Great article today in USA Today:  Studies:  Arrogance not rampant among young in USA Today.

As I have said before:  Every generation thinks the next generation is more arrogant and narcissistic than the generation before them.  The Gen Y leaders I have met over the last 18 months (and I have met and interviewed about 200) are coming across as generous, hard working, and very dedicated to social causes.  They are also very thoughtful.  Just three weeks ago, Arel Moodie and Bert Gervais called to wish me a Happy New Year and to thank me for supporting them…that meant a lot to me, and I don’t hear my boomer colleagues calling me to say that.   And…if you listen in to the interview below this post with Margaret Regan, she brings up a great point…that Gen Y is saying that they don’t want to live the way their boomer parents did…working 60+ hours per week and being stressed to the max.  So, in my opinion, what some boomers are calling narcissistic and “it’s all about me” may just be  Gen Y’s way of saying “I want to live life first and work second.  I want balance, flexiblity and freedom.  I’m not going to do things your way, working my fingers to the bone, because it will kill me…or at least put me in the sick ward”.  (Don’t we all want that?  Why are we so afraid to ask for that, and why do we then call a generation that is asking for what we all want in life things like lazy, narcissistic and arrogant?)

I believe this to be true…if you look for the negative, you will find it.  If you look for the positive, you will find it.  If you are reading this blog today, I encourage you to get out there and start talking to Gen Y, because I think you might just be surprised at the positives they are bringing to the world.  And…I’m going to say it again “It’s time for us to start working with them…not resisting their efforts!”

Would you like to know how our business and corporate landscape will be shifting in the next 5-10 years as young talent (Gen X and Gen Y) moves into the workforce and into key leadership positions? If so, you don’t want to miss this call with Margaret Regan, Founder of the FutureWork Institute , shares her insights from a gobal study her company is conducting on workforce trends, diversity, talent shortages and generational values. Led by Y-Talk host, Bea Fields  and Guest Co-Hosts Beth Bloomfield and Carol Graser of Next Gen Leaders.

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There is a great article in The McKensie Quarterly on Making Talent a Strategic Priority.  In order to get the article, you have to register with McKensie and Co., and it is worth it!  This article is really outstanding, and their research is confirming all that we are learning about talent development for the next generation of leaders.

Okay…this is really funny.  In order to get the full effect, make sure to go back to the previous and following dates to watch the whole story:

http://www.arcamax.com/zits/s-289159-193085

Web 2.0’s Generation Gap by Martha Irvine

“As social networks like Facebook gain a broader base than the colleges and youth demographics they were once limited to, some young users are beginning to chafe at what they see as a “creepy” infiltration of older users on what was once their turf. “It would be like a 40-year-old attending the prom or a frat party,” market researcher Gary Rudman says. “It just doesn’t work.”

Very interesting indeed.

Get the full article on Tech News World

Ryan Allis is one of those young entrepreneurs who at age 14 was busy building a web design company while his peers were trying to figure out how to date the hottest girl on their middle school or high school campus.

He is only 23, and he is building a mega company iContact. A great article appeared about Ryan today in the Raleigh News and Observer: CEO, 23 shares tips on start ups

We will be featuring Ryan on Y-Talk Radio on February 23 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. You don’t want to miss this call!

He also has a new book coming out…Zero to One Million: How I Built My Company to $1 Million in Sales . . . and How You Can, Too

So…make sure to mark your calendar for Feb. 20 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. 

Generation Y is one of the most entrepreneurial generations in history, and their adventurous spirit is a force to be reckoned with. Listen in to this special Y-Talk interview with host Bea Fields and Guest Host, Corey Blake as we interview E-Myth Guru, Michael Gerber, founder of In the Dreaming Room. Gerber is the author of The E-Myth Books and the upcoming book Awakening the Entrepreneur Within. During this call, we explore how to support the young entrepreneur, ages 18-30, in transforming their lives and businesses in a radically creative and strategic way.  [display_podcast]

Listen in, as we talk with one of America’s top young entrepreneurs, Michael Simmons. Simmons, who has been featured in USA Today and Business Week Magazine, is the CEO of the Extreme Entrepreneurship Education Tour. Michael and his partner, Sheena Lindahl, takes their entreprenerial message to the country’s top young schools to spread the entrepreneurial mindset. The national tour creates buzz across campus and in the local media. During this call, we discuss what it takes to be highly successful as a budding entrepreneur.

Visit Extreme Entrepreneurship Education  for more information OR find an Extreme E Tour coming to your college campus soon!

And…while you are there, pick up a copy of The Student Success Manifesto (it’s a quick and inspiring read for all ages!)

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In this special audio interview with Tom Heck of Team Me Teamwork I will answer the following questions:

1) Who is Gen Y?

2) What are the Gen Y young workers looking for when joining a company?

3) What are the turn-offs when being recruited to a team or company?

4) Since Gen Y has been born and raised on teams, what are they looking for in a team?

5) What are some examples of companies who are doing well when it comes to Gen Y teams and why are they doing well?

Listen to the interview here.

We have been talking about Gen Y’s affinity for Action Sports.

So, Adrenalina is a company providing  a destination catering to extreme sports enthusiasts of all kinds…latest opening in the Miami International Mall.

Get the full article here.

Gen Y LOVES an experience, and they are big on action sports, so check out what Adrenalina is up to.  From what I am hearing, these shops are not only great for Gen Y but all generations.  Fun!