) "SIGNOFF GEN-X" to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM. If you have questions about the list, write to: GEN-X-REQUEST@LISTSERV.AOL.COM --------------------------------------------------------------------- Gen-X: Where you can touch anywhere you want and not have it hurt.

Does all that mean we have to stop being vulgar now?

yeah, how much of our conversations will be included in the study?

don't even know if he'll show up, I just invited him... and, I don't think we always have a choice with the vulgar...

(response number one to the above post) Subj: Re: New Member Date: 98-06-30 12:40:19 EDT From: nlarge@indiana.edu (Nathan Large) Sender: GEN-X@LISTSERV.AOL.COM (Generation X Discussion List) Reply-to: GEN-X@LISTSERV.AOL.COM (Generation X Discussion List) To: GEN-X@LISTSERV.AOL.COM On Mon, 29 Jun 1998, Bob Filipczak wrote: I'm not going to pretend I haven't got an agenda. I do. Up till recently I was a business journalist for a trade magazine that went out to corporate trainers. Along the way, I got to do some very cool stories. The only one that put me on the charts, however, was a little piece called "It's Just a Job: Generation X at Work" in April 1994. It got mentioned in a lot of national newspapers and got me a bit of attention. <genx cliche> DANGER, Will Robinson, DANGER! </genx cliche off> Seriously, just this paragraph set off little blinking alarm lights all over my mental space. "Business Journalist"? "Trade Magazine"? "Corporate trainers"?!?! So that's where you come in, if you're willing. The book is called, tentatively, "Old Farts and Upstarts: Managing across the generations" and there are three co-authors: me, the GenX representative, Claire Raines, the Boomer rep and Ron Zemke, the GI Joe Gen spokesperson. The warning lights are still blinking full-strength. Can you see your co-authors, or do you just have to talk to the boxes they're in? So, since you all seem verbally active and more than a little fun to follow, I could just lurk here and pick up tidbits and, more importantly, ambiance.... This would be preferred... Or I could throw out questions over the next two months, quizzing, survey and generally making a pest of myself in order to get this book done and move on to more important things. I choose the latter. I think you'll find that we reject the latter. Frequently. Ever study anthropology? One of the recurring themes is that a 'culture' reacts negatively to outsiders barging about, asking questions, and getting into everything without showing respect for their society and traditions. A mailing list, particularly one like this one, may not be quite so complex, but there are traditions and a 'society'. The more appropriate, and frankly, more successful, method of observation would be the former, to join the society, learn from within, and observe without making your presence obvious. Even if you are already part of a society, self-examination isn't pleasant at times. Besides, if you just give us questionairres and surveys, we might just LIE. Ever notice how the first wave of 'Gen-X' articles was full of total bullshit? Folks on a deadline, accepting whatever they were told by some skater-slacker-noseringed-20something, and printing the greatest misinformation campaign of the decade. The sad thing is, the conformist mass of teens bought into it... and the joke backfired. For the record: I'm pro-union, pro dog castration (Twas such a good idea, I thought, that I got myself a vasectomy), and currently pro-stituting my skills for a regional brokerage firm in Minneapolis. I'm on my second marriage, I've got two big dogs that drag me around the neighborhood and I'm a serious writer of fiction. My poetry should never be left in an open container and I ride a moped to work every morning until the snow flies. I'd stick to the fiction, myself, but that's my reading preference. As soon as I started working, nonfiction reading became too much work - I can't read anything factual without taking it apart and examining the arguments and questioning the data. Finally, the reason I got attention for the 94 article is, I think, because it was the first piece in the popular media to portray our generation in a positive light. I myself am 36, so I'm right on the cusp, but have always identified with this group and will continue to do so. If any of you wants an e-mail copy of the article I wrote four years ago (edited by Boomers, you can tell), e-mail me a message privately and I'll send it to you. Positive lights are good, when appropriate. My beef is with the phrase 'portray our generation'. To accurately do that, without pulling out the Little Boxes, you have to go into some significant details. Apologies for the sarcasm above if unwarranted, but the phrases 'corporate trainers' and 'trade magazine' just don't scream "Complex, insightful analysis" to me. Nathan --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send the command (without quotes) "SIGNOFF GEN-X" to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM. If you have questions about the list, write to: GEN-X-REQUEST@LISTSERV.AOL.COM --------------------------------------------------------------------- Gen-X: Where you can touch anywhere you want and not have it hurt.

I am gathering this is all about gathering 'the feel' and has absolutely nothing WHATSOEVER to do with rephrasing, repeating or reprinting our conversations. As long as this is true, heck... we are an open forum to say the least. Just nowhere else do I want to read myself in any character... I would not feel comfortable here anymore if I thought that might happen.

hmmm...like I said, don't even know if he'll show...

(this would be the second response...) Subj: Re: New Member Date: 98-06-30 14:04:02 EDT From: scp2cm@surrey.ac.uk (Mr Christopher D Martin) Sender: GEN-X@LISTSERV.AOL.COM (Generation X Discussion List) Reply-to: GEN-X@LISTSERV.AOL.COM (Generation X Discussion List) To: GEN-X@LISTSERV.AOL.COM Nathan replied On Mon, 29 Jun 1998, Bob Filipczak wrote: Finally, the reason I got attention for the 94 article is, I think, because it was the first piece in the popular media to portray our generation in a positive light. I myself am 36, so I'm right on the cusp, but have always identified with this group and will continue to do so. If any of you wants an e-mail copy of the article I wrote four years ago (edited by Boomers, you can tell), e-mail me a message privately and I'll send it to you. Positive lights are good, when appropriate. My beef is with the phrase 'portray our generation'. To accurately do that, without pulling out the Little Boxes, you have to go into some significant details. Apologies for the sarcasm above if unwarranted, but the phrases 'corporate trainers' and 'trade magazine' just don't scream "Complex, insightful analysis" to me. Agreed. And remember that the internal heterogeneity of the group that you are - trying to - categorise, may be as strong, or stronger, than the differences between it, and others. I don't mind answering question; as long as I get to ask them to. Can I ask you about the validity of using a group of self-selected individuals who are members of a single specific type of community - with a perverse relationship to the wider community that is or isn't Gen X - and with an age-range that spans at least three of the categories of which Gen X is one: do you think we're representative. I'd argue for a definition of Gen-x based on membership of this list. Let the sample be the population. chris dm --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send the command (without quotes) "SIGNOFF GEN-X" to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM. If you have questions about the list, write to: GEN-X-REQUEST@LISTSERV.AOL.COM --------------------------------------------------------------------- Gen-X: Where you can touch anywhere you want and not have it hurt.

WHAT A BORE!