Friday, May 16, 2008

Book Smarts

Business book reviews

Washington Business Journal – by Timothy Burn (Associate Editor)From Boomers to Bloggers: Success Strategies Across Generations By Misti Burmeister What’s deal with all these Generation Yers, and their demands for praise and recognition, for work-life balance, for a clear path to a glass office in 18 months?

Managers with such questions may want to talk to one of these young upstarts, or better yet read a book written by a Gen Yer. Author Misti Burmeister, by her own account, bolted out of college with her career guns blazing, jumping into her first job intent on making an impact.

She met the stiff arm of resistance from an entrenched baby boomer, frequently referred to as a “seasoned professional” in the book. Burmeister did not last long there. So she spent several months doing informational interviews with employers.

Those experiences helped her conclude that miscues between generations are killing productivity and careers. Like most smart chief executive officers, she found a need in the marketplace and started a company, consulting business Inspirion Inc., to boost productivity through improved communication across generations.

(From) Boomers to Bloggers offers tips to help boomers, Xers and Yers get what they want from their careers while helping their employers and peers achieve their goals.

Paperback, Synergy Press, 131 pages, $17.95