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“Hey Gen Y, Thanks for Coming to Work Today”
Written by Buddy Hobart on December 14th, 2009
During a recent conversation someone mentioned my work pertaining to Gen Y. Someone spoke up and said that she works for a major (well known, so it will remain nameless) corporation that is receiving “Gen Y training”. Then she said, to my amazement, that they are being taught not to reprimand Gen Y if they are late to work or a meeting. She jokingly, at least I think it was jokingly, said they are being taught to “bite their tongue” and thank the Y’er for showing up today! (The more I think about the conversation, the more I don’t think she was joking). It is these kinds of conversations that further drive home several Gen Y myths.
When we talk about creating alignment we never talk about making these kinds of accommodations, or any accommodations, for that matter. There are certain principles that must be upheld. Respecting someone’s time is critical to alignment. If accommodations are made for Gen Y, then either the other generations will resent them or simply assume tardiness is acceptable. That is a dangerous road that can only lead to conflict and lack of productivity.
There is another way to address tardiness from a Gen Y’er. First of all, thanking them for showing up at all is not even an option. What is the best option is timeless leadership. There are four points I would ask any leader to consider:
1. Generation Y views time a bit differently than previous generations. Their world is a 24/7 world. The lines between leisure, work, hobbies, etc are blurred. It is just as likely that a Gen Y’er, sitting at a coffee shop at 11pm typing away on a laptop, is working on a work project as it is that they are addressing a personal matter. Time is viewed very differently. A Boomer working at 11pm is “burning the midnight oil” and “working overtime”. A Y’er is simply working. There is no consideration for the time of day, nor is it viewed as an inconvenience.
2. It is a natural tendency for all generations to assume their view is shared by everyone. Since Gen Y views time differently, it is human nature for them to assume others see it the same way. This is not a selfish thing, it is just reality. If a leader does not step up to help add perspective to the situation, then there is no reason for a Y’er to even think something is wrong. This is where timeless leadership is needed.
3. If a leader takes a moment to explain the why of the situation, I believe their Gen Y employee will get the message and understand the ramifications of tardiness. While Gen Y may not respect time, they do respect others. Tardiness is a sign of disrespect. If someone is late for a meeting or work, the (possibly unintended) consequence is that everyone else believes their time is not respected. If I am waiting for someone who is late, my natural reaction is to think that person feels their time is more valuable than mine. Leaders…..take some time to mentor and lead!
4. My final point is a bit more pointed. There will be people of every generation who push their boundaries to see what they can get away with. If the disregard for norms is tolerated, people will push even further to see where the boundary ends. I know of several situations where too much slack was granted to Gen Y’ers on issues like timeliness. After several frustrating months for the co-workers, the employee left anyway. When we interviewed the departing Gen Y’er we learned that there was a lack of respect for leadership because they were never approached for “breaking the rules”. If, once addressed, someone continues to be late for work or meetings (of any generation) corrective action must be taken. Thanking them is not one of the options!
Gen Y is looking for leadership. Give it to them. You will have more engaged employees, who will look to stay with a good leader.
What do you think? Are many other companies out there thanking Gen Y for coming to work late? Please send comments to bhobart@solutions-21.com.
Timeless Leadership Yields Generations of Talented Workers
Written by Buddy Hobart on October 13th, 2009
Daniel Wareman is a Board Member for the International Federation of Purchasing and Supply Management, and sat in on a meeting we recently held with folks from around the world to discuss Gen Y. Daniel is from the Netherlands and was not just representing them at the conference, he was also representing the Traditionalist Generation in our meeting! (The audience was a great example of the 4 generations in the workforce. Every generation was represented.)
Daniel seemed to have a real interest in the topic and really connected with the point about “timeless leadership”. I simply do not believe Gen Y is unreasonable with their expectations of leadership. Gen Y simply demands what every generation wants from their managers and leaders. When we are working with our clients we try to stress that in no way, shape, or form are we asking for accommodations to be made for Gen Y. We are simply asking for the implementation of timeless leadership.
Back to Daniel. During our discussion we were talking about the need to “explain the why” to Gen Y. Managers cannot simply assign work and move on. If Gen Y has questions, managers need to be available. Also, if managers take 30 seconds and explain why the task is relevant, Gen Y will dive into it with all of the commitment you could ever want. The equation is simple. Interesting + meaningful work = commitment. This point resonated with Daniel. It seems that he has always exhibited timeless leadership.
