An enlightening — and refreshing — piece in Brand Equity on what young people can teach their elders in the business

And it comes with a well-written and lively introduction, too.

Here's a sample:

"...whoever said the millennial is fickle or needs constant validation and expects 'Look maa, I drew within the line!' to be followed by a treat and a cuddle or that they are as loyal as a mercenary is nucking futs."

Read the article, by Delshad Irani, in its entirety here: "Back To School: What ad veterans have learnt from the younger lot".

What a contrast it is to an earlier post on this blog: "What's with the attitude, Gen-Y?"

Your feedback — on both pieces — is welcome.

"What's with the attitude, Gen-Y?"

That's not me asking the question (though, I must admit, it has been at the back of my mind for some years now) but a member of Gen-Y himself, someone who is at pains to understand why some young people behave the way they do. Read on...

I was startled out of my early morning reverie today by this Facebook message I received from a young man I admire deeply for his intelligence, his sense of humour, and his abiding commitment to his profession:

Is it just me acting senile or is the level of professionalism among the younger generation reaching appalling depths?

   
Here is the conversation we had via Facebook later in the day (this is an edited transcript; the young man, who is in his late twenties, shall remain unnamed for obvious reasons. I have labelled him Mr X below):

RP: Read my "accusations". THE READING ROOM: What happens when a crusty old journalism teacher takes on Gen-Y?

In the same post, read all the comments, too. By the way, what brought this on? And aren't you part of THIS generation?
 
Mr X: Hahaha! I meant the men and women a couple of years younger than me...
 
RP: Ah. Anyway, what brought this on?

Mr X: I've been watching plenty of them trooping in and out of office. All the same. Lackadaisical, lazy... and ARROGANT! I'm sure they're all not like this. But the ones I've seen... shocking.

RP: Do read my "accusations" and the comments in that post. And forward the link to youngsters who might benefit from reading it all.

Mr X: It's stupid little things — bunking work on a Monday because of an upset stomach (read hangover), walking into meetings late, leaving work undone...

RP: Yes. Do my "accusations" make sense now? Many youngsters I know thought I was being too harsh.

Mr X: Yes. Just read the article. All your accusations make sense. And yes, when I collared a first year here about this stuff, he seemed amazed. And then he bunked the next day because of a headache. And I think one comment in that article sums it all up. The one about disregarding traffic rules in order to be in class on time! Just one example. Pitch morning. Real pitch. For one of the biggest brands in India. Everyone's been in office all night, for nights on end. Meeting starts at 10. Hardly anyone leaves for fear of being late. Everyone is supposed to be in the office by 8. And everyone is there. Except for one of the newest, most junior employees.  He walks in at 9.50. Now no one wants a distraction before the meeting. So nothing is said.
 
RP: And...
   
Mr X: Later, in the evening, I ask him about it. His reply, I kid you not: I need my 8 hours! I thought he was joking. But he wasn't. That's like a journalist walking into office late on the day of the election results! Which is exactly what I told him. His reply to that: That's why I didn't become a journalist! Mr X 0, New Guy 2.
 
RP: Ouch!

Mr X: The sad part is, in a profession like advertising, these guys will get clobbered sooner or later. Because these things get noticed. And everyone thinks advertising is this cool profession where anything goes. Well, that's only if you're brilliant. And these youngsters are nowhere near that yet. It's not like they aren't good at their jobs. But stuff like this takes away from that. I'm sure when you started out, you wouldn't dream of walking out of office before your bosses left.

RP: There was no question of walking out till the job was done. Period.
   
Mr X: Exactly. And they're dumb! One of them uploaded a picture of a party. On a day when he was too sick to even answer calls!
 
RP: Is there a solution? Can attitude be taught? What do you think?
   
Mr X: Hahaha!

• Mr X did not want this conversation to be made public. But he was persuaded by my argument that his comments would be taken more seriously than mine since he is a member of Gen-Y himself. Thank you, Mr X.

Six simple equations that have the power to change your life

If A = 1, B = 2... and so on, then...

