Thursday, September 20, 2007

GGG 4 Lrng - Gamers lower the Boom!

Its "game over" for boomers. That's my take anyway. I like to keep things simple.



Welcome to the eLearnDev stop on Karl Kapp's Blog Book Tour. This is Day 10.

I can't top what's already been said, so I'm chatting with Karl once a week until we finish his book. He's my first big celebrity on the eLearnDevCast.



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This is actually our second podcast together. You can get that as well from the iTunes feed. In this episode we discuss chapter 1 with another special guest, Cammy Bean.
I loved the discussion and continue to look forward to our next conversation. Let me know if you would like an opportunity to talk with Karl LIVE and I will set up a Live TalkCast.
My favorite part of the discussion actually got me thinking more about the impending "knowledge gap" in corporate America as the boomer generation begins to retire. We've all seen the numbers and it seems shocking, however I'm not so sure we're every really going to feel anything actually happen as the years tick by. This isn't like the Y2K bug where there was impending doom on an exact date. No, this is rounded figures from many different sources, defining retirement differently, as well as the many other aspects of this dilema.

In my own corporate experience I've been frustrated by boomers from day 1. So honestly, I'm not sad to see them go. Bye bye! And quite frankly you can take your knowledge with you. In my experience its been the BOOMER knowledge and way of thinking that's crashed companies, killed innovation, and sucked the life out of every cubical slave who's ever chuckled at a Dilbert cartoon. What happened to you people? Didn't you boomers love "stickin' it too the man?"(pg10)

I can see about 3 or 4 unnecessary levels of boomer management going away and not being missed in most Fortune 500s. Managers who are NOT life-long learners, but life-long gamers of the corporate systems (read bureaucracies) they help create. That's right GAMERS! Don't give me that coy look. Y'all know who you are. Its not the younger Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers that have learned to Game, its the Boomers. They've been gaming from day one. They just called it WORK. And the work was building internal empires through the hard work of others. New workers don't need management, they need killer projects and killer goals to achieve.

The game is changing. The new gamers win through collaboration, sharing, and team work with peers...not hierarchies. Its not a weekend pep-talk at a posh hotel for managers. For new gamers its about losing if you can't form a team, encourage collaboration, and reward fairly those who sacrifice for the cause. Its a new game with a new set of rules. If that makes you uncomfortable Mr. and Mrs Boomer then your game is over.

But I digress. The book rocks!!! A beautiful overview of the new world order and what's on the horizon for education, jobs, and life: Its one big learning journey. Enjoy the ride.

2 comments:

Karl Kapp said...

Brent,

Great talking with you and Cammy, and, hey, rants are all in good fun:)

As Generation X, I do feel cheated sometimes that Boomers get all the attention but that's just the way the ball bounces I guess.

Looking forward to speaking with you next week...it's always fun.

Cammy Bean said...

I agree with Karl that us Gen Xers are floating in this weird limbo land between the outgoing Boomers and the upcoming Gamers (who, if you read Karl's book, can do no harm and seem perfect in so many ways!)