Did you know: Your workplace likely has five different generations represented.
That’s right: five. Traditionalists, Boomers, Millennials (aka Gen Y) and Generations X and Z are all likely trying to cohabitate in your office, which means five very different age groups with five very different sets of expectations.
This is a real challenge for leaders, who are now faced with trying to manage it all. Despite everyone’s best intentions, generational problems occur frequently, including communication disconnects, disagreements on performance expectations and lack of team cooperation or collaboration
Learn how to tackle these differences with Katherine (Kit) Prendergast, certified Executive Leadership Development Coach, at October’s Biz Café.
In this fast-paced, interactive session called “Bringing Out the Best of a Multigenerational Workforce,” you’ll learn:
· How to inspire performance and collaboration among your multi-
· Strategies for bridging communication disconnects
· Concrete tools to apply immediately to your own unique work setting
NCET Biz Cafe | Kit Prendergast, Multigenerational Workforce | Oct 2018
1. Department of Human ResourcesDepartment of Human Resources
Learn… Grow… Lead… ExcelLearn… Grow… Lead… Excel
Committed to Excellence
Bringing Out the Best
of a Multigenerational
Workforce
Presenter
Katherine Prendergast, PCC
Career Connections of Sierra Nevada
Reno, Nevada
2. 2
Welcome!
• 5 Unique & Valuable Generations
• What Defines a “Generation”
• Influence of Birthrates & “Signposts”
• Workforce Trends & Numbers
• Values & Needs & Strengths
• 5 Common “Clash Points”
• Strategies to Bring Out the Best
What Are You Willing to Do?
3. 3
Bring with You Today
Your Curiosity
Sincere Interest in
Other’s Strengths
Appreciation of
Diversity
Sense of Humor!
6. 6
Defining a “Generation”
A generation is a society wide peer group,
born over approximately 15 - 20 years who
experienced the same events and had similar
influences within the same time frame.
There is no consensus on when one
generation ends and another begins. Most
commonly, generations are defined by major
fluctuations in the birthrate.
7. 7
Generational “Signposts”
Generations are shaped
by “sign posts”. These
are historical events,
major social changes,
economic conditions and
popular culture trends
which happened during
those years.
9. 9
Baby Boomers
(born 1946 - 1964)
• Largest Generation in History
• 80 million/ 54 – 72 years old
• 29% of Workforce
• Vietnam, Women’s Rights, Watergate,
Civil Rights, Walk on Moon,
Known for being optimistic,
social reformers, committed
to community concerns
10. 10
Gen Xers
(born 1965 - 1980)
• 60 million/ 38 – 53 years old
• 34% of Workforce
• Latchkey Kids
Recession early 1980s
(parents laid off)
• Known for being independent,
skeptical, entrepreneurial, few rules
11. 11
Gen Ys/Millennials
(born 1981 - 1995)
• 80 million 23 – 37 years old
• 50% of the Workforce 2020
• 75% in 2025!
• Baby Boomers having
children later/surge of
second families
• Know for being global,
• inquisitive, ambitious, volunteerism
12. 12
Gen Zs/Gen Edgers
(born 1996 - 2010)
• 61 million+ (immigration) 22 yrs in 2018
• 10% of Workforce in 2020
• Internships/Part-Time/Graduate School
• Most ethnically diverse generation in US
history (47% minorities)
• Known for being tech savvy,
adaptability & resiliency.
13. 13
Caution!
5 Common “Clash” Points
• Organizational Structure
(hierarchal vs. networked)
• Collaboration Styles
• Feedback (frequency & how)
• Motivation & Values “The Why”
• Work Ethic & Behavior at Work
15. 15
7 Strategies for Bringing Out
the Best of All
• Ask & Listen for Individual Strengths
• Provide Meaningful Work
• Give People a Voice/Seat at Table
• Be Clear About Expectations
• Recognize Individual Accomplishment
• Provide Feedback/Coaching Approach
• Be Transparent with Information
16. 16
3 “Must Haves” for
Every Leader
A Strengths Based
Perspective
Strong Emotional & Social
Intelligence Skills
Competence in Basic
Coaching Skills
17. 17
Thought to End With . . .
