There's simply no substitute for hard work, but as this article shows, the best way to get hard work from your younger employees might not be the ways that you were motivated to work hard.
Much of the recent press about "Occupy Wall Street" or the entitlement issues related to finding good employees has been critical of the younger job-seeker. Perhaps they played soccer where no one kept score and lost any sort of "killer instinct" or closing skills they otherwise would have had. Perhaps they called their parents in to defend them every time they got a bad grade or a disciplinary action, and they think they can appeal any decision. Perhaps they just don't equate hard work to high performance because they were taught that "everybody is the same."
But they are your future workforce. Wish what you want about how their mothers, teachers, professors, and peers influenced them, they are what they are. If you want to hire them and get good work product from them (it is possible, they're not any dumber than you were at that age), it's helpful to understand where they're coming from.
Much of the recent press about "Occupy Wall Street" or the entitlement issues related to finding good employees has been critical of the younger job-seeker. Perhaps they played soccer where no one kept score and lost any sort of "killer instinct" or closing skills they otherwise would have had. Perhaps they called their parents in to defend them every time they got a bad grade or a disciplinary action, and they think they can appeal any decision. Perhaps they just don't equate hard work to high performance because they were taught that "everybody is the same."
But they are your future workforce. Wish what you want about how their mothers, teachers, professors, and peers influenced them, they are what they are. If you want to hire them and get good work product from them (it is possible, they're not any dumber than you were at that age), it's helpful to understand where they're coming from.
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