Praise Received
for Disconnected

“We know that when employees are lonely, they are less engaged, less productive, and more likely to think about quitting their job. Loneliness impacts our employees’ health, and also the health of our business. In Disconnected, Colleen McFarland examines the importance for business leaders to leverage data and the modern workplace to help our young employees build healthy connections, improving their emotional wellbeing as well as our business performance. “

— Doug Nemecek, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer – Behavioral Health, Cigna

“People data is key. McFarland does an amazing job of describing how to connect with younger workers to give them a stronger sense of purpose and community at the workplace. Disconnected is a must read.”

— Rohin Shahi, author of The Z Factor, How to Lead Gen Z to Workplace Success

“Our youngest generation is struggling. The statistics are scary. In Disconnected, McFarland gives a clear look at how employers can use personalized data and other targeted resources to help improve the employee experience and overall wellbeing of our lonely young workers.”

— Andre Burkholder, MEd, Director of Health Management, Willis Towers Watson

"Figuring out how to make technology work for us instead of the other way around is one of the most important challenges for this era. As a lifelong business leader and workforce management expert, I can say that the risks for society and the business community in not addressing this issue are real and significant. Disconnected is a must read for leaders!"

— Angela Allen, Interim President/CEO, Human Resources Association of Chicago

“After two-plus decades of teaching undergraduate students, I’ve experienced the generational shifts described by McFarland, as well as the powerful impact of changing technology on our lives. Disconnected offers intriguing insights about the shifts driven by the new iGen employees, their search for meaningful engagement in their careers, and how organizations may use people data to become more effective.”

— Anne H. Reilly, PhD, Professor of Management, Quinlan School of Business, Loyola University Chicago

“In Disconnected, Colleen McFarland makes an entire generation of young people accessible to the rest of us. With thoughtful insights punctuated by carefully-sourced data, Disconnected reads with the pace of a novel and the content of a dissertation. McFarland’s book is a must-read for managers who want to energize and maximize the potential of the iGen.”

— Dan Lowman, Senior Vice President & Director, SurveyLab at Grenzebach Glier and Associates

“McFarland has written a book that’s really well-timed as businesses struggle to manage people in an era of accelerating change and greater depersonalization. Disconnected helps leaders think through how we can and must balance the forces of technology with greater consideration and actioning around teaming, and the human elements that will drive performance of the enterprise for years to come.”

— Donncha Carroll, Partner, Axiom Consulting Partners LLC

“Young workers deeply value making a difference in the world, yet they are particularly vulnerable if they feel disconnected from purposeful roles. McFarland identifies that as a result, loneliness, apathy, and a risk for mental health conditions may occur. She also suggests that workplaces can play a role in helping young people find their way in their career development using the very thing that often creates isolation -- digital innovations. Disconnected shows leaders ways to use data to help workers and organizations connect, communicate, and enhance operations for greater individual and organizational resilience.”

— Nancy Spangler, PhD, President, Spangler Associates, Workplace mental health consulting

“With sensitivity and keen insight, author Colleen McFarland offers us a guided tour into the iGen mind and shows us how to assemble and disseminate people data to maximize human impact in the workplace and beyond. Disconnected is a valuable tool for any management team and an equally helpful resource for educators, co-workers, parents and anyone else looking to improve their own productivity and social awareness. It is easy to read, informative and an excellent two-way generational bridge.”

— Laura Biskupic, Marketing Director at Winch Financial, and blogger at AnotherSlice.Life

“The college graduates I am seeing in my management training classes are remarkably different than the millennials. The iGen’ers do not seem to have the same self-confidence and tend to need more reassurance. They seem to need more direction initially but then not need as much follow-up. Their understanding of digital communication is excellent but at times they miss more of the in-person nuances. Read Disconnected to get on-point explanations of what this means to managers, as well as concrete suggestions for how to address.”

— Patricia Cook, President of Patricia Cook & Associates, Communications consulting, helping people become “client ready”.

“iGen’ers expect to be trained quickly and be able to use new skills to make immediate contributions in the workplace. As a result, leaders need to recognize the demands of these young workers in order to connect with them and maximize their potential. McFarland’s Disconnected demonstrates how leaders can use people data to create productive and happy employees.”

— Mary Sue Gurka, Associate Professor, Electrical and Electronic Automated Systems, Joliet Junior College

“There are four generations in the workplace and each brings important strengths. The challenge employers face is to tap into those strengths and manage generational differences in work styles and expectations around work – life balance. McFarland’s Disconnected provides employers with a powerful strategy for addressing the need for meaning, data and balance in the iGen.”

— Anita C. Jenke, Executive Director, Career Transitions Center of Chicago

"iGen is reshaping tech consumption. In Disconnected, McFarland demonstrates she understands the honest efforts needed to communicate with iGen, who expect technology to drive communication that is personalized, authentic, transparent and humorous."

— Sonali Datta, Content Lead, Scalefusion

“Everybody wants to belong and fit in. From the time we are in junior high, through high school, college and work, we all want to feel a part of something. With social media and technology, one would think it would be easier than ever to fulfill this desire, but actually, that is not the case. Why? In McFarland’s book, Disconnected, she teaches how people data that already exists on our coworkers can be used to figure out how to better connect with each other at work. When people feel a part of something and valued, productivity goes up, happiness levels go up, turnover goes down and depression goes away. It’s a win-win for all!”

— Cheryl Murphy, Chief Financial Officer, Mercy Home for Boys & Girls

“Disconnected is a well-researched and timely book. McFarland builds a clear connection between mental health and the digitization of interactivity. Anyone in a leadership position or on track to lead teams should read it.”

—André Buckles, Talent Acquisition Executive

“Disconnected is an insightful journey in how data can be used to help people become their best and the important role leaders in organizations play in deploying data as a tool for personal growth. If you are interested in learning more about the intersection of data, personal growth, and organizational improvement, Disconnected is a great resource.”

— Robert Ludke, author of Transformative Markets

“In a world where technology has enabled constant communication, we’re losing our ability to connect. The youngest generations have only known a hyper-connected world. The epidemic of loneliness has real costs — and McFarland connects the dots between available data and its potential for reversing these alarming trends. To quote Peter Drucker, ‘What gets measured gets managed,’ and Disconnected puts the data in the hands of those best-positioned to make the required changes, as well as reap the rewards of doing so. Highly recommended reading for leaders at all levels.”

— Stephanie VanZytveld, Sr. Strategy Consultant, Health Care Service Corporation, and author of I Am Gold Dust (And You Are Too)

“In her book Disconnected, McFarland explores how we can use the data collected on us to better ourselves in the workplace and outside as well. She reveals that even though we are more connected than ever before, we have lost the personal connection to each other. This tech heavy focus has caused loneliness to rise to epidemic levels, especially among younger generations. In her book, McFarland connect the dots on how we can begin to reverse this and become the best selves we are capable of.”

— Jennifer Garman, Founder & CEO of GratitudeMission.org and author of Flourish