By Sarah Newton

There is no doubt that the work force has become so much more diverse in every way. From the amount of different generations, the retirement age higher than ever and the gap between young and old and their beliefs of and use of technology have created some big canyons that employers have a challenge crossing. So it is great to see a book addressing this.

According to Bob Weinstein, from Troy Media, the book “Generations, Inc.: From Boomers to Linksters – Managing the Friction Between Generations at Work” offers the following six tips on dealing with generational conflict:

1. Understand work styles. Traditionalists and baby boomers don’t like to be micromanaged, while Gen Y and Linksters (born after 1995) crave specific, detailed instructions about how to do things and are used to hovering authorities.

Yes, yes and double yes, however let me add something here to make this clearer. While traditionalists and boomers don’t like to be micromanaged, they like to know the process, how things are done and then get on with it. Gen Y and Linksters want to know the end result and the structure but they want to make up their own process and check in on the way. So the older employees want to know the how of it and the younger the why of it.

2. Consider generational values. Each generation is protecting a distinct set of values and conflict may threaten these values. For example, baby boomers value teamwork, cooperation, and buy-in, while Gen X prefers to make a unilateral decision and move on, preferably solo.

And let’s add that Gen Y and the linksters value open, honest teams that collaborate and share together and let’s not forget that they like options.

3. Share perceptions. When employees of two or more generations are involved in a workplace conflict, they can learn a great deal by sharing their perceptions. A traditionalist may find the lack of formality and manners of Gen Y offensive, while Gen Y may feel “dissed” when this older employee fails to respect his or her opinions and input.

What I have found to be really helpful here is to have the distinct groups create picture boards of things they value as a generation. They are a visual reminder for everyone and show the difference in a clear way. Also, a fun activity that does not make anyone wrong for how they see things or what they value.

4. Find a generationally appropriate fix. You can’t change people’s life experiences, but you can work with the set of workplace attitudes and expectations that result. A knowledgeable boomer who is frustrated by the lack of experience shown by a member of Gen Y can, coupled with his or her sense of entitlement, be turned into a mentor.

And can I add here that in my experience if you want a problem solving with a creative solution, go to the younger staff. In studies, people immersed in digital technology as a way of life are 10% better at solving problems than their older counterparts. Don’t assume that the decisions and solutions must come from the elders. Gen Y and beyond are the most creative generation we have seen for a long time. Use the skills of each generation to its best.

5. Find commonality. Traditional and Gen Y employees tend to value security and stability. Traditional and boomers resist change, but both crave training and development. Gen X and Gen Y employees place a high value on workplace flexibility and work-life balance. Boomers and linksters are most comfortable with diversity and alternative lifestyles. Gen Y and linksters are technologically adept and committed to socially responsible policies.

Absolutely! Point this out and also their difference. Help them figure out as a team how they can use their strengths as generations. Make them aware of the generation cycle and each generation’s jobs within that, so they can see where they fit in the bigger picture.

6. Learn from each other. Each generation has valuable lessons to teach the next. Traditional and boomers have a wealth of knowledge and tricks of the trade that younger workers need. Generation X employees are widely known for their fairness and mediation abilities. Generation Y workers are technology wizards. And linksters hold clues to future workplace, marketing, and business trends.

Yes, and take this one step further, see if you can have Skills Exchange Days. A day where someone from one generation teaches another a skill they have. What fun that would be!

Read more: How five generations can work together

By Ines Schinazi

Don Tapscott is a visionary. He is the co-author of one of today’s best-selling Management books, “Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything.”  His avant-garde thinking has resulted in such brilliantly precocious works as his book about the Internet written in 1981, as well as his innovative vision of a collaborative workplace in “Wikinomics.”  In this exclusive interview with Talking About Generations, he shares his vision of the workplace, offering insights about the future, predicting a rupture in the current relationship between companies and employees, starting with changes in Recruitment and Selection processes.

Ines:  In an interview at Google, you discuss the issue of timing in regards to your writing. Your avant-garde nature and forward thinking becomes extremely apparent.  You wrote a book about the Internet in 1981, and another about the privacy of the web in the mid 90’s.  Obviously, this was before most people could even begin to merely grasp these issues.  So, what issues are you exploring right now?
Don: Currently I am writing a new book with Anthony Williams, my co-author of Wikinomics.  The working title is:  Rebuilding the World for the Age of Networked Intelligence.  We believe that many of the institutions around us are nearing the end of their life cycle. They need to be dramatically overhauled and in many cases replaced.

Ines: In “Wikinomics” and in several of your articles, you present the vision of a hyper-collaborative workplace, where traditional hierarchies make way for two-way conversations. This happens both between employers and employees, but also moves outside the business, actually giving consumers a role as collaborators.  Obviously, this has endless positive aspects to it, but what, if any, are the negative sides to this new model?
Don:  I don’t see negative sides, but there will be challenges.  For example, as companies become more transparent and corporate boundaries are more porous, companies will have to balance candor and confidentiality

Ines: From your perspective, what will the workplace look like in 5 years?
Don: Many baby boomer bosses will have retired (assuming they can afford to) and many Net Geners will have positions of authority.  I think you will see a change in the tone of the workplace.  In Wikinomics we talked about the army marching in lockstep to tightly arranged military music is a metaphor for yesterday’s workplace.  But the workplace of the future will be more like a jazz ensemble—where musicians improvise creatively around an agreed key, melody, and tempo. Employees are developing their own self-organized interconnections and forming cross-functional teams capable of interacting as a global, real-time workforce. Loosening organizational hierarchies and giving more power to employees can lead to faster innovation, lower cost structures, greater agility, improved responsiveness to customers, and more authenticity and respect in the marketplace.

