…doesn’t mean you need to yell or be abrasive to get your point across.

…doesn’t mean I can read your mind and write/design/build something based on your vague parameters.

…doesn’t mean you can’t get in the trenches and get your hands dirty.

…doesn’t mean you have to be perfect or know everything.

…doesn’t mean we want to hear all your random stories unrelated to work more than once.

…and choose to have no life doesn’t mean that your employees hate their nights and weekends.

…doesn’t mean you have to fly first class or get picked up in a Towne Car.

No boss is perfect. [Wait, is Jason Fried? Brazen Careerist is hosting a free webinar with Fried, 37signals founder and best-selling author of the book Rework today at 11am EST. You can sign up here.]

Employees don’t expect you to be. Chances are you’re the boss because you have a wealth of knowledge, experience, or both. Most employees would love to acquire a bit of both under your tutelage so…

… be patient when we have questions. Especially good ones.

… refrain from yelling (unless we’re one of those knuckleheads that only respond to that).

… provide constructive criticism. “You did (this) well. I feel you could’ve done (this) better. Here’s how I think I would’ve approached it.” I’ve never found a more successful formula.

… give ample direction so that we have a good feel for what you want us to accomplish. If we look lost, we probably are. We’d rather only do it once too.

… pull up a chair, brainstorm with the team, lend a hand. We’ll have a lot more respect for you. (My current CEO unloads furniture off trucks with the warehouse crew).

… admit when you don’t know something. Don’t get intimidated when an employee is more knowledgeable about something than you. That just means the team is stronger. You should be striving to hire people good enough to take your place eventually anyway.

(I see so many bosses trying to surround themselves with young, subservient employees that will suck up to them, won’t challenge the status quo, keep their heads down, and just be thankful for a job. Is there anything worse than an egotistical boss?)

… act like our boss. Maybe you can be our friend too, but that’s a fine line. We’re probably not inviting you to happy hour and we don’t want to hear an abundance of your personal stories in which you try to impress us. They don’t, and we certainly don’t care once you’ve recycled it multiple times.

… we’re all for working hard and paying our dues (eh, this is probably debatable for half the workforce), but there has to be some semblance of balance. Don’t get cranky on Friday afternoon because we’re anxious to go out with our friends and you’ll be working Saturday (by choice). And please don’t call us on our days off unless it’s important.

… transport yourself to your heart’s content, but I still think it’s dumb.

I haven’t been in the workforce that long so most of these I’ve collected via friends horror stories, but I do think that some of these solutions are fairly universal. I also think ego is often the root cause of a bad boss.

I want to hear what you have to say. What are things you’ve experienced that really turned you off/hindered your ability to do well? What solutions would you offer? If you’re a boss, how do you combat these negatives? How is your approach different? Where am I off base?

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If you’re in the tiny subset of rockstars in our little social media bubble, chances are you’re doing what you can to separate yourself from your peers. I know you are tired of hearing it, but you shouldn’t care because this doesn’t apply to most of you.

The truth is our generation IS totally entitled. People ask me all the time to connect them with X or give them a recommendation IF the salary is good. I have an idea. Get A job first, and then seek out that perfect fit with the fat paycheck and comfy benefits. Unless Mommy and Daddy are super rich this is the approach you should try.

Part of being a young worker, particularly in this economy, is grinding it out for a bit. You’ll be glad you did one day.

2.) Gen Y genuinely does want to make an impact, be challenged, etc.

Maybe it’s the entitlement talking, but Millennials really do yearn to make a difference. If their current employer is not providing this they’ll look to jump ship.

This young generation of workers are very educated and they want the chance to show what they can do. Running copies, fetching coffee and only doing grunt work that adds little to no value to the company is one of the fastest ways to frustrate a hungry young worker.

If you want to keep someone, give them work that matters.

3.) Companies are significantly less loyal than they used to be.

Too many Gen Y employees watched their parents get canned after years of loyal service to the same company. We’re witnessing big companies let great people go just because they can get cheaper labor to do work that is “good enough.” If they don’t take good care of employees after a decent amount of time (a year perhaps?), they SHOULD seek to hop around a bit.

If you work your tail off for a year, teach yourself lots of new things, assume more responsibility and bring in new business you would like to think your superiors would acknowledge that. And yes, that’s what supposed to do, but is a pat on the back too much to ask? A little extra flexibility? A small bonus?

Positive reinforcement does wonders for loyalty.

4.) Younger employees don’t know what they want or how to get it.

I think this might be the most common of the four reasons. Younger employees aren’t yet seasoned at the job search/interview experience, nor do they really know what they want to do often times. They often get in situations that are terrible fits because A.) they didn’t get a good sense of the culture/work, etc. or B.) they were terrified of this economy and took a job to pay the bills while they found the ideal fit.

