Weekly Posts and Insights
XPollination (Ep. 15) - Millennials on a Lake
A special summertime broadcast from Lake George in New York, generations and Millennial expert Matt Harrington talks with a group of Millennial friends about the future of education, community and leadership. Relax, grab a drink, and enjoy the show!
Millennials with Matt Episode 1: What Makes a Generation a Generation
In this episode generations expert Matt Harrington takes a look at what makes a generation an actual generation. When we talk generations in the workplace or in our personal life we often look at the age or the two points in time the group of people were born into. Instead we should be looking at what took place during that generation, especially in their formative years, that now defines their outlook on the world and the way they think others should act. There are also other tips and tactics in the episode discussed when talking about generations. Enjoy!
Millennials: The "Risk-Averse" Generation? (TD.org)
“While technology is young people's oxygen, risk may be their carbon monoxide," stated Inc. magazine, in its May 2015. This statement was a clear response to the decrease of upstart entrepreneurs in this generation as opposed to other generations. According to the magazine, young people (25-35 years old) launched 35 percent of start ups in 1996, young people start ups only made up 18 percent of the market in 2014. Indeed, although innovative and team-oriented, Millennials may be the most risk-averse generation. But why?
NEWS: Harrington Hired to Discuss Generations with the USDA
With Generational Tension on the Rise in the Workplace, the USDA Hires Harrington to Discuss Solutions
XPollination (Ep. 14) - Millennials and Knowledge Sharing
Special guest Giulia Sergi has worked in a variety of technology roles; previously with Bank of America, and now currently with HealthScape. She is also a graduate student at Northwestern University studying Learning and Organizational Change. Her passion is around understanding the dynamics of organizations, teams, and the individuals in them. Today she joins us to talk about the idea of knowledge sharing and why it’s crucial in our work environments especially as the it gets more complex and fast-paced. Millennials obviously play a crucial role (and are somewhat of a pioneer) in this idea of knowledge sharing so we wanted to get her on the show to talk to us about the idea.
Isn’t This Just Business? Millennials’ Transactional Loyalty to Organizations and Why Organizations Hate It.
Organizations have been in an uproar about the hop-scotching that Millennials do in their career with very little regard for the company. Why? I’ve seen organizations let go of people left and right, level a whole department for a better stockholder return, move people into positions of little power to make them leave. Unemployed workers talk about being angry, sad and confused about the lack of loyalty from the company for all the years the worker had put in. So, why are organizations and managers ‘hurt’ or blindsided when Millennial workers say, “we’re not sticking around for that, good bye.” Isn’t it just the transactional relationship the employer/employee relationship has been built upon?
XPollination (Ep. 13) - Millennials and Wealth
29% of Millennials have sought some sort of financial advice. 75% of Millennials have financial goals, but only 20% have a plan to back up those goals. 60% of Millennials say savings is a major goal, but half say their biggest challenge is not making enough money. We sit down with JJ Williams of Williams Financial to dig into the pysche of these Millennials and areas we should all focus on in order to build true wealth for our future.
Stop! Or My Mom Will Text!
A Baby Boomer and a Millennial get into a car and start using techology...
GenX Rising
One of the biggest challenges we run into when we work with organizations is that GenX does not have the fundamental competency and skill set to think strategically for the organization. This isn’t a slight at GenX; I don’t believe the organizations have prepared them well nor have organizations invested the necessary resources for GenX to be where they need to be at this stage of the game. Whether in meetings or on the shop floor or helping prep for a presentation, we find that many GenXers have a tendency to stay at an operational, 10,000 foot thinking capacity.
XPollination (Ep. 12) - Millennials and Productivity
Special guest Porter Knight with Productivity Vermont, a company dedicated to empowering busy professionals to achieve more at work, joins us on this XPollination episode. They believe that productivity doesn’t just happen; it begins with a conscious commitment. It requires skill and decision-making to thrive, and may need ongoing support to sustain. Productivity Vermont sets out to create a system that fosters these characteristics in the workplace.
Their powerful strategies have helped thousands of executives, employees, and entrepreneurs acquire a greater sense of purpose, hone their decision-making skills, and achieve greater life balance while boosting their performance at work.