Ines: In the article “Ideagora, a marketplace for minds” you argue that “…many of the best people are to be found outside your corporate walls.”  You state, “R&D labs would be ambidextrous: building on core capabilities internally, while acquiring the greatest, most complementary ideas externally.”
Don: At his recent Sao Paulo lecture, Mark Zuckerberg spoke to this exact idea. He stated that the best Facebook applications, were not built by those with the most resources, or from large corporations. Rather, the best ideas came from creative individuals, who were often “outside” of the corporate world, much like Zuckerberg himself, when he founded Facebook.

Ines: Obviously, the digital world gives us countless resources to find innovation outside corporate walls. But in your opinion, does this trend also reflect on the nature of the corporate world?  Are corporations not giving their internal employees enough creative freedom?
Don:  I agree.  Companies should be giving employees much more freedom.  They feel constrained while those “outside” do not.  It goes to the jazz band metaphor I used above.  Employees need the latitude to experiment and be creative.

Ines: While you seem to understand this generation, almost as if it were your own, not everyone is so open-minded.  Do you think we’re in for a deep generational clash as the net generation floods into the workplace?
Don:  Absolutely, and it’s already begun.  Teenagers and young adults entering the workplace are frequently met with hostility.  Older workers begrudge the younger generation’s sense of entitlement and what they misinterpret as arrogance.  Employers who don’t create the proper climate for this new generation are going to suffer a backlash.

For starters, I think the old HR model – recruit, train, supervise and retain – should be shelved. Instead, companies should adopt a new model – initiate, engage, collaborate and evolve. Companies have many ways to make themselves more attractive to a potential N-Gen employee: they can customize job descriptions, as Deloitte does; use game-based training to train employees for short-term projects; keep in touch with alumnae, the former employees, to find new people and get new ideas. Old-style job interviews are out. Two-way dialogues are the way to hire. And the first three months is a time when the employee is evaluating the company, not the other way round.

I think the Net Gen can help companies win, period. My research shows that companies that selectively and effectively embrace Net Gen norms perform better than those that don’t. In fact, I’m convinced that the Net Gen culture is the new culture of work. The Net Gen norms I describe in this book may turn out to be the key indicators of high performing organizations in the 21st century.

I should add that one of the best examples of a company that understands the value of Net Generation thinking is electronics retailing giant Best Buy. Recently retired CEO, Brad Anderson, says that the most important people in the company are the tens of thousands of young people in blue shirts that work in the stores. Anderson told me these young employees “are closest to our customers, are most like our customers, and their culture is the culture of the 21st century Best Buy.”

Anderson says that his job was not so much to make decisions but rather to create the conditions in which his young customer-facing employees can self organize and help re-invent the company. The company has an online social network where 25,000 young employees regularly gather to brainstorm and share insights. Management pays attention. Anderson says he is in the business of “unleashing the power of Net Generation human capital.”

Ines: In the article “Focus on the Net Gen Family” you find that this generation has closer ties with their parents than baby boomers ever did. This generation has grown up with a less authoritarian model of family, and more of a two-way conversation between parents and children.

Yet, as these kids enter schools and the workplace, they often don’t find that two-way conversation.  Rather, they’re usually confronted with a more traditional model.

In this current transitional moment, before institutions have time to really start adapting and changing, what’s the key to reconciling the “new ways” of the family, with the more traditional aspects of institutions like school and the workplace?
Don: I think adults have to understand the harm they can cause by refusing to change their ways.  For the corporate executive, as I just discussed above, this refusal jeopardizes the long-term health of the company.  To help senior management understand, companies should try reverse mentoring:  Senior personnel becoming the “mentees” of young employees.  Learn from these kids.  Understand the appeal of sites such as Facebook, and why the company should #1) not prohibit access from company computers, and #2) explore ways to use it as a business tool, as many companies have done.

Ines: You often write about how businesses and institutions should adapt to this new generation.  However, do you feel this generation also needs to adapt to older generations?
Don:  I think the issue is less to “adapt” and more to understand what motivates and shapes the attitudes of older generations.  They too are products of their upbringing and experiences.  We could all benefit from more dialogue

Ines: I recently interviewed Dr. Gary Small, a leading neurologist, who argues that the Internet is changing our brain.  He is also a digital advocate, but worries that young people are at risk of losing their social skills all together if their digital-use becomes too excessive.

You seem to take a different view.  In “How Technology has Changed the Brain,” you state “By their 20s, young people will have spent more than 30,000 hours on the Internet and playing video games. That’s not such a bad thing.”

Do you think the net-generation’s face-to-face skills will suffer as the world becomes increasingly digital?
Don: No. The increasingly digital world is an increasingly interactive world.  Kids aren’t at home staring dumbly at screens.  They are in constant communication with their peers, through phone calls or texting or writing on Facebook walls.  They know how to relate with others.

Ines: You talk about how your own children have been quite instrumental in sparking your research, as you saw them “growing up digital.”  In between writing “Growing up Digital” and “Grown up Digital,” what (if any) were the biggest surprises you encountered in regards to this generation?

