By Tatiana Kielberman

Sometimes we assume that everybody knows the basic terminology which classifies generations, and we forget that there are many people who have trouble understanding the classifications and characteristics of each one.

In a chat with my older brother, I realized that I know more about this theme than he does. He’s a bit lost.

Our conversation went something like this:

-Tati, I know you are part of Generation Y and I’m part of generation X, I’m 32. Is that right?

- Yes, you are on the very edge of X and Y, you were born in a transitional moment between generations.

- Oh, I get it. And what generation is mom from?

- She’s a baby boomer, she’s 58 years old.

-Baby boomer…what? She explodes babies?

-Ha, that’s not what baby boomer means.

-I’ve told you millions of times that our parents are part of the baby boomer generation. They were born in the 50’s and right after the second world war, came a boom in births. People started to have lots of kids, and that’s why they’re called the baby boomers. The boom is an explosion in birth rates.

-Oh, ok. But let me try to understand. How do you know all this?

-Well, for many reasons. My generation studied English as a foreign language more rigorously than yours. You grew up in a time of constant economic inflation and economic tension. There wasn’t much money to invest in extracurriculars. When generation Y was born our parents felt a necessity to guarantee our future. English was a way to do that.

- That’s true. You’re right. I studied English for a very short time, and I never made it a priority. Mom and Dad also didn’t ask a lot of me, and since I entered a job where I didn’t need a foreign language, I didn’t think much of it. So for me, that’s why “baby boomer” makes me think of exploding babies. I know only the basics of English. But for what other reason?

- Well, maybe I am also more connected to these topics than you are. You have different interests. Also generation Y is a bit quicker. So while you guys were thinking about researching something, we were already “googling,” “copying,” “pasting,” and answering your questions, and we always did this with a great deal of creativity, and a certain level of efficiency.

- Convenient huh?

-It’s an example, I’m talking not only about myself here, but about most of the young people my age. This doesn’t exclude you, as part of Gen X, full of your own history, symbols, and idols. Plus, you were raised in a better way than we were. I bet mom and dad said “No” to you more than me. With me, they had to deal with my “No’s.” And I actually don’t think this did me a favor at all, because I think I would have experienced more personal growth, if things had been a bit more difficult for me. But anyways, that’s the reality of the matter.

-I would say that this is called “spoiling.” I guess, I’m spoiled as well.

-Of course you were spoiled, but spoiled by the lack of things. There was a lack of money at some points. That made it so our parents often tried to compensate in other ways. With me, everything was in my reach, at whatever moment, and however I wanted it. The good side of this, is that I discovered that information was available. I got to research and create. I discovered the meaning of a baby boomer before you. The negative aspect of this is that my thirst is somewhat unquenchable, and I’m not easily satisfied. Perhaps when I become a full-time employee this will be one of my weak points.

-Yes, perhaps you should try to diminish this anxiety you have, that seems so typical of Generation Y. In my case, I get anxious when I have to find a new job. But seeing you today, I feel that things in my day were easier. It seems employers expected the basics from Generation X. A good university, an impressive CV. That’s it. And yet, you guys need much more than that.

-Yes, that’s right. Things aren’t easy, and the question is no longer simply to grasp opportunity. Rather, you need to know what will happen to these opportunities once they’re in our hands. We have to be capable of transforming and making something out of them. Nothing is static, everything changes, all the time!

-Maybe that’s why things need to be so innovative these days. I get tired just from thinking about it.

-If you’re tired, imagine us, and the pressure we go through every day! What I want most is to be happy, doing something that I’m passionate about.

-Well, it seems that you’ve discovered this talent, and you can only improve from here.

-I know, I’m generation Y. I have you as generation X to remind me that quality counts. And I’ve got mom and dad to remind me not to forget what really counts in life.

-That’s right. And what about our kids? What do you think it will be like for them?

-Well, that’s a topic for another day. They’ll probably represent unimaginable speed and velocity, that we can’t even begin to conceive. They’ll make the earth move, and if we do our part, then they will be filled with value. In the end, the most valuable aspect of generations is that even though we live in different times, we all grow by living on the edge. Got it?

-What?

-I asked if you understood what I meant. Got it?

-On yeah, I “got it,”

-Oh! At this rate my own kids won’t no the meaning of yes and no.

-No problem, just like a good gen yer, you’ll teach them in a matter of minutes.

Por Eline Kullock

I ask myself if what the virtual world calls “communities” are in fact communities. Communities, at least in the way I understand them, are groups in which members help each other, protect each other, and establish limits and norms. Communities are founded around a common cause, which holds them together.

Thinking of the communities I’m familiar with, like AA, a community in which members have the common objective of combating their addictions to alcohol.

What communities based on this concept have you been a part of? In school? Even if you aren’t still a part of these communities, are you nostalgic for them? Do you miss them?

I want to talk about communities in the 2.0 world. Are you part of a facebook group or a community on Orkut? Do these groups or communities really mean something to you? If you leave them will it truly make a difference in your life?

