Archive for the 'generations' Category
Posted on August 12, 2008
Before I get to today’s post, I have a request. We are trying to build our online community of engineers. Please forward our blog site to your friends and colleagues so they can join us, too.
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This morning Mark and I were talking about the generation of folks coming out of college and in their 20s. I mentioned some young engineers I talked with at the ACEC/GA conference in June. I was just amazed at their enthusiasm and eagerness to get involved.
Mark repeated what he has said before: We hire them and beat the leadership and enthusiasm out of them over time. We wear them down until they look and act like us.
I would hate to see that happen to the folks I talked with. I would hate to see that happen to ACEC/GA Future Leaders program participants that I get to work with each year.
Our conversation reminded me of this tale.
Subject: Company Policy
Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage,
hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it.
Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb
towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray
all of the other monkeys with cold water. After a while,
another monkey makes an attempt with the same result - all the
other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when
another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys
will try to prevent it.
Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage
and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana
and wants to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all
of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and
attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will
be assaulted.
Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace
it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is
attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment
with enthusiasm! Likewise, replace a third original monkey
with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth.
Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is
attacked. Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no
idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why
they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.
After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining
monkeys has ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless,
no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the
banana.
Why not?
Because, as far as they know, that’s the way it’s always been
done around here.
And that, my friends, is how company policy begins.
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The moral of the story: Don’t make a monkey out of yourself or those you work with.
Posted on July 1, 2008
Last week I talked about characteristics of the Millennials, the young people you are hiring today. If you check last week’s post, you will see a great comment and additional info from one of our readers. Thank you, unidentified reader, for contributing.
This week, let’s explore a 24-year-old Millennial who has to manage a 55-year-old Boomer.
GUIDELINES FOR THE MILLENNIAL
- · Respect Boomers’ experience and use it. Ask them about the history of projects and relationships. Rely on their expertise.
- · Don’t worry about being talked down to. It’s hard for me to type that, but I’m sure that Boomers probably come across as patronizing when addressing a Millennial boss. The Boomer’s generation valued experience and time on the job. That won’t change overnight.
- · Prove you can learn. Engage a Boomer as a confidante or mentor in his or her area of expertise. Lead by learning.
- · Use your natural collaborative tendencies and engage Boomers as fellow teammates. Help them work together. Your understanding of teamwork is very different from theirs.
- · Don’t assume their way is like yours. My part-time Millennial staffer just accused me of trying to make something harder than it needs to be. I won’t admit to TRYING to make it harder, but that was the effect. The Millennial is right.
GUIDELINES FOR THE BOOMER
- · Let go of your ego. Think about all the performance reviews you don’t have to deal with because you’re NOT the boss. Think about how much better you can sleep at night, because the Millennial boss has the problems.
- · Stop parenting. If you want to give advice, ask permission first. Something along the line of “Is it OK if I share with you what I’m thinking?” Or “Do you want to hear how I would handle that?”
- · Don’t dig in your heels and refuse to change. Business and life are about constant change these days. Deal with it. Solve problems rather than create them.
- · Offer the benefit of your experience, but do so in private. This is similar to “stop parenting.” Don’t embarrass your Millennial boss by correcting him, based on your experience, in front of others. You may be right, but spectators will think you’re a fill-in-the-blank. And it isn’t good.
JUST FOR FUN
I’d like to do a quick survey of how you use (or don’t) social networking sites. Please take 30 seconds and answer this survey. This one is anonymous. We will share results.
3-question social networking survey or paste into your URL
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=CtQ8DBfhUdpRTgp6Wj74og_3d_3d
Thanks. See you next week.
Posted on June 24, 2008
THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Dealing with the New Kids on the Block-the Millennials, not the revitalized boy band-can be a challenge for managers. I know. My 23-year-old son works with me part-time while he finishes school.
TRAITS OF THE MILLENNIALS
I recently heard this generation, born from 1981 to 2000, referred to as the most affluenced generation. Other people have referred to them as being coddled. I’m guilty. Somebody drove my kids to school every day until they could drive themselves. With Atlanta traffic and child predators out there, I couldn’t let them walk to school. The very idea!
These young people are focused on the present: “what can I do now?” At a recent conference, an associate and I were sharing stories about how we had to step up to management roles at the ages of 24 and 26. We bragged (if we’re honest) about how we had to manage a dozen or more people, all older than us. A Millennial at our table sighed and said, “I sure wish I had a story like that to tell others.” He is itching for an opportunity to make a difference.
I had breakfast with another associate this morning who reminded me of the need to involve and value the Millennials. This associate, who is 60, owns a firm that works in the A/E arena. Of his 9 employees, all but one are Millennials. He was bragging about how smart they are, how involved they are, and how much they want to contribute.
They relish responsibility, demand instant feedback, and expect to accomplish things. They are socially responsible and want to work for companies that are involved in good causes.