Don: I was surprised and delighted with just how quickly the Net Generation adapts.  When I wrote Growing Up Digital the web was still largely a publishing medium. Companies and others posted information online for other to consume.  Since then, of course, the Web has become much more a collaborative tool, often referred to as Web 2.0.  With their early adoption of tools such as IM, texting, collaborating with wikis, use of social media, and so on, the Net Generation continues to innovate and show leadership.

Ines: How does the unequal distribution of resources fit into wikinomics?  You mention that increasingly innovative talent will be located in BRIC countries.  Yet, how does extreme inequality and disparity of basic resources, not to mention the lack of access to technology and the Internet make this growth possible, and not reserved to a tiny elite?
Don: The current inequities in global wealth distribution are unconscionable.  More than one billion people on this planet have no reliable access to potable water. I’ve written about the dangers of the digital divide for many years.  To participate in a digital world people need the proper tools, and I heartily endorse the efforts to make digital technologies more widely available.  Fortunately the tools are more powerful, more versatile and less expensive every day.  But we should be doing much more.

Ines: What happens as information becomes increasingly free?  Is the general trend going to be to move from a product to a service, as you suggest with music for instance?
Don: Yes. Why would I want to buy tunes for my iPod when I can have any song in the world streamed to my portable device for a few dollars a month?  This will be true of more and more products as devices gain access to a wireless, broadband, continuous Internet.  Do you really want a newspaper put on your doorstep every morning with its small snippets of yesterday’s news?  Not really.  What you want is to have timely knowledge of what is going on in your world.

Ines: In the article “Net Gen Transforms Marketing,” you clearly express how marketers must change to adapt to this generation. From your perspective, are billboards, traditional ads, and the TV commercials, going to die out completely?
Don: Billboards will survive.  But as we see in Times Square, they will be electronic and constantly changing.  As newspapers and magazines stop publishing print versions and go online ­­– which will happen much sooner than most people think — traditional ads will disappear.  TV commercials will soon be relics.  Televisions will soon be relics.  Today kids look at a typewriter and say “what’s that?”  Tomorrow they’ll be saying the same thing about TVs.

Ines: While most people are bashing my generation, you’ve been incredibly generous, perhaps our biggest advocate.  What exactly makes you so optimistic about this generation?
Don: I think I have a big advantage over many cynics.  I have children. They give me great hope.

As I follow the selective processes for trainees and interns in Brazil, I notice that there’s a very clear change in candidate behavior, which only confirms much of the discussion about Generation Y.

Grupo Foco selects interns and trainees. Through this experience I’ve noticed a significant change in the behavior of Generation Y in the workplace.

These young people question everything. They want fast feedback on behalf of businesses, and they feel empowered by crowdsourcing, which in my view will completely change the world as we know it today and the whole concept of change. To be able to observe Generation Y’s behavior in these selective processes has been really fascinating.

The businesses that work with us, define specific skills in order to recruit their future leaders. These skills are different for each business and are very much in tune with the business culture, and also with the specific moment the business is living. For instance, a “start-up” usually needs different skills than older businesses.

Despite the differences throughout businesses, these skills seem essential when selecting future leaders:

1.Commitment
2.Generosity-true leadership is actually generosity
3.Strategic thinking
4. Vision of the future
5.Capacity for communication
6.Knowing yourself
7.Passion
8.Global vision/a vision of the team
9.Sense of urgency
10.Intuition, curiosity

Of course, the knowledge of the business itself is crucial. However, this specific knowledge will be developed in training these leaders.

My preoccupation is that some members of Generation Y simply don’t understand the meaning of these skills.

First off, we know that commitment today is not something that’s really questioned by young people. We know that they want to explore many things, and if the business doesn’t meet their expectations, they’ll simply go work in a business that does meet their expectations. That’s to say immediate expectations because in reality business can’t be compared to the family structure they grew up with. They were raised in families that always tried to cater to their demands.

In regards to generosity, I’ve met few young people who are generous. To be generous is to share, to put one’s self in the other’s shoes, to know how to speak to each person in the right way, to know what to ask, when to applaud, to give credit when it’s earned, to pass along values, and to transmit respect and ethics.

We know that Generation Y is much more ego-centric than the Baby Boomers. Baby boomers tried to empower Gen Y by saying “you can do anything!”

Also, these young people value the present. As their parents, we’ve ended up transmitting the notion that there’s no future, because the future is so unpredictable. To some extent, we’ve passed along the idea that it’s not really worth spending time and money thinking about something so uncontrollable.

In a lecture promoted by Results On, I talked about how young people aren’t so skilled at strategic planning. The young people in the audience agreed with me. They argued that planning shouldn’t occupy time and space in a quick and efficient workplace.

I also worry about the capacity of young people to communicate clearly, effectively, and with passion. Ron Charam says, “Young people don’t have the patience to explain things, their communication is short, rapid, and at least for me, often an enigma.” This is the sentence I like the best to explain the time when my son, in a successful attempt to quite down his loud group of friends, simply shouted something like “Ehhhh oooo.”

We know that grammar isn’t important to Generation Y. What is important is rhetoric, the ability to argue and express one’s perspective. Still, I worry and wonder about their capacity to express themselves in a clear, inspiring, and passionate manner.

