Anne's "Generations" Blog

Three Ways to Motivate Gen Y

Anne Loehr — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:46:23 +0000

The pulse of business in America is throbbing. People are concerned about the financial crisis, economy and upcoming elections. Despite this uncertainty, organizational attrition rates are high, up to 20% for some large firms. So what can leaders do to not only retain Gen Y employees, but get the most out of them during these lean times?

Yahoo! HotJobs and Robert Half International's special report, What Millennial Workers Want: How to Attract and Retain Gen Y Employees outlines the business imperative for developing Gen Y to become future leaders. The first place to look is your workplace environment, especially their colleagues, their life-work balance and their direct supervisor.

Let's start with their colleagues. The surprising thing about this wired generation is that two-thirds of Gen Y favor in-person conversations with their co-workers over other types of communication. So today's businesses need to create lots of "face time" opportuntities that allow Gen Y's to connect with each other. This doesn't have to involve costly meals or cafeterias. You could create open seating areas for team project meetings, comfortable lunch rooms and/or fun break rooms or water cooler areas.

Work-life balance is another huge priority for Gen Y. They are constantly looking for ways to balance their personal and professional lives. As a manager, lend them your ear and support. Let them know that you understand they have a life outside the office and guide them to tools and resources that will help them find their own balance.

What about their boss? How does a direct supervisor directly impact the job satisfaction and retention of Gen Y? Their dream boss has good management and communcation skills, is flexible and open-minded, and respects his/her employees. Be warned: Millennials are used to constant and direct supervision from parents, teachers and sport coaches; they expect the same from their bosses, thinking nothing of communicating with their boss several times a DAY!

Gen Y bosses must focus on their own skill development, in order to coach their Gen Y employees to greater success. Your Gen Y employees may not stay with you forever, but they will stay longer if you give them the skills and development they need to get to the next level of success. According to one Gen Y in the report, "...the ideal manager has clear expectations and takes time to meet with me...must be able to help me grow and guide me in my professional development, and be a mentor." Her nightmare boss is " a micromanager who is not concerned with my professional development...". Although it may take more time up front, it's clear that Gen Y bosses must be strong managers with excellent coaching and mentoring skills. Not there yet? Get some resources to help you now! You can download the Yahoo! HotJobs and Robert Half International's special report for free here. I also highly recommend Millennials Incorporated by Lisa Orrell, a quick read with plenty of tips and advice. Or feel free to ask me about my workshops, talks and latest Gen Y research.

How to Create Presentations That Engage Every Age

Anne Loehr — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:26:37 +0000

Want to keep each generation engaged during a presentation? Here are some quick tips:

Generation Y

“Edu-tainment” and media-rich
Short, with 10 minute bite-size pieces
Smaller metacognitive tasks
Give images with few words
Provide hyperlink resources

Generation X

Individual reflective learning style
Provide rich array of resources, on-line and off-line
Activities must be quick, relevant and practical
Give images with some text
Offer quantifiable resources

Baby Boomers

Use large print
Longer, in-depth, academic teaching style
Allow them to share ideas and perspectives
Give off-line resources, with some online resources
Offer credible resources

Generational Stereotypes

Anne Loehr — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:33:27 +0000

We hear generational stereotypes all the time. How many times have you heard:

Why do Boomers have to print every email? Don’t they know they’re killing trees?

Why does Gen Y have to be online all the time? Can’t they have a face-to-face conversation?

Why does Gen X have to find the flaw in every solution? They’re such party-poopers!

“So what?” as my father would say. So what if we have certain ideas about other people? The “so what” is that stereotypes hinder team effectiveness. If we enter every meeting stereotyping others on the team, with “Oh boy. Here comes Rahul, the classic Gen X. He’s gonna put a damper on everything; he makes no time to socialize.”, then we’ll make assumptions about him, based on that stereotype. We’ll start to judge him based on his age, rather than on his talent, ideas and insights. That’s a huge loss to any organization.

So how do we become aware of our own stereotypes and stop them from hindering team performance? The first step is to become aware of what we say in our heads, and out loud, about others. It may be something like “Why do THEY always do that?” or “I just can’t relate to them; THEY make me crazy.”

Once you become aware of your personal biases, you can then start to get answers about them. Ask your question to someone of that generation and see what he or she says. You might ask a Gen Y why she’s online all the time; the reply will likely be that she values connection to her community and uses technology to stay connected. Or you might ask a Gen X why they are so practical and pragmatic about everything; he’ll likely answer that he was forced to mature quickly so views everything from a more focused angle.

The actual answer doesn’t matter so much. What matters is that you have created a conversation with someone who sees the world differently than you. That helps you understand why people do things and opens your world to new perspectives. And what does that create? Collaboration and innovation. Just what the doctor ordered when it comes to team performance!

Generational Social Media

Anne Loehr — Fri, 14 May 2010 13:23:46 +0000

Want to know how to reach each generation online?

Baby Boomers are less price sensitive and tend to purchase for need. They place a value on product/service experience. Yet, to date, there is a lack of relevant content that mirrors their need for understanding features and benefits. They are a growing presence online, especially in social media, online shopping, loyalty programs and email.

