September 19, 2012

Reviving Work Ethic

Eric Chester
2012 by Eric Chester Adapted by permission of Green Leaf Book Group Press ISBN: 978-1608322428

A Leaders Guide to Ending Entitlement and Restoring Pride in the Emerging Workforce

Introduction
In Reviving Work Ethic, Eric Chester takes the position that the decline of work ethic is a problem that affects all Western nations, as well as a growing number of Eastern ones. He says that while it is not a problem that can be neatly attributed to a single demographic or generation, the strategies for reviving work ethic are most readily applied to teens and young adults because their work habits are malleable and still being formed. Work has become a necessary evil in todays world; rather than being viewed as something to be proud of, work is disdained. It is something to cut corners on, or even elude. Chester maintains that it is now employers who must take action when it comes to instilling work ethic in the emerging workforce. Leaders that embrace this will help develop talent pools of creative, energetic, and dedicated individuals.

The Current State of Work Ethic

In Western culture, the virtues that make up work ethic have been lost due to a number of factors. Even so, Chester asserts that the emerging workforce can turn the tide of this dire trend. Members of the Millennial generation bring excellent skills and traits to the labor pool. They are confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat, and open to change. They are the first generation in history to be always connected, and research suggests that they are on their way to becoming historys most educated generation. However, Millennials do not identify with work ethic; instead, they view work as something to avoid or as a necessary evil to endure on their path to individual greatness. Entitlement is at the root of the work ethic problem. Young people are used to certain things just being there, provided by their Baby Boomer parents. Ches-

Business Book Summaries September 19, 2012 Copyright 2012 EBSCO Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved

Reviving Work Ethic

Eric Chester

ter estimates that two generations have been raised on an overdose of self-esteem. Building up self-esteem seems like a good thing to do, but the essence of the message it sends is to esteem the self, and goes a long way in creating a mentality that is self-focused and entitled. Chester states that this estimation of ones self over others translates into a lack of respect for anything that is not pleasing or satisfying to a young employees personal desires and terms.

Key Concepts
There are seven core values that make up work ethic: 1. Positive Attitude 2. Reliability 3. Professionalism 4. Initiative 5. Respect 6. Integrity 7. Gratitude. Leaders must work to instill these seven values into young workers by increasing cognizance and compliance. Cognizance is increased by communicating clearly, assessment in the form of conversation, and mentorship that addresses the personal needs of individual employees. Compliance is increased by explaining the relevance (connecting the why and the what) of desired actions, rewarding employees for a job well done, and radiating the values throughout the organization. Reviving work ethic is a challenge for leaders, but one that must be met and that will lead to major rewards on both the micro and macro levels.
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Coming to Terms with Work Ethic

Chester defines work ethic as knowing what to do and doing it, but what creates good work ethic? There are seven attributes that mark good work ethic: 1. Positive Attitude 2. Reliability 3. Professionalism 4. Initiative 5. Respect 6. Integrity 7. Gratitude. When one really thinks about these attributes, it is clear that they are essentially the same behavioral lessons taught to children. A positive attitude is the same thing as smiling and playing nice, while being prompt translates directly to reliability. Looking ones best is key to professionalism, doing ones best is all about initiative, and obeying the rules means showing respect. Telling the truth is a sign of integrity, and saying please and thank you show gratitude. Young people are not hardwired with these childhood lessons that apply so easily to the attributes of work ethic because they receive mixed messages. Chester states that teenagers no longer aim to please adults, but rather they seek to please their peers. They imitate the behaviors of their heroes, who are often stars in sports, music, TV, or movies. It is abundantly clear from the media that many of these people are not polite, punctual, honest, or cheerful, nor do they seem to play by the rules. Chester points out that there are issues when it comes to learning work ethic in every generation, but that the problem has become systemic rather than a phase.

