$Account.OrganizationName
The Leadership Advisor
"Helping Leaders Develop Leaders"
August 2006
Generation Next
Sign Up
GenerationY1

“Pay attention to the young and make them as good as possible." ~ Socrates

"You stay young as long as you can learn, acquire new habits, and suffer contradictions." ~ Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

“This is a time for bold measures. This is the country, and you are the generation.” ~ Bono

"It takes a long time to become young." ~ Pablo Picasso

Gen Y2
As I write this article, I am in Seattle teaching at the Pacific Coast Banking School and although there is a great deal of learning happening here on the technical aspects of banking, one of the other dominant subjects is the next generation of workers. More than once during my time here, and in fairness long before this, I have heard the phrase “what is it with the young workers, they don’t seem to have any loyalty and they don’t know how to work hard.” From the perspective of today’s leaders and more mature workers, it appears that generation X and Y employees don’t know how to commit to an organization or to work hard.

I was raised by depression era parents who learned at an early age that work equated with survival. To be honest I never made that direct connection of work and survival because my parents provided for me very well. I still have some holdover however of their generational perspective in my own thinking and actions and I notice as the years progress that my work ethic is more similar than dissimilar to that of my parents. However, my sense of loyalty is different. My father essentially worked for one organization his whole professional life. It was a relationship of mutual loyalty. The organization took care of him and he took care of the organization. The stability of his professional career was built into the understanding of the organization and the employee alike.

I on the other hand have a bit of a different view of organizations. It is still possible for an organization to capture and hold employees for an entire career and I think that people are even open to that prospect but what it takes to keep them is different. Today’s young workers are the grandchildren of the depression era workers and as such for most, if not all, the connection of work with survival is but a distant story from a bygone era.

Today’s workers have been raised in an era where their parents have most likely lost a job because of economic downturns, mergers, acquisitions or the like. Consequently, they have found that placing an unflinching loyalty in an organization is potentially foolish and personally dangerous. As a result they are very portable.

Today’s young workers can both figuratively and literally pick up their laptop, transfer their 401K and be on the job for someone else in less time than it takes to process their exit papers. This portability has raised fundamental challenges for leaders. Leading today’s portable worker is not their problem it is ours as their leaders. We must and can find ways to pique their interest in joining and staying with our organizations but it will mean creating a clear sense of the organization’s mission and then linking how every worker advances that mission in order to keep them engaged.

A vital mission, continual recruitment, and a vibrant work environment will bring out the hard work and loyalty of this new generation but those of us from a previous era will have to adapt our leadership to meet the challenge they have thrown down. We must continually prove that we are worth following.

Phil Eastman, a partner in the Boise-based consulting firm, Leadership Advisors Group, helps clients enhance their leadership effectiveness. He combines more than 20 years of leadership experience with his passion for consulting, coaching and teaching to help people grow personally, build teams, and improve performance. Phil is the father of two Generation Y sons...
Gen Y
They’re young, creative, brash, talented, weird- looking, tech savvy, independent, and already taking their rightful place in the workforce. Even though no one seems to agree on what to call this group of folks one thing is certain, they’re changing the face of corporate America and how we do business.

Whether called Generation Y, Millennials, Echo Boomers, or Global Citizens one thing is for sure according to Eric Chester, “if you're not connecting with them, they are not connecting with your customers, and you are leaving all kinds of money on the table. In short, your front line is the key to your bottom line.” This generation makes up the second largest age demographic ever, second only to baby boomers.

In his book, Generation Why?, Eric Chester states, “Generation Y have never known life without cell phones, pagers, fax machines, and voice mail. Their world has always included minivans, bottled water, cable television, overnight package delivery, and chat rooms. They would have no personal reference for a time before ATMs, VCRs, PCs, CDs, MTV, CNN, SUVs, and TCBYs! And sadly enough, Gen Y’s have never known a world without AIDS, without crack, or without terrorist attacks. They’ve never known a world where kids don’t shoot and kill other kids.”

Another authority on the subject of generational management, Bruce Tulgan, author, founder of RainmakerThinking, Inc., and a self-declared Gen Xer, has a passion to “close the gap and bring the generational mixes closer together to everyone’s mutual benefit.”