The fifth skill is knowing one’s self. I believe that this generation is a “trophy generation.” Two great books talk about this: “The Trophy Kids Grow Up: How the Millennial Generation is Shaking Up the Workplace by Ron Alsop (2008) e Not Everyone Gets A Trophy: How to Manage Generation Y, by Bruce Tulgan (2009).

These two books talk about a generation that was raised with trophies regardless of the competition. They earned trophies if they succeeded or lost.

We didn’t want our children to have a low self-esteem, as we, Baby Boomers did. It seems that we weren’t very successful in raising children who know themselves. This generation feels they don’t have a lot to learn. After all, they’ve already spent most of their lives teaching their own parents how to use technology.

These five fundamental skills in the search for the development of our future leaders should be discussed and evaluated throughout selective processes.

I do find comfort in knowing that this generation of young people are creative, intuitive, and have a sense of urgency. Clearly, they are moved and motivated by passion, and certainly have the ability to deal with many tasks at the same time, as illustrated in the book “Got Game.” In many ways, they’re born with essential skills to develop into great leaders.

There’s a really interesting sentence that I like to cite: “We are preparing young people for the problems that don’t yet exist, and to use tools that haven’t been invented yet.” It’s precisely because of this, that we must reflect and question if the skills cited here will suffice in dealing with this new world.

But the bottom line is: how are we selecting and preparing young people for the future?

By Zuza Seixas*

When the workplace becomes a part of an autonomous sphere, it determines in people’s lives, the way they behave, as a being, separate from the larger body of a “we.”  A series of myths appear, with terrors and hopes, on this blank sheet of paper, which with which we are all unfamiliar.

“Progress” and “winning at life” often translates into having a good position in the corporate world, and having money to act out theatrical scenes.  The life of people is thus determined by the formal demands of the work world.  The rules the market dictates are rarely questioned, and everyone is forced to “play the game.”

However, I do mean to make clear that the market is not a monster, an autonomous being, living separate from us, which dictates our rules and esthetic conduct.  As strange as it may seem, the market is us.  We create it.  It’s our way of living.  This must be clear so that we can build new relationships-relationships that are healthier and more productive.

Why this introduction?  So that we can realize that so many times we are complicit in determining factors, which carry with them, the illusion of being untouchable.  Nevertheless, we are always in our own hands, with the condition of being able to transform.  This is extremely vivid in our relationships in the workplace, where generations are forced to coexist, and work together, frequently crashing into each other, sometimes event auto-mutilating themselves.

From the individual that is looking for a job, to the one who’s employed, to the one who is the employer, the unnecessary tension present in these relationships are the fruits of a rigid market-which we have the power to transform.

As young people, we are born into a world which is different from the world older people have lived-and often still insist on living.  It hasn’t just been the rise of a global economy, the boom in social networks, information, or the technological advances that have become global. No, it’s a whole new way of living, of thinking, of facing one’s self.  It’s a new way of dressing, of speaking, of cutting one’s hair.  At this point, nothing shocks us anymore.  We don’t try to contest a world that has already died anymore; we were given the rights, by the body of our society, and have tasted the possibility of extravagance.   But this is not the tranquil way in which many times this freedom manifests itself, and many misunderstandings result, as barriers are placed between generations.

The difficulty that many people have in understanding attitudes of young people, relates to pure prejudice.  Similar to a cultural shock between the western and indigenous worlds, where few could understand the ways of thinking, many distanced themselves in the ways they interacted with the world, lingering in a place of judgment.  The old way of thinking won’t resist the force that newness brings, or the devastating force which is transforming and changing societies.  We are a mutation of life, constantly in transformation.  It’s because we don’t comprehend this, that many barriers appear between generations.

Therefore the possibility of agreeing does exist.  It exists in the workplace, where everyday one shows something other than what he apparently is, the something which is capability.  We must accept that the new workplace is no longer about appearance, dress, or even conduct.  Today work is predominately immaterial, as Negri and Hardt [1] conceive: communication, information is a constant permutation of knowledge.

This immaterial work is that which produces immaterial goods, services, cultural products, knowledge, and communication.  This is the path most young people are taking today. Diverging from the traditional model of the workplace, which has its origins rooted in the beginning of the industrial revolution, growing from Toyotism, where the preceding generation cultivated its image “in society.”  Immaterial work favors a more creative and open image, and opens itself to productive social interactions.

While we are living a transition in terms of modes of production, generations will continue to speak different languages.   As a business opens itself up, it must adopt the rhythmic step of the world, and must incorporate the general changes new generations bring.  It must change the way older people navigate gusts of the fresh wind. Where will we end up?

We don’t know, but we certainly need to learn, to live and to coexist, in healthy ways, through body and thought.  Relationships open up, within the family, the workplace, and in the collective groups to which we all belong to. In a sense, we too are carried by these gusts of winds, and it’s not intelligent to build, heavy, concrete, walls which cut the wind off, when we can use the force, the strong current of air, to make ourselves more productive and creative.

[1] – Antonio Negri e Michael Hardt,

In the book titled Empire, discuss a meticulous analysis of the current political constitution and the concept of immaterial work to designate the new fields of production and the characteristics of actuality.

