One of the most common questions I am asked by managers is “how can I manage the ‘younger’ generation?” It seems every second workplace is having challenges between different generations …with differences in expectations of managers, work approach and style.
Let me start by saying that what I am about to tell you will be discussing the generalities of generations. Before you leap in and yell “stereotypes” … listen up for a moment.
The best way I can describe this is by looking at the height of people. Some people are tall and some are short but most people fall within a certain height range or average height.
When people design furniture they look at the average height of people to determine for example the length of the seat in a chair. They base their decision about the chair seat length by looking at general data. That doesn’t mean that the seat fits everyone … for some people it will be too small and some too big but for many the fit will be just right (a bit like Goldilocks).
What you may not know is that the average height of people is changing across the generations. People today are much taller than their counterparts 50 or 100 years ago for a whole range of factors including better health and diet. The generations are physically different as a result of the circumstances they grew up in.
So too with people’s attitudes. There are differences between how generations approach work … what motivates them, how they learn and how they prefer to be managed. There are variances with individuals in the generation … but there are average trends you can observe.
Most workplaces have at least 3 generations of people working with them … Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. These are all terms sociologists have used to describe certain age groupings of people.
Baby Boomers were born just after World War 2 until about 1964. That means that today this means people 45 and older. The sort of world they grew up during their formative years included events such as the Vietnam War, Woodstock, the Cold War, the Moon landing & Civil Rights Movements.
Generation X people were born between about 1964 – 1978 which means people between about 29-43 years of age. They grew up in the era of the pill, no fault divorce, the fall of Russia and the Berlin wall, USA becoming the dominant world superpower, the introduction of PCs and they watched their parents be outsourced and downsized at work.
Generation Y people were born about 1979 – 1994 which means people about 13-28 years of age. They grew up with the internet and the technology boom, they generally had extended periods of economic growth and stability and watched 9/11. They were the first generation where building self esteem was as important as building reading and maths skills and they had very busy school years being ferried from sport to dance to school to homework to school extension.
Each generation sees the world differently. Baby Boomers quite often wear the tag “workaholic” with pride. They believe in doing the hard yards to get ahead, paying ones dues and putting in the hours at your desk at work. They tend to value stability in a job – wanting to see extended periods of time in the one company. They believe with hard work they will succeed. They are loyal to the company and assess their managers based on what they see their managers demonstrate in terms of their own personal work ethic.
Generation X people are more cynical than Baby Boomers. They watched their parents put in the long hours when they were growing up, only to be made redundant. Many Gen X people vowed not to do the same … that they wanted a life not just a job and believe in productive work time not “face time”. They believe that any success is up to them.
They tend to distrust management and companies – believing there are always “hidden agendas” at play. They sign up to a manager … not a company and want the opportunity to express their views and to be heard by their manager. They will change jobs if they are not happy.
Generation Y people are the internet generation. They are used to getting information instantly when they need it rather than holding large amounts of data in their heads. They are self confident and are not afraid to tell people what they are feeling and how a decision affects them personally.
They love to learn new things but also like taking things to conclusion. They need clear goals and objectives to work towards. They want to make a difference to society through their work. They crave constant, honest, mentoring communication with their manager and will quickly leave a company if they don’t get it. They don’t believe in doing the jobs no one else wants to do just because they are the youngest there.
Some Tips to Manage and Motivate the Generations:
Baby Boomers: Help them get a life … give them loyalty … recognise their status and seniority
Generation X: Help them boost their productivity at work … give them flexible work options … provide open democratic management
Generation Y: Build in regular ongoing formal learning … give them clear goals & targets … establish mentoring schemes
By Ingrid Cliff
Ingrid CliffLevel: PlatinumIngrid Cliff is a freelance copywriter in Brisbane Australia and the Chief Word Wizard of Heart Harmony – her writing services studio that helps put … …
Ingrid Cliff is a Brisbane freelance writer and the Chief Word Wizard of Heart Harmony – her writing services studio that helps put your business into words. Visit her website for a free copy of “Copywriting Secrets : Seven Secrets of Compelling Copy and Powerful Words”
Leading a team is not easy. It is difficult to get everyone pulling together, because of diversity of personalities. However all team members will look to the leader, and a good leader will lead through positive influence. Here are some tips that will help you to work smarter and not harder to build the team.
