Net Gen: Let’s be patient

If your experience is like mine, more often than not, the tools I’m encouraged to use at work seem pre-historic.

– Emails come blasting out of headquarters instead of interactive dialogue.
– Leadership is wary of staff wasting time on social networks instead of seeing the potential to quickly mobilize hundreds of tribes.
– I can only access with email if I have a special program installed on my laptop, not platform-independent full-featured access.
– We share our message mainly by broadcast (web 1.0), not long-term over a journey (web 2.0).

I just finished reading Grown Up Digital by Dan Tapscott. (He also wrote Wikinomics).  In his closing remarks entitled, “Leadership 2.0: Seven guidelines for a new generation”, he reminded me that I need to work at leading up, be patient and stick with it.

Be patient at work – especially when you see old, outdated technology and bureaucratic ways of doing things.  Instead of bolting right away, hang around for a while and fight for change.  You’re worth it: your knowledge about collaboration will drive innovation and success this century.  Boomers might be your best allies.  They have kids like you and are more likely to understand you and your use of technology.  And you’re right about the idea of the work-life dichotomy.  It shouldn’t be an oxymoron. (p 311)

Let’s continue to press on together.