Leading for Tomorrow - The Youth of Today, Managing the "Gimme" Generation
Businesses are struggling to keep pace with a new generation of young people entering the workforce with different attitudes and desires than employees over the past few decades. Workers born since the early 1980s are known as Generation Y. They want a more collaborative work environment and detest drudgery. Money is no longer the prime motivator and they will leave if they do not feel valued. Here we discuss the implications of their employment on your business or organisation.
Employing Generation Y may appear to be more trouble than it's worth with their constant demands for advancement and perks. But managers who think they can steer away from hiring them had better think again.
Some managers need to change their 1980s management style and get up to speed with the younger people they are employing. In today’s employment market there is a shortage of good candidates - you can't afford to think “I am not going to take on Gen Ys”, because otherwise you are going to be stuck for choice. Companies have to take them on and adapt.
Baby boomers are patient and are prepared to work towards their long-term goals and put plans in place to get there. They traditionally have had longer-term job commitment. But Gen Ys want everything straight away. They want the good salaries, to be promoted and they want good packages attached to their salaries, they want it immediately and they don’t feel the need to earn it. This can cause employers and managers big problems in trying to keep Gen Ys satisfied. Gen Ys are looking for a clear career path and perks such as company car, laptop computer and mobile phone. If there is an absence of these then they may opt out of your company; they are happy to change careers regularly until they find one that suits them. Today the average tenure is 4 years compared to 12 in the 1960’s.
Peter Sheahan is an expert in the management of Generation Y. He admits that boring jobs still need to be done - and Gen Ys are likely to have to do them - he says employers could do a lot more to dress them up.
"How can you repackage the jobs you offer to make them more exciting? Start by not having one person do mail all week, and another on reception. Have them rotate between tasks to create variety. "Allocate your managers 'fun budgets' - money to create a more enjoyable environment to work. Perhaps it is a better lunchroom, a lick of paint or maybe it is a games room for those much-needed breaks after two hours of customer complaints in the call centre."
Not only must employers understand Gen Y, but the Gen Y’s must also be trained to better connect with the older workers. Often in a team it will be a younger supervisor managing older workers. Employers must also allow for a revolving door of employment, don’t consider a resignation as an act of disloyalty, keep in touch, they may want to return later.
In summary to attract and retain staff remember:
- If there is a clash in the work-life balance, life will win for Gen Y. They will leave.
- Gen Y want a community, not a workplace. Friends rather than just colleagues.
- Many Gen Y quit jobs not because there is a compelling reason to leave, but because there is no reason to stay. Offer job variety and advancement.
- Gen Y’s need a management style that requires support, mentoring, feedback and recognition.
Read on for tips for on Developing Generation Y’s.
For information about Nexus Partners' leadership programmes, email us or call on 0800 4 LEADERS. More information is also available here.
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Tips for Developing Generation Y
In the previous article we saw that Generation Y’s think differently from previous generations. Training is key to retaining Generation Y’s. Here are a few tips when encouraging their learning and development.
- Gen Y is tech savvy and their love of technology allows them to adapt to technological advances. Discussion forums, instant messaging, blogging and emailing will keep Gen Y’s motivated to learn.
- When involving Gen Y people in courses or workshops, ensure a mixed mode of delivery by providing supplemental exercises, assignments, on-line quizzes or information on a web site.
- Use hands-on learning.
- Keep lessons and messages short.
- Repeat key messages.
- Use discussions and group projects.
- Assign a senior manager as a mentor
Employing these strategies will enable you to keep the Generation Y’s in your team stimulated, working for you and wanting to stay.
Want some help with building a stimulating learning environment for Gen Ys? Email us or give me a call on 0800 4 LEADERS.
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Challenges 08 - Advance Notice
A conference created for leaders about leadership - and the challenges we face
With 68% of the New Zealand workforce described by Gallup as ‘disengaged’, it is time to ask “do we need a new model of leadership?”
At Challenges 08, leadership – in all its many facets – will be examined, prodded, discussed and re-shaped by a line-up of speakers and leaders from around New Zealand and the world. Created by Nexus Partners, this exciting event will tackle:
- How to build a credible leadership base for New Zealand
- Creating and sustaining values-based leadership
- Leading people through inspirational example
- Sustainability on several key fronts – and how to build it in your organisation:
- Environmental sustainability – it’s a global imperative. What are leaders around the world accomplishing?
- Economic sustainability – what can we learn from other leaders about creating an economic advantage in this fiercely competitive world?
- Leadership sustainability – what do we all need to know to ensure our own spirit is sustained across the stresses of leading teams through change?
Challenges ’08 will:
- Provoke your own thinking.
- Provide solid, from-the-front examples and case studies of leadership in action.
- Inspire you.
- And challenge you to take action.
Take the lead. Join us. Diary the dates today.
When: 2nd and 3rd of July, 2008
Where: Novotel, Rotorua
Who will be speaking? International and national CEOs, authors, and leaders from all walks of life.