And is this truly a community? Even if you belong to a virtual community, it doesn’t really interact with you, and you don’t interact with the community.

You may be wondering what all this have to do with life? Everything.

I believe that this concept of “crowd sourcing” which I’ve talked about many times, shows how communities impact our lives. The power of groups in discipline, order, research, in working together, and in sharing, actually happens slower than I thought. We need to be less idealistic. These pseudo communities aren’t really the communities that make a difference.

Sometimes communities are created for a destructive motive Yet, because of the so-called “power of the consumer” the masses end up analyzing what’s being discussed, sold, or expressed, in a very superficial and often inaccurate way. This exposes individuals and institutions in a very negative way, when in fact they deserve more respect.

Now I’m going to give a very provocative example to illustrate my point.

The Trainee Brasil, community on Orkut conducted a survey to find out what the worst HR company in Brazil is. So a lot of people vote without really knowing anything about these companies, as if this whole survey was no big deal.

What I’m trying to say is that many times these pseudo-groups unite in a perverse, simplistic, destructive way.

Hitler rose to power in a moment of extreme chaos, a time when things where out of control. This is usually how humanity makes its biggest mistakes.

Are these communities in fact fighting for something? Defending something interesting? Defending businesses? Are they doing it with the consistency and concrete proof that it takes to really evaluate something or someone?

Today in the blog “O Cappuccino” I read about the power of social media in regards to products. I question how consistent and thorough these analyses are.

This is my cry. This is my protest. The protest of someone who has been defamed by Mr. Pedro Ethos for no reason at all. If he was part of a community, I’m sure he would have been capable of raising masses. This mass may not understand the importance or force a group can have, the damage they can do. Sometimes the damage is irreversible. It’s essential for this generation to ask itself if they are participating in a community or group without a conscious, and to truly understand what they are getting into.

Are we groupings? Are we groups? What’s the difference? Do we want to be part of a community? Or do we prefer the more anonymous nature of a group? I ask this question because I am part of various groups that from my point of view, make a difference. They build things.

I ask Gen Y: What communities do you want to belong to? Which ones do you really belong to and why? And if you are part of a group, why are you there?

Groups and communities: where can we really make a difference?

By Manuela Mesquita

I’ve always thought of my mother as a baby boomer, but a baby boomer who doesn’t fit the stereotype. My mother introduced me to e-mail, even though I’m part of generation Y. My mother got on MSN chat before I did. She knows way more about computers than I do. I always relied on her knowledge whenever I had any doubts! She downloads music onto her cell phone. She’s always updating her computer with the latest software, and yes she’s on Orkut! (Brazil’s leading social network.)

She’s very present in my life. She tells me to update my pictures. She leaves comments and messages for me in cyber space. She doesn’t have a blog (yet), but I won’t be surprised the day she creates one.

Yet in the past few days, I’ve gotten concrete proof that some things go beyond the cyber world. Culture and the way people have been raised, ends up creating a gap between baby boomers and Gen Y.

A friend of mind has just lost someone very dear to her. The wake will take place in another city. I couldn’t be with her at that moment. I didn’t know how to act.

The first person I thought of in this situation was my mother. I didn’t think twice, I called for help. Immediately she told me,

- “In these moments, only a telegram will do.”

- What? Tele what?

You know, that thing people used back in World War II. In a few words they had to send a very succinct and expensive message. That’s what my mother was talking about!

I didn’t burst out laughing simply because I was going through such an emotional moment. She continued explaining that sending my condolences through the Internet would be extremely indelicate.

I decided to send flowers, along with a card, to the site of the wake.

But I still wasn’t satisfied. How could I be certain that the right person had gotten the flowers? Would my friend know just how much I wanted to express my solidarity? How long would the flowers take to get there? I logged into Orkut, and found that people had left several messages. Now, I’m against this. I find it really morbid. But I couldn’t resist the urge to speak to my friend. So I sent an e-mail, expressing my feelings, and asking if she had gotten the flowers. In less than 5 minutes I got a “thank you” e-mail, sent via Blackberry. I finally felt at peace. At least my message had been delivered.

As far as my mother’s surprising advice goes, it reveals just how much communication has changed. Yes, an e-mail is impersonal. It’s impersonal, and it’s not the most well-mannered way to go about expressing my condolences. But this isn’t important. What is important is that my friend got the message, and that my message seemed to help her.

What I take from this whole situation is that for us, Generation Y, it’s important for information to flow, and to arrive at the right time. We haven’t stopped using our common sense or etiquette. But in this case, the message I was sending would have had no value even a day later. Timing was extremely delicate.

How would I have known that she had gotten the telegram? And if I had sent a letter, it could have gotten lost. Why risk it when we have all this technology?

To generation Y, it would have been rude not to communicate right away, especially since there are so many different ways to get in touch! I do understand my mother’s perspective, and she’s incredibly modern for her generation. Still, culture is culture. Even the Internet or social networks can’t bridge this gap, at least not as quickly as we’d like.

