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Don’t Be Pejorative
A gentleman in his fifties raised his hand in one of my sessions recently and accused me of making pejorative comments about the Millennial generation. I asked him to explain. "Everything you’ve said about them is negative," he said. "I think they have a lot to contribute." I agreed with him, but also pointed out that there is ample evidence that a good number in this cohort are struggling with basic skills due to a variety of influences. Trying to find a balance in these characteristics is always tricky.
I have been studiously careful about not painting an entire generation as a bunch of know-nothing slackers over the years. Having conducted several hundred seminars on this subject, I have been accused of being out of touch by everyone from 18 to 80. But this gentleman’s comments brought to mind once again how easy it is to listen to only the characteristics or facts with which we agree. This is true whether the topic is generations, politics, social policy or anything else.
We all bring our biases to work. When we observe a particular behavior that fits our paradigm, we feel validated or reinforced in our perceptions. Several months ago, I entered a convenience store to purchase some milk. The young man behind the counter was dressed in a goth-type tee-shirt, covered with tattoos and wore eyeliner and a mohawk. But when I approached the register, he treated me with a friendly professionalism I have not witnessed in many of his "clean cut" peers.
We have all had occasion to make generalizations and, worse still, spread them to others. There’s no practical tip or moral to this story other than encouraging everyone, including myself, about making pejorative judgments about those of other generations, especially on the job.
The "R" Word
Once associated with palm trees and crystal blue waters, "retirement" has become a word that evokes feelings of regret, frustration and envy in many Americans. According to a recent TD Ameritrade survey, feelings differ greatly depending on the age of the professional and the imminency of the life event. Here is the psychological breakdown:
Matures — Are mostly proud and satisfied when they consider retirement. They are the most content about the event.
Baby Boomers — Feel anxious and regretful because most anticipate that their financial status will plumment once they stop working.
Gen Xers — Feelings of embarrassment, frustration and envy dominant this group since they feel that they are not at all prepared for retirement.
Gen Y — With retirement so far off, members of this group are generally disinterested and hopeful that their finances will improve greatly by the time stop working.
Case Study
I serve as training director for a regional financial services firm. Every year, we hire about 100 college graduates, most of whom are twenty-two to twenty-four years of age. We put them through six weeks of classroom training so they can learn our systems, sales approach and the regulations they will have to abide by. What troubles me is the general demeanor with which many of them treat the opportunity. They slouch in their chairs. They show up just in time, if not a couple minutes late for class. They seem almost afraid to participate in discussions or case studies. We even caught one of them stretched out on a back row of chairs after a class, taking a nap. My urge is to yell, "Get with the program!" at them, but I know that’s the wrong approach. What do you suggest?
This is all about two issues – education and engagement. Let’s discuss education first. Many of those in today’s business world expect young people to act in much the same way as they did when beginning their careers. Previous generations were products of a different set of standards and expectations and managers tended to "straighten you out" if you did not conform. This education, or training if you will, has not been the experience of today’s emerging generation. For reasons that don’t need to be discussed here, today’s workplace newcomers have come of age in a more casual environment and permissive society. It is the nature of any young cohort to push the envelope of expectations. In the past, the envelope pushed back. Over the past generation, it has stopped doing so in many ways. Now lest you think that I am speaking as one who is an old fogie, I have heard these same laments echoed from managers in their early thirties.
The practical solution is simple. If you want to maintain a certain sense of decorum and appearance within your ranks, you will need to inform these individuals of what those standards are. Remember, they’ve spent the past sixteen years slouching in classroom chairs, showing up late to class, and even sleeping in the back row with little concern for consequences. Will you create a controversy by establishing and enforcing these standards? Probably not. Will you lose a few who just can’t abide by some simple expectations? Perhaps, but they probably weren’t a good match for the organization in the first place.
Now let’s discuss engagement. Those thirty and younger have been immersed in digital media since grade school. They have learned to learn using menus and mice. While they tolerated years of classroom teaching, even that environment has changed rather dramatically, especially at the college level. You didn’t share the specific techniques you are using to provide instruction, but allow me to provide some basics:
1) Deliver content on-line and through video clips, if possible. Not only will they find this more engaging, but they’ll be able to watch it numerous times. Repetition is a key to remembering. Make sure that the content is formatted for small screens. Young people use mobile devices more than laptops and desktops. Let them know that you’ll be testing them on the material. That’s what they’re used to.
2) Take the instruction time you save from placing content on line to focus more on application. Add some fun and games to the process. Yes, what you’re doing is serious. But there is no reason why you can’t add some entertainment. Top ten lists, survivor games and other concepts adapted from television will invite more engagement. Trust that these young people will understand that there is gravity to what they’re learning. After all, this is their paycheck we’re talking about.
3) Persevere when it comes to participation. This is a cohort that has developed strong habits around communicating with their thumbs. A number of them may be rather uncomfortable with face-to-face discussion. Some have gone so far as to avoid college classes that involve a lot of participation and presentation. They’ll adapt once they understand that it is essential to thriving in the job, but it will take time.
For additional ideas, read the series of blog posts I’ve written on training Millennials, beginning with this one.
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July 2012 Issue 141
Understand the Next Generation!
Order this month and save $100! |
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You want your staff to better cope with their differences in the way that they work, right? But with employees spanning five decades, it’s even difficult to get them together in the same room at the same time, let alone on the same page!
How can you soar above the status quo and begin to resolve the clash in values and expectations among the varying age groups in your workplace?
Begin by joining Bob in Generation Next, a 40-minute thought-provoking video session that provides an overview of the challenges and more importantly, what to do about them. Bob discusses three central areas where older professsionals and emerging contributors differ, and how that affects productivity. You and your staff will gain a better understanding about the difference perspectives in work-life balance, communication, and approaches to work. Even better, you’ll gain strategies on how to leverage those differences in order to increase productivity while on the job.
Filled with amusing insights and stories gleaned from the hundreds of organizations that we’ve worked with, Generation Next will serve as an entertaining way to help you cultivate an environment of mutual understanding among your twenty-somethings, sixty-somethings, and everyone in-between!
You and your staff will better understand how:
* to embrace the different ways professionals use technology.
*leadership is affected by the varying perpectives in work-life balance.
*and why companies feel the need to instill communication protocols.
This month, purchase Generation Next for only $99 and save $100!
Your presenter, Bob Wendover, has been hailed by companies nationwide as an expert on one of today’s most vexing management challenges.
You’ll receive the 40-minute video program, and an easy-to-use facilitator’s guide for $99!
Take advantage of this special offer by July 31.
48% of students who took out college loans find that paying them back made it harder to make ends meet.
Pew Research Daily Number, 2012.
Resources
Follow Bob!
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