What are We Going to Do With the Troubled Millennial Generation?

Capable, yet troubled Millennials
& their Postmodern Professors

The recent wave of anti-free speech rhetoric and anti-authority anarchy and bullying exhibited by college students around the country has many rationally minded citizens wondering, "Has the Millennial Generation gone mad?"

 Or does the blame really belong to the multitude of pedagogical shepherds (professors) who have infected their flock with a viciously vitriolic diet consisting largely of anti-American professorial pap for far too long?

Freedom Focused holds that the teachers, not the students, are where most of the blame belongs, and the solution will likewise begin with educators. In the meantime, and on a side note, isn't it ironic how the millennial fold has begun to turn on the same intellectual hands that have been feeding their minds full of the very ideology with which their protege's are, in turn, presently condemning them with? It never ceases to amaze me how individuals and organizations really do reap what they sow in the long run.

The good news is that the game is not yet over for Millennials. Despite being labeled (and sometimes appropriately so) as a generation full of overly entitled, technology-addicted, excessively PC, whiny little brats, I hold out great hope for this generation -- the largest, and most diverse and dynamic in American history.

Millennials are an entitled generation filled with
individuals who can be as ignorant as they are intelligent.

It is true that these young people have collectively been unduly mollycoddled by parents, teachers, coaches, and professors who have raised up a generation that often believes they are too special to fail, too smart to take advice from their elders, too preeminent to take direction or accept discipline from authority figures, and too sophisticated to respect anyone from American history who was not marginalized or underprivileged. Indeed, every Millennial would do well to listen to David McCullough Jr.'s famous speech, You are Not Special. (Click HERE to watch McCullough's speech).

Despite the many real and perceived ills of the Millennial Generation, I remain optimistic about their future.  Indeed, I share in the sunny outlook of generational scholars William Strauss and Neil Howe, who have written extensively on the Millennial Generation and their potential for limiting their liabilities and shoring up their strengths in preparation for the national and international crucibles that they and we as a nation will face in the future.

 

Troubled Times likely lie ahead
for the Millennial Generation

Millennials presently have an ever-increasingly challenging world to navigate -- and it's likely to get a lot more dangerous and complex before it gets simpler and safer. According to Strauss and Howe, world history travels in predictable cycles, with the next great challenge, dubbed "The Crisis of 2020," right around the corner. This impending disaster will not be a minor national incident or difficulty, but an international calamity on part with the Great Depression and the two World Wars of the last century.

The good news is that Strauss and Howe (and I) are actually optimistic about how the Millennial generation will navigate this calamity -- so much so that they have written several books on the subject, including: Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation and Millennials: A Profile of the Next Great Generation (Click on red links above to view/buy books).   

While ALL generations will play a vital role in successfully maneuvering this global trial, the Millennial Generation will primarily provide the foot soldiers (literally and figuratively) that will, like the Greatest Generation, ultimately win the conflict. In Strauss and Howe's words, this coming crisis:

Will be a major turning point in American history and an adrenaline-filled moment of trial. At its climax, Americans will feel that the fate of posterity—for generations to come—hangs in the balance. This crisis will be a pivotal moment in the lifecycles of all generations alive at the time. The sense of community will be omnipresent. Moral order will be unquestioned with “rights” and “wrongs” crisply defined and obeyed. Sacrifices will be asked, and given. America will be implacably resolved to do what needs doing, and fix what needs fixing (From Strauss W. & Howe, N. (1991). Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584-2069. New York, NY: Quill [William Morrow]. Page 382.)

How will this often troubled, yet potential-laden generation rise to the occasion of successfully meeting and defeating their (and our) destined challenges? The answer is through education, or in the case of many, re-education.

The Ultimate Handbook for
Reorienting the poisoned education
of Millennials in the United States

The good news is that the handbook for turning the tide of postmodern pedagogy and revisionist history into an authentic curriculum borne of Kantian Universal Laws and patriotic truth-telling has NOW been written.  It is called, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom -- a comprehensive personal leadership guide for civic leaders, businesses, schools, families, individuals, and YES -- Millennials!