Are we going to buy the Brazilian representation that went all the way to Copenhagen? Do you remember who the Brazilians that represented the country in Denmark were? I don’t remember them all, but I remember that the president of Comitê Rio-2016 Carlos Nuszman was there, along with secretary Carlos Roberto Osório. Lula and Marisa looked emotional. Pele, and Hortência, the eternal muse for basketball and the minister of sports were present. The governor Sérgio Cabral, the mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, João Havelange, César Cielo. Of course our Olympic winning swimmer Paulo Coelho, and the president of the “Comitê Paraolímpico,” Dayane dos Santos. The sailor Isabel Swan, and many, many others. Of course we probably exaggerated our presence a bit, typical of Brazil. But what does matter is that we didn’t board a plane at the last minute, arriving two hours before, as Obama did. I’m sure he had his reasons, but he didn’t act as if he really wanted to host the Olympics.

I remember that many years ago when I was starting my company, Grupo Foco, I was told to go speak to a Belgian consultant about a possible partnership with a large multinational here in Brazil. This consultant was going to speak to three other potential partners, and then make a decision.

Of course I was nervous. I wanted the partnership. I prepared thoroughly, and went to meet the consultant, who turned out to be really intelligent. When the interview ended, I felt uncomfortable. I was better than I had managed to convey in my presentation. I knew I hadn’t done very well in the interview. I couldn’t get over it. The consultant had told me which hotel he was staying at. I didn’t have any doubts: I called the hotel, and asked to speak to him. I explained that I was better than my presentation, and that I really wanted the partnership. I asked for the chance to speak to him again. Sure, he must have thought I was a little crazy, but he agreed to meet with me again. I was thrilled! When Marnix and I met again, it was excellent! We really connected, and kept laughing. The partnership wasn’t founded on anything other than our own enthusiasm and goodwill.

What does all this have to do with the Olympics? Well, Brazil really wanted to host the Olympics. And I feel they employed the necessary creative rage to earn it. The rage that propels you, that moves you towards action.

When you really want something, you can’t arrive in the country two hours before everything starts. Obama talked about how important the Olympics were for Chicago. Brazil expressed how the Olympics would be an incredible and joyful experience in Rio.

What does all this have to do with Generation Y and businesses? It seems that generation Y needs to show just how much they want to be part of businesses (video). It’s not just businesses that need youth. Young people also need the experience gained in these organizations, even if they do end up becoming entrepreneurs later, that is if the business doesn’t manage to retain them.

Young people need to show that they have this creative rage, this will, this desire to learn, to collaborate, to interact, and to belong. These are the skills that businesses need and want to see. This passion for life, the tenacity, overall commitment, and the crazy will to get it right, the humor of the carioca, and emotion which seeps out of one’s pores.

Gen Y needs to show that “Yes, we care.” That’s much more important than “Yes, we can.” But does Gen Y actually care?

Yes. I’m going to write this in the first person. I’ve got some generation X in me, a bit of Generation Z, but I am in fact part of Generation Y.

X, Y, Z. Where are we (young people who have just started entering the workplace) going to find ourselves in this alphabet soup? What do we want? What are our goals and values? What do we expect from the businesses that hire us?

As generation Y, we’ve grown up with very high self-esteem. At the same time, we’ve grown up with the weight of responsibility, which comes from decades and decades of excessive waste committed by our brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, etc. This makes us fully aware of our responsibility to change the way we produce, consume, and relate. If we aren’t careful, there won’t be any generations left to tell this story.

Research conducted by MTV and the Akatu Institute last year, talks about corporate sustainability, sustainable development, and the responsible consumer. The study reveals that global warming, pollution, water shortages, and social inequality, are just some of the important issues that concern young Brazilians today.

Until recently it was common practice to wash the driveway, flooding it with filtered water, or burn fallen leaves on the ground. This behavior doesn’t make sense to our generation. According to the study, 66% of respondents would call attention to or reprimand, someone throwing trash on the ground, wasting water, or wasting energy. 52% have planted at least one tree in their lives.

We didn’t learn the values of sustainable development in the household. We learned this in school, through the media, and even on the Internet. Even though these weren’t necessarily values our parents taught us, they are extremely present in our professional lives, and have a great influence on the way we deal with the corporate world. Sustainable development enters the generational mix, sometimes making it challenging for businesses to deal with the young employees, who will actually dare to put the business and some of its untouchable practices and procedures “in check.”

American businesses specializing in petroleum and gas, for instance, have encountered difficulties in recruiting the best talent, because this generation has a very negative image of the industry. According to an Accenture study, 75% of MBA students from top U.S. schools would consider earning salaries 10 to 20% lower, in exchange for working for a socially responsible corporation.

In Brazil, it’s still not possible to obtain concrete data on the influence sustainability has on young people’s career choices, even more so at this time, with the high rate of unemployment for recent graduates. But even with this economy, I ask my generation, would you like to work for a business who doesn’t care about the environment, who doesn’t respect the consumer, or the communities around which it works? Would you be satisfied working in this sort of environment, in a business that doesn’t maintain a good relationship with its manufacturers and doesn’t listen to what its employees have to say?