Years ago Daniel was an executive for Shell International. In his role, he had many opportunities to hire new talent. These new folks were highly educated engineers and sought after talent. What he would do, was give these new folks very meaningful and strategic assignments right out of the gate. These assignments would be parts of the overall strategy, not just projects to keep the new hires busy. He would carve out time to follow up and he always had a 90 day review of the progress.
In other parts of the organization, he often witnessed a different process for new hires. Daniel said, “people would assign the engineers the task of counting nuts and bolts instead of trusting them with meaningful work. Then they would wonder why these new people were not working hard. I never had that issue. All of my new folks were working hard….and contributing.” It is not a coincidence that his folks also tended to go on to great success.
“Back in the day”, Daniel was working with Baby Boomers and Traditionalists, not Gen Y. However, he would have had the same success with Gen Y that he did with the other generations. The reason is simple, timeless leadership.
Champion the Change
Written by Buddy Hobart on October 6th, 2009
The other day we talked about a World Supply Chain Summit that I met with recently. After the posting I was reminded about a different conversation I had had with a wine maker in Napa Valley. He was telling me about the history of Napa and how California wines have come to be accepted around the world. One of the points he made was how some wineries began an unheard of practice…..pairing wine with food for tastings. Until then, no one had thought of combining wine tastings with food! Revolutionary!
I only point this out as another example of how a simple innovation can change everything. Today we look at this as common practice and common sense. I think the same will be said of adapting our current performance management systems. In five years it will seem like good ‘ol common sense to give more real time feedback than to wait for a monthly meeting and an annual appraisal to offer input to our employees.
The key for today’s leader is to champion the change. It will not happen just because we “say so”. True progress will require a change management strategy and a commitment to implementation. It will start at the top.
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!
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.
Leaders Have Followers
Written by Buddy Hobart on August 5th, 2009
Recently, I was interviewed for a national publication regarding Gen Y. It was obvious the reporter was looking for the negative and his questions really had an anti Gen Y tone. During the conversation he kept challenging my thought process about Gen Y and the need for leaders to adapt their strategy. He seemed to feel it was Gen Y’s responsibility to adapt and not a leader’s.
There was a question I asked, which caused him pause. I asked, “how can you call yourself a leader unless you have followers?” The fact of the matter is…Gen Y comprises 79.5 million potential followers. After a mild debate about all of that, the reporter felt a need to “up the ante” and, obviously frustrated, challenged me about “helicopter parents” (parents who hover over and around their children). He specifically wanted to know if I agreed with parents calling their children’s boss about issues, etc.
To answer his question I first told him a quick story. My mother is now 86 years old. While she has never imposed herself in my work life, she has for all of her 86 years done what she wants to do…..in spite of any of her children’s objections. There were times in my life (and my siblings’) that she did things we did not appreciate. However, and I mean this respectfully and lovingly, we could have no sooner stopped her from doing what she wanted to do than I could jump to the moon. She did what she thought she should do, when she thought she should do it. The reporter then admitted to me that his was a similar experience.
My question then was….why judge the Gen Y employee negatively for an action committed by their parent? Who is to say the Gen Y employee wanted the call made? Isn’t it just as likely the Gen Y employee is mortified and embarrassed? Why are we judging Gen Y differently that we judge ourselves? Truth be told, the situation described is the parent’s issue, not automatically a weakness of the Gen Y employee.
While I am not sure we had a “Gen Y convert” when the call ended, I am sure he thought a bit differently about the subject.
“The Opposite of Evolution is Extinction” – Darwin
Written by Buddy Hobart on August 3rd, 2009
There are several great things I like about being a consultant, and one of the best parts of the job is to learn about many different industries and trends. There is a new trend that we are seeing now that is not at all industry specific or regionalized. It is universal. The recent financial market decline that cost Americans trillions of dollars of net worth has also EXTENDED the work life of millions of Baby Boomers. Folks who had their sights set on retirement in the next 2-5 years have in some cases moved that milestone out as much as 10 more years.
