BOOK REVIEW: Y-Size Your Business
I finally finished reading Jason Ryan Dorsey’s Y-Size Your Business: How Gen Y Employees Can Save You Money and Grow Your Business. I wish I could say all wonderful things about it, but alas, I can’t.
THE GOOD
It certainly wasn’t all bad. My favorite part was Dorsey’s list of “10 Hot Buttons that Instantly Connect with Gen Y Job Seekers,” in reference to writing better job descriptions and recruiting Gen Y in general:
- Fun
- Challenge
- Creativity
- Opportunity
- Ethics
- Entrepreneurship
- Lifestyle
- Diversity
- Technology
- Mission
He also shared some great interview questions, courtesy of Jonathan Davis, CEO of American Workforce:
- When was the last time you used your own judgment to make a decision at work and it worked out really well?
- What about a time it didn’t work out so well?
- What did you learn from the experience when things didn’t work out that you would do differently next time?
- Who do you look up to and admire in your personal life?
- What are the characteristics that they exhibit that you most respect?
- And do you respect those because you share the same, or because you lack them?
- What have you done in the past 30 days to enhance your proficiency in those specific areas you mentioned?
- Can you give me an example of how you would want to be told when you’re done something exceptional at work?
- How does that compare to how you’d like me to give you feedback around something that you need to improve?
- What’s the longest you’ve ever done any one activity for in the past? What was it about the activity that made you stick with it for so long?
- Looking back at your life to this point, what are you most proud of? Why is that?
THE BAD
Dorsey says at the very beginning, “Don’t cater to Gen Y–lead us.” However, nearly the entire book, in my opinion, is about catering to the myths about Gen Y.
He talks about how important Gen Y’s first day is and that it’s critical to make the first day special in as many ways as possible or Gen Yers will leave during their lunch break and never come back. I really think this is a bit extreme. He even gives an example of a company that brought in the young employee’s mom to join in the first day celebration activities! Really, her mom?
THE UGLY
Throughout Y-Size, Dorsey includes comments in parentheses I think most members of Gen Y would find offensive, such as “My boss gave me notes in cursive. I can’t read cursive.” and “You want me to count your change back to you? Can’t you count?”
I particularly disliked his “Gen Y’s Top 10 List for How We Think and Act at Work”, which includes “a feeling of entitlement along with big expectations,” “a hunger for instant gratification and tangible outcomes,” “a desire to be our own boss,” and “Gen Y decides to stay–or not–on our first day of work.”
Finally, at one point Dorsey describes a company that, supposedly, before consulting with him, used to forbid any employee from having personal photos at their workspace until they had been with the organization for at least six months. I truly find it hard to believe that any company would prohibit it’s 60-year-old (but brand new to the company) executive from having pictures of his/her grandkids on the desk. I just can’t fathom it.
Despite the bad and ugly, I still recommend employers pick up a copy because there are some truly great ideas. (Just prepare yourself for all the teeny-bopper comments in parentheses!) Here are two free chapters.
Have you read Y-Size? What are your thoughts?