Information about the author and subject: www.revivingworkethic.com Information about this book and other business titles: www.greenleafbookgroup.com Related summary in the BBS Library: The Compromise Trap How to Thrive at Work Without Selling Your Soul By Elizabeth Doty

Business Book Summaries September 19, 2012 Copyright 2012 EBSCO Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Reviving Work Ethic

Eric Chester

Attitudes and behaviors that erode work ethic are work ethic, and motivate employees to embrace and often the ones that are rewarded, taught, and prointegrate the core values of it into their lives in order moted. Instilling the seven attributes of work ethic to have valuable employees. into members of the emerging workforce is the key to keep- Many of the negative habits, mindsets, and attitudes embeding companies, and the country, ded in the emerging workforce result from messages that have prosperous and stable.

The Leaders Challenge

A basic assumption exists between employers and employees: the exchange of job performance for compensation. Chester writes that along with expecting employees to perform their job duties, employers also assume that employees remember, understand, value, and abide by the lessons they learned as children that essentially make up work ethic. Work ethic has been declining for decades, and there is no quick fix. Chester states that leaders must face this challenge by seeking to revive work ethic and restore pride in accomplishment. Chester has defined work ethic as knowing what to do and then doing it, and he breaks this definition down further into two words: cognizance and compliance. Cognizance means knowing what to do. It is up to those in leadership positions to make sure that their employees are cognizant of their duties. Compliance is the doing it part of the definition, made up of individual choices, actions, and behaviors as related to the seven markers of work ethic. Leaders within the company must work to improve the understanding of

focused mostly on how great young people are and how they are special enough to warrant success, fame, and wealth without having to sacrifice much to get it.
Increasing Employee Cognizance and Compliance

There are three essential components involved in increasing employee cognizance and compliance. To increase cognizance, leaders in the workforce must: 1. Clarify: Communicate clearly and regularly with workers so that they will understand the expectations of the job. 2. Assess: Assessment in the form of conversation and dialogue is crucial when developing cognizance because it gives leaders a place to start. 3. Mentor: Embrace the role of teacher/coach/trainer, and be aware of approaches to introduce and reinforce ideas that will address the individual needs of employees. Finding a personal style, developing trust, valuing tact and timing, and casting a vision are all part of mentoring. Cognizance without compliance is basically useless. To increase buy-in for the core values of work ethic (compliance), leaders in the workforce should be aware of: 1. Relevance: Explaining the relevance of desired actions is crucial to connecting the dots between why and what, which is incredibly important to members of the emerging workforce. 2. Reward: Remember to acknowledge a job well done by creating a reward structure that promotes work ethic for all employees. 3. Radiate: Radiating value throughout an organization starts with establishing values as central ideals, and then finding ways to spread them to all facets of an organization. Real work ethic thrives in a healthy community.
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About the Author

Eric Chester is an acclaimed expert in school-towork transitions. He has spoken at more than 1,500 high schools and colleges and hundreds of leading companies and organizations that rely on teens and young adults as their front-line workforce. Chester is the author of four books, most recently Getting Them to Give a Damn, and has coauthored eight others. He is the founder of the Bring Your A Game to Work youth training and certification program, and is president of Reviving Work Ethic, Inc., a speaking and consulting firm.

Business Book Summaries September 19, 2012 Copyright 2012 EBSCO Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved

Reviving Work Ethic

Eric Chester

Positive Attitude
It is no secret that many young people today are disillusioned, disenfranchised, disengaged, and depressed, and that they bring these attitudes to their jobs. Attitude is the outward expression of a persons inward views. Chester states that to define attitude, there are three questions to consider: 1. How do you see yourself?

disparity between what young people expect in the workplace and reality, which breeds discontentment and anger. Young people were raised being told they were special, unique, and talented, so if a job does not live up to their expectations, they disengage and put the blame on the job or the boss.

