Understanding Gen-Y's Top 3 Priorities

  Dan Schawbel  March 28, 2012 www.openforum.com

There are many clear differences between colleagues of different generations. But these have less to do with age and more to do with the impactful events that occur during formative years. When you're managing employees, consider the values the different generations hold dear.

Every generation is shaped by a few important world events, trends or experiences that contribute to its overall identity.

• Baby boomers experienced the assassination of JFK, the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement.
• Generation X (.pdf) had the Cold War, the Challenger explosion and the rise of AIDS.
• Generation Y's identifying experiences include 9/11, the subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the recession.

These key experiences help to explain political, social and occupational motivations for any given generation. Making sweeping generalizations doesn't help you to understand the make-up of the individuals in a group, but they can help you see how people evolve with the world around them.
The context also helps us evaluate how different generations develop the priorities that govern their life decisions, and how those affect them at work. Gen-Y's top three priorities, according to a Pew research study, may surprise you. Here are some of the reasons behind each of them.
1. Being a good parent
The economic climate and rising costs of college have caused many Millennials to land back in their parents' homes. According to Pew Research, 30 percent of Gen-Y is living with their parents. Of that, a whopping 78 percent are happy about it.
Being a good parent is one of the most important things in their lives, said 52 percent of respondents in the study.
Gen-Y has very strong relationships with their parents (boomers). Their parents are still very much part of their decision-making process, even for older Gen-Yers. They recognize all that their parents have done to help them succeed, and they want to do the same for their children.
2. Having a successful marriage
Gen-Y has grown up during a time when divorce occurs in more than half of all marriages. In fact, only six out of 10 them were raised with married parents. Of the study's respondents, 30 percent said that having a successful marriage was of the utmost importance to them.
They have seen the negative effects of divorce, both personal and financial, and are determined not to make the same mistakes. For this reason, and for financial concerns, Gen-Y members are not rushing to get married. Only 21 percent are married now, half the amount of their parent’s generation at the same age.
3. Helping others in need
Helping others doesn’t just mean in their free time. Gen-Y has come of age during the global-warming debate and during a lot financial scandal (Enron, WorldCom, Bernie Madoff). The Pew study showed that 21 percent of respondents said helping others is key for them.
They want to work for organizations that put people first and the bottom line second. In fact, according to a Deloitte study, 92 percent of Gen-Y believes that success in business should not be measured purely by profit (.pdf).
Work with them
As an employer of Gen-Y, if you hope to develop and retain the top talent, consider their priorities. Realize that work won't be at the top of the list. They value a true work-life balance. And they want an opportunity to give back to the community through your company.
Understanding this and adapting to it will allow you to get the most productivity and longevity out of a generation that has a lot of intellect to offer your organization.
Dan Schawbel is the managing partner of Millennial Branding, a Gen-Y research and management consulting firm. Subscribe to his updates at Facebook.com/DanSchawbel.

The Key To Managing Gen Y

Penelope Trunk www.openforum.com August 1, 2011

What's the real key to managing Gen Y?  Knowing more about them than they know about themselves.

After all, you know Gen Y loves the attention of being managed closely. You know Gen Y wants great mentoring. But the way to stand out in a crowd of employers is to understand Gen Y in a way they don’t yet understand themselves. Then you can add the kind of value that makes these young employees stay.
Here are things you need to know in order to do that:
1. They’re fundamentally conservative
Gen Y follows rules. You won't find Gen Y protesting in the streets because they make themselves heard within the confines of institutionalized permission.
Gen Y can’t stand conflict. When Gen Y doesn’t like something, you probably won’t hear about it. They just won’t show up.
Gen Y is inherently conservative. You might think Gen Y is asking for revolutionary stuff at work—like flextime, fair-wage salaries and good mentoring. But really, Gen Y is simply demanding what their parents told them they should expect from the world: Work that matters and that complements a life that matters. Those revolutionary expectations come from the parents—baby boomers. Gen Y is just doing what they are told.
2. They are slow moving
The helicopter parent has been a guidepost of Gen Y development. Gen Y is slow and methodical when it comes to making decisions. The idea of the helicopter parent emerged as Gen Y was receiving the most attentive self-esteem-focused parenting in history. Which means Gen Y is used to having their parents make their decisions, or at least steer them. So when they are left, on their own, to make a decision that no one can really help them with, Gen Y often gets stuck.
3. They are not entrepreneurs
Most Gen Y-ers say they want to own their own business. But what they really mean is they want to have a career that is not as tumultuous as their parents’ careers. Baby boomers relied on corporate America and they were let down. Gen Y is hoping to avoid that by relying on themselves. So to Gen Y, entrepreneurship is a safety net.
The problem, though, is that Gen Y loves being part of a team, and Gen Y loves having a manager paying close attention to them. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, are lonely, crazy, anxious people. So Gen Y tries entrepreneurship, loses resolve, and goes back to the safety of working for someone else.
4. Appearences matter more to them than what’s real.
Dan Schawbel is a world-renowned personal branding expert and it is no coincidence that he’s also from Gen Y—Gen Y manages themselves like they’re celebrities. Which makes sense since online, everyone is searchable, knowable, trackable and vulnerable to faulty first-impressions. Dan Schawbel, and his army of personal branding experts have shown the world that what you look like online is actually what is real.
The result of this trend, though, is that Gen Y is more concerned with how they appear online than what’s actually going on in their lives. The best illustration of this trend is that they don’t make enough money for a huge, lavish wedding, but they still want their wedding pictures to be gorgeous, fun and exotic. So they elope, with a photographer, and post all the photos of a great wedding on Facebook.
5. They are followers
Gen Y is very team-oriented; they did book reports in teams, they went to prom in teams and they were the first generation to learn the playground rule: “you can’t say you can’t play.” The result of this way of seeing the world is that Gen Y is very, very non-competitive. Gen Y-ers are avid users of collaborative software that inadvertently flattens office hierarchy, and they have little interest in leading in the classic, hierarchical way. So beware: Gen Y’s leadership will look like non-leadership to everyone else.
6. They need to feel special
Most Gen Y-ers you know will say this does not apply to them. They don’t like to feel typical. Gen Y was raised to feel special. Treat them like they are special even if you know they are typical of their millions of peers.
Anyway, all generations have strengths and weaknesses. And just because Gen Y’s weakness is that they complain about being grouped as Gen Y, the bottom line is that they want personal attention from management so they can have more personal insight about themselves. This is a fair thing to want from work, and from life. In fact, if there is anything we can learn from Gen Y it is that everyone, no matter how old, should want this from their work life.