Self-Action Leadership emphasizes the following Pedagogical Points in an effort to reorient the misguided education that has poisoned the minds of so many Millennials and others, leading them to believe America is the problem, rather than the solution, in the world:

• America, albeit not perfect, is still the most Magnanimous, Noble, and Exceptional Nation on Earth.
• The primary solution to all micro and macro problems reside inside the minds and hearts of individuals, not outside in organizational entities.
• Organizations, entities, and nations-at-large are not changed from the outside-in, but from the inside-out.
• It is high-time that ALL individuals begin taking JFK's advice to ask what they can do for their Country, instead of the other way around.  
• Universal Laws exists and govern the natural consequences of all individual and organizational decisions.
• Long-term solutions to problems do not originate in blaming others for what happened in the past; they are found in proactive personal changes made in the present and future.
• A real right (good) and real wrong (evil) exist in the world; truth is therefore not relative, but absolute, and is governed by Universal Laws of physics and metaphysics.
• A clarion call for an Age of Authenticism to eclipse the pernicious, perjurious, and prurient period of postmodernism that has dominated Western culture since the end of World War II.  

Self-Action Leadership uniquely provides a "Metaphysical Theory of Everything" that serves as a comprehensive guide to one's own self-leadership -- a subject sorely lacking throughout our troubled nation and world, and perhaps especially among Millennials and many of their misguided professors.

The SAL Theory & Model represent the most original and robust training material to hit the market since Dr. Stephen R. Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Read what the experts are saying about Self-Action Leadership.

According to one career educator...

"Reading this book may be the most important thing you do this year. It's presence in the literature is a service to our Country."

~ David G. Anthony, Ed.D.
CEO, Raise Your Hand Texas


According to a career Air Force officer and pilot, who served as a POW in the infamous Hanoi Hilton for five excruciating years:

“In Self Action Leadership, Jordan Jensen has assembled a leadership masterpiece anchored steadfastly in true principles of philosophy and human behavior. In wonderfully written prose, Jordan reminds us of who we are and what it takes to live and lead with honor. Moreover, he challenges us to live up to the high calling of being human beings with a special mission on this Earth. To accomplish our mission, we must do two major things: grow in our sense of personal responsibility, and in turn, care for others and help them to do the same. I grappled with these two areas in a primal way during more than five years as a POW in Vietnam. Now I’m thrilled to see how Jordan has laid out SAL by using the vehicle of story to illuminate his own, unique journey of transcending adversity. In so doing, he has inspired us all to become who we are capable of becoming. Bravo!”

~ Colonel Lee Ellis (retired)  CEO of Leadership Freedom and FreedomStar Media, and author of Leading With Honor

And according to a career academic, and the Father of the self-leadership field in the Academe:

“There is no more important contributor to your own effectiveness than how you lead yourself. If you want to learn a great deal about the latest thinking on self- leadership, read this book.”

~ Charles C. Manz, Ph.D.
Nirenberg Professor of Leadership, The University of Massachussetts

Click HERE to buy Self-Action Leadership today. There could be no better Christmas gift for the Millennials you know and care about -- as well as anyone (educator or otherwise) who is interested in helping oneself improve while assisting the Millennial generation live up to its billing and calling.

Dr. Jordan R. Jensen

As someone who is nearly part of the generation myself (I missed the cut by a year or two), and who is married to a Millennial, I care deeply about this generation, but am troubled by many of the negative trends and misguided subcultures that have arisen within this paradoxical generation.

 Rather than sit idly by and watch these disturbing movements continue unabated, I resolved over a decade ago to dedicate my career to helping this -- and ALL generations -- become all they were capable of by focusing their attention inward toward their own self-management and leadership, instead of outward toward other people, entities, and past grievances (real or perceived).  

The time has come for each of us to purify the inner vessel inside ourselves so that we might, in the words of Winston Churchill, "Arm [ourselves] and be ... men [and women] of valour, and be in readiness for the conflict," which is certain to come in coming months and years.  

About the Author: Dr. Jordan Jensen is the founder and CEO of Freedom Focused. He was born at the tail end of Generation X.  He holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and a Doctoral Degree in Education.  His wife, Lina, is a highly intelligent Millennial who graduated from The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  She works for a Fortune 100 energy company in the Houston, Texas area, where the couple reside with their two children.


Click HERE to read more about Dr. Jordan Jensen and Freedom Focused

SAL Book: The Foreword & Afterward

Self-Action Leadership:

The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom

Foreword

By: Christopher P. Neck, Ph.D.

University Master Teacher, Arizona State University

David McCullough – that famous historian and author of our time – once remarked: “The only way to teach history, to write history, to bring people into the magic of transforming yourself into other times, is through the vehicle of the story. It isn't just a chronology. It’s about people. History is human.” With these words in mind, Jordan Jensen’s comprehensive work on self-leadership, built on the foundation of his own, unique self-leadership history, is truly an exceptional work for two distinct reasons.