*Thiago is the birth name of the author better known as Zuza Seixas, who was born in Brasilia-DF and currently lives in Sao Paulo.  Zuza majored in Psychology, and now studies Philosophy in an autodidactic form.  He works as a musician, and is serious about using his bike as his mode of transport around Sao Paulo.  Zuza cultivates above all, a joyful way of life.   Check out his blog at: http://emtransedotransito.blogspot.com

By Tatiana Penteado*

“There’s no point in attempting to find new paths on old maps.”  This sentence says all about managing people from a different generation than your own…

I’m part of Generation X, and most of the workers I manage, are women from Gen Y.   Imagine what an explosive combination.  This generation gap translates into extremely different mentalities.  We have different habits, and opposing ways of working.

My team is composed of five people.  One of which works out of our Sao Paulo office.  The other three are spread out in various locations, throughout Brazil.

Our day-to-day is very diverse. There’s no routine, which makes my Gen Y employees very happy.  Hours aren’t rigidly structured, and we move around from office to office a lot.  In the same week, one can easily find themselves in 3 different states.

My team ends up meeting face-to-face about twice a year, which means that my managing role is via e-mail, MSN, the phone, and even through social networks.  And so that leads me to the challenge of managing Generation Y.  How could I ever imagine that work relationships would become so virtual?

But my daily battle is this:  how to integrate, develop, and evaluate this team, young professionals, full of energy, their gen Y blood excitedly pulsing through their veins. Not to mention the fact that I have to accomplish all this, from a distance.

They are eager, wanting fast results, and always hungry for new challenges.  Their knowledge of computers and technology in general, is more than I’ll ever begin to comprehend.

In the beginning, I tried to follow the blueprint I already knew.  The one with which I had been trained and educated.  If they didn’t do it right, I scolded.  If they didn’t meet the deadline, I’d yank them by the ear, if the client complained I’d punish.

From them, I received the same response that I had once given my bosses, as a young employee. They argued, contested, and complained.  Part of me understood them.  After all, Generation X is known for the way they transformed social and cultural standards.  We were experts at contesting, complaining, and reinventing.  The questioning of our elders and the desire for change is all too familiar to me.

So I decided to change my strategy.  I began to challenge them, and provide incentives.  I crafted monthly competitions with small rewards, remodeled processes, and asked for their suggestions.  We also established opportunity for frequent dialogue.  And it really worked.  Bingo!

They’re competitive, they like to participate, and need to express their ideas.  They use technology without ever reading a manual.  They organize their activities meticulously.  Some of my own employees are completely unavailable, while studying for their MBA.  So I get e-mails at the oddest, most unpredictable hours.

The bottom line is that we exchange experiences and learn together.   I’m getting fresh, new, blood. I’m also tapping into my own Gen Y side, to get the best out of them.

*Tatiana Penteado is the coordinator for Grupo Foco Projects, and is responsible for the client Avon.

Por Zuza Seixas*

When the workplace becomes a part of an autonomous sphere, it determines in people’s lives, the way they behave, as a being, separate from the larger body of a “we.” A series of myths appear, with terrors and hopes, on this blank sheet of paper, which with which we are all unfamiliar.

“Progress” and “winning at life” often translates into having a good position in the corporate world, and having money to act out theatrical scenes. The life of people is thus determined by the formal demands of the work world. The rules the market dictates are rarely questioned, and everyone is forced to “play the game.”

However, I do mean to make clear that the market is not a monster, an autonomous being, living separate from us, which dictates our rules and esthetic conduct. As strange as it may seem, the market is us. We create it. It’s our way of living. This must be clear so that we can build new relationships-relationships that are healthier and more productive.

Why this introduction? So that we can realize that so many times we are complicit in determining factors, which carry with them, the illusion of being untouchable. Nevertheless, we are always in our own hands, with the condition of being able to transform. This is extremely vivid in our relationships in the workplace, where generations are forced to coexist, and work together, frequently crashing into each other, sometimes event auto-mutilating themselves.

From the individual that is looking for a job, to the one who’s employed, to the one who is the employer, the unnecessary tension present in these relationships are the fruits of a rigid market-which we have the power to transform.

As young people, we are born into a world which is different from the world older people have lived-and often still insist on living. It hasn’t just been the rise of a global economy, the boom in social networks, information, or the technological advances that have become global. No, it’s a whole new way of living, of thinking, of facing one’s self. It’s a new way of dressing, of speaking, of cutting one’s hair. At this point, nothing shocks us anymore. We don’t try to contest a world that has already died anymore; we were given the rights, by the body of our society, and have tasted the possibility of extravagance. But this is not the tranquil way in which many times this freedom manifests itself, and many misunderstandings result, as barriers are placed between generations.

The difficulty that many people have in understanding attitudes of young people, relates to pure prejudice. Similar to a cultural shock between the western and indigenous worlds, where few could understand the ways of thinking, many distanced themselves in the ways they interacted with the world, lingering in a place of judgment. The old way of thinking won’t resist the force that newness brings, or the devastating force which is transforming and changing societies. We are a mutation of life, constantly in transformation. It’s because we don’t comprehend this, that many barriers appear between generations.

Therefore the possibility of agreeing does exist. It exists in the workplace, where everyday one shows something other than what he apparently is, the something which is capability. We must accept that the new workplace is no longer about appearance, dress, or even conduct. Today work is predominately immaterial, as Negri and Hardt [1] conceive: communication, information is a constant permutation of knowledge.