The Care and Feeding of Gen-Y Entrepreneurs

Rieva Lesonsky www.openforum.com January 29, 2012

Where is Generation Y working during these tough times? And what do their employment trends mean for small employers?
A study examining where people aged 18 to 29 are working analyzed 4 million Gen-Y Facebook profiles. Here’s what the report found.
Gen-Y workforce trends
Bye-bye, Fortune 500: Most "millennials" don’t choose Fortune 500 companies as employers. According to the study, only 10 percent of Gen-Y workers have ever worked at a Fortune 500 company, and just 7 percent currently do.
"Fortune 500 companies are having a tough time hiring and retaining Gen-Y workers right now," Dan Schawbel, founder of Millennial Branding, tells CIO magazine. The new study was conducted by Millennial Branding, with Identified.com.
"Gen-Y looks for more flexibility, like [the possibility of] working from home, and they want to have access to social networks. Fortune 500 companies don't usually allow this flexibility.”
Hello, small firms: So where are Gen-Y employees working? Shwabel says they’re more likely to work at startups and small companies.
They work where they can play a bigger role and have more of an impact on the company. The hiring process is also faster and more informal at smaller firms, and there’s usually more flexibility—all factors that appeal to millennials.
On their own: Those who are not working at startups are going a step further and starting their own companies.
The study shows that “owner” is the fifth most-popular job title for Gen-Y on Facebook. Titles like "server,” “intern” and “sales associate” came first. This pattern possibly reflects the poor job market that is pushing young people to start their own businesses instead of getting stuck in low-level jobs.
Moving fast: I know many people think millennials feel entitled. They believe the young people should pay their dues in entry-level jobs before moving up in the corporate world or starting their own businesses.
But Gen-Y doesn’t agree with this view and, have no problem quitting their jobs if they don’t feel rewarded or sense that they’re contributing to the company. The report found that Gen-Y employees are very likely to job-hop, spending an average of just two years working at their first jobs.
Recruiting and retaining Gen-Y employees
How can your small business recruit Gen-Y workers? And how can you get them to stick around? As a small employer, you have a natural edge over big corporations, but don’t rely on that.
The report urges employers of all sizes to encourage Gen-Y’s entrepreneurial attitude.
What does that mean? I’ve worked with young employees for years and I've come to my own conclusions. This generation craves freedom and independence, kind of like teenagers preparing to leave the nest. But they also want your feedback and guidance.
The solution is to let them be “intrapreneurs” within your company. Put them in charge of their time by offering flextime and remote work schedules. Give them a challenge and let them figure out how to handle it. Then, give them both positive and negative feedback on how they did.
Gen-Y will likely account for 75 percent of the workforce by 2025. The report cautions that, to stay competitive, large corporations must aggressively recruit these workers. Big companies will catch on, so get a head start by making Gen-Y feel welcome and valued at your small business.

4 Ways to Better Manage Gen-Y

Dan Schawbel www.opemforum.com March 12, 2012

By now the lower ranks of the proverbial corporate ladder have been completely taken over by Generation-Y, a group of people roughly between the ages of 18 and 29 years. Much has been made about the unique characteristics that define this generation, from their constant need to be connected, to their rather conservative perspective on the market. Just like the generations before them, there is also well-documented tension between Gen-Y and their older counterparts. Gen-Y is often perceived by some as being lazy, having a sense of entitlement and lacking in social skills. Regardless of your position, the simple fact is that soon this generation will assume the responsibility of middle-upper management, and their performance will largely determine the success of our economy in the next few decades.
According to Business and Professional Women’s Foundation, Gen-Y will make up approximately 75% of the global workforce by 2025! So there is incentive to better understand and prepare young professionals for the next steps in their career (As well as incentive to maximize their productivity in the workplace today!). With that said, here are four ways that you can be a better manager to your Generation-Y employees.
1. Make them feel like they have an impact on your business
Gen-Y wants to be a part of something, and they don’t want to wait 10 years until they are able to do it. Now certainly, this doesn’t mean that every entry-level employee should be given control of the budget or allowed to make strategic decisions for the company. However, there are small things that you can do as a manager that will go a long way in both developing them as leaders and maximizing their productivity. Give them the autonomy to make basic decisions on non-critical components of a project. Create an environment where they are comfortable with and encouraged to share their thoughts and opinions. Even if those opinions aren’t acted on, the sense that their contribution is valued will make them more productive for your company.
2. Build loyalty in smaller doses
Let’s face it, corporate loyalty is almost something that can be taught in a high school history class. Gone are the days of pension programs and employees beginning and ending a career at the same company. Gen-Y workers simply aren’t motivated by traditional means such as higher salary (Of course they are motivated by money, but there are other factors that are considered by them, such as growth opportunity, freedom of social media access and job security). Many companies have unrealistic expectations about corporate loyalty, where the employee is expected to associate with the brand name first and their co-workers second. Gen-Y employees are far more loyal to their immediate co-workers and superiors than to the brand they serve. As a manager even of a small group, create a culture of teamwork, recognition and growth, and you will find your employees far more satisfied, and much less likely to jump ship.
3. Set a clear success path for employees to grow within the company
This one goes hand in hand with building loyalty. Gen-Y employees do not feel loyal to corporations, because they don’t believe that corporations are loyal to them. They came of age during one of the worst economic time periods in our nation’s history, and they have seen their parents and other adult role models let go from companies that they had been ‘loyal’ to for a number of years. In their minds, that loyalty isn’t reciprocated, and their experience in a down economy has taught them to look out for themselves. To this end, members of Gen-Y change their first jobs after just over 2 years! Still, despite Gen-Y’s pessimism, many would prefer to stay with their organizations and grow. They leave because they feel like they have no other choice. So when onboarding Gen-Y new-hires, work with them to determine their career goals, and develop a pathway for them to reach those goals. Designate specific milestones and metrics that will help them to move their way up the ladder and not feel as though they have to leave in order to advance their careers.
4. Embrace their way of doing things
Gen-Y is inherently different from Gen-X and the Baby Boomers. They are a results-driven group, and don’t enjoy the confines of a 9-5 work day. That may draw criticism, but they are ready and willing to work nights and weekends to get their work done. They may be connected to the Internet and social media almost too much, which may lead to distraction at the work place, but it also has given them an unmatched network of information, and they are able to conduct research at light speed when compared to prior generations. Clearly, there is a balance, but by harnessing the characteristics of Gen-Y, you will give them a sense of purpose and value while at the same time improving your business’ success.
Dan Schawbel is the Founder of Millennial Branding, a Gen-Y research and management consulting firm. He is the author of Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future.