“The difference between
what we do and what we
are capable of doing
would suffice to solve
most of the world’s
problems”.
Mohandas Gandhi
Notas del editor
Welcome
A. Speaker/Kit & Theme of Diversity
B. Today’s Agenda Slide #2 (review learning objectives too)
C. Quick Start Exercise
“A leader is the relentless architect of the possibility that others can be.”
Benjamin Zander, Conductor, Boston Philharmonic
Quick Start Exercise
I. Purpose: (3 ways to connect)
To connect participants to each other /form a learning community
To connect participants to the speaker
To connect participants to the topic - learning goals & own wisdom
II. Quick Start Exercise
Encourage everyone to stand up, circulate, shake hands with 7 people you don’t know. Partner up and answer question:
“What are seven (7) kinds of diversity that you are seeing in today’s workforce?”
Shout it out – to create a master list.
II. 7 kinds of diversity (my story – working in Norway/WIN organization.
nationality or country of origin
age (generations)
gender (male & female)
in US - geographic origin
race
language
education
money/wealth/income
religion
marital status
children/no children/grandchildren
Next: level of skills/experience
tenure with company
l
Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary gives four variations for “generation”.
Johnson starts with “a group of individuals born and living contemporaneously who have common knowledge and experiences that affect their thoughts, attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviors”. Pg. 6 Johnsons, Generations, Inc.
No consensus exists on how to determine when one generation ends and another begins, The most common definition is based on major fluctuations in the birthrate.
For example, WWII forced millions of Traditionalist to postpone starting families. At the war’s end, after long separations, people were ready to marry and have children.
In 1946, live births in the US surged from 222,721 in January to 339,499 by October. By the end of the 1940’s 32 million babies had been born compared to 24 million in the 1930’s.
When the surge ended in 1965, the Baby Boomer generation included 78.2 million people – the largest American generation on record! Pg. 6 Johnsons
Baby Boomers are known for: “This is so exciting!”
Optimism
Putting their stamp on things
II. Signposts (major influences):
Vietnam War
Women’s Rights & Civil Rights
Moon Landing
Watergate (Nixon) Growing distrust of government/politics
III. Personal Values
To make the world a better place
To feel that their efforts are improving things for others
IV.Needs at Work:
To belong/part of the team
To be productive
To make a valuable contribution
V. Strengths in the Workplace
Consensual or collegial leadership style (inclusive)
Dependable
Eager to pass on knowledge & experience (legacy)
Gen Xers are known for: Work to Live - Not Live to Work
Prizing independence – Free Agent Nation – Daniel Pink’s book
Strong problem solvers
Always preparing for their next job (skills, knowledge, networking)
Signposts (major influences):
Personal Values:
Needs at Work:
flexibility
Don’t waste their time!
want to learn/job skills/career progression
want autonomy to get the job done
give them the job and then step back – let them do it
want to see that something is really useful
IV. Strengths Gen Xers bring to the workforce
Entrepreneurial spirit/energy
Willing (and eager) to question policies/procedures/outdated rules
Less willing to work in ongoing teams/gravitate to project teams
Gen Ys are known for:
Energy
Questioning
Independent/Anxiety/Self-Doubt
Signposts:
Older parents
911 Attacks
Iraq War
III. Personal Values
Life balance
Self-confidence
IV.Needs at Work:
Friends! Relationship with boss/mentor
To know what is expected
To also be given support/guidance/encouragement/growth
V. Strengths in the Workplace
Tech savvy
Creative/Think Out of Box
Well educated/traveled/wider perspective
Ambitious
Linksters are known for:
Often doing internships (so have outside knowledge/experience)
Questioning/Want to use skills/confidence
II.Signposts:
School violence
Global terrorism
Global exposure/travel/Year Abroad programs
Connect & communicate through technology extensively
III. Personal Values
Importance of contribution (Great Depression, WWII)
To feel that their efforts are improving things for others
IV.Needs at Work:
To be given a routine
To be welcomed & included as part of the team
To be given individual attention/coaching/feedback
V. Strengths in the Workplace
Tech Savvy
Hope & Optimism
Receptive
High Potential
Mobile
Energy
“Tarring” of one generation by another generation = generational myopia
Means taking a narrow view of something through their own generation lenses.
