Gen Y Now: How Generation Y Changes Your Workplace and Why It Requires a New Leadership Style

About the Authors

Herb Sendek

Head Coach, Men's Basketball, Arizona State University

Herbert "Herb" Sendek currently serves as the 13th head men's basketball coach at Arizona State University. After beginning his career as an assistant coach at Providence College and the University of Kentucky, he later moved into head coaching roles at Miami University of Ohio, and North Carolina State University.

Mr. Sendek has been part of the coaching staff at two different schools that have reached the Final 4, and averages 18.9 wins per year. He was selected as Coach of the Year in the Mid-American and Atlantic Coast Conferences. Mr. Sendek earned a national reputation as a standout recruiter when he was selected as one of the Top 10 recruiters in the nation in Sports Illustrated.

He is a 1985 Summa Cum Laude graduate of Carnegie Mellon University in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA where he earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering.

Mr. Sendek works with Gen Y daily. He knows first hand about selecting and developing successful Gen Y teams. He is nationally recognized for high-impact team leadership and recruiting strategies. This experience gave him the perspective to co-author Gen Y Now: How Generation Y Changes Your Workplace and Why It Requires a New Leadership Style.

Buddy Hobart

President and Founder, Solutions 21, Inc.

John W. "Buddy" Hobart is the President and Founder of Solutions 21, a business management consulting firm based in Pittsburgh, PA.  Founded in 1994 with an initial focus on sales consulting and training, the firm's expertise has grown to incorporate four primary practice areas:  Client Development, Enterprise Learning/Human Capital Management, Strategic Planning and Process Improvement.

Solutions 21 has successfully completed consulting engagements and implemented customized training and organizational development programs for a diverse client base, ranging from start ups to Fortune 500 companies and including local, national, and international assignments.  Mr. Hobart and Solutions 21 regularly conduct seminars and customized training programs on such topics as leadership, consultative selling, assessing personal behavioral styles, Generation Y, and many others.  A sampling of Solutions 21's past and current client list includes such companies as Pfizer, Cisco Systems, Hormel Foods, Tyco, Bayer, and Heinz.

Mr. Hobart has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Chief Learning Officer, as well as many other business publications, on such topics as communicating across cultures, selling techniques/styles, and Generation Y.  He is a frequent speaker at universities, business forums and conventions, and has been a guest lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University, Robert Morris University, the University of Oklahoma, West Virginia University, and Arizona State University.  Mr. Hobart has personally presented programs on four separate continents with participants representing more than 20 different countries.

Most recently, Mr. Hobart authored Gen Y Now: How Generation Y Changes Your Workplace and Why It Requires a New Leadership Style, which examines recruitment/retention strategies crucial for leading the next generation of talent. Past works include Hire Education, a book designed to teach college students how to successfully present and market themselves as they enter the work world and Celebrate Selling, a compilation of works for the sales professional. 

A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, Mr. Hobart has been active in numerous community and professional organizations.  He is currently on the board of directors of Kids Voice, is a past president of the Carnegie Mellon Greater Pittsburgh Alumni Association, and has served on Carnegie Mellon University's Executive Alumni Board.  Additionally, Mr. Hobart previously served as President of the board of directors of the Foundation of the Community College of Allegheny County, was a member of the board of the Three Rivers Center for Independent Living (TRCIL) and West Liberty State College, and is the past President of the Freewheelers Board of Directors.