Stop Apologizing!

A few years ago I hired a Gen Y summer intern.  I remember her being impressive during her interview.  She did a decent job over the summer; not stellar, but decent.  And I think she gained some good corporate-life and specific HR experience from it.  But the one thing that’s funny now, (not so funny then) that annoyed me after a few weeks was that she apologized for EVERYTHING. 

She would say “sorry” for stuff that she didn’t have anything whatsoever to do with.  If I spilled a little bit of soda (we say pop in Indiana) on my desk she would apologize.  If she had a question, she would apologize and then ask her question.  If she needed to leave a bit early she would whine and say sorry like a hundred times before leaving. 

The kicker though was when I did her performance appraisal at the end of the summer.  I mentioned that I thought she should stop apologizing all the time.  I told her that it would hurt her career someday and that she would get off to a much better start if she cut that word completely out of her vocabulary.  And instinctively she said, “Oh, I’m sorry.”  It was a LMAO moment. 

The lesson I was trying to convey to her was that in the world of work there is very little for which you should apologize.  It makes you look weak, less confident, and less competent in the eyes of stronger, more seasoned colleagues.  You know—those crusty veterans.  The one’s who’ve been beat down by the corporate hammer so much themselves that one of the few pleasures in their daily grind is to eat apologetic prey like my cute little intern for lunch. 

Yes, I realize that as an intern or a new employee you are just trying so hard, tripping all over yourself to do everything right and make that good impression.  I get that!  I was there.  But somewhere along the way you stop fretting and you get on with it, and you stop caring so much.  You realize “the company” is just a bigger dysfunctional family.  Many in Generation X grew up with dysfunction, and we’re still living it today at work. 

And so this brings up a question… Did Gen X adapt better and/or faster to the first job or internship than Gen Y is adapting today?

Once in a while we all royally screw something up.   But can we still take responsibility when we’re at fault, or when we are responsible for someone or something that is the cause?  I believe so.  And I believe we can do it sincerely with confidence and composure, and without the “S word”. 

But enough of what I think, I want know what you think!

This Gen X’er Turned 40 Today!

I’m thankful to be here today, thankful for my family, thankful for all of God’s graces, and thankful for the essence of Generation X. 

40

At 40 one life dies

And a second life begins

Mid-life?  “In denial!”

Crisis?  “So cliché!”

Finally feeling mortal?  “Perhaps.”

Immortality’s illusion from 18 to 24

Youth’s lie that we all dare to live

Like racing trains to the crossing

Though I feel as young

And immortal now as then

Yet reason now calms me

And today at 40, I see a slightly older reflection in the mirror

Softening this lion’s roar

Showing me silver streaks, spider eyes, and some weathered cracks

Faint recognition and wonderment while I study and recall

This old class reunion acquaintance

One seeing life’s past

The other seeing beyond the glass

 Beyond mid-way

With hope to a distant day

Though a mortal day determined, a time finite

A day when the mirror no more reflects

And this old friend it accepts

And finds time infinite 

New Gen X Art Post by Annie Anderson

Rematic:  http://mygenx.wordpress.com/genx-art/

NBC Juggle Leno, O’Brien, and Fallon

So you’ve probably heard all the fuss over at NBC.  Basically, Leno gets dropped at 10PM and moves back to 11:35 but doesn’t get “The Tonight Show” trademark.  Conan keeps The Tonight Show but has to move to 12:05, which seems like the same as stripping Conan of The Tonight Show.  Let’s face it, the host made The Tonight Show and it has always been in the 11:35 time slot.  So Jay’s name, face and style of humor is the brand, which I think mostly appeals to his Boomer comrades.  And with him back on at his old time he will virtually be The Tonight Show again.  Conan will get paid off, I’m sure, but in the end, this Gen X’er and his Gen X’er fans get the familiar shaft. 

But I know it is simply mathematics!  Forty million X’ers and one Conan versus a horde of at least twice as many TV watching boomers plus Jay.  Also, the affiliates are hemorrhaging viewers and they’re complaining because the Baby Boomer viewers are the biggest audience of the local news.  Fewer Baby Boomers are watching their “live, local news” and I suspect it’s partly because they just don’t get that goofy, big hair, red-head who comes on afterward.  And let’s be honest, the affiliate news has always been something that everyone watched while they waited for Leno and previously Johnny Carson.

Now I don’t know the exact research on the viewing habits of our three generations, but I imagine that they are tracking right along with the generational trends happening in print media.   Hey folks, it’s all moving to the internet, right?  And by folks, I mean Baby Boomers who seem to hang tightly to the ledge of familiar chins like Jay Leno’s and conventional ways like ink on your hands from the beloved print news industry. 