Good Bosses Are The Same Today As They Were In 1992

BY Expert Blogger Robert I. Sutton, PhD | 03-16-2012 www.fastcompany.com

In a world of near-constant innovation and disruption, the definition of a great boss (or leader or manager) may be the one thing that doesn't require reinvention.  
   
A lot of people write business books: about eleven thousand are published each year. There are armies of consultants, gurus, and wannabe thought leaders, and thousands of management magazines, radio and TV shows, websites, and blogs.

These purveyors of management knowledge have incentives for claiming their ideas are “new and improved” rather than the same old thing. One twist, which I’ve seen a lot lately, is the claim that management or leadership needs to be reinvented. Many reasons given for this need seem sensible: Gen X and Gen Y require different management techniques; outsourcing, globalization, and information technology means working with people we rarely if ever meet in person; the pressure to think and move ever faster is unprecedented; so many employees are disengaged that they need to be managed so they feel appreciated.

Yet, no matter how hard I look at studies by academics and consulting firms, or at contrasts between successful and unsuccessful leaders, I can’t find persuasive evidence of substantial change in the kinds of bosses people want to become or work for, or that enable human groups and organizations to thrive. Changes such as the computer revolution, globalization, and distributed teams mean that if you are a boss, staying in tune with followers is more challenging than ever. And, certainly, bosses need to be more culturally aware because many workplaces are composed of more diverse people.
But every new generation of bosses faces hurdles that seem to make the job tougher than it ever was. The introduction of the telephone and air travel created many of the same challenges as the computer revolution--as did the introduction of the telegraph and trains. Just as every new generation of teenagers believes they have discovered sex and their parents can’t possibly understand what it feels like to be them, believing that that no prior generation of bosses ever faced anything like this and these crazy times require entirely new ways of thinking and acting are likely soothing to modern managers. These beliefs also help socalled experts like me sell our wares. Yet there is little evidence to support the claim that organizations—let alone the humans in them—have changed so drastically that we need to invent a whole new kind of boss.

This isn’t a new idea, either. In 1992, two Harvard Business School professors, Robert Eccles and Nitin Nohria (now the dean of HBS), wrote Beyond the Hype. This book showed that while management thinkers (notably the much worshipped Peter Drucker) have repeatedly claimed it is a whole new world out there for managers and employees--that everything needs to be reinvented because the old ways are obsolete--the fundamentals of what it takes to lead, organize, and inspire followers were pretty much “the same as it ever was.”

Eccles and Norhia’s argument applies as well in 2012 as in 1992--at least when it comes to bosses. Just like the leaders people wanted before the industrial revolution, we humans still yearn to follow others who are competent enough to bring in resources, teach us new skills, and generate attention and prestige from key outsiders--who drive performance. We also want fair leaders who protect us, and who make us feel cared for and respected--who inject humanity. Although the ways bosses accomplish these things is and has always been constrained by technologies, culture, different kinds of work, and on and on, the fundamentals remain unchanged. Yet the hype keeps flying about how we need to reinvent management. In particular, we often hear calls for the end of hierarchy, the virtues of empowerment, and how knowledge workers need to be treated in new and different ways.
The notion that people who do creative or complex work need more autonomy than others is quite old. Thomas Edison’s lab in Menlo Park, New Jersey, was decentralized; workers there were encouraged to develop their own ideas, and there were fewer and less obvious status differences between people at different hierarchical levels compared to traditional organizations of the time.

Yet, at Edison’s lab--as at today’s Apple, Google, Facebook, and Pixar and every other creative organization I know—there was a clear pecking order. Indeed, a careful review of research by my Stanford colleagues Debra Gruenfeld and Larissa Tiedens shows that we humans prefer hierarchical relationships, are happier when we work in clear hierarchies than where power differences are absent or unclear, and we experience less distress and work more effectively.
Gruenfeld and Tiedens suggest that we prefer hierarchies because they are effective for sorting people based on different skills and reduce ambiguity. The upshot is that although good bosses--especially in creative places--do encourage input and delegate decisions, little evidence suggests that the need or desire for bosses--and bosses of bosses--will disappear anytime soon.
So the challenge is not to reinvent management. Rather it is to find ways to dampen the known drawbacks of pecking orders and amplify the positive elements. That is what great bosses do and have always done.

