Landscape Management, November 2018

EDITORS NOTE MARISA PALMIERI EDITOR Contact Marisa at 216 706 3764 or mpalmieri@ northcoastmedia net Next gen mindset LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET NOVEMBER 2018 6 HEADQUARTERS 1360 East 9th St Suite 1070 Cleveland OH 44114 EDITORIAL STAFF Editor Marisa Palmieri 216 706 3764 mpalmieri@ northcoastmedia net Senior Editor Abby Hart 216 706 3756 ahart@ northcoastmedia net Associate Editor Sarah Webb 216 363 7932 swebb@ northcoastmedia net Art Director Tracie Martinez 216 280 6127 tmartinez@ northcoastmedia net Graphic Designer Courtney Townsend 216 363 7931 ctownsend@ northcoastmedia net Digital Media Content Producer Kelly Limpert 216 363 7933 klimpert@ northcoastmedia net ADVERTISING STAFF Group Publisher Bill Roddy 216 706 3758 broddy@ northcoastmedia net Associate Publisher Craig MacGregor 216 706 3787 cmacgregor@ northcoastmedia net Eastern Regional Sales Manager Dan Hannan 216 363 7937 dhannan@ northcoastmedia net Western Regional Sales Manager Jake Goodman 216 363 7923 jgoodman@ northcoastmedia net Account Manager Chloe Scoular 216 363 7929 cscoular@ northcoastmedia net BUSINESS STAFF Administrative Coordinator Petra Turko 216 706 3768 pturko@ northcoastmedia net Sr Marketing Event Manager Michelle Mitchell 216 363 7922 mmitchell@ northcoastmedia net Marketing Event Manager Angela Gibian 216 363 7936 agibian@ northcoastmedia net Manager Production Services Terri Johnstone 216 978 9622 tjohnstone@ northcoastmedia net Senior Audience Development Manager Antoinette Sanchez Perkins 216 706 3750 asanchez perkins@ northcoastmedia net MARKETING MAGAZINE SERVICES Reprints Permissions Brett Petillo 877 652 5295 bpetillo@ wrightsmedia com List Rental Brahm Schenkman The Information Refinery Inc 800 529 9020 bschenkman@ inforefinery com Subscriber Customer Service 847 513 6030 landscapemanagement@ omeda com For current single copy or back issues CORPORATE OFFICERS President CEO Kevin Stoltman 216 706 3740 kstoltman@ northcoastmedia net VP Finance Operations Steve Galperin 216 706 3705 sgalperin@ northcoastmedia net VP Graphic Design Production Pete Seltzer 216 706 3737 pseltzer@ northcoastmedia net Director of Audience Engagement Bethany Chambers 216 706 3771 bchambers@ northcoastmedia net Editorial Directors Marty Whitford Marisa Palmieri 216 706 3766 mwhitford@ northcoastmedia net 216 706 3764 mpalmieri@ northcoastmedia net A spot on the local news gathered a few pieces of technology from decades past a Sony Walkman a pager film a floppy disc an old TV clicker and showed them to school aged kids of today to see if they knew what purpose each item served Hilarity ensued The kids ranged in age from maybe five to 12 members of Generation Z or the newest group Generation Alpha Although your youngest employees arent quite as young as the kids I saw on the news theres a good chance theyve never used these items either Its likely theyve never encountered other innovations that once made your business tick like a Nextel device or a fax machine As Kevin Kehoe points out in his column this month p 46 each generation changes the workplace in its own way Millennials the largest generation currently in the labor force want better tools and better pay Kehoe says In todays strapped labor market they just may be able to demand those things I dont always agree with how generations are stereotyped disclosure Im a millennial who identifies more with the subgroup of xennials but I am fascinated by the differences among age groups If youre an employer or manager you should be too The ability to attract and retain people is the difference between successful companies and unsuccessful ones in our industry Understanding generational differences and how you can use them to your advantage is pure opportunity One resource for getting to know your younger employees is The Mindset List published annually since 1998 by Ron Nief and Tom McBride at Beloit College in Wisconsin It started as a clever way of informing college faculty members about how to identify with new students but it has been used for much more than that In fact McBride and Nief authored a book based on the lists called The Millennial Promise offering details about this generations attitudes on topics like politics and economics and tips on how to better educate them I bet it offers some nuggets about how to better employ them too This list is released in August before the school year begins and details the worldview of the entering class of collegiate freshmen Consider these facts about this years group members of the college class of 2022 who were mostly born in 2000 Theyve grown up with stories about where their grandparents were on 11 22 63 and where their parents were on 9 11 A visit to a bank has been a rare event They have grown up afraid that a shooting could happen at their school Youve got mail would sound as ancient to them as number please would have sounded to their parents Theyve have rarely heard the term bipartisan agreement and always have been able to secure immediate approval and endorsement for their ideas through likes on social media A few years back the authors asked How will the absence of instant online approval impact their performance in the classroom and workplace Youre the one whos going to find out on the job Are you doing your best to understand what youre up against