The Best Gift You Could Possibly
Give a Teen or Young Adult

The employment landscape in America for 16- to 24-year-olds is abysmal; the worst it’s been in more than 50 years. So if you’ve got a teen or a young adult on your holiday gift list, don’t head to the mall or to your nearest big box retailer. What they need most from you cannot be found in stores.

According to this recent story in the Huffington Post, the employment rate for teens between the ages of 16 and 19 has fallen 42 percent over the last decade: 2.2 million teens and 4.3 million young adults aged 20 to 24 are neither working nor in school. Of those without school or work, 21 percent — or 1.4 million — are young parents.

Before blaming this crisis on the current recession, consider this: A recent study completed by Manpower reported that 52% of all employers in America are hiring and are finding it difficult to fill key positions.

I can attest to this paradoxical employment dilemma through my own anecdotal research.

This summer I presented a keynote address to CHART (the Council of Hospitality and Restaurant Trainers) and asked the audience of 250 top training and development professionals from the leading brands in the service sector to raise a hand if their companies were currently in a hiring mode, actively recruiting labor from the 16- to 24-yr-old population. Without hesitation, almost every attendee raised a hand.

Unquestionably, there are jobs available for teens and young adults. So why is unemployment and underemployment pandemic among this young demographic?

Most employers will tell you that the emerging generation is woefully unprepared for the workplace and they are now forced to hire around them. (This white paper report offers proof.)

As a direct result, jobs that used to go to teens and 20-somethings are now being filled by older workers who have been laid off or who are taking second or third jobs to make ends meet — not because these workers possess greater skills, but because they know how to work.

No matter how book-smart or techno-savvy young workers are, if they don’t possess and demonstrate the soft skills employers demand (reliability, integrity, a positive attitude, initiative, etc.), they are going to get passed over like an onion in a candy dish.

Massive youth unemployment affects everyone

When teens and young adults go jobless, their maturity and independence are delayed. Many end up bitter feeling ‘shafted’ and entitled to a lifestyle which they have no ability to support through their own efforts. Simultaneously, employers are forced to fish from an ever-diminishing pool of experienced labor and must either hire unqualified workers that turn out poor results, or outsource those jobs elsewhere, perhaps overseas.

Young people need to work. Even when the only jobs they can find seem, in their mind, to be “beneath them”, working creates momentum that illuminates the path of opportunity. When they don’t work, that path appears dim and their opportunities dwindle.

To find a job, get a job, and keep a job, young people need advice and guidance from someone who has been there and done that and survived an even worse employment scenario. They need someone to show them how to work and how to improve their value in the marketplace by adding value to any job they have. They need a mentor who will help them develop a solid work ethic as the foundation for any and all future successes.

Change a Life and Improve the Economy in 2013

You have the power to impact an individual and the economy by becoming a career mentor. With very little effort, you can locate an unemployed young person in your community — or a struggling underemployed young person in your company — and offer to meet with them to help them find the success they aspire to.

By setting aside an hour or two per week free from all distractions, you can carefully listen to their story and determine where they need help and guidance. From there, you can advise, counsel, and also provide books, articles, key contacts and other resources that will help them get where they are going, even if they figured out where that is.

Talk about the 7 non-negotiables that every employer demands, and then have them do a verbal self-assessment on each. Discuss the value of hard work, sacrifice, and the importance of giving your best to every job they have now, and in the future.

Tell them how you failed before you succeeded, and what you learned in the process. Be real, authentic, and be vulnerable. Then ask them what they’ve learned from the experiences they’ve had, and how they’re going to either repeat or change those behaviors to improve their outcomes.

This Christmas, give a young person your presence – not your presents.

It is a priceless gift that will enrich their life, and yours.

Click the image below for a poem I wrote in 1999 to reflect my thoughts about the most priceless gift you can give a young person. I share it with you now and hope that you enjoy the true spirit of the holiday season. If you’d like a PDF of this poem, please click here.

The Costly Divide between Gratitude and SPAM

Checking my personal Facebook account as I was helping my wife prepare for our Thanksgiving feast, I marveled at how many of my “friends” (most whom I’ve never met) had posted a ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ message intended for anyone who might happen upon it.

Same thing was happening on Twitter, LinkedIn, and dozens of other social media sites.

Instead of making me feel warm and tingly inside, I was agitated.

I began to wonder…read more

How Bodybuilding Shaped My Work Ethic

Bodybuilding is the most narcissistic, self-absorbed ‘sport’ ever conceived.

I can offer that critique as a former competitor, promoter of numerous state bodybuilding championships, emcee of the Mr. & Ms. Universe competition, and color analyst for ESPN’s bodybuilding coverage. (All of these things took place before Bill Clinton was sworn in, but my opinion has not changed much over the years.)

That being said, I owe a great deal of my own work ethic to the principles I learned while involved in bodybuilding during my early adulthood while I was launching my career as an educator, speaker, and author. Regardless of your regard for bodybuilding, it’s hard to discount the work ethic that underlies this controversial pursuit. Unlike most athletic endeavors, you can’t be successful in bodybuilding until you go “all in” 24/7 and 365. Everything you do, everything you put in your mouth, every thought you allow into your head dramatically affects your outcome. And when the outcome results in standing alone on stage in your underwear in front of hundreds of people, …well, your preparation is truly exposed. Read More

- – Eric’s Holiday Gifts
Exclusively for Subscribers – -

2 FREE Resources to Help you Give the Greatest Christmas Gift Ever!

#1. This New Smart Phone App will
Inspire & Reinforce Work Ethic!

One A Day is a cool and clever smart phone app that provides tips and encouragement for developing work ethic as inspirational quotations, questions for reflection, and action items. The application allows users to access work ethic tips directly or set a daily reminder to have them pushed to their mobile device.

FREE DOWNLOAD

#2. The Book that Develops Work Ethic

Bring Your A Game to Work: The 7 Fundamental Values that will Make Every Employer Want to Hire You and Fight to Keep You!

To help you engage, coach, mentor, and prepare a young person for the workplace and future success, I will send you an autographed copy of the 144 pg. book that will convince them that when they win at work, they’ll win in life!

Simply click here, select the version you’d like — Teen Version (blue cover) or Post-Secondary (beige cover) — enter the code GIFT2012 and the book will be sent immediately. (Shipping not included. Limit one book per subscriber to this eZine.)

See our Newly Remodeled Website!

www.RevivingWorkEthic.com

There’s more information and great resources now available on our site. And by all means, see the trailer for Eric Chester’s latest presentation and learn why it’s getting rave reviews from business leaders and from educators.

This is a keynote that does more than entertain and enlighten, it shows leaders how to increase the value of their people by improving the values in their people.

BOOK ERIC FOR YOUR ’13 EVENT! Call 303.239.9999 or click here to find out more!

Meet Eric’s Team at the Center for Work Ethic Development

CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE

One year ago, Eric founded the Center for Work Ethic Development and established a national headquarters in downtown Denver, Colorado. He’s assembled a great team of experienced professionals led by Josh Davies, former VP of Training and Development of Sage Hospitality. The Center now features a full suite of products and services that are being used to train work ethic in employees of all ages, as well as leadership training that can improve the culture in any organization.

To find out more, visit www.WorkEthic.org or call 303-433-3243.

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Eric is Reading and Highly Recommends…

Dan Pink’s new book out December 31 -

To Sell Is Human

The Surprising Truth about Moving Others

Eric is a huge fan of bestselling author, Dan Pink. He’s worked with Dan to create a very special offer loaded with FREE goodies for anyone who pre-orders his new book before December 30th.

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