Harness The Power Of Different Generations

Many people today are simply not interested in working with companies that don't provide career opportunities - and they are prepared to vote with their feet rather than put their backside on the wrong seat!

The blame for this phenomenon is mainly placed on Generation Y. But really, they're doing what their predecessors have taught them to do - to think, question, respond, challenge and be prepared to stretch their imagination and boundaries by maximising technology, innovation and travel. So while we once celebrated their childhood confidence and thought they were cute, we now condemn them for their confidence and think they're arrogant. No wonder they're confused.

Let's address this in reverse. Look at what's backfired, and if you don't mind the pun - it seems like the employers are the ones taking the bullet. Now while some Gen Ys may be more confident than competent and are dictating unrealistic expectations and demands, it would be fair to say this attitude is common to people of all generations. It just depends on your experience.

There is truth that no other generation before Gen Y has been provided with such resources and riches in varieties, options, chances, choices, opportunities, skills, travels, technologies, education, and with the encouragement to go forth with courage! And they have! However, they are being victimised for doing what has been the result of an unprecedented era of amazing growth and opportunity.

We can easily shift our thinking from blame to brilliance by:

Connecting the dots for staff and providing the big picture for them
Giving them opportunities to make a robust contribution to business
Build their marketability and expand potential

If you are serious about attracting, retaining and sustaining your employees, ditch the convenient excuse that suggests Gen Y are too fickle to please or too demanding to satisfy.

7 compelling reasons to attract star employees

Robust contribution - Provide regular opportunities for people to be included and give the right signals that the culture of your organisation rewards authenticity and transparency. This may mean coming along to Board meetings to learn and listen, or perhaps championing a community based project to build the profile of the company and person. Give reasons why people should contribute to meetings, and let different people chair and facilitate sessions rather than having the same people take pro-active roles.
The bigger picture - Provide opportunities for people to see how the work they do fits into the big picture of the business. Stretch their thinking by involving them in senior meetings, team meetings, staff retreats, and by having outside mentors. Allow people to see how their work flows and where it ends up. Encourage site visits, attendance and contribution at client meetings, business networking sessions, as well as regular training, both on business issues and as well as personal interests.
Create direction - Provide opportunities for staff to develop and create direction in their career paths. Support their learning with coaching and mentoring. As part of the deal, include their visions, passions and dreams as well as helping them create a career plan. Assist them in ensuring they begin with the end in mind and have a career carer help them stay on track and remain marketable. They often boomerang - so keep them skilled and happy. They come back more talented than before.
Incentives, incentives, incentives - Cut to the chase and reward staff with remuneration that is commensurate with their efforts, and then add some more. But don't always reward with money. Provide rewards based on their personal interests and needs - ask them what they would like.
Buy-in to the environment - Create an environment that is user-friendly, designed for free thinking and dialogue - both formal and informal. Let people contribute to the space and mood of their environment so they too are responsible for the energy they bring into the workplace. Don't be afraid to "renovate" the thinking space by rearranging furniture, lighting, colour, images or shifting people around so they get to see and hear what others are experiencing.
Provide feedforward, rather than feedback - Make it timely, intuitive, honest, respectful and collegiate. Ensure that it is 360 degree - what goes around comes around. Provide opportunities for courageous feedback. Set a culture that demonstrates that it is okay to provide suggestions and comments from others - irrespective from where in the organisation they come from as long as they are forward moving.
Have some fun! - Encourage and enhance opportunities for staff to have fun and enjoy their working day. Create spontaneous breaks in busy times - thus providing some relief to on-going stressful situations. See it as a chance to refresh and renew their thinking and perspective. Create relaxation, meditation, music, healthy eating areas and movement areas, so people can exercise or relax in breaks according to what their body and mind responds best to.

The key to attracting, retaining and motivating staff is to harness the power of different generations and let them work according to their own unique learning and life experiences. While they may be different to previous generations, and may not always agree with the way things are done, the closer we can get to providing a culture that is close to their hearts and heads, the closer we get to keeping people working at top levels.

Ricky Nowak CSP, Principal Confident Communications works with many of Australia’s top 500 companies as a Key Note Speaker, Facilitator, and Executive Coach. She specialises in Communication, Leadership and Public Speaking. phone: 61 3 9500 9886 web address: www. rickynowak.com; email: ricky@rickynowak.com; mobile 61 419 83 9994
First published: 30 July 2008.
Last updated: 30 July 2008.