I see it happen everyday. I get e-mails about it from people who’ve fallen into the trap. They go, they interview, they didn’t ask the right questions. They got excited because the company wanted them, and they forgot to ask themselves if they wanted the company. (Which doesn’t always matter. See #1)

This invariably leads to, “Hey I better take this job even though it’s not a good fit, because it will pay the bills until I find something that IS a good fit.” And I’m not sure there’s anything necessarily wrong with that. Who knows? It could turn out to be a great fit. You could make it a great fit.

I always thought employers would scoff at a job hopper, but I’ve actually found the opposite to be true with respect to young workers. Often times, a good hiring manager/HR person understands, and even experienced a similar path themselves.

What do you think? Are these valid reasons for the Generation Y job hopping epidemic? What are other reasons you’ve switched jobs?

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“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” — Epictetus

You can complain about long hours…

      …or you can choose to value your free-time more.

Your job might not be the perfect fit…

      …but it might make you appreciate the next one even more.

You can complain that your boss is arrogant, manipulative, and incompetent…

      …or you can take mental notes on how not to act for when you become a manager.

You can whine about annoying co-workers…

      …but you’d be better served to learn how to deal with all walks of people.

You can complain that you’re underpaid…

      …or you can learn to budget your money better and appreciate a less cluttered lifestyle.

You can get worn down by the grind…

      …or you can choose to feel self-satisfaction and a sense of pride for pressing on.

The bottom line is that you can choose to let yourself get discouraged, frustrated and beat down…

      …or you can react by finding the silver lining.

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As always, I would love feedback. Did you catch any of these posts this week? Did any of these resonate with you? What are some of your most recent favorite/intriguing/humorous reads? Even better, what’s your favorite thing YOU wrote this week Share it with me in the comments section.

Good Reads:
The New Rules of Hiring – Inc. Staff
Hope and the Magic Lottery – Seth Godin

Cool Stuff:
> Jamie Livingston chronicled nearly every single day of his life in Polaroids, from 1979 to 1997, until he passed away from illness. Poignant and moving.
> There are awesome people everywhere. Too bad our society focuses more on the bad seeds instead.

Funny Links:
The Most Inappropriate Mom Ever (Funny might not be the word. Maybe sad, disturbing, gross)
The 6 Most Insanely Misguided Attempts at Viral Marketing

Listen to This Song:
“Sunrise” – Ryan Bingham (Oscar Winning Ryan Bingham)

Quote:
“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” — Bill Cosby

RSM Post to Re-Visit:
Mediocrity Equates to Winning & Profits

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But how do managers find the “right” players? Most of the time, particularly for entry to mid level gigs, they post a job description and countless people come calling, all trying to differentiate themselves with a few bullet points.

Just one reason why you should never read another resume. Going through endless resumes and vetting out the best for interviews is a process that only works if you have the time and resources to really do your due diligence. But who does any more? (Union Square Ventures is the exception, not the norm).

So how then do you assemble the perfect team? It’s a lot like networking, actually. They say build your network before you need it. Hiring managers should be determining who they want and planting that seed before they need them.

Stanley “The Coach” Woodward, of the New York Herald Tribune assembled one of the best sports staff’s ever for a newspaper. How?

By using what he described as a scouting system, the Coach studied out-of-town news papers, and when he spotted a good story, he began a file of the writer’s work. If it was consistently excellent, Woodward waited for an opening, then brought the man to New York with talk of “the big time” and possibly a pay raise.

This is essentially the strategy Amber Naslund has used to build her Radian6 team. I suspect it happens often for VP, CMO, President positions, but I’m not yet privy to that culture.

If you’re a manager, how do you assemble your team? Do you look for hungry unemployed workers, fresh-faced college graduates, or do you try to recruit talent from other organizations?

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If you stay on message and make the most of everyday you can do what you want and sell your company for tons of money.

This could lead to a book deal, which will invariably impress someone who you randomly crossed paths with 30 years prior. The two of you will likely receive a police escort to the hospital where you’ll have twins who’ll insist on a sick home theater system when they turn fifteen.

Hopefully they’ll eat red meat and help their grandma with her computer problems while you find time to listen to some light rock and the fight the urge to surrender while contemplating the impact your friends have on your life.