*Julianna is a journalist, who majored in Journalism. She is currently pursuing graduate studies in Corporate Social responsibility. She is working on developing corporate sustainability and green business. To learn more, check out her blog: www.sustentabilidadecorporativa.com

By Silvana Avinami

I’m over it. I can’t stand reading about one more Gen X manager who thinks that Gen Y is the worst generation of employees that has come along. And I cannot stand watching one more Baby Boomer manager roll their eyes as they complain that Gen Y is a group of spoiled, ungrateful employees who has an extreme sense of entitlement. To all the over-35 year olds out there I have one question for you: “Do you really think that age is the reason why people lack the motivation, passion, loyalty and commitment at work?” (come on, give me a break!). To all those nodding in approval, you’re just looking for a quick-fix where there is none. Do you really think that all your troubles with your staff would be over if you simply hired people who are 35 and up? I’ll give you a few moments to think about what you’d be missing if you did that. (Fresh ideas, new energy, IT-savvyness beyond belief…to name a few).
Simply put, people of all ages can lack motivation, passion, loyalty and commitment. If you don’t believe me, go for a ride with a 60 year-old cab driver – or a 20 year-old. To those managers who insist that age is the source of their pain – I suggest that you take a look in the mirror – and ask yourself what can you do to empower your staff to find the fire within, to feel a part of your team, to be committed to your vision. Are you willing to have honest and open conversations with your staff about work issues? So honest that you’re willing to advise them to find work elsewhere when you feel that a person’s reason for being is outside your company’s walls?

As someone who’s in the habit of putting my money where my mouth is, shortly after I took over as commercial director of my family’s business, I made it clear to my team that they did not work for me – rather that they worked for themselves.

In our first strategic planning meeting I put up a slide that said (translated from Spanish):

“Let it be clear that…

No one works for somebody else
We all work for ourselves
My primary objective is to help you work better – and as a result we all benefit – that includes:
You,
The company and
Me.”
And has this approach made a difference? I’ll let results speak for themselves. We’re now well on our way to achieving a 10% higher share of sales than we were 3 months ago. And the team has agreed to even higher targets for 2010. Aside from that, my team of 25 to 55 year-olds is more motivated than they had been in years, they’re making decisions, solving problems and taking ownership. Just as in manufacturing processes it’s known that often times it’s not the people who are to blame for errors, but the processes themselves that need fixing – could it be that you as a manager needs fixing – and not your Gen Y employees?

Silvana Avinami is a strategic job hopper and serial entrepreneur. During her work life that spans more than ten years, she has experienced thirteen jobs and three careers in six industries across three continents. With her insight and achievements, she owns the space of self-made careers.

By deliberately taking ownership of her career, this passionate and energetic woman continues to create choices for herself. Among them, taking time off to write full time. Silvana now works as the commercial director of a leading Latin American original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of medical devices – the only local OEM in the region.

“You’re young. You’re inexperienced. You’re a slacker. You’re immature. You can’t hold down a job. You can’t handle any responsibilities.”

Does that sound familiar? Has anybody, lets say elderly, said those words to you before? That’s how my elders see me. But that’s far from how I see the majority of my generation. You heard that? I said MAJORITY. We’re in a tough spot right now. Most of us who are lucky enough to have jobs which some don’t like anyway and those who don’t are finding job searching impossible. Although we’re ready to contribute, we’re faced with Baby Boomers who don’t understand us and Generation X, who thinks we’re trying to take their jobs. Go figure.

I’ve seen articles that try to define Gen Y as some sort of “anti-work culture”. ( http://recruitinganimal.typepad.com/recruitinganimal/2008/12/the-funny-banker-on-gen-y-barbie.html) Granted, most Gen Ys are pretty young and mostly inexperienced, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know what we’re doing or have what it takes to achieve our goals. (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1640395,00.html) Sometimes I think the older generations forget that they had to start out somewhere, too.

Do They Have What It Takes?
Gen Y is not frightened by the future. Gen Ys want job stability and money to fund their lifestyle and especially work/life balance. But, money won’t buy their passion or commitment at work. Why? Because unlike Baby Boomers and to some extent Gen X, they do not have a fear of authority nor of the future. The neural patterns stored in Gen Y brains are recession free, equity based, see plenty of job opportunities and cheap travel and are full of memories (even expectations!) of their baby boomer parents’ indulgences.