Chester urges leaders to lead by example. By embracing a positive attitude, employers can show young 2. How do you see the world? workers what being positive looks like within the organization. Leaders must be clear about attitude 3. How do you see yourself in the world? beginning with the hiring process; clear expectations The answer to the third question is the determining must be laid out, an assessment of the individuals factor of someones attitude. All of the answers are attitude must be made, and then steps to mentor and within individual control since everyone can make foster a positive attitude in the young workers must choices when it comes to how they see themselves be followed. Open-ended questions can be incredand the world. ibly helpful in this process. Leaders must remember to praise the positive in order Work ethic is knowing what to do and doing it. It is marked to breed more of it. Hopefully, a by an individuals positive attitude, reliability, professionalism, positive attitude will eventually be seen as a reward unto itself when initiative, respect, integrity, and gratitude. the person can see how it improves productivity, value, relationships, and enjoyment Bringing a positive attitude to the workplace is imporwithin the work environment. Attitude is contagious, tant, and young people are aware of this even if they so an effort should be made to talk about all of the do not practice it, but if they are aware, why are they good things going on within the company. Identifying still so negative? Chester offers four possible explanaand removing sources of negativity from the organitions: zation will also go a long way towards keeping the 1. Negative is Hip: There are thousands of examples environment positive. of young people being defined by bad attitudes, Reliability with the worst of the bunch often getting the most attention. Reliability is the most basic, and possibly the most 2. Work Sucks: Young people view work as a bad thing, something that is to be gotten through or put up with in order to earn money to support the fun things in life. Everyone (including teachers and parents) complain about it. 3. I was born too late: Members of the emerging workforce are more aware of the world around them than any previous generation, so they face the challenge of being aware of all of the problems in the world. Add all of the times they have heard it was better back in the day from various adults, and it is not hard to see why they view the world so negatively. 4. This isnt what I was promised: There is a huge important, aspect of work ethic, for it is at the heart of all successful businesses. Businesses make promises to consumers, and when they do not keep their promises, they fail. Chester reminds the reader that instilling reliability into members of the emerging workforce is not about expecting them to be perfect, but making them understand the importance of delivering what is expected of them, to the very best of their ability. Businesses depend on reliability, and reliability originates with employees. This means that business leaders need to infuse reliability, like positive attitude, into company culture. This can be done in many of the same ways: setting up clear expectations (along with the why), pointing out when it is done well
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Business Book Summaries September 19, 2012 Copyright 2012 EBSCO Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved

Reviving Work Ethic

Eric Chester

and following through with clear consequences when it is not, and leading by example. Effort must be made to make young workers understand the importance of reliability in the workplace, and this needs to be done in such a way that it will be internalized. Chester believes that pointing out and letting the employee vent about unreliability in other instances will help them see the effects their own unreliability can have on others. Citing examples of extreme reliability is also an option, and it can help leaders clarify their expectations.

Manners: Common courtesies, covering everything from table manners to not interrupting others when they speak, go a long way in creating a professional environment. Overtness: Just because someone has a view or opinion does not mean it needs to be shared. Etiquette, critical thinking, and self-control are essential.

Leaders might need to help young employees learn how to manage their busy schedules by showing how to build in enough time to meet deadlines, even when the unexpected comes up. It is also important that young workers realize that being reliable helps them build their reputations, something they are exceedingly When workers realize and embrace the idea that part of their concerned with. Leaders can job is to help promote the image of the organization rather than help them make the connections between their current behaviors their personal image, they are more inclined to dress the part, and their future successes or fail- speak the part, and act out the part that the job requires. ures. Once again, leaders will find that clarity is crucial to Professionalism instilling professionalism in the emerging workforce. A professional is someone who understands and repThings like including context and reasoning whenresents the companys best interests, even when doing ever possible, showing photos to exemplify what is so means that personal preferences must be sacrificed. appropriate (or not) when it comes to dress code, and Every organization that employs young adults faces making the rules relevant to the employee should the issue of getting these employees to set aside their be done during the hiring process so that the new personal desires for the greater good of the company employee understands exactly what is expected when while maintaining their enthusiasm for the position. he shows up for his first day of work. Making these In fact, Chester states that perhaps the biggest frusexpectations clear at the earliest possible time gets tration among business leaders when it comes to the young employees on board by making them underemerging workforce is getting them to dress and act stand that part of the job they have been hired to do is in a professional manner. to promote the image of the organization. Once they have embraced this reality, they will be more likely to Professionalism is very much about how an employee embody professionalism. goes about his duties. Most instances of unprofessionalism fall into the following categories: Appearance: Tattoos, piercings, make-up, hairstyles--if it does not line up with the dress code, it is not professional. Language: Profanity and vulgarity have no place at work. Both spoken and written language matter when it comes to reflecting the company.