Gen X purchase for want. They are market savvy, pragmatic and demand honesty. They are less loyal to brands and more solution orientated. They are a busy generation, often taking care of kids, a career and aging parents, so they will use technology when it supports a lifestyle need. They are an entrepreneurial generation, owning 70% of all new businesses, thus heavy users of online shopping and banking, blogs and email.

Gen Y is a culture of strong brand loyalty. They are the key to future revenue growth. Viral elements, not static links, are the key to their engagement. They will likely Tweet and text in real-time from stores and venues. This will likely cause a resurgence of high customer service standards.

So if you want to create a Web 2.0 plan, where the buyers are in charge, you need to focus on the basics: Choose one generational target market, determine how your target market participates online and use the appropriate technology, tactics and tools for your market. Following this simple plan will help you target your market and connect with them in new ways.

Creating Courses That Engage Gen Y

Anne Loehr — Tue, 04 May 2010 15:20:00 +0000

Gen Y is a tough act to teach. They grew up surrounded by media and marketing; they can download anything, at any time. So how do you keep them engaged when delivering a webinar or other types of distance courses?

Here are some tips to keep it mind:

- Keep it short

- Use media-rich “Edu-tainment”

- Create small metacognitive tasks

Keep It Short

Gen Y has a short attention span, especially online. They are the ultimate multi-taskers; your challenge is to keep them engaged so that they don’t check email and IM while also participating in your webinar. Bite-size webinars that only last 10 to 15 minutes with links to more information will keep them engaged at the time, as well as later for their ‘homework’.

Use Media-rich “Edu-tainment”

Enjoyment during the learning process improves retention and promotes curiosity. You will have better student engagement with Gen Y when using more media-rich methods of delivery. For example, embed 1-minute videos into your presentation to reinforce a key point, use music during the lecture, ask the students to create wikis as class projects or have them post their answers as videos on You Tube. Using a variety of media-rich methods will help the students learn your key points in fun, interactive ways.

Create Small Metacognitive Tasks

The concept of a “course” as a one-hour lecture is becoming granularized. To engage Gen Y, you need to find ways to create smaller metacognitive tasks. This means that planting the seed of a topic for 10 minutes, followed by planned activities, will be more effective than discussing the topic in detail for 45 minutes. Once you plant the seed, you then create other methods of discussion to keep the students engaged. For example, plant the seed in a 10-minute lecture, then allow time to reflect, read, journal. The next activity could be group projects using media rich methods. Then you can plant the second seed in a similar manner, allowing all your points to eventually be made.

As I was recently explaining this concept to a client, they summed it up beautifully by saying, “It takes more work up front on the teacher’s part, but less work during the actual course as the students are engaging and learning for themselves.” That’s what I call a win-win.

Managing Up Through the Generations

Anne Loehr — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:49:15 +0000

Someone recently asked me, "What happens when a Gen Y employee is promoted to a managerial level and starts working with Gen X colleagues? Do they become more X-ish? Or stay as a Gen Y?"

Here's my answer: Every individual has deeply ingrained generational and personal values. Gen X generally values independence, pragmatism, focus, metrics/results and financial freedom. Gen Y generally values connections, making a difference, balance and global diversity. As the generations mature though life, these values will remain the same and adapt to the new life circumstance.

For example, if Phillippe, a Gen X manager, has a baby, he will still value financial freedom and pragmatism. However, instead of just focusing on his own financial freedom, he will also focus on taking realistic steps to achieving financial freedom for his child. And if Eliza, a Gen Y manager, just got married, she will likely find ways to balance her life's priorities through her online connections.

So what happens when Marie is promoted to Phillippe's level? Will she become more X and less Y? No. She will always have her Y tendencies; it's just who she is. And the more you understand each generation's values, the better you'll work with everyone on your team.

What Motivates Gen Y?

Anne Loehr — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:01:17 +0000

I recently spoke about managing generational differences at a leadership conference. After my talk, a Boomer asked me "How do I motivate my Gen Y son? He has so much potential, yet seems to want to do so little with his life." This is a common question from both parents and employers; it's clearly a big issue in today's workplace and will only get bigger as the Gen Y's mature.

Let's answer this question in two stages:

1. Remember that each generation has its own prism through which it views life. So a Boomer's goal and motivations are different than a Gen X or a Gen Y's motivations. Try not to place your motivations on someone else's life; instead, find ways to connect with them and listen to what excites them.

2. In general, Gen Y values meaningful experiences, education, making a difference, balance and connections. So use those values as the starting point for the conversation. Find out what connections are important to them. How they would like to make a difference in the world? Inquire about past experiences that were meaningful to them.Once you know these aspects of your employee or child, their motivations become quite clear.

For example, let's say your Gen Y son enjoys music, travel and working with youth. Find a way to incorporate these into a larger goal or motivation. Maybe it'll be creating a music program for international schools. Or traveling with American music programs to other countries. Or teaching music to inner city kids. The options are limitless, once you know what excites and is important to him.

