Second-Wave Millennials: Tapping the Potential of America’s Youth

Earlier this week, I announced the release of my new book, Second Wave Millennials: Tapping the Potential of America’s Youth. It is out and it is available on Amazon.

What’s the bottom line? Is the next generation doomed to fail or destined to succeed? This all depends on our ability to invest in them by putting aside our biases and developing their strength as leaders. We have a unique opportunity to guide our next generation of leaders who will inevitably face unprecedented challenges in the future. This book is a little window into the challenges and opportunities, played out in a workplace setting.

The Best of…

If you have been reading my blogs, you will recognize some of the material in the book. The book is really a “Best of” material that has been crafted in a coherent way with an easy-to-read narrative and plenty of idea for you on successfully engaging Millennials to peak performance.

This book is 10-years in the making. During this time, I have been on the front line in companies, gaining a greater appreciation of the generational dynamic and the challenges therein. So, the ideas in the book are “road tested”. Because I value high quality research, I’ve sorted through the best research on the subject of generations. There are over six pages of endnotes representing almost 60 research sources.

The Story of Generations

Data is good, but stories are better. The narrative takes place in a fictionalized setting—a composite of many different companies I’ve encountered over the years. And the characters each represent the different generations in the workplace.

As a teaser, you’ll discover…

• Why does Dave the Boomer get to appointments 20-minutes early?

• How come Jennifer the GenXer so resilient to criticism?

• Why is Josh the First Waver so chipper?

• How come Samanthe’s is so risk-averse?

The Arrival of Second-Wavers to the Workplace

The new kid on the block is, of course, the Second-Wave Millennial. Media has recently embraced the “Gen Z” label, but for this book, I’m sticking with the actual definition of a length of a generation being 20 to 25 years, thus marking all Millennials between 1982 – 2004.  If anything, generations are getting longer because people are having children in their late 20’s, 30’s and even 40’s.

This does not mean there are no differences between the older cohort (first wave), and younger cohort (second wave). The differences are bigger than ever, and this is why there is pressure to identify a new name for this new generation.

First-Wave Millennials (older) are more like GenXers—they are more street smart, focused on their goals, and gravitate toward leadership positions more readily. Mostly Boomer parents raised them. Second-Wave Millennials, however, are more cautious, risk-averse, book smart, stressed out, and need detailed guidance in the workplace. Mostly GenXer parents raised them, with even more hands-on parenting style than Boomers parents.

Final Thought

To manage, lead, and develop healthy relationships, I’ve always believed that you need to meet people where they are. In this age of “othering”, it is more important than ever to fully understand people’s perspective before making judgments. Generations are just another form of diversity that is often overlooked. This book can give you the tools to understand where other generations are ‘coming from’, and also where your own generation has come from. 

 Happy reading!

 Second-Wave Millennials: Tapping the Potential of America’s Youth is available on Amazon.com.