Posted By: Angela Kujava
Posted: 7/20/2009
Millennials, so many attempts have been made to define the
characteristics of you Gen Y-ers I'm surprised you're not yet the
subject of a 300-level cultural anthropology class. Perhaps it hasn't
been consequentially different for previous generations entering the
workforce, but it just seems that tomes of information are being
collected to answer the questions "who are they?" and "what on earth do
they want?" (Read that with as much breathless paranoia as you feel it
deserves.) I wonder, do you sit in focus groups and take bets as to
when it will eventually happen that some Boomer just outright pokes you
with a stick?
One thing about you is certain, as shown by
consensus of countless reports—you're civic-minded, ambitious and
team-oriented. They also say you're also mind-bogglingly mollycoddled
and won't do anything unless you walk away with a trophy. Yikes.
So,
you deeply care about making an impact with your life. As a whole, I'm
certain this can be said of any age group. How Millenials are unique,
and apparently stupefying to the establishment, is in their
collaborative approach to attaining influence and power. Gen X strived
to be individualistic; Gen Y fostered social networking groups that
connect millions.
The Wall Street Journal recently blogged about
the rules of online engagement as set by the Facebook Generation. One
striking header "Leaders serve rather than preside" best sums a plea I
believe your non-profit community is making to you.
As I’m sure
it's been mentioned in this publication, there are approximately 300
non-profit organizations in Washtenaw County alone, and they are
screaming for new blood. Sitting on the board of directors for a local
charitable organization is not reserved for the stodgy and
semi-retired.
In January 2007 I walked into an office suite
painted intermittently hot pink, neon green, bright turquoise and polka
dot. And there were monsters everywhere. Children walked in with wide
grins and open minds to sit in this place and write. Not play—pen to
paper writing. The Executive Director of 826michigan will very kindly
argue that I was professional and polite, but I'll tell you it was an
all-out ambush—I had to be a part of this.
Today we're in a
different facility where the walls are plums and greens, but the store
is still turquoise. There are no monsters, as they went on strike and
have been replaced by robots. We fundraise with these robots in the
Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair store, and by organizing such
events as an annual Mustache-A-Thon, Mittenfest, The Love Hangover and
24-Hour Theater. It is, by far, the coolest enterprise in which I have
been involved.
It has also proven to be the most powerful forum
to hone and contribute my leadership ability. Among other
accomplishments of 826michigan in the 2+ years I have served on the
Board we have: made major real estate decisions and transactions to
relocate downtown, completely changed our brand identity, and opened a
quirky niche retail store that is thus far thriving.
The point
of this gushing is not to convince you that 826michigan and its people
are incredibly awesome (though it is and they are). I'm making an
attempt to impress you before I tell you the part that still blows my
mind sometimes. In each of these weighty decisions, as a board member
and regardless of age, my opinion counted. Whether or not one's views
are in harmony with the end choice, each board member is considered an
equally crucial part of the discussion. It's a heady feeling, but a
great responsibility.
Step up and serve as a fiduciary on a board
of directors. Find the organization that speaks to you, that causes you
to ninja ambush the director (metaphorically, of course) and tell
him/her why you absolutely have to be involved. NEW not only offers
inexpensive classes teaching you your responsibilities as a board
member, they will set you up with BoardConnect—think match.com for you
and non-profit organizations—so you can seek out your passion, or help
it find you.
This is allegedly the exact sort of thing you want,
Gen Y. In return for it you'll create a vast network of associates,
develop skills you may not otherwise in your chosen field of employ,
and some of you may even find that your voice is much louder and more
confident than you’d suspected.
Leaders serve rather than preside. It's your schtick, and it's vital you act upon it. And service is an unbelievable reward.
Angela is on the cusp of Gens X and Y and flits back and forth between the two as it suits her mood.
This post originally appeared in Concentrate.
Posted By: Angela Kujava
Posted: 7/17/2009
The word "networking" often conjures up the image of slick guys in
suits uncomfortably pressing their shiny business cards into your
hand. Or maybe some exhausting exercise of patience, listening to
people convince you that they have the magic product to fulfill your
unfulfilled needs, all the while forcing yourself to persuade them of
your virtues in return.
While that does indeed happen, several
groups have been established to give networking a new identity focused
on friendship building in conjunction with, and as opposed to,
professional promotion. There need be no argument that this involves
much less stress, and is just as effective a means of advocating
yourself or business.
Especially in these times of uncertainty,
it is essential to look beyond the purely promotional reasons for
networking. Building a solid network of fellow professionals and
creating friendships, not acquaintances but friendships, is knitting
your own social safety net.
As the former co-chair of Leadership Ann Arbor,
I did my best to stress this concept right off the bat. In an
environment in which 40-60 participants meet with each other once a
month it is easy to underestimate the importance of furthering those
relationships outside class. The same applies to any networking groups
in which you are involved: it's not enough to show up once a month.
A
quick example—one night I may or may not have found myself involved in
an impromptu puppet show in front of an audience of several local
business types. I knew only one other person in the room, and
strangely that one person was not my fellow puppeteer. As unusual as
it was, and as absolutely silly as it sounds, my new partner in sock
hand crime quickly became a great friend, and has often given me
invaluable professional advice. Not only that, she has been a constant
source of encouragement, especially when I felt in crisis. All this
due to a spontaneous moment of levity (that may or may not have
happened).