This immaterial work is that which produces immaterial goods, services, cultural products, knowledge, and communication. This is the path most young people are taking today. Diverging from the traditional model of the workplace, which has its origins rooted in the beginning of the industrial revolution, growing from Toyotism, where the preceding generation cultivated its image “in society.” Immaterial work favors a more creative and open image, and opens itself to productive social interactions.

While we are living a transition in terms of modes of production, generations will continue to speak different languages. As a business opens itself up, it must adopt the rhythmic step of the world, and must incorporate the general changes new generations bring. It must change the way older people navigate gusts of the fresh wind. Where will we end up?

We don’t know, but we certainly need to learn, to live and to coexist, in healthy ways, through body and thought. Relationships open up, within the family, the workplace, and in the collective groups to which we all belong to. In a sense, we too are carried by these gusts of winds, and it’s not intelligent to build, heavy, concrete, walls which cut the wind off, when we can use the force, the strong current of air, to make ourselves more productive and creative.

[1] – Antonio Negri e Michael Hardt,

In the book titled Empire, discuss a meticulous analysis of the current political constitution and the concept of immaterial work to designate the new fields of production and the characteristics of actuality.

*Thiago is the birth name of the author better known as Zuza Seixas, who was born in Brasilia-DF and currently lives in Sao Paulo. Zuza majored in Psychology, and now studies Philosophy in an autodidactic form. He works as a musician, and is serious about using his bike as his mode of transport around Sao Paulo. Zuza cultivates above all, a joyful way of life. Check out his blog at: http://emtransedotransito.blogspot.com

By Ines Schinazi

Technology is obviously changing the way we speak, communicate, interact, and relate to each other. But is technology also changing our brains? Dr. Gary Small thinks so. Of course, the brain’s extreme plasticity is nothing new. But the overwhelming flood of technology in nearly ever aspect of our lives is.

Technology has greatly contributed to making Dr. Gary Small’s research possible. In many ways, technology has sparked his thinking.

He explains, “It was really in my personal life, noticing these technologies, that I felt I wanted to understand it more… I was struck how they’re have been so few direct studies of brain function while our brains are using these new technologies.”

Of course, without technology, Dr. Small’s elaborate research wouldn’t be possible at all.

While technology propels us forward, permitting someone like Dr. Small to explore these questions, it also paradoxically holds us back.

Through his research Dr. Small also reveals the widening “brain gap” occurring between “digital natives” and “digital immigrants,” thus affecting the family, the workplace, and society at large.

Dr. Small is a world- renowned expert on memory, aging, and the brain. He is currently the director of the UCLA “Memory & Aging Research Center at the Semel Insitute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior.” His latest book is the cleverly titled “iBrain.”

His extremely innovative research has made the headlines of “The New York Times,” “The Wall Street Journal,” and “USA today” among other publications. “Scientific American” magazine has named him one of the world’s top innovators in Science and Technology.

His recent UCLA study titled “Your Brain on Google” makes us wonder if our own brains are under the Google influence. In an exclusive interview, Dr. Small shares some of his thoughts.

Ines: Could you talk about the “Your Brain on Google” study you did at UCLA?
Dr. Small: We wanted to see what the brain looked like the first time it searched online. To do that, we had to find [older] people that were “naïve” to the Internet. That was probably the hardest part of the study. So we found these people, and matched them up with people who had Internet-search experience.

We put them in a functional MRI scanner, where we can measure brain function from moment to moment.

We simulated Internet searching and reading a book in the scanner. We found that when the Internet savvy people searched online there was a greater than two-fold increase in activation throughout the brain. We thought that that had to do with the neural networks knowing how to search online and showing greater activation.

We also have found, and are presenting this next month, that if you take these “Internet Naïve” people and have them search online for just an hour a day during a week or two, that their brains look identical to somebody who has been searching online for years. It tells us that an older brain really can adapt quite quickly.

Ines: You are considered one of the world’s top experts on memory, aging, and the brain. Specifically, how did you start exploring the connection between digital technology and the brain? What sparked the interest?
Dr. Small: My work has been primarily in Alzheimer’s disease, in memory, and in how the brain ages. I’ve spent much of career developing technology on how to measure the brain, like PET scan techniques, and so forth.

And it struck me in the past few years that all the technology that we are developing, which improves our lives, may also have an effect on the brain. It was really in my personal life, noticing these technologies, that I felt that I wanted to understand it more.

That’s why I wrote the book “iBrain.” During the course of writing “iBrain,” we did this study at UCLA called “Your Brain on Google.” Because I was struck how they’re have been so few direct studies of brain function while our brains are using these new technologies.

Ines: Your research reveals the wide disparity between digital natives and digital immigrants, which you call the “Brain Gap.” How do you perceive this brain gap affecting the family?
Dr. Small: I think it definitely affects the family. I can see that in my own family. The younger people, the young teenagers, are using technology more, they’re better at, but they’re not spending time face-to-face with human contact.

We have a rule at our house that there’s no technology during dinnertime. Yet it’s a strange situation. The other day, I said to my son, “Stop playing that video game, and come watch television with me!”

It speaks to my concern about the repeated use of technology, and not socializing. It’s a moving target. It’s a complex topic, and I don’t have all the answers. In writing “iBrain” I was hoping to generate some discussion, raise some questions, and get people to study it more…

Ines: How does the brain gap affect the workplace, as digital natives and digital immigrants must now collaborate to accomplish the same tasks?
Dr. Small: In the workplace, when people have to adapt, they do. An example is my father, who was already in his 80’s, and was still working. He wouldn’t use a computer at all. But when they changed to an electronic filing system at the office, he was forced to use a computer, and he adapted quite readily.

