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How to Include Gen Y in Business Activities
Written by Buddy Hobart on September 17th, 2009
Last week, I shared some thoughts that Herb had expressed regarding the hiring of Gen Y employees. Below are some additional thoughts from Herb that came from that conversation. Herb addresses some ways that he includes Gen Y workers in everyday workplace activities:
“I want to include them in meetings, lunches, trips, where they don’t have the direct or immediate responsibility. They can tag along so they can meet people, listen, learn, and once again feel like they have a future in the company. If it connects to the Gen Y’ers vision and personal goals, it enhances ownership. Include them. If you’re going to lunch with another upper level manager, or it you are going to a meeting, have them sit in and listen so they can give some of their thoughts afterward. If I have a talented person, both kinds of exposure help him/her feel good and to learn.”
Keep in Touch with Gen Y
Written by Buddy Hobart on September 14th, 2009
Keep in touch with candidates who turn down your offer and take another job elsewhere. Your ongoing interest in them may pay off if their new job doesn’t live up to expectations. Since most Gen Y’ers change jobs in a year or two, you may have another shot at them, and you will already have laid down the groundwork.
Strategic Planning to Attract Gen Y Benefits Everyone!
Written by Buddy Hobart on September 8th, 2009
Last week we completed a corporate strategic plan for one of our clients. They are a 100 year old company and have grown tremendously over the past several years. Their goal is to continue this growth and triple the size of their business over the next three years.
During the planning process the conversation about Gen Y came up as a strategic initiative. Our client realizes that in order to grow they will need to attack some aggressive recruiting and retention strategies. This is really the first time that we had a client who made this a stand alone initiative. Over the years we have had many clients focus on talent acquisition, but this is the first time a client is focusing solely on Gen Y. In the past this was usually buried under a broader goal.
A recent article written by Business 24/7 stated that by 2025 over 75% of the global workforce will be Gen Y! The last of the baby boomers (1964) will be 61 in 2025. While Gen X will fill in the leadership and experience gap, there simply are not enough of them to make up for the retiring baby boomers. Gen Y will be called upon to fill in, even in locations and positions where they may not be ready or have the requisite experience.
Our client seemed to deeply understand this demographic reality. Not only are they focused on recruiting the right talent, they are also focusing on TRAINING their talent for this eventuality. ALSO, our client realizes how CRITICAL it will be to give the proper time and attention to their Gen X leaders. In a very short time experienced Gen X talent will be in HIGH DEMAND. If an organization wants to retain their best performers, the time to start is now.
Fortunately, these two initiatives do not have to be separate. The right performance management tools for Gen Y are also the right tools for Gen X (and Boomers!). Gen Y only wants what every generation of work wants. The good news is that Gen Y will force this positive change.
How Gen Y Can Better Work with Baby Boomers
Written by Buddy Hobart on September 2nd, 2009
I had the good fortune of addressing a group of management trainees the other day. My guess is the average age of the room was 25. It was a very interesting opportunity to talk about Gen Y TO Gen Y.
Gen Y Now tries to help Gen X and Baby Boomer leaders understand the leadership strategies necessary to recruit and retain Gen Y. Most of my time lately has been talking to these experienced leaders, so talking to the next generation of leaders was a bit of a shift.
One thing I learned for sure is…..Gen Y can be as prejudiced toward us as we are toward them! Our book challenges our prejudices, and I spent a great deal of time in my talk challenging the Gen Y audience on THEIR prejudices. Just like Gen Y is not WRONG for doing things differently, neither are boomers and X’ers wrong for the way they view the world. Different is not wrong. Different is, quite simply, different.
I challenged the Y’er audience to…
- Try to understand the X’er and Boomer perspective.
- Realize how it developed and that it did not develop overnight.
- Do not think it is your job to “fix” your boss. (in the book we discuss that Gen Y does not need to be fixed…and neither do their bosses!)
- Be a leader and LEAD change. Simply pointing out that a change is necessary is not leading change.
- Do not “live down” to low expectations. Display the work ethic and commitment that got you this far.
One of the biggest hurdles for businesses over the next few years will be getting each generation to realize that different is not wrong. Sometimes, different is GREAT!