Opportunities to meet exciting, professional people
in Ann Arbor are scattered and without cohesion (often a major
complaint among the very same population), but they do exist in large
numbers. Leadership Ann Arbor, as I mentioned above, coaches local
business people on effective and responsible citizenship. Having
chosen to take part in this Chamber program for three years I will, of
course, stress its importance. More than that, I can honestly tell you
that it utterly transformed my life in very positive ways. But I have
found that to be the case with all the networking groups I’ve joined,
as long as I have put forth the effort to simply continue relationships
outside the scope of scheduled meetings.
The Chamber has several
of low-cost options available to you, but if money isn’t in your
arsenal right now there are also plenty of free choices. You can join
YP Underground on Facebook, and come out to have a drink with 50-70
people once every six weeks(ish). At the time of this writing, Meetup.com
boasts 158 groups in Ann Arbor who meet to share common interests
spanning art, hobbies, pets, science, religion, etc. You’ll probably
find that soon you’ll be invited to a party, poker/movie/girls'/guys'
night, or even someone's wedding. Just as important, when you find
yourself in a moment of distress you’ll be comforted knowing there are
a whole slew of people right around the corner you can contact to help
you figure it out.
Please list serving a non-profit board in the
category of "fantastic ways to meet fascinating people." Tomorrow I'll
discuss the significant impact doing so has on both you and your
community.
This post originally appeared in Concentrate.
Posted By: Angela Kujava
Posted: 7/16/2009
In general, people approach serious discussions of financial planning
enthusiastically. Ultimately, though, the conversations quickly
deviate into "what do you think about [my favorite stock]?" or, "I
lost/didn’t lose X dollars last fall," or, "listen, here's my [insert
highly unorthodox scheme], it's gold, DON’T YOU AGREE?!?" To be fair,
these conversations can be quite entertaining, probably more so than me
lecturing on the importance of retirement planning, but by ignoring the
slightly mundane conversations we are ignoring an enormous problem.
As
co-founder of a networking group for Ann Arbor's young professional
population, YP Underground, I meet a high volume of 20- to
30-somethings, and recently I surveyed several on their knowledge and
interest in financial planning. Generally speaking, these
professionals are very well-educated, still gainfully employed, and
have the opportunity for highly successful futures. I mean, they're
Ann Arborites. They comprise the exact demographic over which everyone
clamors. Clearly they have it figured out, right?
You may have
grasped from the sarcasm that I am not comfortable with the responses.
Nor am I shocked or judgmental. Were it not for my vocational
experience and professional education, I would probably submit very
similar replies. I wouldn't know how much income is the "right" amount
to save, I probably couldn't coherently explain the difference between
a traditional and a Roth IRA, I might not be saving regularly to a
retirement plan, and the concept of retirement probably wouldn't even
be on my radar (as it is not for a vast majority of my respondents).
Not to mention I probably wouldn't be able to define what retirement
meant to me. No longer are we taught these things, even with one of
the best public higher education institutions right in our back yard
(for the record, I am a Michigan grad and I certainly didn't learn
about 401(k) contributions in the four years I spent there. Nor were
the ramifications of "student loan consolidation" accurately conveyed,
but that's a story for another day).
The survey revealed a most
disturbing contradiction—overwhelmingly, respondents understood that
they would have to work beyond age 65, and many did not feel they would
be able to retire. A majority also reported that they did not believe
they would receive full Social Security and Medicare benefits, if any
at all. And yet a whopping 88% stated that they were only mildly
worried or not even thinking about retirement. Have they given up hope
that society has left them with nothing to work and so they should just
scrap the whole thing?
I don’t think so. Ann Arbor young professionals are worried about paying the rent and paying the bills.
The
impetus to attract and retain young talent lies in the fact that these
folks are crucial to the success of this community, as they are for any
city. So often we see initiatives directed at making downtown life
easier or more appealing for this specific population, and many times
addressing affordable housing. I won't contradict the argument that
cheap rent will attract talent and is an important discussion.
My expertise is not housing, so let me approach you from a different angle. Survey results indicate that people want
to save, they just don't feel as if they're able to do so. Are area
employers offering competitive benefits packages that incentivize
participants to save? Employees of the University receive a highly
competitive two for one match on 403(b) contributions up to 5% of
salary (though anyone hired after January 1, 2010 will now have to wait a full year for this match).
Understandably the University is a behemoth, and as the county's
largest employer can better afford to provide contribution matches than
smaller companies.
- Ask a financial advisor to come in and speak to your employees
about retirement options. Many are thrilled to do so just for the
opportunity to meet new people. Yes, in many cases they may try to
sell their services or a product, however they may also provide some
really sound advice.
- Support automatic IRA enrollment.
- At the beginning of each year provide internet links to IRA
contribution eligibility and limitations. Encourage employees to
contribute what they can throughout the year, or to make a
previous-year contribution prior to April 15th if they have extra cash
on hand.
I'm not imploring you to hand-hold, and honestly the young
professional population does not expect that. You can see it in their
responses—they anticipate working a long, long time. My hypothesis in
all this is that if you help empower them to plan for a future that
doesn't include toiling until they drop dead maybe they'll work for
you, in Ann Arbor, for years to come.
This post originally appeared in Concentrate.