Good Reads:
Staying On Message – Matt Linderman (37 Signals)
How to Make the Most of Every Day – Samantha Karol (Simple & on point.)
Why Mark Zuckerberg Should Have a Carol Bartz Moment – Robert Scoble
Why I Sold Zappos – Tony Hsieh

Cool Stuff:
Ladies and Gents we have a BOOK DEAL!!! (This is cool because I love Jenny of course.)
Couple Appear in Same Disney Photo 30 Years Before They Met
(Awesome Story) To the Undercover Cop That Followed Me…
Escape Into 15 Fantastic Home Theaters To WOW You!

Funny Links:
Vegan vs. Carnivore
Why Old People Shouldn’t Use the Internet

Listen to This Song:
“Annabel’s Falling” – Greg Tannen

Quote:
“The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.” — Vince Lombardi (I’ve said this my whole life, and to this day I respect a little league coach who pushed us harder than anyone has dared since…)

RSM Post to Re-Visit:
Do Your Friends Determine How How Successful You Are?

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In REWORK, we talk about how you need to be willing to let your customers outgrow you. There are more people who are not using your product than people who are; You need to make sure you make it easy for these people to get on board. That’s where your continued growth potential lies.

It’s the same for your marketing message. There may be .0001% who have read everything you’ve ever written and who want you to deliver something brand new. Follow their wishes and you’ll wind up with a tiny audience of experts while excluding the 99.9999% of people who have no idea who you are or what you think.

There’s a new batch of freshmen every year. Every day, there’s a new person discovering you for the first time. If your message is simple and accessible, they can become fans. If it’s geared exclusively to PhD candidates, these freshmen will never latch onto you.

And he’s 100% right. When I write social media marketing 101 posts I typically see spikes in traffic and an influx of comments. But to be candid, it grows tiresome for me.

I get more satisfaction researching and writing more complex posts, and the discussions that follow with the handful of people who want to extend the conversation.

Learning to take off is important, but once you have the foundation wouldn’t you rather keep growing and challenging yourself and others, as opposed to turning on autopilot?

For a business Matt is spot on, but what about a blog?

Do you have to pick a side? High traffic or complex thought and next-level discussions? What bloggers are able to consistently walk that line (i.e. Valeria Maltoni), maintain that balance? And what factors contribute to said balance?

Is it about finding unique and innovative ways to keep hammering out the same value proposition?

I don’t know the answer, and I don’t think I’m ready to pick a side. That’s why I’m asking you guys.

Thanks to Lauren Fernandez & Stuart Foster for help sparking this post.

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Countless employers are currently using the current economic climate as an excuse to take advantage of their employees. Just because they don’t want to pay their taxes doesn’t mean you should get screwed.

This post should help you distinguish between being classified as an employee vs. an independent contractor.

• Does your boss tell when what hours to work? How to do the work?
• Is the work you do dependent on the day to day operation of the business? Does the success of the business depend on this work being done? (i.e. Are you the point person for significant accounts?)
• Do you have to do the work yourself (as opposed to hiring someone else to do it for you)?
• Does your boss set your hours?
• Are you paid hourly? Or even salary? Maybe called a “fixed-fee” consultant? On set dates? (bi-weekly perhaps?) Fixed amounts?
• Do you have a work e-mail? A company phone? Company supplies?

If you answered YES to many of these questions, but your employer is treating you as an independent contractor then chances are you are a misclassified worker.

Maybe your circumstances require you to grin and bare it, but that’s not the case for many deceived young workers who are merely uneducated about this commonly used manipulation tactics. If you think you’re in this scenario you owe it to yourself to understand the law and what you can do when put in these unfortunate circumstances.

For instance, you may be entitled to lost wages (i.e. overtime that wasn’t paid, etc.), unemployment insurance, have social security withheld, and more.

Most of the time the employer knows exactly what they’re doing. But sometimes the employer is just incompetent and asks the accountant, “It’d be cheaper to have ‘em be a independent consultant huh!?” They don’t realize that all the money they’re saving is money you’re now paying.

If you think you’ve been misclassified here are my recommendations:

1.) Learn as much as you can about the various rules. Here are some good resources to get you started:
Independent Contractor or Employee? How Should You Be Classified?
(IRS): Independent Contractor (Self-Employed) or Employee?
Twenty Factor Checklist to Determine Independent Contractor vs. Employee Status
Be Careful Who You Classify As An Independent Contractor

2.) Be honest and upfront. Politely tell your boss you have a concern and ask them if they understand the rules and ramifications of you being classified as an independent contractor. Sometimes helping them understand the implications or just letting them know you’re wise to what’s going on is enough to get you back on track.

3.) Explain to your boss that if they’re going to treat you like an independent contractor that you’d like to make your own hours provided the work continues to get done. They might not go for this, but you might decide you like being classified as an independent contractor and start taking on additional clients in the evenings/weekends. Perhaps you can achieve escape velocity.

