Digital Generations - Why They Have an Impact Now and in the Future

Just the other day I had some wonderful discussions with several long time colleagues and friends at a social event. Invariably we wandered into the realm of what we observed in the marketplace and what we believed it meant.

One of the major topics we discussed happened to be what we called the digital generations. These are generations that have significant exposure to the likes of the Internet in their lives which sets them apart from earlier generations.

One of the key differences we noticed was that the current and future digital generations are looking to extend what would be the classic human network not only into the real world but the digital world. This desire is not really surprising. However the degree of impact it has on individuals is very significant. I am not simply talking about what many would consider isoteric discussions but rather a very pragmatic and practical shift between generations. For example it is not uncommon for both generations to reach out to their network of contacts to ask questions. What is fundamentally different between the two is the degree of reach, immediacy and value. Earlier generations tend to reach out via email or phone after they have debated on whether to ask the question. This means they obtain feedback in what can be hours to days. However, using more immediate mediums such as Twitter or Facebook, those of the digital age get answers within minutes to hours. This means that they can make decisions more quickly and potentially with better quality since they can reach more people more quickly. This ability to "crowdsource" answers is a powerful extension for young professionals. It enables them to navigate through issues at a far faster pace than prior generations using mediums that while technically not out of reach from older generations, philosophically are unattainable due to the widely different attitudes. This appears to a business that younger or more digitally adept professionals are able to move more quickly and decisively with what appears to be less information than others which is a must to maintain competitive advantages in highly pressured markets.

Another intriguing point that I and many of my colleagues have noticed as well is the fundamental difference in learning between digitally adept individuals and prior generations. Whether it be crowdsourcing with their social networks, sharing and collaborating using technologies such as Google or BoxNet, catching up to news via Twitter, learning new things via YouTube, Vimeo, and podcasts, the digitally adept share a common ability to absorb, navigate and filter multiple streams of information and derive value that is interesting to them. The fundamental behaviors that I see are reflections of common requirements in a professional world: problem solving, information seeking, education synthesis, learning, and practical application of knowledge. They are learning these skills in addition to their traditional education by performing them intuitively to meet their needs in a digital world. A very simple and specific use case would be wireless networking. This is a task that most older professionals explore very rarely; most will be happy with a wireline cable connection. Yet wireless is a more common task especially with regard to gaming consoles for the digitally adept. They search the web for answers to questions that they have, troubleshoot problems and finally achieve the end result they were looking for which is to play games or watch movies wirelessly. The end result is that someone who is perhaps younger or digitally adept is actually much more experienced with technical issues that many older individuals find daunting and quite foreign. This learning follows them in the industry where they are capable of learning concepts much more quickly since they have a very strong base of understanding with which to grow from which may not always be the case for their experienced counterparts.

The differences we noticed between the generations is how comfortable the digitally connected generations are to technology. They do not see it as something bizarre or foreign. Rather something that is a part of their life. This fundamentally different view of the digital world gives them insights that prior generations are simply lacking. These insights make them more comfortable in the industry where technology for many companies is still viewed with suspicion and fear. More importantly by moving past these prejudices they are able to come to solutions more quickly, with greater confidence and in many cases with better perspectives of what really matters to people.

Why Companies Lay People Off - Preparing for that Possibility

Through my long career losing one's job is a very traumatic experience to anyone the first time around. It actually gets easier subsequent times since much of the initial shock and pain found in the first layoff has taught a professional how to be better prepared for it.

In the recent economic turmoil many more professionals have found themselves on different paths than what they thought they would experience. For many it is their first time or so long since they have gone through the experience that their pain, confusion and angst is understandably high. Even the most seasoned professional looks at the situation with some degree of frustration and confusion. After all they were doing fairly important work and now suddenly they are out of an organization they have given so much of their efforts to.

I often find myself giving advice to many professionals in these situations from my own personal perspective in that I have gone through it myself several times. Many have found my advice useful so I thought I would share some of my thoughts on the subject:

• Why is a company laying off? Answer - economic reality bites. Let's face it, many companies are not necessarily well prepared for change especially rapid, downward changes. So when they do take actions, it is often more of a reaction than any truly planned action. This is not to say that any organization releases employees lightly. Quite to the contrary they are loathe to do so. However it is not something that they adequately prepare for nor practice until times call for it. Quite simply it is beyond an organization's control on when they lay people off. It just happens.
• So why am I being laid off? Answer - it's nothing personal, it's just business. Most companies view their employees as valuable resources not necessarily as individuals. Even in the most individual-oriented company, everyone has a value that has to be weighed by the company process in terms of being retained or released. For example younger more agile individuals even those who have contributed significantly to a company can find themselves released while others are retained. Why? The company weighs their value to the company. If a person only contributes in a certain way that can be more or less valuable to a company versus others who do more. To be honest there is no real "formula" or "scientific process" being applied. It is matter of perception by decision makers beyond an individuals control.
• Was it something that "I" did to get laid off? Answer - Plain and simply no. In almost all instances of being laid off I can personally recall every "mishap" that might have caused my being released. From personal experience that is the wrong avenue to take. While it is true that one might have made mistakes, if they had been heinous enough to cause a layoff more than likely one would have been released due to disciplinary actions prior to being laid off. One of the biggest wastes of energy is looking at a company and imagining any number of scenarios as to why one was laid off. It ranges from "so-and-so was out to get me", "I should have explained my value more", "I should have done more tasks", etc. I have seen executives of profitable divisions who did outstanding work, engineers with PhDs and patents, and sales personnel who brought large deals to an organization released in the same wave as other professionals who were not as well known. It is never one's fault for being affected by a layoff in such dire economic times. 
• What do I do now? Answer - Simple. Find a new opportunity. Note how I always call it an opportunity and not a job? This is an important distinction. An opportunity is something that interests you whereas a job is something that does not. It is the passion driven by interest that attracts employers. If you are interested in doing something it shows.

