Live First, Work Second by Rebecca Ryan is packed with information, anecdotes and techniques that will motivate local leaders to build a bright future by attracting the next generation of employees to the organization and community.  Ryan writes that the next generation seeks a lifestyle that can be described as “live first, work second.”  

The book beckons cities to attract young, talented workers by cultivating a workplace and community conducive to a “live first, work second” lifestyle. While the book has wide appeal, it is particularly useful for local government leaders as they seek to attract the next generation of leaders to carry the organization and community into the future.

In Part One, Ryan builds a framework to understand the “life first, work second” concept.  Ryan uses an anecdote about a frantic executive whose organization had just lost four young new recruits to a firm in Denver.  Despite the executive’s best efforts to make his firm an attractive workplace for young professionals, Baltimore just couldn’t compete with Denver, a city that has recently undergone a major revitalization, which makes it attractive to the next generation.  

This example illustrates a surprising trend that Ryan has found: “Three out of four Americans under the age of 28 said a cool city is more important than a good job.”  In other words, the next generation votes with their feet, moving to cool cities then finding employment.

Ryan closes Part One with a discussion of four trends that have spawned the “live first, work second” generation and make it necessary to attract, engage and retain young workers.   A particularly noteworthy trend is the talent shortage of young workers: it was estimated that by 2010, 40 percent of the workforce in the United States will be ready to retire, although not all will choose to leave.  While it is estimated that the 500 largest companies in America will lose half of their senior managers in the near future, civil service attrition is estimated to be even higher.

In the second part of the book, Ryan introduces the concept of “Cool Communities” and provides ways for communities to become “talent magnets” for the next generation of workers.  The opening anecdote about the Baltimore firm that lost four recruits to a firm in Denver illustrates the importance of cities cultivating a workplace and communities that are attractive to the “live first, work second” generation.  

Ryan argues that cities must move beyond traditional economic development tools (e.g. incentives and tax breaks to attract jobs) and focus on strategic ways to attract the next generation.   Ryan offers Denver, Colorado as a prime example.  

In Denver, a regional partnership of leaders, led by a dynamic Mayor, made a commitment to the revitalization of Denver and the region.  Equipped with a “next-generation political agenda,” including ending homelessness and high-speed rail, what used to be known as a “nowhere to go” city is now booming and on everyone’s “Cool Community” list.  
 
Ryan writes that leaders must see the community through the eyes of the next generation, and redirect economic development efforts toward cultivating a “Cool Community.”  Ryan offers some planning techniques that cities can use to attract young talent, including third spaces, stroll districts, and density.  These components allow people to connect to one another and provide a lifestyle that is attractive to young workers.

To engage the next generation, cities should be about people, rather than being centered around interstates, cars or parking lots.  Ryan discusses the popularity of “third spaces,” an “in-between” space that is neither work nor home, such as coffee shops and bistros.  Third Spaces attract young talent to a community by providing a place to commingle and build community, “If taverns were the meeting places of Thomas Jefferson...Third Spaces are the places for talent in the Knowledge Economy.”  

Second, Stroll Districts are pedestrian-friendly areas with shops, cafes, and spaces to congregate. Like Third Spaces, Stroll Districts are key to community building.  Finally, Ryan argues that communities should be dense because density may encourage people to lead more connected lives, which in turn leads to a “renewed sense of the public good.”
 
In addition to planning a “Cool Community” that caters to the next generation, communities must also provide avenues to engage young professionals.  This can spawn community engagement among the next generation.  Instead of joining the traditional clubs such as Rotary or the Elks Club, young professionals are joining Young Professional Organizations: groups that cater to young generation leaders and focus on professional development and community improvement.  Ryan argues that communities should embrace these new vehicles for social involvement because “communities that embrace their YP [young professional] networks and leaders stand to gain big rewards in their quests to attract and retain our world’s scarce supply of young talent.”  

Ryan also writes that communities must think and behave on a regional scale in order to successfully compete with other regions and attract young workers.  Rather than staying planted in one city, young, talented professionals bounce from one city to the next: young professionals “live in one community, work in another, go to weekend college in a third, and hold season tickets in a forth” (58). Ryan pleads that economic development initiatives should be structured to reflect this lifestyle.  In order to compete with other regions, leaders from neighboring communities need to adopt a regional strategy to attract and retain the next generation.

In the third section of the book, Ryan moves away from the broad community and focuses on the workplace, discussing ways for organizations to attract and retain the next generation, with an emphasis on employee engagement.  Ryan writes that employee loyalty, as we knew it, no longer exists. This is in part due to the economy over the past 30 years.  Due to massive layoffs, the next generation has a different sense of financial and job security.  Because of this, organizations should be committed to engaging and retaining the next generation of workers.  To illustrate the differences between past generations and young workers, Ryan compares old-school memos and blogs.  While memos are authoritative and imply there is only one right answer, blogs are more collaborative and can engage the workforce and spark discussion.  Blogs are just one tool organizations can use to set a workplace culture that is attractive to young workers.

Finally, Ryan offers a list of what the “live first, work second” generation wants in a workplace.  First, they want control over their time, with flexible work schedules.  Second, they want affection, meaning they want to be a part of a team in the workplace.  Third, the next generation wants allowance.  Allowance is encouraging young workers’ professional aspirations, which can be accomplished by encouraging an employee to take a training class that isn’t directly tied to his or her job duties.

Ryan also discusses the importance of providing employee training and opportunities for growth.  She argues employee training is one of the most important tools to attract and retain the next generation.   The next generation wants immediate challenges and growth opportunities.  For example, “stretch assignments” allow entry-level employees to work on high-level projects with executives.  The next generation also wants appreciation, meaning simple appreciation from their bosses (such as a simple high-five or a personal note of appreciation).

As cities prepare for the future and seek to attract the next generation to its workforce, Live First, Work Second offers perspective on understanding the next generation of workers and how to engage and retain them in the community.  These tools can help cities prepare themselves to be competitive with other communities, so when the next generation votes with their feet, they choose your city.