Create a Baby Boomer Recovery Plan NOW!

Effectively managing generational differences is not the only solution to poor morale, little collaboration, lack of innovation or high attrition. However, understanding and managing the generational differences will certainly help you improve all of these variables, plus more.

Many people call this a “soft” skill, a skill that’s nice to have, but not really important in today’s economy. I couldn’t disagree more. Consider this:

• 7918 Americans turn 60 every day…that’s 330/hour.
• 43% of our current workforce will retire within the next 10-15 years.
• Generation X is now working full-time.
• The oldest Generation Y employee is approximately 28 years old; the youngest is approximately 8 years old. So half of a Generation Y is still waiting in the workplace wings.

So if you are a business owner, and have not yet created a recovery plan for the aging workforce, you need to do so. The workforce will change in 10-15 years. Are you ready?

In addition to a recovery plan, if you haven’t started focusing on Generation X and Y as the future of your success, and the success of our nation, you need to do so NOW. They won’t wait for you; you need to be ready for them.

Blending generationally diverse strengths, opinions, cultures, perspectives and history will strengthen your team. In my next blogs, I’ll go into how you can create a Baby Boomer recovery plan and create a Gen X and Gen Y attraction and retention plan at the same time. I guarantee…you’ll be glad you did.

Mind the Gap…and Have Some Fun!

Let’s face it. Under pressure, people have been known to say regrettable things about other generations. Things like:

Why do they have to print every email on paper? (about Baby Boomers)
Why are they always online? (about Generation Y)
Why do they have no time to chat? (about Gen X)

And leaders have also been known to say regrettable things about managing generational differences, such as:

We need to:
…conquer the generational differences. (Anne says: I didn’t know this was a war.)
…convert generational differences into growth and profit. (Anne says: I didn’t realize this was an issue of forced conversion.)
…overcome generational differences. (Anne says: This isn’t an insurmountable hurdle.)

There seems to be a pervasive negativity in all these choices, an idea that  generational differences have to be converted, conquered, overcome, and/or capitalized on.  Where’s the sense of joy and possibility that occurs when people work together to create high-performing teams?  Where’s the sense that bridging generation gaps might be fun, exciting, uplifting, groundbreaking, innovative and energizing? This idea got lost in the shuffle, which is a shame.

After my workshops, I’ve heard people say, ‘Now I understand why Jolie does X. She’s not trying to be difficult; she just sees the world a little differently than I do.” I’ve also heard, “No wonder Matt acts like that; if I grew up in his decade, I’d act the same way.” These insights are priceless to an organization. It’s no longer ‘us vs. them’; it’s ‘we’. And ‘we’ can positively impact the bottom-line much better than ‘us vs. then’.

After the ah-ha insight comes the ‘now what?’ moments. Now that we understand each other, how do we work together to create the team we want to be? There are many ways to do this, none of which include converting others, conquering others or overcoming huge hurdles. Instead it involves using a common language, simple tools and evaluating the process on a regular basis. This takes time, probably more time than a leader wants. Yet it’s vitally important. Because when you do, you go from converting to bridging…a much more powerful way to work with the different generations.

Leading Gen Y Transparently

Monica O’Brien recently wrote “According to research from Hill & Knowlton, consumers care most about companies that demonstrate honesty and optimism. Obama leveraged this emotional need to win the election, and other smart companies are also using this insight to their advantage. To Gen Y this comes down to being transparent and authentic.“

So what does this mean if you’re leading a multi-generational team?

• Treat all your employees with respect and honesty. No matter the age, everyone wants to be treated fairly. This means truly listening to an employee, being transparent with the decision-making process, and asking for input and ideas.

• For Gen Y, transparency and understanding the “big picture” are vital to their sense of belonging. They may not agree with your every decision, yet if they understand the big picture, what the decision is, and what the process was, they’ll remain loyal to you. This may irritate Boomer bosses, who are used to making a decision with the senior team, and then distributing pieces of the decision to the employees. Boomers may feel that explaining all the details takes too long or that the junior employees don’t need to know the details. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. So take some time with your Gen Y employees and be transparent with the information. They’ll not only thank you for it; they’ll also likely help improve the process for the future!

Generational Learning Styles

“What’s the best way to work with each generation?” is a common question that I get asked. My answer is, “It depends.”

In general, most people are managed by the academic technique: read, write or lecture. In 1983, Dr. Gardner from Harvard said that the academic technique doesn’t reach everyone. So he developed the Multiple Intelligences model, listing 7 different ways of learning and “smarts”: word smart, picture smart, number reasoning smart, body smart, music smart, self smart, and people smart.

The key to effective management is remembering that everyone has a different learning style, so you need to adapt your teaching and management style to their learning style. For example, Shayna may not respond to a typical discussion meeting. However, if you add some pictures, graphs and body language to the discussion, she may respond much better.

So which generation responds best to each learning style? There is no hard data. However, it’s clear that in general, Gen Y responds well to the fully experiential style, since they are used to multi-media technology. So in a 45-minute presentation, they will respond best when there is some lecture, some video, some music and some pictures. Don’t know how to create that? No worries…just do some reverse mentoring and ask a Gen Y employee to help you. That’s a win-win!

Retaining Gen Y

A Gen Y colleague recently asked me about my career path. She breathed a sigh of relief when she learned that my career path was windy and circuitous. She plans to have 4-5 careers in her lifetime and was worried that she would be labeled as a ‘failure’ if she did so.

While Gen Y’s desire for a varied career comes as no surprise to me, it often surprises Baby Boomer leaders, who often had a straight, 60 hour work-week, career path. They focused, climbed the corporate ladder and achieved their goals. Gen Y however, favor life-balance and continuous education. In fact, 70% of Gen Y expect to get a 2nd educational degree. Not want or desire another degree….expect another degree.