One of the major perspectives someone being laid off tends to forget is how their departure among the number of their fellow employees impacts their organization. I am not merely talking about immediate work efforts but rather morale as a whole. How an organization deals with a layoff is not only important to those leaving, but those staying as well. While it is true that many employees will react out of fear of losing their positions, energy that is fear-based lasts only a short while. Employees will become resentful, fearful and stressed resulting in any number of issues to an organization ranging from late projects, to health-related absences, to a poisoning of the company culture - just to name a few. Essentially when a lay off occurs, it erodes the goodwill between employee and employer. How well the transition is managed determines how much erosion occurs and how soon the healing process begins. I often advise those who are let go that their worries are over and their course of action is clear. Those that remain behind are the ones that need sympathy and support as their turmoil will take a long time to settle down.

One of the greatest lessons being laid off teaches a professional is how to be entrepreneurial - to find opportunities, to network, to grow, to find business own their own, to face repeated rejection with optimism and enthusiasm, and to ultimately believe in themselves. As companies continue to lower their costs by letting employees go, they are in my opinion inadvertantly creating a newer, better workfoce that will have several traits:

• More self-reliant and self-motivated.
• More focused on doing what they themselves are capable of doing for others both inside and outside of an organization.
• More confidant in their capabilities and values in delivering quality, affordable and effective solutions to customers.
• More capable of making significant decisions that affect their lives with greater clarity and determination than before.
• More unwilling to "settle" for something as opposed to going out and "making" it happen.

These are not bad traits to have in any employee. It is just that employers will find a more mindful, independent workforce than they previously thought. This workforce will not only have the talent but the the motivation to focus on what interests them. For any professional going through a transition focus on the future, not the past. Trust me, it helps.

Keeping Up To Date - How To Adjust to Challenging Times

I read an article today from The Economist entitled "The Trap: The Curse of Long-Term Unemployment Will Bedevil the Economy". There are some very true and fascinating comments in this article which have been stated over and over again by other experts.

In today's workplace there are many observations about the changing landscape such as this one from Vocii which demonstrates how some CEOs are adjusting to the times. Yet for many professionals these concepts used by executives are elusive. One of the core principles I have attempted to pass along to other colleagues has been the concept of keeping current and competitive with ones skills. This is what CEOs and executives do, this is what all working professionals should do. This is especially true of technical professionals.

Technology changes rapidly creating a great number of challenges and opportunities at the same time. It creates more of a level playing field though it has it's extremes. Often times I come across numerous technical professionals that spend all their time working job searches and resume changes, yet totally ignoring the fact that their skills may in fact need ot be honed as well. Admittedly looking for the next opportunity is very important as is having a very good resume demonstrating your value. However, in the end you need to possess the skills that organizations want. Most have very good skills but need some refinement. Others need to learn whole new skill sets.

In my experience keeping abreast of technology is part of a technical professionals career. Admittedly indepth knowledge on the detailed technology may not be as pressing depending on your exact role, but one cannot be even a CTO or CIO without some passing knowledge of the latest approaches. I run into many technical professionals with very deep knowledge in a few skills or such a broad aptitude with little capability of applying modern solutions to significant problems.

I often use my own approach in keeping skills current as a means to inspire others. I mentor several startups in their business models and technical executions. I also mentor numerous working professionals by helping them deliver innovative solutions into their areas of responsibility which allows them to gain new skills while leveraging existing knowledge areas. I also help many technical implementers by assisting in their deployments, solutions or even at times their next generation solutions. All of these efforts allow me to stay in touch with various aspects of my industry that interest me, assist various levels of businesses to accomplish strategic goals, learn new, exciting and innovative ways to look at problems and solve them, and help with hands-on technology that I consider fun and intriguing.

Also in a prior post, I mentioned building my own personal technical environment with which to explore new technologies, build up my own knowledge, and not apply my own concepts to problems that may be of benefit to myself in my career but to others as well.

I look at things in terms of investments such as say learning Java. It is a pretty simple proposition to purchase a book, load the most popular software components such as the JVM, Maven, Eclipse, etc. and learn some of the concepts. Even purchasing a copy of VMware can help professionals gain a better understanding of virtualization. Using virtualized environments to help demonstrate how to spin up/spin down resources helps others to see practical benefits, considerations and how to apply that to their own environments. Ultimately what I attempt to do is motivate and inspire other professionals to do more with resources available to them. To think on their own and to grow on their own. Ultimately being able to rely on yourself, being active and focused, and learning new skills is a requirement in today's hyper-competitive landscape.