The Google experience is instructive. In 2009, Lazlo Block, vice president of People Operations, launched a study called Project Oxygen to figure out the differences between the best and the worst bosses at Google. Since Google was first founded about fifteen years ago, its leaders believed that technical expertise was the most crucial quality of a great boss and that since such smart people worked there, a boss’s job was pretty much to leave people alone unless they asked for technical help. Project Oxygen revealed insights that surprised Google’s leaders, but it fit with thousands of studies--including many that shaped Good Boss, Bad Boss.
Technical expertise ranked dead last among the predictors of a boss’s effectiveness. Instead, as The New York Times reported, “What employees valued most were even-keeled bosses who made time for one-on-one meetings, who helped people puzzle through problems by asking questions, not dictating answers, and who took an interest in employees’ lives and careers.”
Google is an evidence-based place. So they boiled down their list of what good bosses do into just a few key factors, and they now work intensely with underperforming bosses to change their behavior. If you are a boss, you can save yourself a lot of trouble by considering Google’s journey.

Don’t believe the hype about reinventing management. As over fifty years of research shows, treating employees with respect, encouraging them to participate and to make suggestions, and listening to them are as important as ever. The same is true about setting a clear direction, making decisions, and taking charge.
T
his is the fourth in a series excerpted from a new chapter in the paperback version of Good Boss, Bad Boss, a New York Times best-seller by Robert Sutton. Read the three other installments here.

Value Employees, Keep Your Talent

Jean Seawright March 14, 2011 www.lawnandlandscape.com

The tough economy has taken its toll on staff. Now, with a rebound on the horizon, stretched employees may get restless.
Here’s how to re-energize workers, build trust and keep turnover low as the turnaround hits.
As a result of the worst economic crisis in recent history, workers across the country have, undoubtedly, been shaken. When layoffs, pay and benefit reductions, salary freezes and restructuring first began to occur, employees everywhere seemed to understand the magnitude of the crisis and were happy to just have a job.
Indeed, the phrase “job security” took on an entirely new meaning for many – both the employed and the unemployed alike.
Unfortunately, these newfound feelings of job appreciation have now given way to feelings of burn-out, recession fatigue and self-preservation. This has led to declining levels of motivation, pride and trust in many workplaces.
For this reason, employees are beginning to take a close, hard look at their work life, and they’re asking themselves if they really want to stay with their current employer.
Although you may be blameless in the economic crisis and you may have made wise moves to maintain the health of your business, your employees may still want to jump ship. Why? Because it’s human nature for people to want to disassociate themselves with bad memories.
Unfortunately, if you found it necessary to deploy traditional belt-tightening labor practices to cope with your business challenges, your company may be that bad memory.

FLIGHT RISK.
Several recent surveys conducted by reputable firms suggest that anywhere between 40 to 60 percent of Americans plan to look for a job once the economy rebounds. The younger generations – the Gen Xers and Yers – are reportedly the most likely to abscond.
How do you know if your employees are among the percentage wanting to bolt? Well, the risk increases if one or more of these actions occurred at your company during the recession:

• Leaders failed to communicate what was going on strategically
• Employees have had to work double-time to make up for a slimmer workforce
• Wages were cut and cannot be or are not restored
• Permanent organizational changes were made, limiting employees’ future growth potential
• Employees perceive that they were treated poorly
• Employees lost trust in the organization as a result of how it handled cost cuts
• Employees are stressed out about money

So what can you do now to re-engage your employees and to minimize the temptation for talented employees to find a new job as conditions improve?
The answer lies in first understanding what factors make work gratifying today. A recent nationwide Society for Human Resource Management job satisfaction survey listed among top factors the following very important aspects of job satisfaction:

• Job security
• Benefits
• Compensation/pay
• Opportunities to use skills and abilities
• Relationship with immediate supervisor
• Management recognition of employee job performance
• Communication between employees and senior management
  

Two things stand out on this list:
First, job security rules. Of course, it’s not surprising that during an economic downturn employees selected job security as a very important aspect of job satisfaction. This is actually good news for small businesses since the perception among workers (and, frankly, the reality) is that mass layoffs occur more readily at large companies.
Secondly, three of the job satisfaction factors are directly related to management. This tells us that in the current climate, leaders play a vital role in the job satisfaction of employees.
Indeed, to your employees, the boss is the company, and the ability of your leadership team to encourage the development of your people through trusting relationships will impact retention. No doubt about it, as the market improves it will become even more important for managers and leaders to hone performance development skills and to enhance trust.

ASSESS YOUR MANAGERS.
As the economy rebounds, the most important ingredient in retention will be the strength of your leadership team. Now is the time to assess the interpersonal skills of your management team and to make necessary adjusments. Employees want and need leaders who can connect with them emotionally; leaders who are highly visible, who care about the well being of others, who encourage the development of talent in the organization and, most importantly, who are trustworthy.
According to a research study conducted by Linda Stroh, a professor at Loyola University Chicago Graduate School of Business, a trustworthy person:

• Is likely to respond in a healthy way when things don’t go right
• Admits and learns from his or her mistakes
• Is aware of how his or her behavior affects others
• Admits when he or she doesn’t know something
• Tells me when I do something wrong
• Helps me be a better person
• Sticks by others during tough times
• Speaks the same of everyone whether in their presence or not
  

I would add one more trait: Keeps commitments. This includes the small ones. For example, if you promise an employee that you will call him or her back before the end of the day, do it.
Failure to keep even the smallest of commitments can erode trust.
Bottom line: Retaining talent in the future is going to depend in large part on the skills and abilities of your leadership team today.
You must ensure that your management team can build relationships with your people on more than just money.
As the economy rebounds, regardless of your industry or the size of your company, the best formula for successfully retaining talent combines trustworthy leaders with a motivating work environment and a culture that recognizes and engages employees.

Jean Seawright is President of Seawright & Associates, a human resource management consulting firm in Winter Park, Fla. 3 or www.seawright.com.