My generation and the younger Y’s are pulling away from the tube and replacing it on-demand viewing and movie rental.  Sites like Hulu are growing.  I’m not saying Hulu is better than sliced bread yet, but I think it is a forerunner to the future of on-demand entertainment. 

As for Jimmy Fallon’s Gen Y fan base, They will stay up to watch him at 1:05, 2:05 or 3:05.  It really doesn’t matter for them, or Jimmy.  Letterman you ask?  I live just a stone’s throw from Dave’s beloved Ball State University, so I’ve always been a big Letterman fan.  But, I think since 9/11 and with Dave’s recent troubles he has been off his game and has lost much of his goofball appeal.  But, Dave is Dave and Conan would not be Conan if it weren’t for Dave.  Just watch Conan and Dave at the same time sometime (DVR it!).  See if you can tell what Conan learned from Dave.  Has he made it better?

So what do you think?  Tell me if I’m full of crap or tell me your take on the where Gen X fits into all of this. 

NBC MEETS THE PRESS: Officially Cancels Leno Show At 10PM: Wants To Keep Jay AND Conan AND Jimmy; Admits Nothing A Done Deal Yet; Claims Leno In Primetime Was Doing OK; Blames Affiliates For Making Network Yank It; “PR Nightmare” – Deadline.com.

Also:  A quick shout out to Latchkey Man for a great post.  Take his quiz to gauge your sense of humor!

Weekly GenX Art post

http://mygenx.wordpress.com/genx-art/?preview=true&preview_id=392&preview_nonce=21200c7c01

HR Stuff: Workforce Planning

I wrote a post the other day for HCI.org.  Here it is again on mygenx.
http://www.hci.org/lib/workforce-planning-don-t-let-days-go

Don’t Let the Days Go By

Top Musical Artists Picks of 2009

1. Kings of Leon
2. Modest Mouse
3. Blue October
4. Pearl Jam
5. Snow Patrol
6. Landon Pigg
7. Death Cab for Cutie
8. Mercury Rev
9. Silversun Pickups
10. Pheonix
11. Built to Spill
12. Rogue Wave
13. Pink Floyd

Yes 13 for the 13th generation.  No order, no trackback links, just stuff I listened to that helped me cope with 2009.   Goodbye 2009.

The Uglies

The 2009 Ugly Awards presented by MyGenX

(The top 10 happenings of 2009 that mygenx would like to forget)

1.  Obama Drama.  I’m not trying to be political here.  Generally speaking, I’m just tired of politics on steroids as it seems to have been this year.  And it wasn’t even an election year.  Yikes for 2010!

2.  That Tiger Woods was the Gen X moral poster child for golf and all sports figures, but not for me.  I mean, he never said he was a saint!  The media did!  And we’re all so hungry for a good, upstanding hero in our world that we all bought what Nike, GM, Gillette the PGA and all of them, especially Tiger, were “selling”. 

3.  Job losses and pay cuts combined with out of control consumer debt and a weak dollar.  Need I say more?  I mean I could…I could talk about the prospects for Gen X in retirement (which equals work till-you-drop)

4.  Global Warming, Global Cooling, Climate Change, or whatever we are calling it these days hoax or not (I think hoax mostly)– Can we all just agree that we need to be responsible for how we are using our Big Blue Marble?

5.  Michael Jackson died but if he was still alive his face would still be dead.

6.  The Death of Senator Ted Kennedy.  Although on the upside he and Mary Jo Kopechne are reunited in the spirit world and all is accounted for, and  hopefully all is forgiven.

7.  Deaths to Cancer:  Patrick Swayze looses battle against cancer.  Farrah Fawcett also succumbs.  I’ll miss her feathered hair.  She was such a fox!  A Boomer, yes.  But all of us boys who were in the 7th and 8th grade were big Charlies Angels (Jill Munroe) fans.  On a positive and more serious note, I thought they were both very courageous and great examples of Gen X character in their fight against this disease that we’d all like to forget.

8.  David Carradine of Kung Fu fame died mysteriously.  He was great in the Kill Bill series and I’m sure X’er, Quentin Tarantino, was a big Kung Fu fan as well.

9.  Balloon Boy’s parents.  They’re douche bags!  Com’on!  Pimpin your kid for reality TV?  God have mercy on us all!

10.  Anything that has to do with Jon and Kate Plus Eight.  Also, all other douche bag parents.

My Christmas Gift

First of all, the gift that I am most thankful for is Christmas Day is my family together.  I hope your day today is also special in some way. 

Here is one of the gifts, a poem, that I received today from my daughter, Claire.  I have posted it on the GenX Art page.  (Claire’s blog:  silentshrieking.blogspot)

Claire’s Poem:  http://mygenx.wordpress.com/genx-art/

Boys Room Booger Wipers

A new poetry post on GenX Art.  Unbelievable, gross, and funny all “rolled” up into one.