I think some older people will have advantages because of the “face-to-face contact” [skills]. Yet younger people will have advantages because of the technology skills in the workplace. The people, who excel the most, are those who can master both approaches.

Ines: What are the steps we can take to minimize the “brain gap” in the workplace and in the family?
Dr. Small: I think they need to first become aware of the issues, and have discussions. I think the way to bridge the gap, is to upgrade the tech skills of the older generation, and help young people, with their human contact face-to-face skills.

Ines: There’s always a great deal of discussion about the “left” and “right” sides of the brain, which determine people’s natural aptitudes.

Do you think technology-use, is comparable to other skills like Art, Math, and Literature? Do some people have more of a natural aptitude or talent? Or are people’s technological skills directly proportionate to their technology-exposure?
Dr. Small: That’s a complex question. We haven’t studied it directly. My sense is that this is something that some of us are better at innately. But it’s also something that can be learned. So it’s not just one or the other. The brain is quite plastic, and does respond well to these kinds of exposure. We found in our study “Your Brain on Google” that an older brain really adapts quite quickly.

Ines: You find that digital natives often lack basic “people skills,” such as reading facial expressions, or feeling empathy. In the future, are digital natives at risk of losing their “people skills” all together?
Dr. Small: Yes. That is an issue. People see it anecdotally all the time. Young people are not showing eye contact when they’re having a conversation. They really can’t read non-verbal cues when they are having a conversation. So I think this is a risk, and that’s one reason I try to heighten people’s attention to it.

Ines: We live in the world of the iPod, the iPhone, the iMac, and now the “iBrain.” How did you come up with the creative title for your latest book?
Dr. Small: I have to credit our editor, Mary-Ellen O’Neill. It was a very good idea. It’s a terrific title. The book is about the brain, and the effect of new technology on the brain.

So, you were just doing a play on words with “iBrain, iPhone, etc.” [In regards to the meaning of the “I”] you could say it stands for “intelligent” or “interactive.” It’s interesting because in the study “Your Brain on Google” we found the frontal lobe was particularly activated, and that’s the interactive part of the brain. So searching online is quite interactive. You’re making lots of decisions. You’re going back and forth. It really engages neural circuits in the frontal lobe of the brain.

Ines: Your research insists on the positive aspects of internet-use. You find that the Internet helps develop important skills like multi-tasking, complex reasoning, and decision making, in both the young and the aging. That said the effects are only positive if people use technology responsibly, not giving into its addictive nature.

We know that Internet addiction is a growing problem all over the world, as there have recently been a lot of rehab centers opening up to treat this problem. Are the brains of addicts wired differently?
Dr. Small: We do know that some people have a predisposition for addiction. So they’re brain wiring may be a bit different, and there may be some genetic determining of that.

But I think all of us have the capacity to become addicted to things. It depends on the amount of exposure, the situation, and a lot of different factors. I think that just like with any condition, there’s a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

You find that people that get addicted to technology are often the same people that have a tendency to get addicted to alcohol, drugs, and food. It’s the same dopamine reward system. The primitive systems of the brain drive these addictions. We talk about this to some extent in “I Brain.”

Ines: What are your suggestions for avoiding the addiction problem as a society?
Dr. Small: I think there’s a lot of controversy about it. Not so much in Asia, and in some other countries. But in the U.S. the American Psychiatric Association hasn’t decided yet that there is such a thing. I think there is, and I think we should take it seriously and try to help people.

Ines: What are your thoughts on popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter? Are they good for the brain?
Dr. Small: I think like anything they can be good. But when overdone they can be negative. I’ve talked to a lot of schools, and a lot of kids, who are spending a lot of time on Facebook.

A negative is that they’re losing their face-to-face communication skills. But they’re getting good at their “Facebook-to-Facebook” skills.

You know, it’s marvelous how we can network with this. But I think that we need to use it in moderation, and not overdue it. I always recommend a balance, that you spend time offline, to balance the online time.

Ines: And these social network sites seem particularly addictive…
Dr. Small: Yeah, anyone who has been involved with [social networking sites], really sees the draw. For me, it’s not Facebook, but I have so much business on e-mail that it’s hard for me to get off my e-mail. It’s helpful. But too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. I think you have to have a balance and know when to use the electronic communication and when to use the old-style communication.

Ines: Much of your research works towards helping the old stay as young as possible. Your research is an effort towards reconciling good health with old age.

However, do you think that some of the enormous attraction to this type of research comes from our society’s general fear of aging?
Dr. Small: Yes. We want to stay young. We want to stay healthy. There’s certainly an emphasis on youth.

What we’re learning from science is that we have more control than we think. Genetics only accounts for part of what determines how well and how long we live. So we’re trying to help people understand that, and figure out when they can do today to live better and longer.

Ines: We know that with the excessive use of technology, individuals are developing more “virtual ties” and “virtual relationships” than “real life” ones.

Is the trend of virtual relationships also a product of the changing brain? Or does it say more about our society and socialization in general?
Dr. Small: I think it speaks to how enticing all these things are. I love technology. It’s really tremendous. I think that it’s something that can really enhance our lives, and it does.