L + U + C + K = 12 + 21 + 3 + 11 = 47%

H + E + A + L + T + H = 8 + 5 + 1 + 12 + 20 + 8 = 54%

M + O + N + E + Y = 13 + 15 + 14 + 5 + 25 = 72%

K + N + O + W + L + E + D + G + E = 11 + 14 + 15 + 23 + 12 + 5 + 4 + 7 + 5 = 96%

H + A + R + D + W + O + R + K = 8 + 1 + 18 + 4 + 23 + 15 + 18 + 11 = 98%

A + T + T + I + T + U + D + E =

1 + 20 + 20 + 9 + 20 + 21 + 4 + 5 = 100%

• Also read: 

"You are your... attitude"

"Thou shalt follow these 10 commandments to be effective — and successful — at work"

"What's with the attitude, Gen-Y?"

You are your... ATTITUDE

Ability is what you're capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it.

This quote, by retired American football coach, Leo "Lou" Holtz, who is now an active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker, was one of the many gems I received last night in an e-mail from Dr. Marty Grothe (I am a subscriber to his "Quotes of the Week" newsletter).

What he has to say about the importance of attitude is so apt, and so beneficial, that I am reproducing his piece in full, complete with homework assignment:

DR. MARDY GROTHE

"Would You Benefit From
an Attitude Adjustment?"
By Dr. Marty Grothe

Most people think that the word "attitude" refers to people's opinions or feelings. And while that is reasonably accurate, the primary definition of the word is "a position of the body or limbs, a manner of carrying oneself." In this primary sense, synonyms of the word are posture, carriage, pose, and stance—all words that refer to the characteristic position we assume with regard to the world about us.

So when I ask the question, "Would you benefit from an attitude adjustment?", I am speaking as a kind of chiropractor of the mind, and my question is suggesting that your mental alignment may be slightly off—and possibly even in need of a treatment. Okay, I realise the metaphor may be slightly forced, but bear with me for a moment as I pursue it further.

Just as our skeletal alignments can be "off," so can our attitudes about the world. We see it all the time with people whose emotional states are not in synch with the reality of their lives. Many worry when there is no rational reason to do so. Others are fearful when there is no good reason to be afraid. Some are tight-fisted and penurious, even when they are well off, or even wealthy. You get the picture.

If you're living a completely healthy, effective, and satisfying life, then you can skip over the rest of this section.

But if things are not going as well as you'd like, then it's possible you might benefit from an attitude adjustment.

So here's a homework assignment. Select a half-dozen trusted people and ask them to peruse the "attitude" quotations that appear at the end of this paragraph. Then, one by one, ask them this question: "Having read over these quotations, I'd like your feedback on how well my attitudes are working for me. In what ways are they serving me well, and where do I need to make some changes to function more effectively?"

Once you ask the question, listen attentively. When the person stops talking, don't offer any reactions. Simply ask, "What else?" And then listen some more. Before you embark on the assignment, though, let your thinking be stimulated by these observations of the subject:

  If you don't like something, change it.
   If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.
         Maya Angelou

  A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances,
   but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.
         Hugh Downs

  It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which,
   more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.
         William James

  The last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude
   in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.
         Viktor Frankl

  The essence of spiritual practice is your attitude toward others.
         Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

  Every extreme attitude is a flight from the self.
         Eric Hoffer

  Ability is what you're capable of doing.
   Motivation determines what you do.
   Attitude determines how well you do it.
         Lou Holtz

  Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently,
   but life itself would come to be different.
   Life would undergo a change of appearance because
   we ourselves had undergone a change of attitude.
         Katherine Mansfield

  A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others.
   Be a carrier.
         Tom Stoppard

  If you can't change your fate, change your attitude.
         Amy Tan

  If life becomes hard to bear, we think of a change in our circumstances.
   But the most important and effective change,
   a change in our own attitude, hardly even occurs to us,
   and the resolution to take such a step is very difficult for us.
         Ludwig Wittgenstein

• Want to know more about Dr. Mardy Grothe? Check out this Reading Room post which I published last September.

• Also read: "How mature do you think you are?"