Scott Ott writes:
>On Wednesday (12/10/97) I'll be standing before 200 (American) ninth
>graders talking with them about "Work Ethic". I was asked to do this by a
>high school counselor who is addressing concerns of local businesses that
>their teen employees don't have whatever "work ethic" is. Basically, I
>think the complaints center around consistent attendance, attitude, sense
>of responsibility, being there on time, appropriate garb, & etc. I have
>no idea, yet, what I will say to these young people, so here is your
>opportunity to help me shape the future of America's youth...or just give
>me a couple of good outline points. [Perhaps if my own sense of work
>ethic were stronger, I would have already written my speech.]
Well, it's Wednesday, Scott, and your posting just came through on the
digest. However, it's early in the morning and I'll bet you give your
e-mail a last-minute check.
The first thing you might say to them is just what you said above, and
then let them in on a little secret: No generation entering the workplace
has ever lived up to the expectations of the ones preceding it, especially
those in power at the time of entry. In their shoes, I wouldn't worry
about it a lot.
Second, the rude, rude reality facing them is that they must factor in the
expectations of others if they are to get what they want out of the
transaction. Organizations, large and small, are usefully thought of as a
network of transactions between and among individuals, some representing
themselves and some acting on behalf of the organization. Said somewhat
differently, an organization is a "nexus of contracts" (term borrowed from
a Sloan Management Review article). If the students you'll be addressing
want to get something out of the workplace, they'll have to put something
into it. That law is as old as time. What might come as news to them is
that there are contingent relationships: You want X, you have to cought up
Y to get it.
In short, Scott, what you can tell those students you'll be addressing, is
that they are well served by dealing with the world the way they find it,
especially if they're bent on changing it. The biggest mistake they can
make is to deal with it the way they think it ought to be or the way
they've been told or led to believe it is. Point being that, above all
else, they must learn to make and trust their own judgments. (Ninth
graders, as I recall, seem to do that anyway, so you should have a
receptive audience.) :-)
Regards,
Fred Nickols
nickols@worldnet.att.net
--Fred Nickols <nickols@worldnet.att.net>
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