Don't Dismiss Your Gen X Talent

Sylvia Ann Hewlett Feb. 16, 2012 www.blogs.hbr.org

Is the tide finally turning?

The Labor Department recently reported that the number of Americans quitting their jobs has begun to rise. Although the number is still quite low, it is a tentative sign that labor market mobility, which had petrified during the recession, has started to recover. Employers trusting a stagnant economy to keep top talent from leaving would do well to pay attention.
One particular demographic poised to jump is Generation X. At just 46 million in the U.S., Gen X is small compared to the 78 million Boomers and 70 million Millennials, but they wield a disproportionate amount of influence. Born between 1965 and 1978, they are the bench strength for leadership, the skill bearers and knowledge experts corporations will rely on to gain competitive advantage in the coming decades. Approaching or already in their prime of their careers, they are ready and willing to lead.
Yet their career progress has been threatened by leapfrogging Millennials and blocked by Boomers, who are postponing retirement to bulk up recession-ravaged 401(k)s. They had been promised the keys to the kingdom but are now in danger of turning into the Prince Charles of the American workforce: perpetual heirs apparent.
Unlike Prince Charles, though, Gen X'ers don't plan to stick around and hope for the crown. A recent survey from the Center for Talent Innovation (CTI) shows that 37% have "one foot out the door" and are looking to leave their current employers within the next three years.
With promotions only a scant possibility, what can employers do to keep their talent engaged and on board? Here are five options:

• Develop corporate chameleons. "Once I've learned my job, I like to move on," says one X'er interviewed for the CTI report. "I need something new to keep things fresh." To prevent X'ers from feeling stalled and browning out, companies are rotating promising employees through different functions on a regular schedule. A Sibson Consulting survey (PDF) shows that more than half of Fortune 500 companies say they've begun shuffling potential leaders around to give them broad experience.
• Let them learn. "I really like my company. It's a great fit," says another X'er. "But having said that, if it's the right thing, I'd jump. I won't stop learning or growing just to have a job." That's why even in the middle of a recession, smart companies are maintaining their tuition-reimbursement programs, as well as instituting mentoring and sponsorship programs that pair Boomer managers with Gen X'ers.
• Bring them out of the shadows. Mentoring and sponsorship programs serve another purpose: They match mid-level managers with senior-level executives who can provide opportunities to enrich their career experience. Placing Xers in charge of high-visibility projects is also a way to spotlight their abilities.
• Test their wings. Many X'ers would agree with one of their cohort who declares, "I have an entrepreneurial spirit that won't shut up." With many having been brought up as latchkey kids, Gen X is highly self-reliant; today, 70% of X'ers surveyed by CTI prefer to work independently, and 34% aspire to be an entrepreneur. Why not let them test their wings with a company-sponsored venture than risk having them fly the coop?
• Promote partnerships. It's easy for X'ers to demonize Boomer managers as intransigent dinosaurs and Gen Y subordinates as self-aggrandizing upstarts. Break down the barriers through intergenerational partnerships and teams. Each cohort has its own strengths and gifts; sharing them will enhance everyone's abilities.

Although Gen X has been overshadowed by the demographic behemoths bracketing them, no company can afford to ignore them. Until recently, economic constraints have kept them in their current jobs. But as the recession loosens its grip, well-qualified X'ers will soon have many suitors vying for their abilities and ambitions. Smart organizations will seek to understand what motivates them in order to sustain, retain, realize, and maximize their potential.

Sylvia Ann Hewlett is president of the Center for Talent Innovation and Sylvia Ann Hewlett Associates. She is the author of 11 books, including Winning the War for Talent in Emerging Markets. Follow her on Twitter at @sahewlett.

8 Things Your Employees Need Most

by Jeff Hayden, feb, 2, 2012 www.inc.com

Forget about raises and better benefits. Those are important -- but this is what your staff really wants

Pay is important. But pay only goes so far.

Getting a raise is like buying a bigger house; soon, more becomes the new normal.
Higher wages won’t cause employees to automatically perform at a higher level. Commitment, work ethic, and motivation are not based on pay.
To truly care about your business, your employees need these eight things—and they need them from you:
1. Freedom. Best practices can create excellence, but every task doesn't deserve a best practice or a micro-managed approach. (Yes, even you, fast food industry.)
Autonomy and latitude breed engagement and satisfaction. Latitude also breeds innovation. Even manufacturing and heavily process-oriented positions have room for different approaches.
Whenever possible, give your employees the freedom to work they way they work best.
2. Targets. Goals are fun. Everyone—yes, even you—is at least a little competitive, if only with themselves. Targets create a sense of purpose and add a little meaning to even the most repetitive tasks.
Without a goal to shoot for, work is just work. And work sucks.
3. Mission. We all like to feel a part of something bigger. Striving to be worthy of words like "best" or "largest" or "fastest" or "highest quality" provides a sense of purpose.
Let employees know what you want to achieve, for your business, for customers, and even your community. And if you can, let them create a few missions of their own.
Caring starts with knowing what to care about—and why.
4. Expectations. While every job should include some degree of latitude, every job needs basic expectations regarding the way specific situations should be handled. Criticize an employee for expediting shipping today, even though last week that was the standard procedure if on-time delivery was in jeopardy, and you lose that employee.
Few things are more stressful than not knowing what your boss expects from one minute to the next.
When standards change make sure you communicate those changes first. When you can't, explain why this particular situation is different, and why you made the decision you made.
5. Input. Everyone wants to offer suggestions and ideas. Deny employees the opportunity to make suggestions, or shoot their ideas down without consideration, and you create robots.
Robots don't care.
Make it easy for employees to offer suggestions. When an idea doesn't have merit, take the time to explain why. You can't implement every idea, but you can always make employees feel valued for their ideas.
6. Connection. Employees don’t want to work for a paycheck; they want to work with and for people.
A kind word, a short discussion about family, a brief check-in to see if they need anything... those individual moments are much more important than meetings or formal evaluations.
7. Consistency. Most people can deal with a boss who is demanding and quick to criticize... as long as he or she treats every employee the same. (Think of it as the Tom Coughlin effect.)
While you should treat each employee differently, you must treat each employee fairly. (There's a big difference.)
The key to maintaining consistency is to communicate. The more employees understand why a decision was made the less likely they are to assume favoritism or unfair treatment.
8. Future. Every job should have the potential to lead to something more, either within or outside your company.
For example, I worked at a manufacturing plant while I was in college. I had no real future with the company. Everyone understood I would only be there until I graduated.
One day my boss said, "Let me show you how we set up our production board."
I raised an eyebrow; why show me? He said, "Even though it won’t be here, some day, somewhere, you'll be in charge of production. You might as well start learning now."
Take the time to develop employees for jobs they someday hope to fill—even if those positions are outside your company. (How will you know what they hope to do? Try asking.)
Employees will care about your business when you care about them first.