How to Become a Good Leader
If you’re in a position of management or if you are the leader of one organization or the other, getting people to do what you want them to do may seem like a very difficult thing to do. The truth is that it needn’t be that difficult. No need exists for a person to be too nice or excessively mean. You can easily become a good leader by sticking to these professional tips.
Don’t Play the Blame Game:
When your team misses a project deadline or someone forgets to order something they should have, you should seek to blame other people. After all, it happened on your watch and that alone makes you responsible for everything especially in cases where something goes wrong.
Be Clear About What You Expect:
It’s difficult for your team members to stick to the game plan if they don’t have a strong idea about what the game plan is. You should always remain clear and concise when giving instructions to be carried out. You should take the time out to explain to the particular individual what exactly it is that you need them to do and how you expect it done. You should then allow them go off and handle the situation the best way that they are able to.
Accept That Everyone’s Style is Different:
While you may feel that a certain way of doing things is the best way to go, someone else may disagree with you. However you should be too picky about slight details, you should recognize the fact that everyone else does things their own way. What should really matter is that the same results should be achieved in the end. Nothing else counts.
Lead By Example:
You should follow the Eleanor Roosevelt principle and never expect more from your employees or volunteers than you are personally willing to do yourself. You should show everybody in your place of work that you’re willing to join in as well and help the team get things done. They’ll be much more disposed to staying an extra hour or two after work to finish an important project if the team leader stays behinds as well to do the same thing.
Learn from Your Mistakes and those of Other’s:
Everyone at one time or the other has made a mistake. The best thing to do is to learn from these mistakes. This way whenever you or someone else makes a mistake you should take stock of the situation and see if there is any way that the situation could be coped with better. You should then follow this route in the future.
Give Credit Where Credit’s Due:
You should never take all the glory for yourself regardless of how much of a great leader that you are. You should give credit to the people who have made one contribution or the other to your success. You should make them feel that you wouldn’t have achieved any success in your endeavors without them. The truth is that when you think of it, you probably won’t have achieved all that you have on your own.
By Darren Williger
Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, wine making sales maker who writes for LeadersPages.com, and TopSalesmaker.com.
There are many different business consulting tips that come to mind. This discussion will cover many of those business consulting tips. Five of the most important tips will be discussed. The following is an explanation on how to best find a business consultant, as there are different tips for different sections when talking about consulting and business. When you are considering a consultant, bear in mind these particular questions and the answers to those questions before hiring someone to consult your business. The scope of the following questions is not limited to experience, business know how and cost, but also include how to interview and do reference checks.
Before deciding anything you must first decide what role the consultant will play in your business. The job of the consultant is to Always be sure to define the work that will be done, such as business problems to be fixed, personnel problems, or any other areas that your business may need assistance. You need to know for yourself what results that you want from the consultant. You also need to be able to find a consultant. You can begin your search for a consultant by using word of mouth or get a list of qualified consultants from the government or you could even go to the internet and do a search.
When hiring a consultant, you need do thorough checks of all information provided by the applicant. Check these references and ask if they were happy or not happy with the consultant’s work and why or why not. By verifying employment and other information you will weed out the ones that will not be a benefit to your company. By getting the answers to the questions labeled above, you will have a clearer picture of the consultant. This is critical if you are going to have this consultant at your place of business. having someone you can trust aren’t necessarily the things you would like to hear. | maybe you don’t want to hear.[/spin]
Next you will be having the interview with your potential consultant. Here you can ask them about past employment and how they came to be consultants. You will need to personally interview each one and get to know them well, before you turn them loose on your business. The next step after interviews is the consultant’s price for helping turn your business around. You need to be able to negotiate price, and also create a payment plan and determine at what point the final payment will be made for the completion of the work.
[spin[ Finally, are the | There are [/spin] three other considerations when deciding on a business consultant. Do they carry Omissions and Errors insurance and do they carry Commercial Liability insurance? Keeping all of this in mind you will make the correct choice and hire the best business consultant for the job. Remembering these business consulting tips for choosing a consultant for your business.
The reason that employees stay or leave has much to do with the leadership that are are under. Here are some insights as to how to hire and keep good employees