Generation iY: Our Last Chance to Save Their Future [Paperback]

Tim Elmore (Author), Dan Cathy (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 2010

The one book every parent, teacher, coach, and youth pastor should read. This landmark book paints a compelling-and sobering-picture of what could happen to our society if we don't change the way we relate to today's teens and young adults. Researched-based and solution-biased, it moves beyond sounding an alarm to outlining practical strategies to: * Guide "stuck" adolescents and at-risk boys to productive adulthood * Correct crippling parenting styles * Repair damage from (unintentional) lies we've told kids * Guide them toward real success instead of superficial "self-esteem" * Adopt education strategies that engage (instead of bore) an "i" generation * Pull youth out of their "digital" ghetto into the real world * Employ their strengths and work with their weaknesses on the job * Defuse a worldwide demographic time bomb * Equip Generation iY to lead us into the future

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Tim Elmore is the founder and president of Growing Leaders, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization created to develop emerging leaders. Since founding Growing Leaders, Elmore has spoken to more than 300,000 students, faculty, and staff on hundreds of campuses across the country, including the University of Oklahoma, Stanford University, Duke University, Rutgers University, the University of South Carolina, and Louisiana State University. Elmore has also provided leadership training and resources for multiple athletic programs, including the University of Texas football team, the University of Miami football team, the University of Alabama athletic department, and the Kansas City Royals Baseball Club. In addition, a number of government offices in Washington, D.C. have utilized Dr. Elmore's curriculum. From the classroom to the boardroom, Elmore is a dynamic communicator who uses principles, images, and stories to strengthen leaders. He has taught leadership to Chick-fil-A, Inc., The Home Depot, HomeBanc, and Gold Kist, Inc., among others. He has also taught courses on leadership and mentoring at nine universities and graduate schools across the U.S. Committed to developing young leaders on every continent of the world, Elmore also has shared his insights in more than thirty countries-including India, Russia, China, and Australia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Poet Gardener Publishing; First Edition edition (August 4, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0578063557
• ISBN-13: 978-0578063553
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,250 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Tim Elmore is the founder and president of Growing Leaders (www.GrowingLeaders.com), an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization created to develop emerging leaders. Since founding Growing Leaders, Elmore has spoken to more than 300,000 students, faculty, and staff on hundreds of campuses across the country, including the University of Oklahoma, Stanford University, Duke University, Rutgers University, the University of South Carolina, and Louisiana State University. Elmore has also provided leadership training and resources for multiple athletic programs, including the University of Texas football team, the University of Miami football team, the University of Alabama athletic department, and the Kansas City Royals Baseball Club. In addition, a number of government offices in Washington, D.C. have utilized Dr. Elmore's curriculum.

From the classroom to the boardroom, Elmore is a dynamic communicator who uses principles, images, and stories to strengthen leaders. He has taught leadership to Chick-fil-A, Inc., The Home Depot, HomeBanc, and Gold Kist, Inc., among others. He has also taught courses on leadership and mentoring at nine universities and graduate schools across the U.S. Committed to developing young leaders on every continent of the world, Elmore also has shared his insights in more than thirty countries--including India, Russia, China, and Australia.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book gives the WHY behind Generation iY October 4, 2010

By Timothy R. Milburn

Format:Paperback

Alright, for those of you who don't have a lot of time, I've got the short and sweet review:

On the cover of the book, Generation iY, there's a quote from Mark Bauerlein that calls this book "a must-read guide for parents, mentors, and teachers..." I wholeheartedly agree. So much so that I'm encouraging my boss to buy 30 copies for our Student Development personnel and everyone on our University Administrative Cabinet. This is more than a book, it's a resource! Buy two copies and give one to a parent, mentor, teacher, or coach.

There you go. If you're still reading, then lets dig a little deeper into Dr. Tim Elmore's latest book.

I'll start by telling you that the beginning of the book, in fact, the premise that Elmore writes this book from...is depressing. It's not good news. Elmore believes this generation, Generation iY (those kids born after 1990) are in trouble - for a variety of reasons.

The first chapters of Generation iY paint a picture of a generation headed for a trainwreck. Elmore describes the wide variety of influences that have resulted in a group of young people who are "overwhelmed, overconnected, overprotected, and overserved."

I've got to be honest, what I like about the book I also struggled with: it starts with such a bleak picture. It's not that I haven't seen some of these tendencies in the students that walk the halls of my University, I just have a little bit of difficulty with the particularly negative generalizations that seem to plague this generation. Perhaps it's because the same thing happened to my generation, Generation X. We were the slackers and the latch key kids. When the books started to come out that told how bad we were, I wanted to do everything I could to prove the sociologists wrong.

Of course, it doesn't matter if you like reality or not. If anything, this book is a wake-up call to those who might think that everything is coming up roses with these students. Elmore admits he doesn't know the future, he just wants to make sure the potential of a bleak future doesn't become a reality. Every generation will face it's share of difficulties and crisis to overcome. But as it is with each emerging generation, we were never their age. This books helps us see what kinds of obstacles this generation will have to overcome.