There are a lot of stereotypes out there, everything from “we’re the smartest generation” to “we’re the laziest generation,” all of which only make it easier to discriminate. I’m not saying there aren’t slackers among us. I know some of them firsthand. There are those who grew up having everything handed to them by their parents (spoiled brats!) – Gen Xs or Baby Boomers who were able to make it and wanted their children to have the best of everything. These Gen Ys always have the newest material things, their parents probably paid for college and they may have even walked into their first job without even having to try, just because they knew the right people. But I don’t think that handful of people should define my generation. There are many of us who have always had to work hard for what we want. (*cough cough* ME)

Adjust (Or move over, old timers)
Most people, no matter what generation they’re a part of, are scared of change, and there’s no doubt society has changed during our time. Because of this, some older generations see Gen Ys as a threat. Gen Ys are used to having information at the tip of their fingers, and grew up with an array of rapidly changing technology, making them extremely adaptable. While Gen Ys email and beam (with cell phones), Baby Boomers and some Gen X, still send checks and hand written letters.

Why Hire a Bunch of Slacking Multi-taskers?
We’re not afraid to share our ideas and tell upper management we think they’re wrong or that there might be an easier way to do something. Aside from our high values, Gen Y has higher collective SAT and ACT scores than previous generations and is able to do lots of things all at once. And while Baby Boomers and Gen Xs think our ability to multi-task is a curse, (he, he) taking a five minute break to check your Facebook or Twitter is no different than taking a five minute break to talk about your children, hang out in the break room or go have a cigarette.

“Millennials are going to change the face of business,” Nick Armstrong said. “Because we multi-task so well, I doubt the eight-hour work day will last much past the economic downturn. I doubt that the eight-hour shift in the office will last either. Personally, I lack the focus to sit in a dreary office, listening to my co-workers ruminate on whatever healthy food they brought in, hear Nosey Nancy gossip about everything and everyone, and spend half my day getting belittled by a patronizing, condescending, hypocritical managerial staff.”

How Gen Y is able to manage?
Due to the old-fashioned work style Baby Boomers and Gen Xs seem to be satisfied with, many Gen Ys are escaping by starting their own businesses. Many of us feel it’s more important to make a difference and share ideas than to be caged into the typical work style. I’m so proud and admire those enterpernuers who are making this happen. THANK YOU!

My Perspective
I think people my age tend to live more in the now. We grew up with The Dotcom Bust in the late-1990s, the September 11, 2001, and now have a economic recession to deal with. Because of those things, Gen Ys seem to be more concerned with where they are today and about doing something that will make an immediate difference than where they want to be 10 years from now. We do want to economize money and prepare for retirement, just as our previous generations have done, but there’s a more imminent feeling that now is the most important time, and everything else will fall into place. Just because we want to do something fulfilling – and it may take changing jobs 10 times to figure that out – doesn’t mean we’re slackers or unworthy. We were taught to find something we love and do that for the rest of our lives. We’re taking that to heart – it just may take a little time. Have you ever heard of the saying ” Patience is a virtue”? We obviously don’t want work to be our whole lives. Sure, work is important, but there are other things in life, too. That’s why it’s important for us to do what we love and want to be doing, that way work doesn’t feel so much like work and it could be also fun. We also respect our elders, regardless of what they may say. We actually admire and look up to them. The problem in their eyes seems to be that we only respect those who deserve it – those who have made a difference, whether that be in our lives or in any circumstances. We’re also a lot less likely to respect people who have a preformed negative attitude toward us. People should remember that you have to give respect to earn it. I speak of experience. Hopefully, you can accept that things are changing, provide a little bit of a challenge and learn to respect us the way you want to be respected, then you can find a good Gen Y employee. If not Generation Y moves forward without you. We are hanging tough.

Cheila Esquilin was born in the Suburbs of Bronx, NY. Raised in the small yet beautiful island of Puerto Rico. Currently living in Baltimore, MD where she found a group of friends that became into the family she never had. She works in a holistic, well known Pharmacy Your Prescription For Health since 05′. Working there has giving her the motivation to persue her own career inhe medical field. Now, she’s majoring in nursing to become a pediatric nurse. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, blogging, social networking, watching sports especially football, listening to her ipod, laughing and watching her litter sister persue her soccer career. She is very gratefull of the life she is living now and to the people who are in it.

Yesterday I gave a lecture in Porto Alegre. My lecture was part of a Management Seminar which included people such as Jose Tolovi Jr, the president of the “Great Place to Work Institute” and Carlos Faccina, the President of BSP and ex-Director of HR at Nestle. I tackled the issue of different generations and their relationships to each other. There were about 350 people in the audience. True to the city’s name, I found the people particularly “alegre” (the Portuguese word for happy). As we began to discuss the topic of new leadership within businesses of the future, I felt like a knot was forming inside my head…

During my lecture, I talked about how this new generation is filled with urgency and a desire for immediacy. This generation hasn’t lived through the time of letter writing, when it would often take 20 days, to receive news from a loved one. They haven’t experienced a world filled with a calmer, more tranquil, rhythm in which business people conducted large meetings in regards to “Strategic and Operational Planning.” If I proposed a strategic five-year plan to Generation Y, I think they’d look at me as if I was from another planet.

Faccina talked about leadership from a humane perspective. He stressed the importance of recognizing that people are individuals and taking care of them. At that precise moment, as these reflections bloomed in our minds, in front of that huge audience, I began to wonder…

I wondered how to make sure Generation Y would be good leaders. Did they have good role models in their schools or in their religion? What about in their households, did they find “grounding” and “inspiration” there, despite all the breaking and remaking through parents’ separations, divorces, and remarriages?