In many ways this explains the expanded curiosity surrounding Gen Y. Millions of managers and business leaders realize they now need to learn more about Gen Y since they will be working with this cohort for many more years than they originally planned. It reminds me of early in my career when desk top computers became a reality. Back then, “short timers” (people planning to retire soon) had a great strategy regarding the computer….IGNORE IT! The thought process was that by the time they were required to learn computer skills, they would be long retired. The feeling was “why waste my time learning about something I’ll never need or use”.
I think the same thought process existed regarding Gen Y. Why waste time and energy learning about something that you won’t use next year? By the time it will be required to know about Gen Y, people thought they would be long retired. That is no longer the reality. Just like folks in the early 1980’s who had 10 or more years of work life left needed to learn computing skills, so now does today’s worker with a 10+ year work horizon need to understand leading and working with Gen Y.
The desk top computer/Gen Y analogy works on several levels. Back then, the computer could be intimidating. In fact, some folks thought why not just leave well enough alone and keep our main frame locked in the special room in the basement. Also, there was a wide spread belief that desk top computers were NOT the wave of the future, and “this too shall pass”.
To some folks Gen Y can be intimidating. After all, here is a person more that 30 years younger than me with an opinion, answers, ideas and goals of their own. Many believe this “attitude” is NOT the wave of the future, and “this too shall pass”. Finally…..and it is true…..some folks would just like to leave well enough alone and keep Gen Y “locked in the basement type jobs”.
Just like personal computers WERE the wave of the future, and businesses could not have succeeded without them, Gen Y is the future. Going forward businesses will not succeed without a solid Gen Y recruiting and retention strategy. Gen Y, in many cases, will hold the key to a business’ economic recovery. History shows that business leaders who adapted the quickest to the changing technology and led a great change process in their organization ultimately created extremely successful companies. Those who believed that “this too shall pass” struggled, or even worse, became extinct.
Like Charles Darwin said, the opposite of evolution is extinction.
Gen Y Stereotypes
Written by Buddy Hobart on July 28th, 2009
When we set out to write Gen Y Now part of our process was to conduct leadership seminars around the country for business leaders and their managers. As our folks talked to business people to attend the seminar, we heard some very similar and common responses. Much of what we heard could fall into the ‘and this too shall pass’ category. For the most part, in 2007, business leaders were not aware of the need to consider the differences and opportunities Gen Y employees present. I don’t think that is the issue today.
It is hard to pick up a national or local publication and NOT see an article about Gen Y. Business magazines, employment papers, marketing gurus and just about everyone else is now at least TALKING about the differences. There seems to be a greater awareness to the issue today than when we first started to write the book. However, I have some serious concerns about how that awareness has been gained and how many publications are presenting Gen Y.
Over the past 3 months I have seen literally dozens of negative articles and cartoons exploiting the prejudices of Baby Boomers and Gen X toward Gen Y. This negative positioning is not helpful to business leaders as they try to create their strategies for growth and recovery. Gen Y will be a critical part of the recovery, and having a negative view of what they bring to the work world will not speed up the process of creating a useful solution.
As an example of how the negative stereo types are presented, a recent national weekly magazine ran a story of Gen Y and focused on their sense of entitlement and “self indulgence”. The article talked about a generation that has had $100,000 sweet 16 parties. There was also a photo of some “20-somethings” having fun at a nightclub. The photo was designed to drive home the point that this cohort is out of control.
In the following days after seeing the article I had an opportunity to talk to several business forums across the country and conducted an informal survey. I asked “has anyone here held or attended a $100,000 sweet 16 party”. Not only was the answer no across the board, the rooms (mostly made up of successful baby boomer business people), laughed at the idea. My point here is this….I am sure SOMEONE has held six figure parties for their children, but it is not the norm. (In fact, who is to say the 16 year old recipient of the party even wanted it!) I am concerned these rare examples are being presented as the norm and playing on our Baby Boomer prejudices.
On a final note, we need to also be careful of the images we are presented about Gen Y. The photo I referred to in the article did not show Gen Y in a good light. They were partying, holding drinks and “acting the fool”. A week after I saw the article a friend of mine held a 50th birthday party. For the most part the party was a “dry affair” and we were by no means intoxicated. The photos I received after the party made it look like we were out of control…having the nerve to laugh, joke and clown around with friends! The nerve of us old folks to have fun! Many of the photos could easily been taken out of context and presented in a negative light.
Business leaders need to guard against these stereo types and avoid having an entire generation of talent branded negatively.