Millenials as a secret weapon

I've been reading a lot about "Millenials" lately -- a generational label most often defined as someone born between 1982 and 2000. People are very opinionated this breed of young people, a generation I call my own.

Take Wayne Staley's politically charged rant as an example. He points out how previous generations put Millenials in a financial rut and defines how the Millenial generation is perpetuating the problem.

Despite recognizing Millenials' technological capabilities, Staley also calls on society to "cease the meaningless discussion about helping youth trapped in marginalized circumstances, and take positive actions. In an increasingly complex world, there is a danger they will be lost. Technological training must be available, and potentially offer them hope for positive futures."

This technological training is available. It's called the Internet, and many Millenials were raised by it and cable television. The trick to enabling Millenials to "fix" the state of the world is to help them define a future that is impacted by their own actions and how those actions will affect and influence others.

Contrary to some of Staley's assertions, IBM is championing Millenials' abilities. The organization's publication Myths, exaggerations and uncomfortable truths calls out several asinine generalizations about Millenials and puts the focus on their strengths:

"The key takeaway for business leaders is this: Millennials represent the first wave of digital natives to enter the workforce, and this does distinguish them. Organizations that have embarked on their own transformation urgently need this digital capital. They should eagerly look for ways to embrace Millennials and create the work environments where top talent can flourish—across all generations. This will require nuanced strategies that reflect the reality of a multigenerational workforce: employees of all ages are complex individuals working in an environment that’s becoming more virtual, more diverse and more volatile by the day."

Millenials are not all self-entitled, digital-addicts who were raised by helicopter parents and instant gratification. In light of being raised by the Internet and a parental set often inclined to adopt technology, many Millenials are highly intelligent people who have been brought up in a world where information remains virtually free at their fingertips.

To this degree, willing Millenials are capable of designing their own journey.  To reach full potential, Millenials must look past decadent lifestyles that are being marketed to them and instead focus on doing good in the world. However, some would argue that money brings mobility, and mobility brings positive social change.

My advice to Millenials would be to stay cautious of appeals to their idealism, to assure their own needs are taken care of first, and to be aware when they are not being treated fairly in comparison to their older counterparts.

I predict that monetary capital will not be the chief indicator of Millenials' successes --  their vast social reach will continue to be invaluable in solving all that is wrong with the world.

We can all communicate better.

My office manager recommended this book to me:

It's a game changer, but I won't spoil it for you. At least read a summary if you can't get to the full text.

Be good. Do good.

Another Quote of the Week + a Reaction to Partricia Arquette's Speech

"To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America."

- Patricia Arquette,
Best Supporting Actress, 2015 Oscar Speech


According to Fast Company, some might say that Patricia Arquette's recent Oscar speech bombed due to her narrow focus on only females' right to Equal Pay. However, her actions did spark conversation about the topic -- which I believe was her true intent.

The wage gap is a real thing, and it isn't just affecting affluent Hollywood stars.

While Patricia's speech could have been improved, it is important that the issue of Equal Pay be discussed openly with acknowledgment of facts. Those two simple words can cause major tension in a professional environment, so it's important to frame the topic around equal accomplishments and contributions without inflicting direct accusations on employers. In essence, it is a double-edged sword that will only be effective as a single blade.

See Also: 5 Ways to Negotiate for the Paycheck You Deserve

Quote of the Week

"Research shows humans prefer cockiness to expertise. We naturally assume confidence equates with skill. Even the most skeptical will at least be partly persuaded by a confident speaker."

- Jeff Haden
9 Habits of Remarkably Persuasive People


I am still riding high off of realizing what a badass my former public speaker is these days.  Now is a great time to recall that vivid red ink from my persuasive speech reviews: "Be confident! I know you have it in you."


See also: 8 Things Successful People Do Everyday

Quote of the Week

"When more women lead, performance improves. Start-ups led by women are more likely to succeed; innovative firms with more women in top management are more profitable; and companies with more gender diversity have more revenue, customers, market share and profits. A comprehensive analysis of 95 studies on gender differences showed that when it comes to leadership skills, although men are more confident, women are more competent."


- Adam Grant and Sheryl Sandberg on Discrimination at Work (series)"When talking about Bias Backfires", The New York Times

2015 Austin Marathon Race Report

Me and Triscuit, post-race.

I woke up on Valentine's Day congested, still blowing opaque snot rockets from some sort of cold/virus/sinus infection. Panic set in, so I asked Facebook what to do. I tried at least five of the recommended remedies -- from Sudafed to a consistent drip of honey-lemon-ginger-apple-cider-vinegar concoctions -- to clear out my head.  Something must have worked a little magic, because I was less congested on race day.

Justin and I neared the race start just in the nick of time and found Brandon by a large central water cooler before dodging our way through the crowd to the 3:15 pace group. I saw Triscuit immediately and breathed a huge sigh of relief as we listened to the national anthem. I blew my nose one last time before the final countdown, and then off we went!

The year before, I took off up Congress in what felt like a hastier stride in retrospect. This time around Triscuit and I were in lock step with the pace group, and it felt good. We breezed around to South First, where Triscuit became the voice of reason as our pace crept down into sub-7s on the downhill. It was hard to let people pass, but it was harder to pass on  the cupcake handouts on the opposite side of the street. 

We picked up Karen around mile 6 just as things were starting to flatten out again. I was absolutely stoked to have a team!

The next few miles went by quickly until the point where I thought my bladder was going to burst. I resisted it for a while, swearing to myself I wasn't going to do a repeat of last year's race where I wasted at least 5 minutes on restroom stops while regretting my steady diet of beer and queso the day before. 

I spotted an open porta-potty minutes later -- only to have it high-jacked by the dude one foot in front of me.  I was pissed and starting to lose control of my bladder, so I broke ahead of the pace group for a half mile or so around the half marathon split until I found a vacancy. As soon as I popped open the door after the sweet relief, I was elated to see that our pace group passing.

The next 10 miles were pretty blurry. I remember seeing Gina cheering on every other corner like she had magically teleported each time, and we saw Rob and Angel at some point. I spent most of the time focusing on the clever signage that surrounded and trying to convince myself that it was just another jaunt downtown -- that it was all downhill to the Capitol (except when it's not...)!

Triscuit kept reminding me to drink water and handed me her bottle every so often, and I managed to stay nourished enough to avoid a wall by taking gels every 5-7 miles. 

By the time we hit my neighborhood, I was still feeling pretty good. Justin was cheering on our street corner near mile 22. His smile gave me a boost. Realizing that we were getting near the end, I started kicking it into gear as we approached the end of Duval. I began to worry as the runners became more spread out -- I was so so close, but was I really going to be able to hold strong for those few remaining miles? There was only one way to find out. 

I heard loud cheers coming up on Big Grumpy (what Justin and I call the big hill on SanJac) and saw a pack of RiffRaffians cheering just when I needed it the most. Gareth chased me up the hill on a bike, after which I broke out into a sprint for the final 400 meters. It felt so good to be over that finish line and even better that I finally held a pace that allowed me to finish strong.