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What We Can Learn From Gen X
You know you are from Generation X if your prized possession is a collection of Return of the Jedi Shrinky Dinks
Anonymous Gen X
Sarah, a twenty four year old Generation X employee that I once managed, was very bright as she caught onto concepts quickly, especially those that applied technology, and would finish her projects ahead of schedule. One day she asked me if she could get one more computer monitor for her desk (she already had two) so that she did not have to open and close windows so frequently when working on a project and therefore improve her efficiency. Because I did not have money allocated for this purchase in the budget, I was not able to follow through with her request. In hindsight, this small investment would have yielded even more efficiencies in Sarah's work and I wish I had complied!
In addition, she despised our weekly staff meetings as she believed a lot of the information could be shared via email and these meeting kept her from accomplishing her work. Her feedback was helpful to me regarding the meetings so I made sure that any agenda item that could be eliminated through email was done so. However, I did share with her that coming together once a week to discuss work issues was necessary because I needed all employees to work through problems together and come up with creative solutions that everyone was willing to implement.
She also helped me reduce the amount of paper I was using at each of these meetings by showing financial reports via a PowerPoint presentation on a screen using an LCD projector. This way everyone could see the same information and not need a three page paper handout.
Finally, she taught me the importance of offering her cross-training. Because she caught onto concepts so quickly, I needed to make sure she was challenged by multiple projects and given the opportunity to develop her skills in other areas of work. I know these strategies helped me to retain her as an employee.
If you have a Generation X employee or person in your life, try these tips to improve your relationship with them:
- Allow this generation to show you how small investments in technology can have a huge return on efficiency.
- Ask them for ways to reduce paper usage in your office as it is good for the environment and reduces an office expense.
- Train, train and did I mention train them? They will stay motivated and engaged if you offer multiple exciting projects that help them develop new work skills.
Next week I will give tips and tools for working more effectively with the largest of the four generations, the Baby Boomers.
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