Jeff Haden learned much of what he knows about business and technology as he worked his way up in the manufacturing industry. Everything else he picks up from ghostwriting books for some of the smartest leaders he knows in business. @jeff_haden

OUR ASSESSMENT ADVANTAGES

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The ability to send all of your assessments and surveys securely from your account to your employees and clients is an essential feature.

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There is no limit to the places you can reach by sending any Assessment or Survey from within your account. Send mass assessments of up to 100 applicants / employees at a single time and receive instant notification of completion via email.

Benchmarking
This is a critical component of our assessments. If you have employees in a department who are performing well, doesn't it just make sense to hire the same type of person for that department? With the benchmarking feature, you can!

Each time you run a report you have the opportunity to create, compare and utilize results to create accurate benchmarks to match your current employees. By using various existing and custom benchmarks to see how close the scores and personality types are, you will see in seconds if the applicant you are looking at "fits" the position and department.

Customized Reports
Every report is custom labeled with your company logo and contact information.

The Days of "Manager Knows Best" Are Ending

Wednesday February 1, 2012 by Sujai Hajela www.blogs.hbr.org

To get a glimpse of what tomorrow's young global managers might be like as leaders, take a look at how today's young people think about communications.
For one thing, they are devoted to connectivity. In a recent survey of more than 2,800 college students and young professionals in 14 countries, Cisco found that more than half said they could not live without the internet, and if forced to choose, two-thirds would opt to have an internet rather than a car. This intense desire to be connected leads to a demand for greater flexibility: Two out of five people said they'd accept a lower-paying job if the position offered greater flexibility on access to social media, the ability to work from where they chose, and choice on the mobile devices they could use on the job. Tomorrow's young managers will share these attitudes, and workplaces will inevitably become more flexible.
For another thing, social media is quickly overtaking phones and email and becoming the dominant form of communication. Young people are driving this change, with the one-to-one mode of interacting giving way to a one-to-many mind-set. Young leaders will use social media to create a running dialog with their employees and colleagues, issuing constant updates about their projects and ideas. Employees will use it to provide instantaneous input and feedback. Workers, via this medium, will insist on having a voice in shaping the company's vision and strategy.
The demand for increased connectivity and flexibility and greater use of social media will shape and change companies from the inside out. Companies will need to think hard about these questions:

• What is the appropriate level of openness? Should employees be prevented from slamming their bosses' ideas, for example? Should managers be restricted in the kinds of things they can say to or about employees?

• How much blurring of public and private life is too much? Social media encourages people to mix work- and nonwork-related communication, but some workers prefer to keep their social lives strictly off-limits.

• How can the company prevent abuse of social media? Things can get ugly quickly — all it takes is one thoughtless comment. Employees and managers need to know that there will be serious consequences for any misuse of this potentially combustible form of communication.

• When employees from VPs to interns are sharing company information on Twitter, on Facebook, and in blogs while your competition is watching, how do you ensure that your employees understand what information is confidential and what is public?

As companies resolve these issues, management styles will evolve. The days when a leader can confidently say "I know best" will come to an end. Managers will no longer be able to communicate with just a small circle of trusted advisers — they'll be expected to interact digitally with a much broader range of people both inside and outside the company.
Not every company will be pleased by this turn of events, of course, but those that embrace it will have new competitive opportunities. With knowledge flowing more freely throughout the organization and decisions being made more quickly, the company will be able to react more nimbly to the ever-increasing pace of change.