Employees need to compartmentalize their lives, so that their personal lives and behaviors do not get in the way when they show up to work. This does not mean that people cannot have personal identities. The emerging workforce values personal image and brand; the challenge is in getting them to trade their personal image for the company image when they come to work.

Initiative
The mentality towards work in America is one of mediocrity and doing the minimum amount of work required. The emerging workforce is not to blame, Chester writes, because this lack of initiative and passion has been increasing for many years. Young workers have grown up watching older generations put in long hours without enthusiasm, and listening
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Business Book Summaries September 19, 2012 Copyright 2012 EBSCO Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved

Reviving Work Ethic

Eric Chester

to parents and teachers complain about work. As a result, many young workers have adopted an attitude of why bother? Members of the emerging workforce must develop their initiative as soon as possible for the exact reason that they cannot wait to be in positions of power and authority before showing it; initiative is what will help them get to those positions. A worker with initiative goes beyond the minimum requirements of the job and is proactive in her work because she realizes that showing initiative is directly tied to her value in her professional life. Leaders must accept responsibility and take initiative to lead the way for their young hires. Leaders must clarify what their expectations are, what can be done to exceed them, and also what the limits of initiative should be so that employees do not overstep. If leaders can show employees that everyone shares the responsibility of increasing the companys value, teamwork will be built.

four steps: 1. Clarify the expectation up front. 2. Establish its relevance. 3. Mentor employees throughout the process. 4. Reward compliance. There are three critical areas that must be respected in the workplace, and there must be clear consequences if any of these areas are disrespected: 1. The work contract. 2. Managers and coworkers. 3. The line between work and socializing.

Chester does not believe individualism, integrity, initiative, or ingenuity must be sacrificed in order to respect these three areas. As always, leading by example is imperative; leaders should continually provide examples of respectful behavior. Respect is not something that can be forced upon another person if they are not feeling it; it must come What we have in America is an ever-increasing tendency to from within the individual. Leaders should have the goal of helping see lying and cheating as inevitable and acceptable behavtheir young hires to see the value iors, which in turn creates a cycle of dishonesty thats nearly of respecting rules, and how this impossible to reverse. in turn increases their value to the company. There is a degree of assessment, as always, when it comes to figuring out how to help increase initiative in workers. Even when expectations are clear, an employee might not actually do anything to exceed them, which is why rewards, relevance, and leading by example are important. Initiative is contagious, and since it is self-rewarding, it is easy for it to be integrated into the fabric of employees work ethic by simply practicing it. Initiative fuels passion, not the other way around.

Integrity
Chester writes that we are a culture that talks about integrity and honesty but lives it out less and less in our daily lives. Members of the emerging workforce have been brought up in a time when it is possible to elude consequences, and even prosper, as a result of dishonesty. As a result, young workers enter an organization primed not to trust anyone or anything. They are a wary and cynical generation. First, young employees must become aware of what integrity is and why it is so important, specifically within the company they work for. They will not always recognize it when they see it; instilling integrity into these workers will take an immense amount of coaching and mentoring. Leaders need to show their young hires that not everyone lies and cheats in order to thrive. Again, recognizing integrity and celebrating it when it occurs is a good way to get young
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Respect
Respect is best earned by giving first. Young workers are well aware of what respect is, and they desire it, yet they are not always good at giving respect first. Independence, creative thinking, initiative, and selfesteem have been stressed over other values, including respect. Business leaders must seek to instill a sense of respect in their young employees that will exceed their own selves. This is accomplished by following

Business Book Summaries September 19, 2012 Copyright 2012 EBSCO Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved

Reviving Work Ethic

Eric Chester

workers on the right track. Integrity can be traced back to trust. As with respect, the best way to earn trust is to give it first. Younger generations despise being micromanaged; when they are, they feel as though they are not trusted to get the job done. If leaders show that they trust employees, employees will in turn learn to trust their leaders. Young workers must also be made aware of how dishonesty affects people, including themselves.

standing of gratitude, so they must make sure that it is clear what the concept means in relation to the organization. This goes back to the employee feeling valued; the more they know about what happens in the company, the less likely it is they will feel insignificant. Leading by example is the best way to inspire gratitude in young workers.