A recent USA Today article featured Generation Y and described what makes working with this generation a beneficial opportunity:
  • High expectations of self - They aim to work faster and better than other workers.
  • High expectations of employers – They want fair and direct managers who are highly engaged in their professional development.
  • Ongoing learning – They seek out creative challenges and view colleagues as vast resources from whom to gain knowledge.
  • Immediate responsibility – They want to make an important impact on Day1.
  • Goal-oriented – They want small goals with tight deadlines so they can build up ownership of tasks.

Xerox and other Fortune-type companies view this emerging workforce as the future of their organization. Xerox is using the slogan “Express Yourself” as a way to describe its culture to recruits. They hope the slogan will appeal to Gen Y’s desire to create solutions and initiate change. Gen Y is also one of the most diverse demographic groups; one third fall within minority groups.

“In your ever-increasing challenge to recruit, train, and manage Generation Why, realize how the entertainment industry has raised the bar for getting their attention, piquing their interest, and motivating them to take action. Then strategize with your leadership team to see how you, too, can incorporate the Four I’s to make certain your message breaks through,” encourages Eric Chester.
  • Innovative (novel, inventive, original)
  • Intriguing (fresh, captivating, fun)
  • Immediate (instant, direct)
  • Individualized (personal, one- to-one, particular)

No doubt managing a new crop of individuals will increase the chance for conflict, challenges, and changes but who wouldn’t want a young staff that is comfortable with technology, diversity, constant change, and high expectations. Sounds like a good recipe for the new economy we find ourselves in.

Lorene Rasmussen, partner for Business Operations, guides and supports the daily and strategic operations of Leadership Advisors Group. She combines a unique sense of fun and organization to insure operations run smoothly and that clients receive the highest quality service possible. Lorene’s background in corporate, nonprofit, and family leadership brings a wide range of experience to the Leadership Advisors team. Lorene has raised two boys; 1 Gen X & 1 Gen Y
BEST
Communication is Essential
Personality is at the very heart of what it means to be human. We move in different rhythms, tempos, and directions. Thus, we are all different, consequently, we all communicate differently. The Bold personality is stimulated by the challenge of new adventure. The Expressive thrives on being around others and persuading them. The Sensitive personality is patient, dependable, loyal, and a good listener. The Technical personality is controlled, cautious, precise, and rule-oriented. Each type has needs and preferences which are the keys to understanding and motivating each personality.

The BEST Style Communication & Personality
Over the past eight years our clients have repeatedly used this workshop to develop the interpersonal communication skills of their staffs. This lively 4-hour workshop establishes dominant personality and communication styles; teaching people how to bridge the natural divides that exist between styles. These divides often keep individuals and groups from being as effective as they could be. Participants find this workshop engaging, entertaining and practical in both their personal and professional lives.

Understand Your Style
Don’t wait any longer! Contact Leadership Advisors Group to help understand your BEST personality style. Participants will leave this workshop with a far greater appreciation for their team mates and learn how to communicate more effectively with them.

What others are saying?
“I feel the knowledge about other peoples personality/communication style is a strong tool for all managers to have.” ~ Manager, Pioneer Title

“I wish I knew these communication distinctions earlier in my career, it could have saved a lot of heartache in dealing with a company’s most valuable asset - the people.” ~ Partner, Consulting Firm

“Remembering how to deal with each group will be a challenge but it seemed like we interacted well. This material will have a lasting effect on interactions within our department.” ~ V.P., Washington Group International

$99.00

Friday, September 29, 2006

George Fox University - 1810 Eagle Rd., Meridian, ID

Contact Lorene: 208.871.5981
You are receiving this email from Leadership Advisors Group because you are a valued client, have requested information regarding our services, or you are part of a highly respected organization. To ensure that you continue to receive emails from us, please add phil@leadershipadvisors.com to your address book.

Leadership Advisors Group will help you and your organization succeed by:
  • Developing effective leaders.
  • Creating strategic plans that drive organizational progress and team unity.
  • Delivering strategic results through effective change management.

“Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, & increased constantly or it vanishes.” ~ Peter Drucker
Phil Eastman & Lorene Rasmussen
Leadership Advisors Group

phone: (208) 344-0471
Email Marketing by