What's in a Name - The Generations of the Past 100 Years

generation name	born (range, loosely)	characterizing features typically described (loosely)
The Lost Generation	1880-1900	The term reflects the unthinkable loss of human life in the First World War- approaching 16 million killed and over 20 million wounded. This happened in just four years and five months (1914-1918). We cannot imagine this today.
The Interbellum Generation	1900-1913	Interbellum means 'between wars', referring to the fact that these people were too young to fight in the First World War and too old to fight in the Second.
The Greatest Generation (The Veterans)	1914-1930	These people are revered for having grown up during the Great Depression and then fought or stood alongside those who fought in the Second World War (1939-45). As for other generations of the early 1900s, life was truly hard compared to later times.
The Silent Generation	1930-1945	Characterized as fatalistic, accepting, having modest career and family aspirations, focused on security and safety. These people experienced the 1930s Great Depression and/or the 2nd World War in early life, and post-war austerity in young adulthood. They parented and provided a foundation for the easier lives of the Baby Boomers.
Baby Boomers	1946-1960	Equality, freedom, civil rights, environmental concern, peace, optimism, challenge to authority, protest. Baby Boomers mostly lived safe from war and serious hardship; grew up mostly in families, and enjoyed economic prosperity more often than not. Teenage/young adulthood years 1960-1980 - fashion and music: fun, happy, cheery, sexy, colourful, lively.
Generation Jones	1953-1968	Acquisitive, ambitious, achievement-oriented, cynical, materialistic (a reference to the expression 'keeping up with the Joneses'). Generation Jones is predominantly a US concept, overlapping and representing a sub-group within the Baby Boomer and Gen-X generations.
Generation X (Gen-X)	1960-1980	Apathy, anarchy, reactionism, detachment, technophile, resentful, nomadic, struggling. Teenage/young adulthood years 1973-2000 - fashion and music: anarchic, bold, anti-establishment.
MTV Generation	1974-1983	MTV Generation is a lesser-used term for a group overlapping X and Y. Like Generation Jones is to Baby Boomers and Gen-X, so MTV Generation is a bridge between Gen-X and Y.
Generation Y (Gen-Y or Millennials)	1980-2000 and beyond (?)	Views vary as to when this range ends, basically because no-one knows. Generational categories tend to become established some years after the birth range has ended. Teenage/young adulthood years 1990s and the noughties - fashion and music: mainstream rather than niche, swarmingly popular effects, fuelled by social networking and referral technology. Also called Echo Boomers because this generation is of similar size to the Baby Boomers.
Generation Z (Gen-Z or perhaps Generation ADD)	after Gen-Y	Too soon to say much about this group. A name has yet to become established, let alone characterizing features. Generation Z is a logical name in the X-Y-sequence. Generation ADD is less likely to establish itself as a name for this cohort - it refers ironically to Attention Deficit Disorder and the supposed inability of young people in the late noughties (say 2005-2009) to be able to concentrate for longer than a few seconds on anything. Gen-Z is difficult to differentiate from Gen-Y, mainly because (as at 2009) it's a little too soon to be seeing how people born after Gen-Y are actually behaving, unless the end of the Gen-Y range is deemed to be a few years earlier than the year 2000. Time will tell.

The Home is Our most Important Value----?

Not for all of us!  According to  Reed Robinson | 23 September 2011 iconoculture.com, Millenials consider appearance more important than their home.

KEY INSIGHTS

• Which platforms of self-expression are most important for consumers? Of the modes fielded in Iconoculture's Values and Lifestyle Survey (Wave 1, 2010), most generations view one's home as the most important avenue for style expression.
• Millennials are the only exception: A greater percentage of this group feels that their appearance (hairstyle, makeup, facial hair, etc.) and clothing are more important pieces of a style persona.
• Although personal electronics are at the bottom of the list for each group, there is a large difference (40 percentage points) between the bookend generations.

Image: | Credit: Reed Robinson

"Keeping the Millennials"

How to Lead, Motivate, and Retain Key Talent During Uncertain Timesby Dr. Joanne G. Sujansky, CSP

With more and more organizations laying off staff, slashing budgets, and reorganizing departments in an attempt to cut costs and increase cash flow, many company leaders struggle as they attempt to do more with less. But in their quest for increasing productivity and maximizing talent, organizations can end up losing key employees. So rather than do more with less, leaders today need to do more with more – more interaction with employees, more communication, more partnering, and more coaching. Only then can they create the work environment necessary for increased productivity and employee loyalty.
Effective leadership is always the key element to motivating and retaining staff. The studies prove it. Whenever employees are asked to identify why they left a company, "lack of leadership" is often cited as one of the top five reasons. In order for employees to want to contribute, they must feel that they know where the company is going and that it’s strategically strong. Strong leaders instill these beliefs.
In order to help your managers and executive level employees lead effectively so they can motivate and retain key talent, coach them to employ the practices listed below. Doing so will enable you to create a work environment that gets employees excited about the company and eager to produce results.

1. Set clear expectations
Just like the company, each employee needs a clear focus, especially during uncertain times. When employees see the economy turn sour or cutbacks occur, they naturally fear any change that could impact their own future. To keep those fears from surfacing, continually communicate with your employees and state your expectations of them. Tell them what you want, what they did right, what you expect of them, and how you will measure their progress.
Share the organizational vision and goals so employees understand the big picture. Realize that your team members want to know where the organization is going and how that direction impacts their personal objectives. As events and circumstances change, communicate that to them as well. The more you reveal to your employees, the more leadership they’ll feel that they have.
2. Show respect
When resources get tight, respect within an organization can decline, causing some leaders to show a lack of concern for the time and needs of their employees. As you ask employees to produce more, stay attuned to their need for life balance, as many people are sensitive to keeping work life, home life, and community life in balance. They may stay up all night to finish a project, but over the long term they won’t sacrifice family and friends for the sake of their jobs. To respect employees’ time, consider flexible work schedules. This could include longer workdays and shorter workweeks. Be creative about building in the flexibility.
Another great way to show respect is to get creative with your benefit plan. Employees may have more sophisticated needs in this area than you thought possible. For example, some companies now offer shopping services, adoption reimbursement, and even pet care and pet insurance for employees. When people feel respected, they’ll be more loyal over the long term.
3. Make the workday meaningful
Employees today want more than just a job. They want to contribute to the big picture and help the company sustain through the tough times. Therefore, leaders need to provide challenging and meaningful work assignments that stimulate their employees. When employees feel bored, their motivation declines and they lose focus of how their work fits into the big picture. Delegate meaningful work whenever possible so employees can learn something new and feel challenged.
Additionally, provide regular development and learning opportunities. These could include formal training (when money permits) and mentoring opportunities from within the organization. Employees want to be marketable, so when you give them opportunities to increase their skills and showcase their talents, they’ll have a strong desire to stay with the company.
4. Give appropriate praise and recognition
Recognize and celebrate even the small accomplishments, as praise and recognition inspire people to increase productivity. Employees appreciate spontaneous and positive recognition along the way instead of delayed recognition during a performance review. However, as you give praise and recognition, consider the receiver. Although praise is a great motivator, some people prefer to receive praise privately, while others like it publicly. Also, give varied and frequent rewards employees can enjoy. Again, consider the receiver; some may appreciate theatre or sporting event tickets, while others may like an afternoon off from work.
One simple way to give praise and recognition is with a simple “thank you.” It can be done in a moment in the hallway, by phone, or during a drop-in visit. “Thank you” is a powerful phrase that can make a person feel appreciated and valued. Whatever you choose to do, remember that rewards and recognition are great motivators, so use them freely.
5. Continually coach
To keep morale high, coach and facilitate every day. The “I tell/you do” method of management simply does not work for motivating and retaining people. Instead, become a coach to your people and encourage them to try things their own way. Allow for mistakes to happen, as mistakes are often our greatest learning opportunities. When people know that mistakes are understood as a part of the experience, they’ll be more creative and take more risks. When you need to correct employees, do so constructively by offering information on ways they can improve, attain, and surpass desired results. Most people are grateful for constructive feedback. It shows that you’re paying attention to their progress.
In addition to coaching from management, suggest that team members coach each other. The encouragement, teaching, and support increase dramatically when all team members provide it. As a side benefit, internal coaching costs the company very little, yet it produces significant results.