How are we going to prepare them to lead a team, in a world even more fiercely competitive than Baby Boomers faced? How will they deal with such a different and unpredictable future, where decision-making must happen at the speed of light (sometimes without sufficient information)?

Young people chat virtually, are more egocentric, and question everything. How will they take on the complex role of leadership, all while being a positive example for their team?

The future of businesses might resemble a chaotic orchestra. What sort of conductor will harmonize such a questioning and (at times) disobedient orchestra? Harmony might be found in a “conductor” who is able to convince through his or her charisma, posture, generosity, engaging the “orchestra” in innovation, and cutting-edge projects, where dedication, concentration, resilience, and extensive planning are all indispensible to making the right decisions and achieving overall success.

Laurent Lapierre , a Ph.D in Leadership, living in Canada, spoke about what it means to be a true leader. A true leader knows their strong and weak points. A true leader knows that they are not all knowing, or omnipotent, and are conscious that they too risk falling into impotence. A true leader uses emotion to manage the team, and to make decisions. They know that a leadership-role includes having doubts and coexisting with those doubts. Being a leader also means being human and failing sometimes. Being the boss, isn’t just about getting the best chair, the most incredible office, earning a better salary, and giving orders.

At the end of the lecture, I talked to Faccina. We spoke about our role as teachers, and preparing this new generation for the difficult task of “deepening the superficial,” in a world spinning at a speed which often doesn’t allow for this deeper vision. As educators, this is, without a doubt, our biggest challenge. As managers, it’s our biggest mission. We need conductors who will make beautiful music, despite all the chaos. Leaving Porto Alegre, full of happiness, my mind was lost in reflection. I was truly impressed with the hotel and its service. Upon my arrival, I asked for an ice bucket, and found it as soon as I set foot in my room. The young man who took me up to my room (Generation Y) was grinning ear-to-ear. He was so happy to see me surprised and struck with such admiration. I could only think who his leader would be…

By Ines Schinaz

I spoke with Penelope Trunk, the founder and CEO of Brazen Careerist.com

Ines: You talk about how your own career never had a straight path. How did you get the idea for your blog? Was there a particular experience that made you decide to create it?
Penelope: I was a columnist at the “Boston Globe,” and I was writing a column about Blogging, because so many people were talking about it. I thought the column would be about what a waste of time it is, because I have so many friends spending all their time on their blogs and not making any money from it. But as I was doing the research for the column, I realized that the blogs were helping them in ways that weren’t monetary but that were huge for their careers. So I ended up writing about how if you want a really big career, that’s stable and lucrative, then you should blog. Then I realized, “I don’t have a blog, I should have a blog before the column launches…” So I put one together really fast, and that’s kind of how I started blogging.

Ines: How did you come up with the idea for Brazen Careerist?
Penelope: So the blog got big really fast, because it’s career advice for generation Y, and there was nobody giving it at the time, I mean they were giving it, but it was terrible advice. Then, companies started asking me to consult with them on how to recruit and retain generation Y. I kept telling the companies, “You have to have conversations with Generation Y. You can’t just spam them with job postings.” The companies would ask, “Where do we have these conversations?” I said, “online.” But then I realized, there’s not really a place to have a conversation with someone in their 20’s online, unless you go to Facebook. But on Facebook everyone’s got this really raunchy stuff… It’s very personal, and it’s not a very professional way to present yourself. So I launched Brazencareerist.com for people in their 20’s to present themselves professionally.

Ines: In the post “My name is not really Penelope” you explain how your career became so closely tied with the brand “Penelope trunk” that you actually became the brand and that calling yourself Penelope (both in your professional and personal life) was the only way to keep things from getting too crazy. That post got me thinking about identity in the digital age. In your opinion how has the concept of identity evolved and changed along with the evolution of technology? Do you feel that identity has become more fluid, flexible, and open? Or has technology tied us down, to a more rigid and permanent identity?
Penelope: People who grow up online are much smarter about managing their online identities. They don’t make the mistakes that people who are older make. They are also less rude online. Some people who are older, feel like they have anonymity online, so they don’t realize everything can be traced back to them. Younger people are much better behaved online, because they think of it as public and not anonymous. So I think in general, younger people are good at knowing who they are, both offline and online, and not compartmentalizing themselves in some schizophrenic, messed up, way. I think that this is good. We should all be our best selves wherever we are.