And, of course, they are the technology generation. My son didn’t know how to fax a document-he had never needed to. But if he has his way, WeKnowEngineers.com will soon be available on YouTube and podcasts.
A column in Newsweek entitled “The Dumbest Generation? Don’t Be Dumb” pointed out that the Millennials don’t know history, great literature, and other facts that the older generation had to commit to memory. The Millemnials don’t have to remember; if they need information, they just search for it on the web.
HOW TO MANAGE MILLENNIALS
Baby Boomers coined the term “continuous learning.” What we viewed as novel, the Millennials demand. Just-in-time, continuous learning is expected. One Millennial said, “I would have loved to stay with this company for more than a year or two, but they just didn’t have anything left to offer me.”
Here are some tips on how to manage your Millennials.
* Create coaching relationships between your experienced staff and the Millennials.
* Give constructive feedback immediately-not once or twice a year.
* Treat them like a colleague or associate, not a subordinate.
* Don’t shut down when they ask “why” you do things a certain way. Explain. Turn it into a learning opportunity.
* Teach basic self-management skills, such as planning their time, assigning priorities, etc.
* Work with them to develop a career plan, with goals, timelines, resources, etc.
* Create a database of “go-to” people that can help them with their learning in different subjects.
Next time: How Millennials can manage up. Have a great day.
Pam
P.S. Millennials are also sometimes referred to as Generation Y. “Millennials” is the official term.
Posted on April 7, 2008
The emotions in the comments were almost palpable.
“What is wrong with these guys?” bemoaned the 60-year-old exec. “When I was their age, I worked 60 hours a week, raised my family, and still bought into the company. These guys, though—they aren’t stepping up and buying stock. What’s up with that?”
Thus, the generational issue raises its head again–particularly with Boomers eyeing retirement. They are the primary stockholders in their firms, and the firms need staff to step up and buy company stock so the Boomers can leave.
The Boomers see the issue as one of loyalty. Truth be told, some also want to see that stock price go up so they will take home more when they do cash out.
For the staff, though, it’s a leadership issue. I’ve been hearing this from clients for some time. Now Watson Wyatt, an international consulting firm, has documented it. The data is for Canada, but I think it is significant enough that we can use it here.
Let the data speak
Watson Wyatt put employees in groups according to age: Under 30, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60 and over. Here is what they found.
- No. 1 driver for all age groups except 30-39 is Strategic Direction and Leadership. No. 1 driver for ages 30-39 is Rewards (pay and benefits). That’s hardly surprising since this is the group most likely raising young families.
- No. 2 driver for all groups except 30-39 is Rewards (pay and benefits). For the 30-39 group, it’s Strategic Direction and Leadership.
- No. 3 driver for all three groups is Communication.
The message is clear: If you want staff to buy stock, you have to tell them what future they’re buying into. And you’d better be making a profit.
Strategic Direction and Communication
You, company leaders, need to provide and communicate strategic direction for your firm. Putting together an annual strategic plan and handing out copies is not enough. One firm has a schedule for who is going to communicate what strategy-related message, when, to whom, and by what means. They let staff know what progress they’re making on their goals.
Teach Them What You Had to Learn
You need to identify the folks you want to step into leadership roles and educate them about the job. One 40-something client made this point last week: “They keep calling us the future leaders, but we are leading now.” In his case, he’s right. Just like you, they didn’t learn how to run a company in engineering school. Help them learn what you didn’t know.
Share Your Thinking
Once you identify those leaders, you need to get into the financials and history for your firm. These 40-somethings need to understand why you make the financial decisions that you do. They probably don’t have your decades of experience with the firm, so, for example, they need background on why you got out of a particular market 10 years ago. You have 20, 30, maybe 40 years of knowledge about your firm in your head. You need to share it.
Be Creative in Stock-Buying Plans
The 40-somethings are likely raising a family, looking at ever-looming college costs, and starting to deal with their own aging parents. Taking out a sizable loan to buy stock in the company isn’t going to happen. Thus, you need to get creative in offering ways to buy stock. Some firms are giving stock as a bonus. Others encourage staff to use bonuses as a means to buying stock. Another firm has a payment plan.
ON A SIDE NOTE
The exec in this tale talked about how he and his partners all grew up as a family as they built the firm. Thinking out loud, he said maybe the company should have a cookout or some other get-togethers so folks could get to know each other better. That’s typical Boomer thinking.
When I relayed that comment to a 40-something, he said, “I don’t need to get to know those guys any better. I know them well enough.” That’s typical Gen-Xer thinking.
Boomers need to recognize that Gen-Xers are focused on their families, not the company. In our tight labor market, a top-quality engineer can quit in the morning and find another job before the day is out. Their priority is taking care of their families.
What’s a Boomer exec to do? Provide that Strategic Direction they want, demonstrate leadership and grow new leaders. Be creative in ways for the staff to buy stock.
