Unfairly Labeled - by Jessica Kriegel (Hardcover)

About the Book

Unfairly Labeled challenges the very concept of "generational differences" as an unfair generalization, and offers a roadmap to intergenerational understanding. While acknowledging that generational stereotypes exist, author Jessica Kriegel argues that they are wrong -- and that it's unreasonable to assume that the millions of people born in the same 20-year time span are motivated by the same things, attracted to the same things, and should be dealt with in the same way. Drawing upon her experiences with workers of all ages and types, she shows how behaviors know no generational boundaries and how to work with people based on their talents, strengths, and weaknesses rather than simply slapping on a generational label and fitting them into an arbitrary slot. There are 80 million Millennials in America, yet there are myriad books on "managing Millennials" and "working with Millennials" and "the problem with Millennials." This book shows that whether you're working with Millennials, Generation X, or Baby Boomers, age is not the issue -- it's the interpersonal dynamics that matter most. Examine the concept of "generational issues;" explore the disparate reality of each 20-year generational span; learn to understand and work effectively with other generations; and facilitate intergenerational understanding sessions. The human mind craves categorization, so the tendency to lump people together is natural. It may, however, be holding your organization back. The members of each generation have only one thing in common -- their age -- and even that varies by two whole decades. Why assume that they should all be managed the same way?

Book Synopsis

A blueprint for managing people, not generations

Unfairly Labeled challenges the very concept of "generational differences" as an unfair generalization, and offers a roadmap to intergenerational understanding. While acknowledging that generational stereotypes exist, author Jessica Kriegel argues that they are wrong--and that it's unreasonable to assume that the millions of people born in the same 20-year time span are motivated by the same things, attracted to the same things, and should be dealt with in the same way. Kriegel's experience as Organizational Developer at Oracle puts her squarely in the talent strategy realm, where she works to optimize leadership development, team effectiveness, and organizational design. Drawing upon her experiences with workers of all ages and types, she shows how behaviors know no generational boundaries and how to work with people based on their talents, strengths, and weaknesses rather than simply slapping on a generational label and fitting them into an arbitrary slot.

There are 80 million Millenials in America, yet there are myriad books on "managing Millenials" and "working with Millenials" and "the problem with Millenials." This book shows that whether you're working with Millenials, Generation X, or Baby Boomers, age is not the issue--it's the interpersonal dynamics that matter most.

• Examine the concept of "generational issues"
• Explore the disparate reality of each 20-year generational span
• Learn to understand and work effectively with other generations
• Facilitate intergenerational understanding sessions

The human mind craves categorization, so the tendency to lump people together is natural. It may, however, be holding your organization back. The members of each generation have only one thing in common--their age--and even that varies by two whole decades. Why assume that they should all be managed the same way? Unfairly Labeled shows you a better way, and provides a roadmap to a more effective organizational strategy.

From the Back Cover

The human mind craves categorization, which makes finding patterns and lumping people together natural. However, such stereotyping may be holding your organization back. The members of each generation--millennials, generation X, and baby boomers--actually have many things in common and are much more than their associated generational label. What is behind the widespread belief that millions of people who share a certain age bracket act, respond, and should be managed the same way? Unfairly Labeled reveals the misleading research and guidance behind the newest generational managing trends and provides a better way to effectively manage people--not stereotypes.

More than any other generation, the 80 million millennials in America have become the focus of countless books, blogs, and speaking engagements tackling how to manage, recruit, and connect with this latest group of people joining the workforce. Most of this information is not only incorrect and misguided but can also cost you talented employees, according to author Jessica Kriegel (a millennial herself), who optimizes leadership development, team effectiveness, and organizational design at Oracle. In her eye-opening examination of managing three generations of employees, she illustrates how interpersonal dynamics contribute the most to business success. Drawing on experience working with employees of all ages in diverse industries, she provides managers with a full toolkit for working with people based on their talents, strengths, and weaknesses. Delivered in a conversational narrative packed with real-world examples and up-to-date research, Jessica examines how the most common stereotypes came into being along with research-based explanations showing why they are untrue. She also shares her personal toolkit, conveniently organized in its own section of the book, which you can use immediately to:

• Effectually motivate employees without resorting to one-size-fits-all definitions
• Work with a tangible framework for inspiring performance management, including planning, reviewing, and developing employee performance
• Avoid the pitfalls of recruiting, including targeting specific generations, and best practices for creating top-performing collaborative teams
• Gain clear, enlightening and actionable insight into the myth of digital-native versus digital-immigrant workers

Unfairly Labeled is your authoritative road map to finding ways to attract and retain employees of every age because, fortunately, talent doesn't fit in a stereotypical mold.

About the Author

JESSICA KRIEGEL is an organization and talent development consultant at Oracle. Her expertise is in strategic planning, talent management, leadership development, and intergenerational understanding. She consults on the topic of intergenerational understanding and talent management. She lives in Sacramento, CA.