Millennials@Work: The 7 Skills Every Twenty-Something (And Their Manager) Needs to Overcome Roadblocks and Achieve Greatness

by Chip Espinoza, Peter Miller, Curtis Bateman

Work life is different from anything you have experienced up to this point. Not because it is work, but because authority figures at work may appear very different from those you have encountered in your life so far. It is not an overstatement to say that many young professionals experience a hefty dose of culture shock when they enter the workforce. The promise of this book is to help you understand the challenges that can stand in the way of success and teach you the skills necessary for achieving greatness at work. Using years of research to back our advice, this book is a helpful tool that will help you identify potential roadblocks in your career so you'll know exactly what to do when you encounter them.

Learn about:
• The potential roadblocks you will face at work and how to work around them
• Seven key skills that will help you become more valuable and advance your career
• How to communicate more effectively with older generations

Genres: Business

177 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2014

Reviews

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main ideas of this book focus on understanding the different generations you are likely to encounter in the workplace. It offers informative insights into generational traits, mindsets, and behaviors, which I found helpful. I wish I had read it earlier, right after graduating from university. This book helped me better understand other generations, including my former managers. I now recognize the root causes of our differences and can empathize more with what I once considered unreasonable mindsets.

I read the Vietnamese version, and one minor drawback is that the translation was quite poor, so I ended up skipping some sections.

[Charmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

HIGHLIGHTS:
1. You may want to spend less time job-hunting and more time skill-building.

2. Keeping in mind that you and your workplace are involved in a value exchange.
- You agree to work. They agree to pay you. End of story.

3. It is this innate ability to work with and understand the technology that ultimately sets you apart in the workforce.

4. Millennials who had the ability to build relationships with authority figures advanced more quickly.

5. Make sure your “why” questions are couched in curiosity, not in the form of resistance.

6. Peers, mentors, and other employees can serve as a great source of feedback.
- Look for people who are approachable, accessible, and have expertise in the area in which you’re gathering information.
- People who seek feedback for personal improvement are more likely to select those with task expertise rather than those with power.

7. The key is to focus first on improving your ability rather than proving your ability.

8. The first step in being accountable is to simply understand what’s expected; both from you and from the project or assignment you’re in charge of.
- Check-in early and often. Frequently take a look at the results you’re getting and measure them against the outcome you’re working toward.

9. When you’re accountable for the outcome, your accomplishments can create better opportunities for more freedom and responsibility at work.

10. So if recognition is something you crave, try this crazy approach at work: Do it their way first.
- Do it effectively. Then, once you’ve shown your ability to work with established processes and methods, offer your ideas for improvement.
- Instead of receiving negative recognition for asking for more responsibility than you’ve earned, you’ll receive positive recognition for learning the ropes and finding ways to improve.

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

We were asked at work to read this book. Somehow I fall into the millennials even though I think I am more generation x. I felt that this was speaking down to me and making snide comments here and there that I just felt were not needed. I can see how some of this relates to millennials but I had a hard time accepting that I fell into this group.