So how does the corporate world successfully work with Gen Y’s expectations? By adapting expectations. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Gen Y views work-life as a continuum. They’ll work, go to the gym, work, grab a bite and work some more. So whenever possible, give them flexibility with their work schedule. They’ll be more loyal and productive.

2. Gen Y values experiences and education. So if you want to reward a Gen Y employee, yet can’t afford to give a bonus or salary adjustment, allow them to volunteer, take seminars or mentor others in the company. They’ll feel valued and understood by your generosity.

3. If possible, create an educational plan where they can earn their 2^nd degree while working with you. Perhaps it’s partial payment for their education, flex-time to take classes, or even one day/week to study. You’ll increase your retention rate and they’ll feel motivated to stay with you!

Generational Hiring

I was recently talking with a senior HR manager at a major corporation about a hiring experience. “I finally found the perfect candidate. He had everything I was looking for. But when I offered him the opportunity to work with us, he asked, “What’s in it for me?”. I couldn’t believe it. What’s with these younger employees? I was so disgusted with his attitude that I decided not to hire him.”

That is a common and unfortunate situation in today’s multi-generational workplace. If the manager had realized that he was talking to someone from Generation X, he would have been prepared for that kind of question. Yet, because he wasn’t aware that each generation has different values, attitudes and behaviors, he lost a potentially excellent candidate.

So what can a hiring manager do to attract and hire the right person for the job?

1. Be aware that there are four different generations in today’s workplace.

2. Understand the key differences in each generation’s values, language and personality.

3. Meet the candidate and determine which generational values they hold.

4. Speak the candidate’s language and meet them where they are.

Candidates may not hold the same values as you do, and that’s OK. Growth occurs when we understand differences, not when we ignore them. Diverse perspectives give us a fuller picture of the issue at hand—whether that issue is turning out a timely report or creating new industrial policy—but only when we’re willing to see, hear and learn. Leaders of all industries aimed for success must leverage diversity in all its forms. That’s why it’s time for *all of us* to span the generational gaps.

Managing Generational Differences, Part 3

In this blog series, I’m discussing how each generation prefers to interact at work, which will help you create a cohesive team. Let’s look at Generation Y today.

Gen Y was born with a mouse in their hand. They love what technology can do for them and how it connects them to the world, to their friends and to their family. They love the freedom and creativity it gives them, allowing them to create new ideas at the blink of an eye. That freedom allows them to balance their work and life in ways that no other generation has done.

So it comes as no surprise that many Gen Y prefer to interact virtually. To them, an IM chat or a text is the same as a face-to-face meeting. So if you’re a Baby Boomer or from Generation X, give them the freedom and flexibility they crave, as long as the job gets done. And it may be time to actually thank them. Even a decade ago, it was unheard of to leave the office early, especially if family matters came up. Now, thanks to Gen Y, flex time, remote working, and community service are a normal ways of the working life!

Managing Generational Differences, Part 2

In this blog series, I’m discussing how each generation prefers to interact at work, which will help you create a cohesive team. Let’s look at Generation X today.

Gen X grew up between the Baby Boomer face-to-face lifestyle and the Generation Y tech lifestyle. They can be perceived as too independent, too self-focused and too individualistic. However, I prefer to say that they are realistic and solution focused.

Gen X often prefers to work alone, on their own timetable, with quick decisions and fast-results. So if you’re a Baby Boomer or Generation Y, be flexible in how you approach Gen X. Don’t expect them to work the way you do; be accepting of their different styles. Don’t ask them to be involved in every team meeting and every consensus decision; it’ll only frustrate them. Instead, give them a project that they can work on alone or with only 1-2 other people. Be decisive in the desired outcomes and be clear on your expectations. Then let them get to work. You’ll both be amazed at what they can produce when allowed to work in their own style!

My next blog will cover how Generation Y prefers to interact.

Managing Generational Differences, Part 1

It’s easy, when someone from another generation is driving you crazy, to overlook the unique contributions she can make. In the next three blogs, I’m going to spell out how each generation prefers to interact, helping you create a cohesive team.

Baby Boomers love face to face interactions. They grew up with large groups everywhere, before the age of the Internet. They thrived on mass protests, mass rock concerts and large families. The idea of IM’ing or texting, when they could be having a face to face meeting is foreign to them. So if you’re Generation X or Y, be flexible with Boomers. Try to increase your face to face interactions every month with them…by the water cooler, at meetings, during lunch, and even during coffee breaks. You’ll be surprised at how fun it can be to actually talk live to a person!

My next blog will cover how Generation X prefers to interact.

How to Mentor Each Generation in the Workplace, Part 3

So what can Gen Y teach Boomers and Gen X? Technology! *They* are the digital natives. If you’re Gen X, you’re a digital immigrant. If you’re a Boomer, you’re the parent of the digital immigrant, still living in the old country.

Gen Y’s were born with technology; they get it. I’m not talking about asking a Gen Y colleague for help with current technology. I’m talking about letting Gen Y show you where technology will be in the next 10 years. They knew what the iPhone was before it was even invented; they also know what technology can do for your organization in the next 20 years. So let them find global best practices and show you the future of technology.

Remember, Gen Y wants to be taken seriously. They want their expertise to be acknowledged. Technology is an area where they have expertise, and a vision of what can be accomplished, that you just can’t match, because you weren’t born with it. So ask for their mentorship in the technology area,and be sure to show your appreciation. You’ll not only build innovation and morale, you’ll likely also save resources in the long run.

This is the end of my *mentoring *series. I hope you use it as a tool for creating workplace harmony—and incidentally, for running a more successful business.