Example: You are a Baby Boomer raised to believe that doing a good job means getting your work completed before you go home. You see a young person walk right out the door at 5:00pm when there is still some task critical to the project you are both working on that is undone.
He is violating your generational values – Grownups take responsibility. Second, he is violating the value of being a good team member.
Meanwhile, the young person has a different perspective. Up until now , if something needed to be done, someone in charge would usually tell him to do it. Consequently, the task isn’t even on his radar.
So while you are projecting your displeasure at them (and generalizing to all young people) he is interpretation your bristling as the typical weird behavior of old guys. It’s generational myopia raging on both sides. Pg. 15
New Generations of Leaders
Very few companies have analyzed their workplace demographics and made projections abut the retirement rates of their workers. Pg. 15
Baby Boomers – 10,540 turn 60 each day and are thinking about doing something different than managing/leading in their companies.
The recession 2008 – 2009 slowed this now (depletion of retirement nest eggs) but it is coming back fast. Smart companies are preparing Gen Xers and fast tracking their high potential Gen Ys to take the place of the disappearing Traditionalists and retiring Baby Boomers (retiring 2x)
As Gen Xers and Gen Ys become the core of the world’s workforce , their values, likes and dislikes will be critical to efforts to engage them.
Gen Xers & Gen Ys: They are looking for something very different than the BBs. According to Jobfox.com the top 4 motivators for Gen Y are: B
Balance – life & work, set own work hours
Leading Edge, - know technology is changing constantly and their skills have to keep up – continual skill development.
Instant Contribution – They don’t want to be treated as “Junior anything”
Want to begin contributing right away – to be a valued part of the company
Stability – can be loyal team players as long as they get first 3.
Bringing Out the Best in Today’s Multigenerational Workforce
Be curious. Be appreciative. Be respectful.
These seven (7) strategies and supporting action steps can help you as a business owner, the manager or a HR professional build a workplace climate of mutual respect & trust resulting in increased collaboration and business success.
Remember . . . manage your employees as individuals and not as stereotypes. This approach will smooth out many conflicts that often arise more from a biased perception than the facts of the situation.
1. Ask & Listen for Individual Strengths, Interests & Skills. Be curious. Ask your employees about their strengths - when are they “at their best”? Identify these strengths and create opportunities to use these strengths regularly. Give challenging work assignments and continuous learning/training opportunities. Encourage growth!
2. Provide Work that is Fulfilling & Meaningful. Remember the business that you are in and what work needs to be done to make that business successful. Ensure that your employees understand the importance of their work to this business success. Modify work responsibilities to eliminate boring, non-productive work that drains motivation and energy.
3. Give People a Seat at the Table/Voice. Everyone wants to be recognized for their value and contributions. When people have a voice they have a greater sense of ownership of the solution. Be open to a diversity of opinion and take some risks in implementing new ideas.
4. Be Very Clear About Expectations. Almost all conflict at work comes from misunderstandings of expectations – the company, the manager, the employee, the customer. Be clear in writing and verbally.
5. Recognize Individual Accomplishment. Whether working in a team or on their own all generations want and need to be recognized and appreciated for their individual efforts. As a manager, make this a habit and watch the level of engagement and productivity soar.
6. Provide Plenty of Feedback. Your employees thrive on receiving regular communication about how they are doing on the job, what they can do better, what is working or not working. Be visible and communicate!
7. Be Transparent with Information. When your employees don’t know and can only guess trust is lost and anxiety increases. Communicate early and often with your employees to reduce disengagement from worry.
Write a tip you would give another HR professional about one way you would recommend to bring out the best of one of the generations.
Pass to the left or around the table or post or?
Thank you!
Possible raffle with a sticker on the bottom of one bag in center of table. Have everyone look at the bottom and then the “Coach” of the team comes to the front to win the raffle prize – “Drive” by Daniel Pink
Also have people throw their business cards into the bags to receive Kit’s monthly e-newsletters with book reviews, tips and monthly specials. Watch for the holiday special – two for one.
Thank you!