How can you do the same thing at work? Say a Gen Y HR employee likes computers, history and mentoring new employees. You would like this employee to get more engaged at work; she would like some new experiences. So what can you create together? Perhaps she could mentor new employees on the computer protocols. Or create a podcast of the company history. Or create a new employee work-sheet on the industry's milestones and best practices. All of these motivate her to stay engaged at work, while helping you think out of the box. Now that motivates everyone!

What's Up with Gen Y's "Lack of Commitment"?

Anne Loehr — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:14:10 +0000

Someone recently asked me about Gen Y's lack of commitment, saying "They're not as dedicated at work as the rest of us". My answer: It's all a matter of perspective.

Let's take the case of Marie and Alicia. Marie, 45, has been a senior-level manager at the Generate Health Food Store for over 5 years. She ensures that the organizational values and standards are met on a regular basis. She is also Alicia’s supervisor.

Alicia, 27, just joined Generate one year ago. She is well respected by her peer group and loved by the clients.

Lately Marie has noticed that in general, the newer and younger members of Generate are not adhering to the standards she holds. She has also noticed this with Alicia. Although Alicia can recite the organizational values and behaviors, she doesn’t seem to embrace them. For example, Marie believes that unwavering commitment means working extra hours and doing whatever it takes to exceed customer expectations Alicia is very committed to helping the customers when she is with them; she also leaves as soon as her shift is over and declines any extra work from her supervisors.

Alicia is very surprised when Marie discusses her “lack of commitment” at a recent one-on-one meeting. Alicia feels that she is very committed to her customers and work; she gives 110% at work. She is also committed to her personal health and marriage, which is why she leaves work right at the end of her shift, so that she can exercise and spend the evening with her husband.

So how can Alicia and Marie bridge this generation gap?

1. Generate needs to define "unwavering commitment", since it can mean different things to different people. Once everyone in the company understands what it means, then people can start from the same point.

2. Once the company has defined the components, Alicia and Marie need to discuss what it means to them as well. If they take the time to explain their perspective, they'll understand each other's behaviors better. And instead of saying "Alicia isn't committed", Marie may start to see that Alicia is actually very committed to health in many ways, not just at work.

3. Finally, Alicia and Marie need to determine each other's 'hot buttons'. If they know what potentially offends the other person, they can find ways to avoid that behavior.

It's not always easy to do. However, if both people are committed, it is possibler to bridge the generation gap!

Gen Y: Making Sense of Cents

Anne Loehr — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:23:26 +0000

I was recently asked "Why don't young people don't count out exact change?"

Answer: because money is not important to the Millennials. There are other things that are more important to them, such as balance, experiences and meaningful work.

The Bookend Generation study shows that they are looking for "remixed rewards". According to the Financial Times, "they place as much importance on having high-quality colleagues, flexible work, recognition, and access to new challenges as they do on compensation." In other words, they are looking for rewards based on meaningful work.

This is a huge change from Gen X, who tend to like materialistic rewards. So how is a company supposed to motivate Gen Y, if they don't value traditional, monetary rewards? By giving them meaningful work and a chance to make a contribution.

Here are some ideas on how to do that:

1. Gen Y value learning experiences: Give them a lateral move that allows them to be mentored with an expert in the field, or teaches them a new skill.

2. Gen Y value making a difference: Give them an opportunity to work on the socially responsible aspect of your organization, such as working with local communities.

3. Gen Y value balance: Give them a chance to learn new life-skills, such as teaching sports to the local youth.

4. 70% of Gen Y *expect* to get a 2nd degree: Allow them to work on another degree during work hours.

Most of these ideas will cost you very little, while strongly motivating your younger employees. You'll be making sense of your cents!

Leadership Challenges, Part Four

Anne Loehr — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:14:20 +0000

Someone recently asked me, "What are the common interpersonal and generational errors that leaders should avoid when managing a team?". That is a huge question. However, after some thinking, I came up with four challenges that a new leader often faces:

1. Understanding how cultural differences impact a team

2. Using the Golden Rule

3. Learning to lead vs. manage

4. Learning the 80/20 rule

My last blogs talked about the first three challenges. Let's look at #4, learning the 80/20 rule. Jim Collins, management guru and author of ‘Good to Great’ and ‘Built to Last’, says that the best leaders use the 80/20 rule: they ask questions/listen 80% of the time and talk/answer questions 20% of the time. Why is it so important that effective leaders listen and ask questions? Because the right kind of questions encourage innovation and collaboration; they empower employees to do their best thinking, allowing the manager to do what she’s supposed to do in leading the team forward.

This is harder than it looks because managers are busy people who get paid for results; they often think they don't have time to ask questions and start a discussion. So what's the best way to listen more? Truly focus on the person while they are talking; get engaged in what they are saying. When you do this, you start to listen more and the next question comes naturally from a place of curiosity. This is especially important with Gen Y or Millennials, who are used to having a voice at the table from an early age. Go ahead and try...you'll see immediate results!