gen z

Intentional Compliments

Intentional Compliments

Happy Thursday, All!

Lately, we’ve been thinking about compliments, one of the great gifts we can give one another and elements of interactions that are a cherished part of our linguistic capabilities. As one does when thinking about a specific topic, we began paying attention to people's behaviors around giving and receiving these gifts. Chances are we are all guilty of offering disingenuous toss away platitudes like, “Nice job!” or, “Looking good!” or, “Aren’t you nice?” We are all probably equally guilty for, at some point in our lives, deflecting, dismissing or otherwise blowing off a compliment or commendation with, “Oh, don’t be silly” or, “Nah, you’re just saying that,” or “Oh, stop it” or “You really think that?” or (our personal cynical favorite) “I’ll pay you later” or, worst of all, simply ignoring one. The thing is: when we toss around oblique non-specific “accolades” like Mardi Gras beads to just about everyone, frankly our credibility comes into question making it suspect to those on the receiving end whether they are conscious of it or not (it’s that pesky amygdala “bullshit detector” again!). Conversely, when we deflect or dismiss an apparently genuine acknowledgement of something someone perceives as a good thing, we’re essentially saying, ”Your opinion or observation is of no value to me,” which usually isn’t the case (usually it indicates a certain lack of confidence or need for more validation in the deflector - but that’s a topic for another day). The banality of those, while probably well-meant, platitudes like “good job” are so ubiquitous these days, we think, are a result of people not slowing down and thinking about what we are actually trying to say. And honestly, it’s just simpler. But do we really want simple or do we want to add value to those we care about or work with by genuinely acknowledging someone’s accomplishments and valuing others' honest assessment of a job well done?

Yeah, us too.

So how?

The Quest for Perfection; The Downfall of Communication

The Quest for Perfection; The Downfall of Communication

Hello again and happy Thursday!

We’re hoping you had a chance to listen to the conversation we offered last week for your listening pleasure, and thought we’d highlight some of the (we think!) key takeaways from the broadcast. Alex Cullimore, Cristina Amigoni and I examined, in depth, the concepts of meaningful conversation and connection, the fears involved in making us shy away from communicating intentionally, and the tools we have currently at our disposal that facilitate our avoidance - and there are a TON of them! In 2021, we find ourselves in a world, loaded with technology created to help us to facilitate communication more easily and more fluidly, at least conceptually. However we find that the platforms, apps, emails, texting, social media et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, in addition to being convenient and relatively quick and easy, have also had the (we’re sure!) unintended consequence of helping us avoid the, sometimes terrifying, prospect of actually having conversations and allowing us to avoid the very same. Throughout the podcast, I also found myself coming back again and again to the idea of the expectation of perfection.

Perfection, (defined by Dictionary.com as a quality, trait, or feature of the highest degree of excellence), is an impossible standard to strive for, (vastly overstating the obvious, but just sayin’). Perfection is the opposite of the human experience and our authentic selves. Human beings are messy and imperfect, but these are also the traits that make humanity beautiful. This crusade towards perfection is yet another reason we see a breakdown in communication between the five generations and amongst ourselves in the workplace and humans in general. Why is the quest for perfection a piece of this dysfunction? How can we overcome a trend that has slowly been bred by technology into our habits as human beings? We invite you to read on…...

"Ok Boomer" and "Damn Millennials:" A Generational Dilemma Explored in Audio

"Ok Boomer" and "Damn Millennials:" A Generational Dilemma Explored in Audio

Recently we’ve tackled the concept of “words we throw around professionally.” We’ve made an effort to disseminate an initial understanding of leadership, relationship culture, etc. Here are a few others we can toss into that mix: “Ok Boomer!” “Damn Millennials!”.

OK, so what’s up with this? What’s up with the vilification of “other” generations? As often repeated, there’s a reason for everything: here are a couple:

Deconstructing Entitlement

Deconstructing Entitlement

Entitlement - it’s a loaded word and one we’d like to highlight as it seems to be thrown around a lot these days, particularly aimed at the younger generations. What exactly does it mean? In business, culturally, and societally?

Dictionary.com defines “entitled” as: “to give (a person or thing) a title, right, or claim to something.”

We’d like to focus this week on what’s “right” and who’s to say what’s right or wrong, particularly in the workforce.

Why Do We Think We Know Everything?

Why Do We Think We Know Everything?

There’s an interesting and slightly alarming sociological trend, which has slowly and not very quietly begun to emerge in the past 10 years: we think we know everything. We argue, and sometimes rail, against scientists, doctors, professors, political officials (no, I’m not going THAT particular rabbit hole!), clergy, journalists etc. People who have toiled, often for decades to become experts in their chosen fields, and who have years of study, research, institutional knowledge, historical knowledge and involvement in their area of expertise. However, if they aren’t saying something that comports with each of our own world views, they are suddenly stupid, whackjobs, and idiots. SO, why do we think we know more than they do?

The End of the Alphabet, the Beginning of a New Era: Generation Z

The End of the Alphabet, the Beginning of a New Era: Generation Z

Thank you for joining us on this journey through understanding the different generations. Over the past month or so, we’ve covered four of the five generations currently in the workplace - Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y (Millennials) - and how their respective experiences and cultures influence how they create personal and professional relationships and function in the workplace. With that….we’ve reached our youngest!

Just Pick Up the Phone!

Just Pick Up the Phone!

The irony is clear: the most smartphone-dependent generations - Millennials and Gen Z - are also the least likely to pick up the phone instead of texting or emailing. It is generally recognized, with some exceptions, that young professionals have been conditioned to defer to non-verbal communication like text or email. These are the first generations never to have known life without them. Picking up the phone to have an actual conversation is anathema and counterintuitive to these 180 million young professionals; why talk when you can text or email?

FIG Book Club: September Recommended Reading

FIG Book Club: September Recommended Reading

Welcome to the FIG Book Club!

Welcome to Future Image Group’s Book Club! Every month, we’ll recommend a book, abstract, or research paper related to personal and professional development in the workplace (which, in turn, is also related to the development of social skills and more meaningful personal relationships).  We hope you enjoy – and we’d love to hear your recommendations for books that have helped you or given you some insight on your own journey of professional or personal social development. 

Millennials: 5 Steps to Make Now to Advance Your Career Faster

Millennials: 5 Steps to Make Now to Advance Your Career Faster

Today’s professional world is rife with opportunities for entrepreneurs and self-starters to create the life they want if they work hard and leverage their connections. Between the gig economy and the large force of young professionals in the traditional workplace (a combination of Gen X, Gen Y [Millennials], and Gen Z), the way people perceive and achieve professional advancement is changing. However, with the millions of young people entering the workforce today, competition is fierce. Here are 5 steps young professionals can take to differentiate themselves from the competition and move toward quicker advancement, whether climbing a more traditional corporate ladder or pursuing the creation of their own business.

FIG Role Model: Sherry Turkle

FIG Role Model: Sherry Turkle

The “Margaret Mead of digital culture,” Professor Sherry Turkle is an incredibly accomplished person.  She is the Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at MIT, and the founding director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self. Because she has been studying people’s interaction with technology since the birth of the earliest personal computers, she is an incredible source of knowledge on the ways we use technology as a social tool and how it affects us as a part of our psychological lives.