But I think it’s “sneaked up” on us so quickly, we haven’t thought about the positives and the negatives. That’s what “iBrain” is about. To try and put it in balance, and think about it intelligently, to enhance our lives, to control the technology, to make things better rather than the other way around.

Ines: A study affirms that women are inherently better at multi-tasking because ever since ancient times, while their husbands were out hunting, they sustained the family, by multitasking. This same historical context also caused men to be better at focusing on a single task at a time.

In your opinion, how will the digital age, with its constant multi-tasking, impact future generations and their gender roles?
Dr. Small: I think there’s a kind of “narrowing” of the gender divide as a result of this.

Interestingly men seem to get into the technology earlier, but now there’s not so much of a divide.

But there are some differences in terms of “use patterns,” going back to evolutionary development, defining the roles of men and women, where men were the hunters, and women the nurturers.

That’s interesting, the thought of multi-tasking, and women being better at it. I think there’s some truth to that. I find I can focus on a single task, whereas my wife has a little bit harder time doing that, and will notice other things going on.

I think all bets are off with the technology today. We’re seeing fewer differences between men and women.

“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.

Although it’s uncommon for a Baby Boomer, I consider myself to be a heavy social media user.  This makes it possible for me to observe how young people are using online tools. I see a lot of young people joining online groups, focused around really strange themes, to say the least.

I spoke to this exact matter in the Sao Paulo newspaper Estadão last Sunday.   To not give into to total vulgarity, I’ll refrain from citing the name of some groups that currently exist on Orkut (Brazil’s most popular social network).

However, I can mention same groups like “I hate admitting I’m wrong,” “I love lying,” “I hate studying,” “I’ve been to work drunk,” “Why the hell do I need to learn this?” or “I hate waiting.”  Not to mention the really well-known Orkut groups like:  “I hate Mondays,” “I hate my boss” and “I hate my job.”

If an HR manager finds a potential job candidate belonging to these groups, the candidate definitely won’t be called in for an interview.  One could question if it’s fair that the candidate will miss out on the opportunity, solely due to his or her social network group affiliation.  I would argue that the candidate obviously doesn’t seem mature enough to be part of a business organization.

Upon entering a business, wouldn’t it be better to leave the raging adolescent behavior behind?  Moving towards the corporate world, means the image you portray of yourself, means a whole lot. How do you reach the minimal level of maturity necessary to interact in the professional world?

First off, I believe it’s important to remember that some of these young people on Orkut or Facebook have never worked before.  I get the sense that for that exact reason, they don’t really know what posture they should adopt.

In the past, societies used “rites of passage” to explicitly mark transitions in behavior and posture, as in the case of a teenager becoming an adult.   We still maintain some of these rites of passage today.  When we graduate for instance, there’s the long, boring, graduation ceremony.  However, what seems to count today, are the graduation parties and the celebrations, more than the actual ceremony.

The graduate receives that rolled-up piece of paper, telling him or her, “to go be an adult.”

Most young graduates find this ceremony rather painful and senseless.   Yet, this is one of the rites of passage we’ve conserved throughout the years.

Back in the day, children wore short pants.  They weren’t shorts or even bermudas, but pants that were purposely too short.  My husband was born in Além Paraíba, Minas Gerais, and he hated wearing those pants.  He considered long pants to be a man’s thing.

When his mother let him wear long pants for the first time, he felt immense manly pride.   His mother even affirmed that only children wore short pants.

Of course, in the Jewish religion there’s the Bar-mitvah.   When a young boy turns 13, there’s an elaborate ceremony that marks this moment.  What this really signifies is that the young man is able to read the Torah.  However, it’s important to remember that this rite of passage, dates back to a time when life expectancy was much shorter.

Marriage was also a rite of passage.  It wasn’t just a big party.  Mothers and fathers cried so much, because their “baby” was going to make their own home.  In truth, the rite of passage is for the whole family.  For parents, it’s the moment that they realize that their children aren’t theirs forever.   They belong to the world, and it’s for the world that we raise them.

Even in Indian Tribes (the Ianomanis for example) there was a rite of passage that takes place when menstruation began.  The young woman stayed in recluse until the next moon appeared, which signified that she was ready to be married.

All cultures mark rites of passage with celebrations, and every religion has its own rites.   Wikipedia defines the rite of passage as “…a ritual that marks a change in a person’s social status.”   Rites occur within the bosom of the community and may have religious aspects or simply mark a distinct separation for the individual.

In today’s world, rites have lost their primary significance.  They’ve become merely social events.   Yet, rites are important!  They solidify values and principals in society.  They contribute to the sense of “belonging” in the community.  Of course, this also strengthens the individual identity within the community.

What does all this have to do with young people joining virtual groups?  Young people aren’t going through the whole “short” and “full length” pants thing.  In this society, one begins working or interning without a rite of passage, to mark this important transition to adulthood.   Perhaps this is why there’s still a great mix up between adolescence and adulthood.

I believe that as parents and educators, our role is to value these crucial moments of passage, not as a big party, but with the seriousness it entitles.  If we don’t do it, businesses will have to do it.

It’s much easier when there’s a great number of candidates to fill a single position, to admit people who have already “lived this passage’” and seem adult-like in their attitudes.  Those who continue to live like adolescents will have a tougher time achieving their goals in the business world.

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…