We aren't whiny afterall...

So let's be honest: we ALL know there's a generation gap. Those who text without looking vs. those who fondly remember the rotary phone. You know which camp is yours.

And as a Millennial, I've put up with my fair share of snarky comments from co-workers, family and friends born pre-MTV's '81 launch. Worse yet, I've conceded the whining inherent with my tech-savvy, web-voyeuristic compatriots.

But I'm not taking it any more. Why? (you might ask... especially if you were born post-disco.)

Because I finally have research and The Economist on my side. Frankly if science and Brits are on-board, the rest of the critical, sardonic world should come around.

The Nov. 13th edition of The Economist ran a story profiling author Don Tapscott and singing the praises of the "net generation." Tapscott recently completed a study of 8,000 people in 12 countries born between 1978 and 1994 and has published his findings in a new book "Grown Up Digital."

His research shows a generation that is optimistic, entertaining and convincing. Tapscott argues, "The problem is not the net generation but befuddled baby-boomers, who once sang along with Bob Dylan that 'something is happening here, but you don’t know what it is', yet now find that they are clueless about the revolutionary changes taking place among the young."

Contrary to the claims that Wii, Facebook and the dreaded text message have robbed today’s young of the ability to think, Tapscott believes that “Net Geners” are the “smartest generation ever”. Yup. That's right. The smartest generation ever.

Tapscott identifies eight "norms" that make this generation so smart:

• We value freedom and choice in everything they do.
• We love to customize and personalize.
• We scrutinize everything.
• We demand integrity and openness, including when deciding what to buy and where to work.
• We want entertainment and play in work and education, as well as social life.
• We love to collaborate.
• We expect everything to happen fast.
• And we expect constant innovation.

Since innovation is a big part of my daily life, I found the eighth Net Gen norm to be great news, though not surprising. “These empowered young people are beginning to transform every institution of modern life.” With financial crisis and global climate change, I think we all hope this transformation is in the near future.

Now neither Tapscott's research (nor I) make any excuses for the group of Millennial celebrities and everyday idiots out there making indiscrete choices and posting them online. But let's be fair, those choices aren't new. Just more widely communicated.

All-in-all, this article reminds me to be a proud member of the generation who grew up watching TGIF, worshipping Michael Jordan and knowing my friends by their screen names.

If you'd like to read the complete article, check out: http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12591038.

And thanks Mr. Tapscott, I've already texted all my friends with this fab news.

Elementary, my dear Wattson

Meet Wattson. He might just be your new best friend. In these times of economical worries he will show you how much electricity your house is using. As always he is accompanied by his trustworthy companion Holmes and together they help you reduce your electricity bill. Wattson has a blue glow when you spend little electricity and he turns red when consumption is high. The display also shows you how much your annual costs would be based on your current use.

And if that isn´t enough, he´s also “gorgeous” according to himself. So you can add modest to the list as well.

Row, row , row your boat

Knowing how much Andy loves quotes I´ll start of my blogpost with one:

"You cannot solve a problem using the same thinking that caused it"

-Albert Einstein

As oil prices are soaring to new highs, the Big Three from Detroit: General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are suffering. GM´s stock price finds itself at a 54 year low and the future looks anything but bright for the trio. When you are faced with a challenge, how do you best solve it? Do you remain on the same course and hope for the best or do you go in a different direction? Are you reactive or proactive?

Perhaps the parable below taken from Fortune can offer some insight:

A Modern Parable

A Japanese company (Toyota) and an American company (Ford) decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.

On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.

Their conclusion was the Japanese had eight people rowing and one person steering, while the American team had eight people steering and one person rowing.

Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion.

They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.

Not sure how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team’s management structure was totally reorganized to four steering supervisors, three area steering superintendents, and one assistant superintendent steering manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the ‘Rowing Team Quality First Program,’ with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices, and bonuses.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year’s racing team was out-sourced to India.

Sadly, The End.

-

In times of trouble the easiest can often be to stay on course until forced to do differently, although it may be the easiest it is not always the best. Sometimes you need to change your way of thinking, look for opportunities instead of limitations and solutions instead of problems.

Change your approach and you will get a new perspective.

The Big Idea.

Making his CNBC return, Andy shares his perspective on creativity and inspiration on tonight’s episode of The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch. Make sure to tune in with Donny Deuthsch at 10pm (ET) on CNBC. We'll be curled up on our couches, beer and popcorn in hand, ready to cheer him on.

Once you've watched it, share your thoughts on creativity and innovation right here.

Innovation is alive and well.

That’s what they’re saying in Florida. While attending IIR’s THE Conference on Marketing www.theconferenceonmarketing.com in Naples earlier this week, I was struck by how many marketers have innovation on the top of their minds, the tip of their tongues, and all over their to-do lists. Speakers from GlaxoSmithKline to Pizza Hut to GE to author Malcolm Gladwell shared their thoughts around that increasingly ubiquitous word: innovation.

As we know, the most interesting part of the innovation conversation occurs when you dive below the word itself and start to explore what innovation really means to people and their organizations. From my conversations, here’s what it boiled down to: ideas and relationships.

Everywhere I turned people were talking about how to infuse new thinking into their organizations. From curiosity about emerging technologies and the future of social networking to insights around Chinese consumers, Prime Time women and Xoomers, marketers were gathering inspiration to spark their next great idea. Several speakers mentioned that the lion’s share of their current revenue comes from products and services that didn’t even exist 5 (or 2!) years ago. Marketers have made peace with the ever-increasing pace of change, and their organizations are seeing new ideas pay off in a big way.

While marketers looked for new ideas, innovation practitioners were talking about the importance of collaboration and they ways they are mining the collective intellectual capital within their organizations. From old favorites like collaborative workspaces, to newer ideas like proprietary web solutions innovators are intent on building an environment where the people side of innovation can thrive. Relationships were top of mind with innovators, who understand that great relationships – the kind that include authenticity, transparency, and debate – enable great thinking.

So, judging by what they say in Florida, innovation is alive and well. And remember—judging from recent political history—what Florida says goes.