In my last blog (see previous post: How to Speak So Gen X Will Listen), I discussed Gen X, the generation that was born between 1965-1980. In this blog, I'm going to discuss what events shaped the Gen Y psyche and what key words to use when talking with them. As a reminder:

Who are the four generations?

Traditionalists: Born between 1924-1945
Baby Boomers: Born between 1946-1964
Generation X: Born between 1965-1980
Generation Y: Born between 1981-2000

Each of these generations was influenced by certain events that shaped their psyche during their formative years. The formative years tend to take place 10-20 years after a person was born, so let’s look at the events that shaped Gen Y during their formative years.

Generation Y
Born between 1981-2000
Formative years between approx. 1992-present

Gen Y is also known as Millennials, Echo-Boomers, and the Net Generation. No matter what you call them, they are a powerful force of 79+ million (almost as big as the Baby Boomer generation). They were wired from day 1; consequently, they are called Digital Natives, while the rest of us are known as Digital Immigrants. This generation was born with a mouse in its hand and studies are showing that as a result, they process information differently than the other generations. What does this mean? Not only are they tech-savvy, they also expect everything to be "downloaded" immediately. They believe in instant gratification; if they can download a song, book, article or video immediately, why can't everything come as instantaneously?

Studies are showing that a 10-year old Gen Y has the maturity level of a 16-year old Boomer. Why? Because of globalization and instant, streamed news. They saw the planes crashing into the Twin Towers again and again. Any global event, both positive and negative, is online in seconds. Consequently, this generation is as diverse as the globe. When it comes to food choices, politics, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion, this generation sees itself as diverse as possible.

Not only did 9/11 impact Gen Y, but this generation also saw AIDs kill their friends and family. They were the first generation to have safety laws enforced...bike helmets, car seats, seat-belt laws, and strong drunk driving laws. The message from this was "You are special. We value you." Consequently, this generation value connections. They want to be part of a community...at home, at work and at play. They will work with their friends at the same company, if they feel it'll allow them more time with their community. So when someone complains "Why does Gen Y have to text me 10 times a day?!", I remind them that Gen Y values connection, and since they are hardwired, texting is their form of communication.

The .com boom and bust showed them that the corporate world can be unreliable. So this is a generation of entrepreneurs. They had a voice at "family meetings" from the age of 5, so they have the confidence to articulate their vision, the tech-skills to create their vision and the community to support them in their vision. So welcome to a generation of entrepreneurs and creative collaborators! Work and life balance is vital to a Gen Y; they saw their parents in the go-go 90's of the Internet boom and want more balance. So this entrepreneurial career path lets them do yoga at 4PM and work at midnight; it's all a continuum to them.

Now that you understand which events shaped this generation, and how Gen Y view the world, how can you best connect with them? You use key words that resonate with them. When you do this, they then feel understood and are willing to listen to you. You build rapport, so they will engage with you more willingly. If you continue to use their key words, you will have an effective conversation with them, simply by using their own language.

Key Words for Gen Y

*"Text now for..."
*Balance
*Diversity
*Community/connections

So if you’re trying to convince a Gen Y'er to launch a new website, you would say something like “This will bring together our different stakeholder communities. This feature will allow our members instant access to the information they need. It can be built in stages, so we don't have to work 80 hour weeks for the next 2 months."

You wouldn’t use the same language when trying to convince a Gen X, Boomer or Traditionalist to launch a new website. They have their own key words that resonate best with them. Yet using the Gen Y key words, and understanding the Gen Y psyche, will help you bridge the cultural gap.

Remember, you will not succeed when trying to change a generational perspective. You will only succeed when tailoring your pitch to each generation. In other words, speak their language. When you do this, they feel more connected to you and more willing to answer your questions. This then helps you overcome their concerns and move forward.

In my last blog (see previous post: How to Speak So Boomers Will Listen), I discussed the Baby Boomers, the generation that was born between 1946-1964. In this blog, I'm going to discuss what events shaped the Gen X psyche and what key words to use when talking with them. As a reminder:

Who are the four generations?

Traditionalists: Born between 1924-1945
Baby Boomers: Born between 1946-1964
Generation X: Born between 1965-1980
Generation Y: Born between 1981-2000

Each of these generations was influenced by certain events that shaped their psyche during their formative years. The formative years tend to take place 10-20 years after a person was born, so let’s look at the events that shaped Gen X during their formative years.

Generation X
Born between 1965-1980
Formative years between approx. 1976-1990

Not only did Gen X face three recessions and stagflation during their formative years, but they also dealt with the aftermath of Watergate, the beginning of the Gulf War and the unprecedented Challenger explosion. From these events, Gen X often felt that they couldn't trust their government to look after them.

In addition, Gen X saw divorce rates skyrocket. Latchkey kids, after-school daycare and full-time working mothers became the norm. What did Gen X take away from this? That they often couldn't trust their family to take care of them either.