4.) Grin and bare it. Maybe the job still pays pretty well, you’re still learning, you enjoy the actual work and most of the people you work with. If you’re okay with your situation and are grateful for a job, have a family to feed, etc. you might choose to not take action. Or you might choose to keep working while simultaneously looking for something more rewarding.

5.) Find someone (like a lawyer) who really understands the process, and turn your employer in. This should be a last resort because it likely means you’ll lose your job, you could have to re-file your taxes, and it could reflect poorly on you to other organizations that don’t understand how you couldn’t resolve the issue another way.

Have you ever been misclassified? What approach would you take if were being treated like an employee, but paid like an independent contractor (i.e. no vacation, no matching FICA, no health insurance)? Do you think employers are trying to intentionally manipulate the system? (ps. The IRS is cracking down!)

[Your boss should also be able to spell your last name after a year.]

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Good Reads:
Sunscreen Accelerates Cancer (and other stuff you don’t know – Julien Smith
It’s The Little Things – Alexandra Levit
Do-overs: 5 Things I Would Do Differently in Business – Amber Singleton Riviere
An Illustrated Guide to the Science of Influence & Persuasion – randfish
Meet Leroy Stick, The Man Behind @BPGlobalPR

Cool Stuff:
The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us – RSA Animate explains on a whiteboard on Youtube.
The 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2010

Funny Links:
Further Proof That Steve Martin is Amazing
Lamebook: Blonde Bombed

Listen to This Song:
“Trouble” – Wade Bowen

Quote:
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin

RSM Post to Re-Visit:
Your Favorite Way to Communicate Doesn’t Matter

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I got a networking call today from my cousin’s friend who graduated from college last year and is eager to secure a full-time job. He was told to call me due to my experience in – and his interest in – the music business. He has had several internships in the music business and wants to find an employment opportunity in Chicago. As I spoke with him, I could tell that he’s a really good guy – but I realized that he would get more out of networking calls like this if he did some research before typing that email or picking up the phone.

Here is what I suggested to him:

Before you call (or email) people you’re reaching out to for help, research them: Google them and check out their LinkedIn profiles. There are several reasons for this:

1) You’ll learn more from the call.

If you are able to walk into the call with the full knowledge of this person’s background, you can ask more targeted questions (ex: How did you get a career started at Company X just one year out of college?”).

2) You’ll save time.

The person you’re calling is likely busy and doesn’t really know you. That means you probably have a limited window of opportunity to establish a relationship and learn as much as possible during the call. If you already know this person’s background, you can avoid time-eating dialogue like, “When I was fresh out of college, I got a job teaching elephants how to play the harmonica” and your reply of, “Really – you worked with elephants – I didn’t know that?!” etc. You could have known that – and with that knowledge you could have led the discussion by asking how the skills of working with elephants were helpful in getting that job at Company X just one year out of college. Going back to #1, maybe you should be working with elephants – and by leading with this question, you’ll learn more key stuff from this call than if the elephant subject never came up.

3) You’ll be better able to lead and guide the call.

After all, you’re the one initiating this contact. That means you must have something you’re hoping to learn or gain as a result of the call, even if it’s nothing more than a new friendship. If you can take ownership of the call and actually lead it, you’re more likely to walk away with whatever it is you’re hoping to walk away with. If the other person ends up spending the call explaining his/her whole background to you, the odds are that that person will be taking over the leadership of the call and your agenda will get watered down or completely drowned. Showing you know your stuff about the person on the other side of the conversation will help you to maintain control of the call.

4) You’ll likely impress the person you’re calling.

When people you’re calling see that you are someone who does his/her homework before taking action, then they’re more likely to feel comfortable connecting you to their networks for work opportunities. Keep in mind that a networking call is also a marketing call – you are marketing yourself. Wouldn’t you rather market yourself as the impressive person who has done his/her homework?

5) You’ll satisfy the ego of the person you’re calling.

Some people need their egos stroked and want to know that you know their story. After all, they’re about to hear your story….So they could easily think, “why is this person calling me if he/she doesn’t even know who I am and what I do?!” So if you call the big ego type, you’re more likely to get what you want if you’re prepared.

I often like to compare American Idol to the career process. You know how the contestants on American Idol often get attacked by the judges for choosing the wrong song? It’s a similar concept – had the singer done some homework and figured out what song he or she could make unique that also meets that week’s theme, then that singer would have been more likely to nail the performance and move towards the #1 spot. Same goes for you when making your networking calls. If you do your homework and learn the background of the person you’re calling before reaching out, you’re more likely to maximize what you get out of the call and move towards whatever your goal happens to be in making that new connection.