First, Self-Action Leadership applies the method of teaching outlined by McCullough. There are many good definitions and explanations of self-leadership out there, but Jordan’s work stands apart because he teaches us the concept through the vehicle of storytelling. And the wonderment of the story is that it is his own. In the pages that follow, Jensen articulately chronicles his own self-leadership successes. In doing so, he does not withhold the painful details surrounding the many struggles and failures preceding those successes. With unusual honesty and courageous self-disclosure, he opens our eyes to our own imperfect, yet determined, humanity by providing a fascinating look into his own. In the process, he inspires us to transcend whatever adversity comes our way to eventually realize the full extent of our life’s potential. But he does not stop at sharing his story. He goes on to utilize his narrative as a foundation for expanding self-leadership theory by introducing his own, original theory and model— the Self-Action Leadership Theory & Model.

Second, Jensen has accomplished a task that is very difficult for any author to achieve, and that is to produce a single text that is highly relevant to multiple audiences at the same time. Because of the universal applicability of basic self-leadership principles, his message is germane not only to persons struggling with OCD, depression, or other forms of mental illness, but to civic leaders, business professionals and workers of all kinds, educators, students, athletes, parents, and children—in short, to everyone. Indeed, I do believe that virtually anyone who reads this book will be able to take something away from it that will improve his or her life in a significant way. As an author myself, I am amazed at Jordan’s achievement in writing one book that carries the potential to reach such a wide variety of people—and that is the beauty of it.

This book will do much more than just teach you about Self-Action Leadership. It will cause you to think deeply about how you are currently living your own life, and how you could better lead yourself to achieve the results you most desire in the long-run. More importantly, Jensen’s compelling story and courageous personal example, combined with his percipient ability to effectively teach the corresponding self-leadership principles, will inspire and motivate you to actually do something about what you will learn. In the process, it might even touch emotions in your heart that will move you to joy and tears. It takes a talented writer to do all of these things, so I know you’ll enjoy reading this book. More importantly, I know you’ll come away a wiser person with an increased motivation to begin taking action to realize your own Self-Action Leadership potential, an opportunity we can all take full advantage of, if only we will.

About Dr. Chris Neck

Christopher P. Neck, Ph.D. is one of the world’s most prestigious and prolific scholars in the self-leadership field. He is a lead co-author (with Dr. Charles C. Manz) of Mastering Self-Leadership: Empowering Yourself for Personal Excellence (2nd-6th Editions) – the textbook on self-leadership used at colleges and universities throughout the nation.

Dr. Neck earned a Bachelor’s degree and MBA from Louisiana State University and a Ph.D. in Management from Arizona State University, where he is currently an Associate Professor of Management. At ASU, he also holds the distinctive and singular title of University Master Teacher.

Before ASU, Neck taught at Virginia Polytechnic University (Virginia Tech), where he was awarded the prestigious Students’ Choice Teacher of the Year Award NINE TIMES between 1996 and 2008 (This award is a student-voted accolade honoring the best teacher of the year within the entire University).

Dr. Neck has published nearly 100 scholarly works in the form of books, textbooks, book chapters, and peer reviewed articles. His research specialties include: leadership, self-leadership, employee/executive fitness, self-managing teams, and group decision making processes.

Dr. Neck has done training for the U.S. Army as well as major corporations such as GE/Toshiba, America West Airlines, Dillard’s, Prudential Life Insurance, Busch Gardens, Clark Construction, Crestar, American Family Insurance, Sales and Marketing Executives International, American Electric Power, and W.L. Gore and Associates. His writing has been cited in major news publications including: The Houston Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

In addition to Mastering Self-Leadership, Neck is the lead co-author of Management—a seminal textbook for introductory classes in Management (Neck, Lattimer, & Houghton; Wiley, 2014) and Entrepreneuring—a seminal textbook for introductory classes in Entrepreneurism (Neck, Neck, & Murray; SAGE, 2015). He is also the author or co-author of Fit to Lead: The Proven 8-Week Solution for Shaping up Your Body, Your Mind, and Your Career (2004), Mastering Self-Leadership (2012, 2010, 2007, 2004, 1999), The Wisdom of Solomon at Work (2001), For Team Members Only: Making Your Workplace Team Productive and Hassle-Free (1997), and Medicine for The Mind: Healing Words to Help You Soar (2007).