During this time, they also saw career situations change. No longer were their Boomer relatives safe in a job for thirty years. All of a sudden, jobs were getting cut and career stability was eroding. Consequently, Gen X'ers received MBA degrees in droves, so that they could be "safe" from all the workplace changes.

MTV also changed their world. This allowed them a place to escape to. It also gave Gen X access to celebrity lifestyles; being ostentatious was hip if it meant you could be a "Material Girl" like Madonna.

Gen X learned early on that they couldn't trust their government, the corporate world or their families from disintegrating in front of their eyes. So they tend to be self-sufficient and pragmatic. They also tend to be distrustful of hierarchy, based on what they saw in their formative years; therefore they MUST know what's in it for them before they take any action. Finally MTV taught them how to be individualistic and view material wealth differently than their parents.

Now that you understand which events shaped this generation, and how Gen X view the world, how can you best connect with them? You use key words that resonate with them. When you do this, they then feel understood and are willing to listen to you. You build rapport, so they will engage with you more willingly. If you continue to use their key words, you will have an effective conversation with them, simply by using their own language.

Key Words for Gen X

*Best, finest, world-class
*"You will benefit by..."
*"It's your time..."
*"As you like it..."

So if you’re trying to convince a Gen X'er to launch a new website, you would say something like “This website is going to best in the industry. You will be seen as the creative visionary who inspired the team to launch a new concept. I've done my research and the best way to go about it systematically is...."

You wouldn’t use the same language when trying to convince a Gen Y, Boomer or Traditionalist to launch a new website. They have their own key words that resonate best with them. Yet using the Gen X key words, and understanding the Gen X psyche, will help you bridge the cultural gap.

Remember, you will not succeed when trying to change a generational perspective. You will only succeed when tailoring your pitch to each generation. In other words, speak their language. When you do this, they feel more connected to you and more willing to answer your questions. This then helps you overcome their concerns and move forward.

My next blog will cover the key words to use for Gen Y. Until then, practice your Gen X language and let me know how it goes!

In my last blog (see previous post: How to Speak So Each Generation Will Listen), I discussed the Traditionalists, the generation that was born between 1924-1945. In this blog, I'm going to discuss what events shaped the Baby Boomer psyche and what key words to use when talking with them. As a reminder:

Who are the four generations?

Traditionalists: Born between 1924-1945
Baby Boomers: Born between 1946-1964
Generation X: Born between 1965-1980
Generation Y: Born between 1981-2000

Each of these generations was influenced by certain events that shaped their psyche during their formative years. The formative years tend to take place 10-20 years after a person was born, so let’s look at the events that shaped each generation during their formative years.

Baby Boomers
Born between 1946-1964
Formative years between approx. 1957-1974

One of the dominant events that shaped this generation was the assassination of JKF, MLK and Robert Kennedy; every Boomer remembers where s/he was when JFK was shot. (Do you? If not, you're likely Gen X or Gen Y!) The Vietnam War also had a huge impact on Boomers. From these dramatic events, they saw that they had to band together so their voices could be heard and changes could be made. They learned that they could indeed change the world if they collaborated as a whole.

Details are important to Boomers, since they saw that legislative details made the difference in stopping the Vietnam War and starting the civil rights movement. The man landing on the moon also impacted this generation; it showed them that anything was possible and the sky literally was the limit. On that momentous day, they learned that nothing was impossible for a Boomer!

Free love was a big influence during this era. This allowed Boomers to explore themselves, as well as the world; they are still a dominant force in the travel industry. Finally, they are also the first generation where a majority went to college and climbed up the corporate ladder; consequently they are time stressed as they struggle to manage 60-hour workweeks.

As a result of these events, Boomers tend to be idealistic, politically correct, consensus-driven and cause-driven. They also tend to break the rules and truly want to change the world for the better.

Now that you understand which events shaped this generation, and how Boomers view the world, how can you best connect with them? You use key words that resonate with them. When you do this, they then feel understood and are willing to listen to you. You build rapport, so they will engage with you more willingly. If you continue to use their key words, you will have an effective conversation with them, simply by using their own language.

Key Words for Boomers

* Make a difference
* Consensus/team
* Experiment/try new things
* "Imagine if..."
* Save time
* Features and benefits

So if you’re trying to convince a Boomer to launch a new website, you would say something like “The team feels that launching this website will make a big difference to the success of our company. We've tried some new features; the BB widget will save our employees 2 hours/week. Imagine what would happen if we all had an extra 2 hours in our day. It's a win-win for everyone!"

You wouldn’t use the same language when trying to convince a Gen Y, Gen X or Traditionalist to launch a new website. They have their own key words that resonate best with them. Yet using the Boomer key words, and understanding the Boomer psyche, will help you bridge the cultural gap.

Remember, you will not succeed when trying to change a generational perspective. You will only succeed when tailoring your pitch to each generation. In other words, speak their language. When you do this, they feel more connected to you and more willing to answer your questions. This then helps you overcome their objections and move forward.

