Managing the Millennials: Discover The Core Competencies for Managing Today’s Workforce by Chip Espinoza, Mick Ukleja, & Craig Rusch is a must read for leaders, teachers, and parents who have to deal with a generation raised at a very different time. It is based on abundant research and a two-year study conducted by the authors.

Espinoza, Ukleja, and Rusch

• Chip Espinoza: CEO of GeNext Consulting – Leadership teacher at California State University, Long Beach

• Mick Ukleja, PhD: President of LeadershipTraQ and founder of Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership at California State University, Long Beach

• Craig Rusch, PhD (in social networks): Professor of Anthropology at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California.

The Generations

• Before the boomers there were the builders. They were the generation who experienced the great depression and the second world war. They were the first generation to enter college in big numbers. Hard work, delayed gratification, and automatic respect for authority were common. They often spent their entire career at one company.
• Then came the baby boomers. They were born from 1946 to 1964 and number about 80 million. They grew up with the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement and Women’s Liberation. They grew up with television and rock and roll and were the first with common access to recreational drugs. The moon landing gave them confidence that they could do what they set their minds to. Technology expanded, but they used it mostly to do more work, not less.

The Next Generations

• Generation X: Born between 1965 and 1977, this generation experienced a tripling of the divorce rate and both parents working. MTV, video games, and computers all made their mark. They used technology for a work-life balance and grew accustomed to moving around and autonomy. They could easily do their work on the beach.
• The Millennials (Generation Y): Born between 1978 and 1996, they make up more than 25% of the population and have been shaped by terrorism, cell phones, and social networking. Technology is an integral part of their lives and they crave instant feedback. They are use to parents who praise them and tend to abstain from sex and drugs more than Gen X. They work well in teams and like diversity.

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