Ines: Anyone who reads your blog knows that you are really interested in the study of “happiness.” In the post “The connection between a good job and happiness is overrated” you express the idea that “quality of relationships impact your level of happiness more than your job does.” My question is, in this “digital age” when so much of our social interaction takes places via cyber space, do you believe there will be a decrease in meaningful personal relationships thus decreasing our levels of happiness? Or will we simply establish meaningful relationships through these new technologies?
Penelope: Well, what we see with generation Y is that they are much better offline, at both communicating and maintaining relationships. So, I think it actually has more to do with a generational experience than with “online” or “offline.” One thing you can see is how differently younger people and older people use Twitter. The average age on Twitter is 40. It’s mostly older people using Twitter to publicize stuff that they do. Younger people use Twitter to meet offline. I think that’s kind of a metaphor for how generations are using online technology. Older people are using it as a one-way conversation, to avoid connection. Younger people are using it to establish connection offline. This is true of lots of different media, for example, “facebook.” Older people use it to get reconnected with people they’ve lost touch with, and will probably never see again. Young people use it to stay in touch with people who they already have meaningful relationships with. In general, I think younger people are better at communicating, than older people… I don’t think it has anything to do with technology. While you guys were having a dictatorship in Brazil, all the American housewives were on Valium, because they couldn’t cope with being housewives. The culture of hiding what’s not going well, or hiding what you don’t want people to see, is something that isn’t as prevalent for the younger generation. They are more willing to share.

Ines: You often talk about how blogging makes you feel tied to a community. In your opinion, are we moving toward a world where “communities” exist mostly in the online world?
Penelope: We know that humans are fundamentally social. So no matter what you do with humans, they will want to socialize. We know that if you don’t touch babies they die. Because of our fundamental human need to both be social and to be touched, we would never, not be in communities in person. If that were to happen, we wouldn’t be fundamentally human. So it’s like a non-issue.

Ines: In your opinion what can we do concretely to get: veterans, baby boomers, gen x, and gen y to coexist most peacefully and productively in the workplace?
Penelope: Fire all the people who won’t collaborate. The employer has the upper hand right now in the job market. We are in a recession. Anyone who is not getting along across generations should just be fired.

Ines: But you don’t see that as being the vast majority of baby boomers who have some trouble getting along with generation Y?
Penelope: Just because you are annoyed by another generation’s take on things, doesn’t mean you aren’t working well with them. In general, generation X is the most annoying to everyone. The baby boomers, everything they do, they think they reinvent the world as they do it. So, they think they reinvented the idea of teamwork, and caring about people, and having meaning in life. They didn’t reinvent it, but their kids, generation Y, are very much like that. The result of that is that the baby boomers and generation Y, at this point in their lives want the same thing. It happens that baby boomers spent 40 years wanting selfish, gross, offensive, things, before they got to this. But whatever, at this point baby boomers and generation Y are pretty much aligned. It’s generation X that’s totally annoying to everyone. But in general, generation X, is getting most of the work done, which is the way it’s been the whole time, with baby boomers and generation X in the workplace. The people at this point who can’t get along, are so far behind the curve, they should just be fired. The consulting industry for getting along between generations is 10 years old. It’s a 50 billion dollar industry. If people can’t get a grip, they are morons.

Ines: Your blog blurs the line between the public and the private.I recently saw an art exhibit by the French artist Sophie Calle, that turned a breakup e-mail from her boyfriend into artwork. The exhibit reminded me of your blog, in the sense that Calle also doesn’t keep secrets, and revealed her private life very openly. What do you think about the concepts of the “public” and the “private” in the digital age?
Penelope: I’m in a unique situation because I get paid to navigate the boundaries between the public and private. So I get away with more than other people do. I get paid to tell people how to have great careers, and people see my career as great. So I can just tell them how to be me. I have a much more murky boundary than most people.

Ines: In the post, “What to do in college to be successful in your career,” you advise college students to take an acting class. Has the need to “act” increased along with our increasing use of technology?
Penelope: Today as things are more open and transparent, authenticity is what’s rewarded. And actually a good acting class, teaches you how to be more authentic.

Ines: Many people argue that we are experiencing the biggest generation gap ever. Will the generational gap keep getting wider? Or do you think the gap will actually diminish?
Penelope: In the U.S. something like 60 percent of young people move back home with their parents. So there’s like not a generation gap at all. The kids and the parents are getting along perfectly. Generation Y kids love their parents. So the generation gap is at work, where older people have climbed the ladder and sold their souls so they can get to the top of the corporation and now young people aren’t climbing the ladder, so older people are totally pissed off. But if you go home the kids and the parents have very similar values.

Ines: Right. But what happens when the values generation Y learns at home don’t carry out into the workplace?
Penelope: It’s not a huge generation gap. It’s a failing of corporate life. The idea that you sell your soul to a corporation, and that corporation takes care of you for your whole life, is over.

By Rachel Glickhouse

I “met” Eline Kullock through a social networking site. She asked me to write a guest post for the blog. I found Eline to be extremely interesting, intelligent, and a hard worker (she is the President of Grupo Foco in Sao Paulo). So here I am, “guest blogging…”
People like to talk about the differences between generations. They constantly speak about generation gaps, and the cultural differences that separate different generations, including: The Baby Boomers (born after WWII), Gen X (born from 1960-1982), Generation Y (born from 1982-1986), and Gen Z (born in 1996…).
Still, the question remains, are these generation gaps different in Brazil and in the United States?