Give Gen Y Meaningful Work
Written by Buddy Hobart on August 28th, 2009
Just as changing jobs is no problem for Gen Y, neither is being out of work. They’d often rather wait for the right job than take one that has no interest for them. Gen Y also often has the option of working part time, consulting, or even doing work for their parents. They know that in the long-run taking a year out to travel, or even to loaf, will make no difference for their futures.
As already mentioned, Gen Y can be slackers when they are given meaningless work. They know that some dull work has to be done, and they are willing to do it – as long as it is connected to a worthwhile goal. Gen Y is capable of creating their own meaningful work, but you’ll be better off helping them do it, so that your work will be in the mix. Lay out the options and ask Gen Y if they’d be interested in trying various tasks. You can do this during the job interviews. They’ll tell you what they do and don’t want to do, and their choices will often surprise you.
With Gen Y, Words Matter
Written by Buddy Hobart on August 26th, 2009
In Gen Y Now, we discussed how ‘words matter’ and used a reference to a ‘Jethro Bodine’ cereal bowl. This weekend I experienced a similar and humorous situation.
While furniture shopping, my wife and I were looking for a chair with an ottoman. Our sales person was a Gen Y’er, and we discovered, studied interior design. She seemed to be very knowledgeable and was also very professional.
As we were describing what we wanted, my wife mentioned that when she came home from work she did not want to be “Rob Petrie” (referring to the opening of the old Dick Van Dyke Show when he tripped over the ottoman). I immediately knew what she meant, and also immediately knew our sales person DID NOT understand the reference. I probably should have clarified it, but I thought it would be a fun and harmless experiment.
For the next fifteen minutes we were shown very large pieces that simply would not fit our space. Then we CLARIFIED our need by providing more information versus an obscure old TV reference. We were then led directly to the perfect piece of furniture.
After we finalized our purchase I asked the sales person about the Rob Petrie reference and if she understood. She admitted she did not. I realized that since she had no point of reference, she could not even formulate a good follow up question in order to better clarify our needs. If we had been more specific she could have been more productive.
I left the store wondering how often I do that at work without even realizing it. Can I improve my communications so folks can be more productive? Without the proper frame of reference folks can not even ask good follow up questions.
There were two things I got from that furniture store….a very nice new ottoman, and a good lesson on communication.
Misconceptions about Gen Y Management
Written by Buddy Hobart on August 21st, 2009
Is it me or do we as humans like to be angry and frustrated? Excuse my rant, but for the past year or two I have come to realize that most media outlets are constantly pushing negative stories and trying to drum up controversy. If the listening/reading public did not like controversy then I guess the media would produce different stories. But, since negative sells, we are stuck with the negative. All of this brings me to my Gen Y point.
Last week I was meeting with one of our senior consultants who just completed a corporate strategic plan for a client. He was saying how negative our client is toward the “expect it all without working for it” generation (or Gen Y). Our client is tired of hearing about how he has to have volley ball teams, softball tournaments and ice cream socials just to get the new employees to even WANT to work there. He does not hold Gen Y in high regard.
When we asked him about his softball, volley ball and ice cream social experiences, he told us he hasn’t done any of that and has no intention of implementing that kind of “playground” work place. We then asked why did he use these examples and why does he believe it is critical to create a “play ground” in order to attract new talent. His response…….it is all he has read about regarding Gen Y! He has not ACTUALLY HAD THE EXPERIENCE, he has just read about it.
Just read about it…..negative and frustrating. That is what seems to sell. Why aren’t there more articles about the volunteerism of Gen Y, or their advances degrees, or their work ethic (which when channeled I believe is superior to The Boomers)?
I think it is sad that positive doesn’t sell, so we are left with not only negative images of Gen Y, but untrue negative images as well.
How to Get Gen Y “Plugged In”
Written by Buddy Hobart on August 19th, 2009
We have been receiving several messages from folks who have read the book and have begun to apply the Gen Y Now strategies. The following is a sample of a reader’s experience.
“After reading the book I found it to relate very well to what I’ve experienced thus far in managing/leading this generation. As a matter of fact, it was the impetus for taking our newest hire to lunch on Friday. Not surprisingly, her simple request was to ask me what our organizational objectives were going forward such that she could plug into that concept. I further found out her interest in data mining for marketing purposes (not her current role in the organization) and I indicated that it would fit well with our next initiative as she frees up some time with her primary role. Even more amazing, we found out we each have Italian heritage and relatives that settled in the same coal mining town at the turn of the century.”
