Customer Reviews

On Cloud Nine: Weathering the Challenge of Many Generations in the Workplace

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Robert Wendover & Terrence Gargiulo's ON CLOUD NINE: AN INSPIRING TALE reads like fiction but provides an involving vignette about age-related differences in the workplace which hold great meaning for modern workforces. From young people who think they know it all because they have more energy to elders who are more experienced but resist change, and customers who see their satisfaction with the results eroding, ON CLOUD NINE makes a fable out of the first part and leads into real tips on how to improve communication and foster teamwork in a multigenerational workplace. Whether you're a workforce manager or a worker, ON CLOUD NINE offers many coping tips.

This book is an ideal tool for the corporate trainer that wants to improve communication, understanding, leadership and delegation among the various generations in the workplace. Wally - the subject of the book is the perfect example of how an employee can join our company and with the absence of good direction, boundaries and leadership; create chaos in a matter of days. These challenges are typical of the company who hasn't addressed methods for effectively managing the four generations present in today's workplace. I plan to use the book as a short, interactive play during our next training session. Involving the employees will help to develop an understanding of the inter-generational issues in the workplace, plus they will get to know each other on a different level, thus creating a sense of teamwork. This is so timely for today's workplace!

As I started reading I was immediately caught up by the characters and the immediate turmoil caused by the generational issues that we have all experienced in the workplace. Written with great humor each character took on its own personality and leads the reader to the solutions, while laughing at themselves. What a way to learn! A must read for all company executives, managers, and employees. The illustrations allowed the reader to imagine what it felt like to go from complete turmoil to success.

This book gives a humorous twist to the issues that arise in the work place between generations. The tale at the beginning paints a funny picture of how issues arise, what happens when the generations do not listen to one another, and what can happen when they do listen yo one another and work together. The second half dicusses what was shown in the first half, and presents great ideas for how to make positive change and progress in the real life work place. It is easy to understand and very enjoyable to read. I would suggest it to anyone who works in a place with more than one generation interacting (I would guess that is the situation for most of us).

I love this book. It is so well written, humorous and the book really hit home with me. In my profession, I deal with people that all have different points of view and agendas: buyers, sellers, other agents, lenders, vendors, contractors - and they are of all different ages. I found the story so very pertinent to my business. It inspired me to work harder to move towards teamwork solutions rather than to give in to all the different personalities. And I absolutely love the cartoons by Eldon Dedini - they make me smile.

Inge Kessler, REALTOR

Carmel, California

I enjoyed this book very much; particularly because of it's quick read, hunorous presentation of the subject matter, and because it helped me to do my job better! I train large groups of "twenty somethings", and being a Boomer myself, I find some of their actions and responses confusing. This book encouraged me to adjust a portion of my material, and the way I deliver it, to bring a more effective learning environment to these people. That's a Win-Win for everyone. Thanks.

"Wally shuffled over to his laptop and started fiddling with his presentation. He was so preoccupied that he did not notice the huge swarm of clouds beginning to gather around the mountain's snowy peaks." ~ pg. 39

Robert W. Wendover and Terrence L. Gargiulo present their wisdom in a fable format that addresses the current clashes between the way things have always been done and adjusting to the newest technology available.

As old and new clash, the authors invite all the "clouds" to a meeting to talk about their differences rumbling before the storm. Eldon Dedini provides humorous cartoons throughout that enliven the story and keep you smiling from start to finish.

Chapter eleven is an explanation of the story and explains what can be learned from the fable: "Sometimes, listening and quietly facilitating can be the most effective means for developing relationships among different groups."

Questions and Answers and a special section for Frequently Asked Questions gives the story practical applications for all work environments and encourage all employees to reconcile the differences that abound as life moves forward at a rapid pace.

~The Rebecca Review