Technology
The United States has a large middle and upper middle class. So, Americans have access to relatively low prices when it comes to technology. This makes it possible for all generations to stay up to date in regards to new technologies.
Of course, technology is directly related to fashion and style. Everybody wants to have the coolest, smartest, latest, gadget (I phone, W. ii and TiVo for example).
In general, most of the population, from the Baby Boomers to Generation Z is technologically savy. They have constant access to computers and to the Internet. Since the technological revolution is very recent, it has changed everything very quickly. This forces us to constantly be learning and trying new tools and products.

In Brazil, it’s a different story. In the past 5 years, the middle class has grown considerably, allowing access to technology to become much more widespread. Washing machines, DVDs, and personal computers, are now a bit more commonplace than they were 5 years ago.
Previously technology-use, was limited and exclusive, to an elite segment of the population. However, now as salaries increase, and social consciousness grows, through politics and social awareness programs, most individuals have access to technology, or at least to the Internet.
However, within the new middle class, those who benefit the most from these changes are Generations Y and Z, leaving Baby Boomers and Gen X behind.
Just as before, older generations belonging to the middle and high classes are extremely tech savy.
In contrast, the older adults belonging to the new middle class are still struggling with the learning process, particularly when it comes to using the Internet and computer programs. Orkut has been a very useful tool. Through Orkut, these new users have started to understand how to use the Internet, and upload photos and videos.

The Job Market
I believe that the job market is currently very different in both countries.
In the United States, we are dealing with the worst Economic crisis since the Great Depression. Yes, we have one of the strongest economies, and are one of the most powerful countries in the world. However, the impact of this crisis is not just financial. It’s emotional as well. Americans’ self-esteem is extremely low and the general environment is not optimistic (especially since the honeymoon phase with Obama has passed.)
All generations are suffering in this job market, especially with the cutbacks happening in every industry.
But the generation that is suffering the most is Generation Y. Generation Y has entered the job market at a very difficult moment.
Since the 1960s there have been tremendous changes in the job market. People have been able to try new careers (especially women). There’s also been a technological revolution that created many new jobs (IT for instance).
This has allowed people to work in different fields, and not simply limit themselves to the traditional professions of: dentist, accountant, doctor, lawyer etc.
As a result, Generation Y is being forced to differentiate themselves even more. They have to set themselves apart with a distinct image and professional profile, as well as a differentiated set of skills.
Since there are currently many more potential employees than open positions, this is a secure moment to enter a “traditional profession” like Medicine, Engineering, etc. Obviously, these professions require extremely specialized knowledge. Therefore, people are going back to school.

In Brazil it’s not like this. The Baby Boomers and Generation X have suffered from economic instability, military dictatorship, and hyperinflation, which results in a very low self-esteem (which Eline writes about). Until recently, with economic growth and stability, unemployment rates were high, and it was difficult to penetrate the job market.
In Universities, students focused on “practical” and “traditional” careers. There wasn’t a great desire for creativity, unless that also came with a lot of money.
However this is also changing. Gen Y and Gen X are gaining access to a larger job market, which is more fluid and open. These generations have much more flexibility in regards to the career they choose. They also have more freedom to choose their career path. Innovative professions born out of the technological revolution, now have an important presence in Brazil. Gen Y’s self esteem is much higher than that of the Baby Boomers or Gen X, when they were of the same age.

Cultural Values
In the United States our collective history is schizophrenic and our historic memory is very short. We try to live in the moment. We focus on the present, instead of learning lessons from our past. This is how we’ve lived through three horrible wars.
Each generation does preserve its historical moments. Still, what gets valued the most, is “the now.” A subtle cultural pressure exists, telling us to keep the past in the past. We observe this in history books, and in black and white films.
Baby Boomers and Gen X have a desire to become part of Generation Y. They constantly “show off” their knowledge of the present, and adhere to new values.
The shift in cultural values is shared by all generations. For example, the majority of Americans want to prohibit smoking in public places. Also, many more people are starting to fight for gay rights.
In Brazil, collective history is much stronger. Young people remember the 1950 World Cup. They enjoy listening to old music like Gilberto Gil. Of course they also remember the dictatorship, Vargus, and colonialism.
Brazilian society is similar to a family. It has collective roots, and a valued history. However, I also feel that cultural values are slowly changing with each generation. Generation Y is more progressive. However, values take longer to change here than in the United States. This is also probably largely due to the fact that young people have much more respect for their parents and grandparents than in the United States.
In the U.S. it’s acceptable and perhaps even implicitly encouraged to reject your parents’ values. In Brazil, it’s completely unacceptable.
Despite advances in technology, like texts and e-mail, people still prefer to communicate on the phone or face-to-face.
Although there is fast food available, and workers are stressed at work, Brazilians still prefer to take their lunch hour, usually with their coworkers.
Of course, Gen Y in Brazil shares many cultural values with Gen Y in the states. But the traditional values, those passed on from other generations, are also important, and even sacred.

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