The Valued Proposition

Reviving work ethic in the emerging workforce is a daunting task that requires sustained effort. Those in leadership positions cannot simply explain the values of work ethic and expect young workers to immediately and automatically internalize them and change their ways. All of the concepts Chester has outlined in this book are the beginning of a process that will need regular assessment, constant clarification, and ongoing mentorship. It is a challenge that can lead to huge rewards, but time and energy must be managed wisely. Instilling the values of work ethic is something that cannot be done for selfish reasons, for it is entirely focused on making members of the emerging workforce better. It gets to be a very personal process because leaders must find ways of connecting personal needs with those of the organization, but all that attention leads to loyalty. Chester believes that restoring the values of work ethic into American culture is essential to the future success of the country. Members of the emerging workforce are the future, so it is imperative that leaders work to embrace positive attitudes, reliability, professionalism, initiative, respect, integrity, and gratitude in their own lives in order to instill these values of work ethic in upcoming generations.
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Gratitude

Gratitude is the key to sustaining a positive attitude; it is specific to thankfulness and can never be passive or self-focused. Chester states that work ethic without gratitude is simply work. Young employees have the basic desire to know that they are doing well and that they are valued, yet they do not adopt gratitude towards others easily. Some reasons for this disconnect might be: 1. Its All About Me: Young workers have been brought up in a time where individual focus is on the self. 2. The Price of Gratitude Exceeds Their View: Members of the emerging workforce have grown up experiencing mostly bad, self, or no service, which means that providing excellent service is not inherent to them. 3. Feeling Isolated, Disconnected, and Unimportant: Many young workers do not understand their value, and if they do not see themselves as vitally important to the success of the company, they will not feel the weight of responsibility that comes with that feeling. Leaders want their employees to have gratitude in all aspects of their jobs, including when there are problems to be solved. Grateful employees know that their job is to solve problems; they care about the problems of the company and will work hard to fix them. Leaders must fill the role of mentor if they want their employees to show gratitude even when there is no direct or obvious benefit for doing so. They must inspire gratitude, because even though it can be defined, it cannot be taught. This begins with increasing cognizance through assessment. Leaders cannot assume that every employee has the same under-

Features of the Book

Reading Time: 4.5 hours, 212 pages Reviving Work Ethic is a book any person in a leadership or management position who deals with members of the Millennial generation can benefit from reading. There are charts and tables provided. Each chapter ends with extra tips and conversation starters for practical application of the concepts discussed. Examples, case studies, and statistics are given throughout the book. The book is best read from cover to cover, as
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Business Book Summaries September 19, 2012 Copyright 2012 EBSCO Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved

Reviving Work Ethic

Eric Chester

information from previous chapters is mentioned and referenced. Eric Chester presents his ideas clearly and concisely, making this book an accessible and useful read.

Contents
Acknowledgements Foreword Prologue Introduction Chapter 1: Rewinding the Game of Life Chapter 2: Coming to Terms with This Thing Called Work Ethic Chapter 3: Up and OverThe Leaders Challenge Chapter 4: What Happens When Youre Not Watching Chapter 5: Positive Attitude Chapter 6: Reliability Chapter 7: Professionalism Chapter 8: Initiative Chapter 9: Respect Chapter 10: Integrity Chapter 11: Gratitude Chapter 12: The Valued Proposition

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Reviving Work Ethic

Eric Chester

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Copyright of Reviving Work Ethic is the property of Great Neck Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.