My bet is these two folks now have a greater understanding of each others vision, will work harder for each other to achieve the visions, and they have a personal bond that will connect them for some time to come. That sounds like a plugged in employee and one that will give her all to the cause.
Performance Management: Is it “All or Nothing”?
Written by Buddy Hobart on August 17th, 2009
The other day I had a client ask about my comment regarding improving their organizations performance management system. They had some specific heartburn around my comment that they need to be more accessible. They felt that being more accessible would cut into their productivity and that people would take advantage of their time. After some conversation we realized she, and her organization, really had an “all or nothing” attitude. In other words, if they truly had an open door policy, then they were available 100% of the time.
While it is true that time is a finite resource, it is also true that how we INVEST out time is critical. We had our client talk to her managers and discuss these two points.
1. Do you believe “being flexible” shows a lack of discipline?
2. Do you believe that being accessible will cause you lost productivity?
We then asked her and her team to track, for one week, the amount of time they spent fixing issues due to miscommunications, lack of clarity, missed hand offs, etc. What we found was astounding. An enormous amount of time was wasted, not only by her and the team, but by all of the employees due to rework, etc.
For the next week we had her team be TRULY accessible to the employees. Their job was to offer clarification and guidance on a REAL TIME basis. We wanted them to have the opportunity to offer input while the project was moving forward, versus after completion.
The final result…..her team spent nearly 30% LESS overall time than before. Also, we did a quick survey of the employee before and after our experiment. There was a measurable positive shift in attitude and morale. Folks appreciated receiving course corrections DURING the journey, and not finding out they arrived in the wrong place after an unproductive trip!!
One final comment, our client’s workforce is mostly Baby Boomers and Gen X, with only about 25% Gen Y. Our survey did not show any difference between the groups…everyone appreciated it equally. Conclusion…..Gen Y demands what everyone wants. There is no need to treat them “special”. A good performance management process for everyone is special enough.
Recession Presents “Teachable Moment” for Gen Y
Written by Buddy Hobart on August 12th, 2009
It is my deep belief that Gen Y looks to Gen X and Baby Boomers for leadership and guidance. One need to look no further than the mountain of evidence that shows how Gen Y looks to their parents and extended family for advice on life decisions. The research shows Gen Y does this to a FAR GREATER extent than any previous generation.
That brings me to the current “teachable moment”. I think the current economic/employment situation is a perfect opportunity to help mentor and lead Gen Y. While I do not believe Gen Y expects everything for nothing, the reality is that Gen Y grew up in one of the most prosperous times in world history. Gen Y did become used to having certain things (and taking it for granted) that previous generations would have considered a MAJOR luxury. This expectation, I believe, can be misconstrued as entitlement.
I think about some conversations my Dad had with me as a kid. He thought we were really LAZY for wanting to put a second (rotary dial, I might add) phone on our THIRD floor. He could remember, and lived quite nicely thank you very much, when the phone wasn’t even in the house. How could his kids have become so soft!? Or there was the conversation we had about the possibility of having a stereo in our room, or a television. To him those were extreme luxuries, since he was a child of the depression. We were in no way ENTITLED to any of that. However, he did consent that if we EARNED it, we could buy it. (we did get the stereo and TV, but we never did get the extra phone!!) He taught us some valuable lessons with his wise guidance.
The same holds true today. Even the most prejudiced boomer against Gen Y I have ever met will at least admit that Gen Y does learn new things and is an aware group. You can believe Gen Y is AWARE of the current economic/employment challenges. As a leader, this is a great opportunity to teach Gen Y some business/economic realities. Leaders can show Gen Y how tough choices are made and that certain things previous generations of employees took for granted will no longer be provided (think 401k matches, travel budgets, 100% medical, etc). Leaders should not just announce changes, but take the time to follow a reasonable change management process. Explanation is required AND it helps educate the employees.
Taking the time to communicate and to lead will help Gen Y realize that some things they might have taken for granted are REALLY luxuries. They are no more ENTITLED to these things than I was to have a stereo in my bedroom. Gen Y will get it…..they will understand, just as we did. EVERYTHING is earned and no one is ENTITLED to even the basics, let alone luxuries. Now is the time for leaders to apply the lessons of their youth (which we learned from our parents) and use this opportunity to mentor Gen Y.