Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/132471
business bests Y MANAGING GENERATION Like most small-business owners, landscapers wear many hats on a daily basis: supervisor, mentor, disciplinarian, motivator, decision-maker, conflict-resolver, finance manager and the like. But to effectively manage younger employees, they may have to add a new one to their collection — surrogate parent. That's the assessment of Terese Corey Blanck, an employee-development consultant who teaches businesses how to attract, retain and manage so-called Generation Y employees – the 75 million or so workers that range from 18 to 30 years old. 2 4 To ta l L a n d s cap eCare.c om TLC0613_BusBest07.indd 24 ERS BY KEN WYSOCKY This cohort is also nicknamed the "Echo Boomers" because the group is almost as large as the Baby Boomers who are now retiring in droves. But the comparisons stop there. After interviewing thousands of Gen Y college graduates during her career, Corey Blanck concludes this generation is largely bereft of the decision-making and conflict-resolution skills that most Baby Boomers carry as standard equipment. Why? Corey Blanck asserts it's much more than just a generation gap. Instead, she points to overly protective parents who not only paved the way for J U N E 2 013 5/23/13 6:05 PM