Got Employees? Got a Job? New Book, FUSE, Decodes Boomers and Millennials to Ignite Creative Economy.

The keys to the kingdom are changing hands. The future belongs to creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers. These people… will now reap society’s richest rewards….

San Rafael, CA (PRWEB) March 17, 2009 — A new book, FUSE: Igniting the Full Power of the Creative Economy; A 21st Century Primer for Boomers and Millennials in the Workplace, shows how to combine 20th century workplaces with 21st century workforces, to ignite the full potential of businesses and nonprofit organizations. Much like a Google translation tool or an iPhone app, it is a reference tool for navigating today’s many-layered workplace.

Still trying to think outside the box at work? Newsflash: There is no box. A third workplace revolution is transforming businesses from the inside out, shifting workforces from Boomers’ left-brain linear analysis to Millennials’ right-brain creative economic production. A new book, shows how a mashup – not a gap – but a fusion of their unique and specific perspectives and abilities can lead to innovation, and speed products, services and people into the creative economy of the future. Written by Jim Finkelstein, CEO of FutureSense, Inc., and Mary Gavin, President of GavinMedia2.0, FUSE will ignite your organization.

As Daniel Pink put it, “The keys to the kingdom are changing hands. The future belongs to creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers. These people… will now reap society’s richest rewards….”

FUSE decodes Millennials for employers and decodes the workplace for Millennials so that both can leapfrog obstacles and move to the next level of productivity and innovation. As John Caple, author of Finding the Hat That Fits, says: “FUSE is enlightening, inspirational, funny, warm, honest, original, solid, readable and blessedly brief. Everyone who wants to hire good people should have a copy of FUSE. So should everyone who wants to find the right work.”

FUSE is a book about combining the knowledge, experience and perseverance found in 20th century workplaces with the speed, digital intelligence and global view of 21st century workforces. A concise guide to a complex topic, it is entertaining, thought-provoking and, most of all, useful in decoding the changing world of work for everyone from college students to C-level executives. FUSE speaks particularly to today’s Boomer bosses and entry-level Millennials, who are often polarized in perception and in practice.

FUSE is a roadmap to the major attractions and hidden talents of both generations; a training book for beleaguered Boomers and frustrated Millennials; and an instruction manual for anyone wanting to attract, motivate and retain employees, or to contribute the full range of their talents to their organizations.

“This is an important book. It lays out the distance between the lagging workplace and the leading workforce, gives readers lots of signposts to recognize in their own organizations, and draws a roadmap to the creative economy of the future. A lot of today’s media on the subject of the workplace and the workforce focuses on polarization. This book champions fusion, and gets it just right, with practical advice, humor and vision. Message received.” — Sherry Benjamins, President and CEO, S. Benjamins & Company, Inc.

Jim Finkelstein is President and CEO of FutureSense, Inc. a management advisory and consulting firm that specializes in organization development, compensation and communications. Mary Gavin is President of GavinMedia2.0 focusing on communications that integrate the arts of strategy, content, design and new media. FUSE is available at Amazon.com or, for bulk orders, at futuresense.com/fuse.

After a recent speech on compensation and strategy, I was asked to fly to the east coast to meet with managers of a major law firm to discuss organizational development issues that were deviling this venerable firm. Foremost among them was the issue of succession planning. Who, they asked, was going to run their law firm? The senior partners wanted to retire. The mid-level equity and income partners were too busy, too important to the revenue stream or client relationships, lacked management skills, or just didn’t want to. And the younger generation was quickly becoming famous as flash players – they were hiring on at $160k per year just long enough to pay off their student debt, and then bailing out of the 2,200 billable hour sweat shop environment.

This firm’s concerns are not unique to the legal industry. They are right in line with many of the mainstream business organizations that call us in to help figure out their long-term viability.

It is especially tempting in tough economic times to focus on the here and now, and push off any costs or concerns relating to the future. But in fact, it is tough times that call for focused attention on management and long-term viability, as customers, clients, shareholders and other constituencies – including top employees — are justifiably nervous doing business with firms that are perceived to be in peril. Business as usual PLUS grounded planning for the future is an investment in time and money that pays big dividends, and can set you apart from the competition.

–Jim Finkelstein, 10/15/08

I was searching for the topic for my first blog when after 32 years in the business of compensation and organization consulting, I came across it.  Brett Favre.

A super-star.  A high performer.  One of the greatest ever (even if you are not a Packers fan).  Retired with dignity.  But now, wanting to come back – sort of.  And, because of the politics and financial reality of football, the Packers franchise was considering offering Brett a deal of several million dollars per year not to play. Amazing.  A severance plan offered to get him to leave his “company!”  But with a big difference – he actually performed well!  (Note: as of the posting of this blog, he actually may rejoin the roster).

I have always marveled at the levels of severance payments offered to failed top executives of companies.  Pay to not play. Millions of dollars paid to execs who have totally destroyed the value of a business, laid off countless people and otherwise never lived up to their hype, expectations and compensation paid.  And this to executives who have already made enough in their annual compensation, stock options and deferred compensation – in one year — to feed a village or two. .  Employees might get severance of 1-2 weeks per year of service.  And that may not feed their own personal family for a year.     

I grew up in the business with Graef “Bud” Crystal, the father of executive compensation, at Towers Perrin.  Graef moved from the dark side to the light side (or vice versa depending on your point of view) when he became an advocate for investors (like the California Public Employees Retirement System) against excessive executive compensation.  In short (and I agree with him), the levels of executive compensation for non-performing companies was and still is approaching the absurd. 

Play and perform?  No problem.  Create wins for everyone – your stakeholders, the community, your employees.  But when there is clearly no performance – why continue these practices of providing huge levels of severance benefits when execs are terminated for not getting the job done?  

And let me assure you – they exist – despite the best intentions of Sarbanes-Oxley and all the watchdogs.  Brett Favre – you may deserve it.  But Mr. and Ms. Executive of yet another under-performing company, you don’t.

Jim Finkelstein, President and CEO
FutureSense, Inc.

8-3-08