This book is really well-researched. This is why I had a like/dislike relationship with the beginning of this book. It provides a clear, concise, and compelling (great "C" words) view of this generation. It helps me get inside the heads of the students, their families, and the society in which they grew up. But it's more than just information. This book is chock-full of application. For every question Elmore raises, he spends time answering with solid, practical advice.

The book is extremely readable. Real-life illustrations, quotations, and bullet-points keep the book moving at a user-friendly pace. This why it's a highly recommended read for anyone who has these students living in their home (I have four!) or work with them.

There are a lot of additional resources that support and supplement the book at [...]

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good information for those that must deal with the latest generation, however the situation is not as dire as stated September 21, 2010

By Charles Ashbacher HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

As a part-time college instructor, I see the characteristics of the latest generation of college students on a near daily basis. At any given time, roughly ten percent of the students are paying more attention to their cell phones during a lecture than they are to me. It is almost impossible to keep their attention for anything more than an hour and the most common complaint that I receive is that I don't show them precisely what to do before giving them lab assignments in the introductory computer classes.
As a former volunteer coach for several years in youth soccer and softball, I have experienced the wrath of parents that believe that their child was either treated unfairly or was the victim of an unfair play or official ruling. During the last two years that I was a soccer coach, the organization had to institute a policy that the parents had to be on the opposite side of the field as the teams. This was so that the players and coaches did not have to listen to the torrent of criticism emanating from the parents. I decided to give it up when the league instituted training sessions for referees on how to handle a physical assault by a parent.
I also served as a volunteer judge for contests such as science fairs and so have a lot of experience with "helicopter parents", those that hover next to you as you meet with their children, ask them questions and then write down your findings. I had parents blatantly looking over my shoulder and breathing down my neck trying to see what I was writing.
Elmore mentions these situations as part of his "problems with the latest generation" discussions. On the unfortunate side, nothing that can be done with the children can eliminate the parent that will be no way other than obnoxiously aggressive. However, the upside is that there will be a natural reaction to this, the current generation is only a few years from being parents themselves and the natural negative reaction to parental actions that were disliked will tend to make the children less hovering.
Furthermore, humanity has a history of considering the latest generation as being one that is in danger of being lost, in the 1960's there was the touted "generation gap" that proved to be less than proclaimed. If you read some accounts of the 1920's and the flappers, it will also sound similar. The latest generation always manages to right itself and there is no real reason to think that the iY one will be any different.
The real value of this book consists of the information about how high school and college teachers and business people can deal with the current generation that is moving into adulthood. There are real differences in mannerisms and expectations and if you are to work with them you have to have some understanding of those differences. The latest generation is used to dynamic and overwhelming visual input, rapid changes and gratification and they possess a noble streak of idealism. Young people are interested in working in a job that makes a difference; the problem is that they want to see the difference taking place very quickly. I disagree somewhat with Elmore, this is more a reflection of the modern world than he is willing to admit. The modern business world functions 24/7 with powerful companies rising high and falling fast due to rapid changes in economic forces that can take place anywhere in the world.
It is quite true that the college graduate of the twenty-first century will work at many jobs in their lifetime, however this is a modern reality and has little to do with the unsettled nature of the modern young adult. The days when a job was secure for decades are most likely gone forever and only the agile of mind will be able to stay employed by changing skills and positions. Therefore, Elmore overstates the claim that the inevitable job-hopping is due to impatience on the part of the latest generation of workers. This is also amplified by the fact that the one-income household is a thing of the past; in fact there have been articles that the three-income family is becoming the norm. With both parents having to work to maintain their living conditions, a change in the employment status of one may force the other to have to change jobs to compensate. I know of couples where one losing their health insurance forced the other to switch to a lower paying job with health benefits in order to provide the health coverage for the family.
While there are difficulties between the generations, the situation is not as dire as Elmore states. Crying doom over the latest generation is a long-standing tradition and much of what the iY generation is doing is a response to what the world is doing to them. Nevertheless, the book is worth reading as long as you pass the content through these two critical filters.

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read if you find yourself swimming in an "iY" pool like me! August 13, 2010

By Zach Thomas

Format:Paperback

As a business owner (Chick-fil-A Owner/Operator) with 54 team members (32 of them Generation iY) and father of 3 girls, I find Tim's book very timely and extremely relevant. As a former military officer, substitute teacher, college pastor, Chaplain candidate, Chaplain candidate recruiter, and life coach, I speak from experience when I say this is a must read for all parents, military officers, non-commissioned officers, Chaplains, military recruiters, teachers, life coaches, pastors, and employers (especially Chick-fil-A Operators!) that interact with this generation on any level. Additionally, if you are a hiring manager or business owner, I believe this book will help you select great talent. I literally interview hundreds of Gen iY applicants a year and as a result of reading this book, I totally revised my interview questions for iY applicants to help determine their level of "emotional intelligence" and hire only the best applicants. If you are like me and you find yourself swimming in an "iY" pool, and you want to help save their future, then this book will help you better understand how to be intentional and challenging in their lives.