Keep What You’ve Got
While the above guidelines won’t guarantee that valuable employees will stay with you through good times and bad, they do increase your chances for leading, motivating, and retaining key people when your company needs them the most. By partnering with your employees and creating a work environment that’s enjoyable, meaningful, and focused, your company can accomplish great results, even during uncertain times.
About the Author:
Dr. Joanne Sujansky, CSP, has over 25 years of experience helping leaders increase organizational growth and profitability by creating and sustaining what she calls a “vibrant entrepreneurial organization.” She is an international keynote speaker, founder of KEYGroup® and the author of numerous books on leadership, change and retention. A member of the National Speakers Association, she holds their highest earned designation, Certified Speaking Professional. Reach her at 724-942-7900 or at www.joannesujansky.com. 

The Millenials

This is an older '60 Minutes' clip, but it still has a very real message for all of us!


They are young adults and have been coddled by their parents to the point of being ill prepared for a demanding workplace. Morley Safer reports on the generation called "Millenials." 

Things you should know about Gen Y......

Taken from an award-winning DVD-based program titled "Awesome!" - http://bpgrp.com/training_products/preview.
• There is no consensus on the exact birth dates that define Generation Y, but the years between 1980 and 2000 are most often cited. Any way you measure, they are one of the largest generations in history accounting for about 30% of the global population.
• Although they are just now entering the workforce, they will account for almost half of all employees in the next few years.
• Gen Y is more comfortable with diversity than previous generations. They have grown up with people of many races and nationalities, speaking a multitude of languages, coming from traditional and nontraditional families.
• They are smart spenders and account for billions of dollars in purchasing power. They will soon be the dominant consumers driving the economy.
• They are the first generation in history that knows more about the technologies that are central to the economy than their parents – and many of their employers.
• They have been exposed to a wide range of activities and resources at a young age including sports, travel, music, dance, academic enrichment programs, media production tools, and advanced technologies.
• They were raised to speak their minds and don’t automatically defer to people who are older and more experienced. They expect to be judged by what they know, not how long they have known it.
• They want to make a big impact on the world and demand to be taken seriously.
• They expect balance in their lives between work and other activities. They are less likely than their elders to put career ahead of family.
• They have always lived in a world that is constantly changing. They don’t fear change – they welcome it.

Why Boomers should listen to Gen Y

Posted by: Julia Kinslow on: September 11, 2009 http://juliakinslow.wordpress.com/
Yesterday, waiting for my lunch appointment to arrive, I watched a young man behind the counter texting to a friend between customers. My first reaction was dismay. Shortly after, I realized it is his generation who will be teaching our generation about customer relationships. A little scary? Maybe.
Reverse mentoring
It only seems scary because we’re used to an older generation assuming the mentor role in work environments. Traditionally, it’s the high-seniority professionals showing the younger, less experienced mentees the ropes.
However, if you’re of the Baby Boom Generation, you’ve probably noticed a reverse mentoring trend happening in the workplace. It’s essentially Gen Y (also known as Millennials) mentoring the well-established, more experienced workforce, as opposed to the other way around. The trend is most noticeable in professional fields where technology is an integral part of the work environment.
What Gen Y is telling us
Although no one seems to agree exactly where Gen Y starts and stops (late 1970s – late 1990s), it is a fact that it is the largest generation (approximately 80 million) to hit the American market since the Baby Boomers.
Gen Y are digital natives, meaning digital technology already existed when they were born. They can easily multi-task between searching the Internet, listening to music on their MP3, texting on their mobile phone, while TV is playing in the background.

Growing up amid a high-speed bombardment of information has produced a generation with short attention spans, no doubt. But, it has also produced a sharp generation who understand how to effectively market themselves and products using social networks.
Why Boomers should listen
Because of the emerging influence of Gen Y, it’s important we understand how they’re different in order to monetize marketing strategies in a Web 2.0 environment. When marketing to them, remember that:
1. Mobile phones are like an extension of their arm
2. They don’t care about ads, but what their friends think
3. Television is background noise; Internet TV is better
4. Social media networks equal relationship building
5. They expect work tools to mirror Web tools
6. They value work-life balance; flex-time, an ability to work from anywhere in a “fun” work environment; a need to “buy in” to an idea (aka “Generation Why?”)
An environment where everyone wins
If we can embrace the concept of reverse mentoring, and recognize the positive changes Gen Y brings to business, everyone can benefit. Boomers can learn from Gen Y’s ability to adapt quickly to changing work environments, and at how easily they give and receive feedback. Having grown up during the Enron era, they are skeptical about concepts such as company loyalty, and appear to have an almost built in expectation of company layoffs.
It’s Gen Y’s time to challenge outdated norms and create real change in an environment so everyone can win.