In his personal life, Chris is a husband and proud father of a son and daughter. An avid runner, he has also completed 12 marathons including the New York, San Diego, and elite Boston. To-date, his longest continuous run is 40 miles.

For more information about Dr. Neck and his work and consulting services, or to contact him personally, please visit his website at www.chrisneck.com

Afterword

Dr. David G. Anthony, CEO of Raise Your Hand Texas

By: David G. Anthony, Ed.D.CEO, Raise Your Hand Texas

When Jordan originally invited me to review an 802-page manuscript of this book, I balked a bit, wondering when I would possibly have time to review such a tome. It is interesting to note how some of life’s most important, rewarding, and ultimately enjoyable tasks initially appear so uninviting. In the end, I opted to set myself to the task, and I am so glad that I did.

As I poured through the pages, my mind soon became flooded with memories, thoughts and experiences from my four-plus decade career as a teacher, principal, superintendent, and now CEO. From then on, there was no way to put the work aside. As I reflected further on Jordan’s “Pedagogy of Personal Leadership,” I found myself wishing I had enjoyed access to the book when I was a 21-year-old teacher working with high school seniors, and when I was a 25-year-old principal working with teachers and students.

As I continued to read, cliché’s like, “Leaders are born, not made” were removed from my gray matter and discarded. Instead, I thought of Shakespeare: “To thine own self be true,” and “Discretion is the greater part of valor.” Shakespeare got it. Furthermore, my mother’s admonition of, “How do you ever expect to be loved by others if you don’t love yourself,” could just have easily been, “How can you expect to lead others, if you can’t even lead yourself?” In short, Jordan has eloquently articulated the need for, and importance of, leadership, character, and life-skill education in American businesses, schools, and homes. More importantly, he has outlined an explicit theory, model, and pedagogy to provide leaders, educators, parents, and individuals with a tangible toolbox and roadmap for immediate application.

As I delved deeper into Jordan’s book, the passages called up a memory of an interview where I was asked, “What are the most important things you hope your students learn?” I was principal of a school at the time, and I said, “My hope is that all of our students are highly literate and numerate and understand the importance of self discipline, responsibilities, and consequences. Then, no matter what goals they set, they will have the recipe for success.” I was under thirty years of age and my comments were crude compared to Jordan Jensen’s polished presentation, but not considerably off target.

If Jordan’s career had preceded mine and I could have used his book as a teacher, principal and superintendent, I would have positively impacted more students and teachers during my 37-year career by providing them with a key to potential success and significance. It is highly encouraging to see that this book has now been written for a new generation of leaders, educators, professionals, and students to use as a guide to their personal development. It is even more encouraging to know that its author exemplifies the principles he promotes.

I thank Jordan for inviting me to read this work. He has earned my endorsement. Reading this book may be the most worthwhile thing you do this year. I hope the message of Self-Action Leadership makes its way into the minds and hearts of students, parents, and business professionals everywhere. Its presence in the literature is a service to our Country.

About Dr. David Anthony

Dr. Anthony grew up in rural Louisiana (Florien). He graduated from high school in 1970 prior to attending Panola College in Carthage, Texas, where he played on the basketball team. He later completed a Bachelors degree in English and history at East Texas Baptist College in Marshall Texas. In 1977, he earned a Masters Degree in Secondary Education from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

From there, he served as Principal of a K-12 school in Converse, Louisiana, where he began a 9-year journey that included leading his school from “Worst to First.” Along the way, Anthony earned his Doctorate in Education Administration from Northwestern State University in 1986, and became a Superintendent. He served as Superintendent in High Island, Texas, Mount Pleasant, Texas, and Texas City, Texas, before taking over in McKinney, Texas where he oversaw growth from 9,800 students to 18,000 students during his tenure of five and one-half years.

Anthony’s successes in rural Texas and suburban Dallas (McKinney) caught the attention of Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, where he was hired as Superintendent in 2004. With over 112,000 students, Cy-Fair ISD is the third largest School District in the State of Texas and among the 25 largest Districts in the entire United States.

Anthony served at the helm of Cy-Fair ISD for seven years before accepting a position as CEO at Raise Your Hand Texas, a non-profit education advocacy organization that works to strengthen public education in the State of Texas by training public school leaders to lead transformational change at the campus level. Raise Your Hand Texas also advocates for public policies aimed at improving the education of all Texas students.

Anthony is a graduate of the Aspen Institute and Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. A husband, father, and grandfather, Anthony resides in Houston, Texas.