My next two blogs will cover the key words to use for Gen X and Gen Y. Until then, practice your Boomer language and let me know how it goes!

Gen Y loves to multitask. Contrary to popular belief multitasking does not help productivity. The first efficiency loss is the time lost to mentally "switching" between tasks. Why? Two different things have to occur in our brains when we change tasks. First we have to "goal switch", mentally deciding to go from project A to email. Then we have to "rule switch", which means we have to think "No longer think about project A; now think about email". For each switch there might only a second loss of time. But those seconds add up over weeks and months.

In addition, studies indicate that multitasking can result in as much as a 44% drop in efficiency. The inevitable result is a drop in quality. Not many people can afford to forfeit almost half of their efficiency or quality. If Hilda is working at half of her abilities, but still expects to churn out the same amount of work, she will undoubtedly have to lower the quality of her output to achieve this goal. Not exactly what Hilda's manager expects from her employee!

Certainly everyone is able to multitask certain actions that they feel are almost automatic. Ben is an accomplished data programmer and chatterbox. It might be simple for him to input simple data and simultaneously carry on a conversation without experiencing much loss in productivity. Why? Because when we do something enough, we train ourselves to perform it almost automatically and thus can still be efficient while doing one other task.

However, this rule does not apply for a non-automatic task, or when trying to do more than one other task at the same time. In other words, Ben can input data and talk about last night's football game without a loss in productivity. However, he could not effectively input data, talk about the game and check email at the same time. Nor could he learn a new program and chat about the game. In either case, something will have to give, which means a loss in productivity or quality on one, two or all three fronts.

When looking at time management with Gen Y, it's important to help them differentiate between being busy and being productive. Perhaps Mary is sitting at her desk developing a new product line. She is having trouble focusing and decides to switch her focus to the sales of the existing line, to give her some ideas for the new line. Her email icon pops up on her screen so she switches over to check her inbox; just then Brian asks her a question about her expertise. She gladly welcomes his interruption and spends some extra minutes helping him understand a concept. Before she realizes it, Mary has just spent an hour accomplishing next to nothing. She was busy the entire time, but not productive in the least. Busy being busy is not the same as busy being productive.

There is certainly something to be said for taking mental breaks to reduce stress and potentially improve performance, but it is also important to keep the focus on being productive. This concept is often hard for young workers to accept because Gen Y believes in their own abilities to achieve anything they set their mind to. What they may need however, is some help doing it more efficiently than they would on their own. That's where an effective manager comes in.

Here is some advice for all generations, and especially Gen Y, on time management skills:

Minimize Multitasking

As a manager, make all employees aware of the pitfalls of multitasking; just making them aware can help avoid the pitfalls. Play a game or have some employees do their own multi-tasking case study. Getting Gen Y's involved in their own solution is an effective way to work with the new generation.

No one is going to stop all multitasking, but if you want maximum results, then it's time to minimize it. Try doing just two tasks at once, one of which is an automatic reflex task. Minimizing to 2 tasks, and 2 windows open on your screen, will immediately increase your effectiveness and work quality.

Group Tasks into Similar Buckets

David Allen, the time management guru of Getting Things Done recommends grouping tasks and writing everything down, to clear your head of clutter. Make lists and group them by theme, such as phone calls, emails and meeting agendas. This will do two things: reduce task switching in your brain and prioritize your workload.

Remember to do this every night, before you go home. Otherwise, you'll get caught in email and vm as soon as you enter the office and end up only being busy instead of being productive.


Focus, Focus, Focus

Realtors say that everything is location, location, location. I believe in focus, focus, focus. Don't let yourself be distracted by every nanotask that comes your way. Focus on what's important, not what's urgent. And focus on what's productive, not just busy.

To do this, set internal rules for how often you check email and vm/day (Tim Ferris of The Four Hour Workweek recommends two-three times/day). I know...you just gasped. But email begets email. Answer each email thoroughly and then move on to more important tasks.

Be Human

Gen Y's love to be connected, both online and offline. Get them offline more often and online a little less often. One rule of thumb is "If you're talking to just me, then let's talk in person, or on the phone if I'm out of the office. And if you're talking to a group, then use a conference call, video or email." Otherwise, everyone gets copied on every email, which wastes time and energy.


Make Time for Yourself

Block uninterrupted time every week for projects that require uninterrupted thinking. It takes time to execute a complex spreadsheet or report; don't let the quality decrease just because you were distracted by less complex tasks.


Avoid Micromanaging

Micro managing not only steals precious time, but it also demoralizes the Gen Y generation. Explain what you want, chunk it down, set boundaries and time frames and then walk away. You will need to check-in with the employee often about the project, but that's different from micro managing.

A check-in looks like "How's that project going Jerrell?" What challenges are you facing? Where do you need some support?"

Micromanaging looks like "How's the project going Jerrell? Why did you use that format? Why didn't you use that system, like I suggested?"

Give yourself and your Gen Y employee a break. Check-in more and micro-manage less.


Here's to a productive and effective 2009 with every generation at work!