Posted on 07/23/2013 1:42:42 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
I started Docstoc in my 20’s, made the cover of one of those cliché “20 Under 20” lists, and today I employ an amazing group of 20-somethings. Call me a curmudgeon, but at 34, how I came up seems so different from what this millennial generation expects. I made a lot of mistakes along the way, and I see this generation making their own. In response, here are my 20 Things 20 Year-Olds Don’t Get.
Time is Not a Limitless Commodity – I so rarely find young professionals that have a heightened sense of urgency to get to the next level. In our 20s we think we have all the time in the world to A) figure it out and B) get what we want. Time is the only treasure we start off with in abundance, and can never get back. Make the most of the opportunities you have today, because there will be a time when you have no more of it.
You’re Talented, But Talent is Overrated - Congratulations, you may be the most capable, creative, knowledgeable & multi-tasking generation yet. As my father says, “I’ll Give You a Sh-t Medal.” Unrefined raw materials (no matter how valuable) are simply wasted potential. There’s no prize for talent, just results. Even the most seemingly gifted folks methodically and painfully worked their way to success.
---snip---
You Should Be Getting Your Butt Kicked – Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada” would be the most valuable boss you could possibly have. This is the most impressionable, malleable and formative stage of your professional career. Working for someone that demands excellence and pushes your limits every day will build the most solid foundation for your ongoing professional success.....
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
There’s no prize for talent, just results.
Well said.
Very good.
21. Nobody will give you a pat on the back for taking a piss and not pissing on your hands...and that doesn’t mean you get to have a “meltdown”...you’ll get my foot up your ass.
#1 Beer
Racist
It’s a solid article...good advice.
I enjoyed and found value in reading/applying Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.
Good piece. Valuable for the young, but I know many oldsters who never learned this stuff.
The article offers some solid advice on a broad brush.
Learn to write a decent report, even if it is just an email. Can you outthink the reader of the report/email by anticipating questions or follow up requests? Try this: what are the facts, what do you conclude, what do you recommend.
Two skills/characteristics will ALWAYS be in demand; leadership and people skills.
Here is one to add:
You will never be paid more that it costs to replace you.
20 year old girls?..............
Lots of wisdom here.
Thanks...good practical advice.
Sound advice. Unfortunately, those that heed it don’t need it and those that do won’t take it.
Okay I clicked the link on top career mistake that millennials make. That person is a moron. The last point is just ridiculous and ties directly to this list.
bookmark to send to friends with 20 somethings living at homee :}
WRONG.
The Meryl Streep character was just an jackass.
Nobody needs a jackass for a boss, and no boss worth his salt needs to be a jackass.
If we're going 'Hollywood', in "Heartbreak Ridge", Clint Eastwood portrayed a much better example of the most valuable boss one could possibly have. The difference is that the Meryl Streep character was a selfish bitch, the Clint Eastwood character was a self-sacrificing LEADER. And a hard-ass.
Fabulous advice. I gave my subordinates about 15 of these pearls before I retired last year.
Learn to write a decent report, even if it is just an email. Can you outthink the reader of the report/email by anticipating questions or follow up requests? Try this: what are the facts, what do you conclude, what do you recommend.
I had a Chief Petty Officer that kept saying, “Tell ‘em what you are going to tell them, tell them it, then tell them what you told ‘em.”
I must admit it does seem to work, I had another boss that told me to put more work into the ‘Executive Summary’; Make it short, make it readable and concise and to leave the nitty gritty details to the report. If they are interested enough after reading the Executive Summary they can read up on the details later.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.