Preface

When this book began life as an idea, the subtitle was ˜How to regain your employees' trust and commitment.' I soon realised this wasn't going to work too well. Trust, it seemed, had all but vanished everywhere I looked . I am still convinced that this is so. I am further convinced - and I find this a lot more worrying - that many businesses are struggling to find ways to meet effectively employees ' needs, or often even begin to understand what they are.

But after much research and a lot of discussion and debate, I am more than convinced that - specifically where the next generation of managers and future business leaders are concerned - we are in the midst of a revolution. Call it the ˜me' generation if you like, but that won't change a thing. What is clear is that 20- and 30-year-olds have a completely new game plan for their lives from anything that has ever gone before. Lifestyle rules. Oh, they may work in a dead-end job if it suits another purpose, but that won't last. These people are individualistic, know who they are, what they want and, increasingly, how to get it.

This book is about how we can begin to engage these new-age people in our businesses. The simple solution is to ˜let them be themselves ' and work around this trend in the most flexible way you can.

I think that their view of life is going to change dramatically how we manage and even redefine what work is all about. For those of us who can change, it can and will be an exciting time of challenge and discovery. For those that can't it will be a stressful, agonising transition. I hope you are on the side of change.

Welcome to the revolution!

Mike Johnson
Little Buckland Farm Lymington SO41 9HD
United Kingdom
August 2004