A comprehensive invitation pack will be sent to you early in 2008.
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Is Training Worth the Money?
Training that paid for itself…
At Nexus Partners we have written a white paper about how our leadership development programme for one of New Zealand’s leading companies has achieved such a strong return on investment that it had paid for itself within a few months of the programme’s conclusion.
As the distributors for Mack and Hino trucks, the Truck Investments Group is one of New Zealand’s leading suppliers of new medium and heavy commercial vehicles. In addition they service the road transport industry nationwide with parts and workshop service through their Truck Stops network. In 2004, Truck Investments called in leadership specialists Nexus Partners to help develop their leaders to meet the challenges of the industry.
The Nexus Partners white paper uses the Truck Investments Group as a case study and shows how the leadership programme increased productivity, strengthened the team culture, and produced measurable results in sales – Truck Investments saw an incredible 96% return on investment for their training in the first year! Other tangible benefits were staff retention and personal grievance avoidance. Intangible benefits included improved self-confidence, managing relationships, planning for succession, job satisfaction, ideas implemented, conflict management and personal development
The whitepaper on the ROI of leadership development will show you how to justify more leadership training in your budget, build a top-performing management team and achieve a monetary payoff. If you would like a
hard copy of the white paper, email us at info@nexuspartners.co.nz, or call on 0800 4 LEADERS. Alternatively, you can download a pdf version here.
For information about Nexus Partners' tools for leaders, email us or call on 0800 4 LEADERS. More information is also available here.
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Team Development - Building your Team in 2008
We're talking about building a culture of continuous improvement in the team. Last month, we talked about the top 10 characteristics of a team leader who encourages growth. This month we're looking at what you can do to build your team in 2008.
Missed last month's segment? Read it here!
Use of teams in business is widespread. But in business there is often the feeling that everyone is working at their own individual level. How can you rise above the everyday rush and build a cohesive, high performing team? If everyone in your business knows a little bit about what everyone else does, you've taken the first step to building your team. Then consider how the whole team might develop a sense of cohesion and ownership about the future direction of your business or organisation.
What can you do to help build your team in this way?
- Consider what learning needs are common to your team members. A seminar, workshop or retreat may be the quickest way to kick-start your teamwork programme. Make it fun. When employees are having a good time, it encourages interaction and fosters teamwork.
- Use team-building exercises. Creating a team environment requires an ongoing commitment rather than a one-off feel-good event. Plan a series of team-building events with an 18-24 month view.
- Get outside. Getting your employees outside the office offers a great opportunity to strengthen their concept of teamwork. Make it simple by planning a company picnic or going to a sporting event together.
- Reward teamwork. The rewards do not need to be monetary, it maybe as simple as getting time off when a job is completed or a chocolate fish for a good job done!
- Use meetings to build teamwork. Include team-building elements in your meetings. Use a quick ice breaker to encourage workers to open up and interact, especially when bringing a new team together. Icebreakers can be found in many on-line resources.
- Have morning teas or lunches regularly, or monthly after-work drinks.
- Add team building to the holidays. The Christmas party presents a tremendous opportunity to promote team building. Having all of your employees together in a relaxed environment is the ideal situation for reinforcing your team philosophy.
- Make sure everyone knows they are important. Particularly if you are in senior leadership ensure you know all your people by name.
- Start a work sports team. You only need six people to play a game of touch!
Teamwork is very important. You cannot expect everyone to get on all the time but if you have built a good team, even in times of conflict the job will get done and the other members of the team will be supportive.
HOT TIP: Begin 2008 with a business planning session with your team. Nexus Partners can show you how to make this an effective mixture of strategising, woven together with activities that will grow everyone’s understanding of each other.
Need some help with building your team? Email us for more information about Nexus Partners' team development programmes, or call on 0800 4 LEADERS. More information about team development is also available here.
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Upcoming Leadership Development Programmes – Open Enrolment
Do you or one of your colleagues need to develop further leadership capability in 2008? Nexus Partners has now released dates for each of our three public leadership programmes for early in the new year.
Learning about leadership alongside people from other organisations can stimulate new ways of thinking as you become exposed to how others have approached similar challenges to your own in their unique setting. In short, our three programmes are:
Foundations Of Leadership™ (2 days) A programme that addresses the fundamentals of leadership and works to build day-to-day leadership skills for your workplace supervisors, team leaders new to their position and people with potential who are not yet in leadership roles. Click here for more information including dates and location.
Strategic Leadership™ (4 x 2-day workshops): Strategic Leadership™ has been transforming attitudes, honing relationships and transforming future leadership in both the private and public sectors since the year 2000. With over 350 graduates to date, it teaches the real-world skills necessary for middle-tier managers to become inspiring leaders who are motivating a team of committed followers. This comprehensive programme develops the interpersonal skills essential for healthy team performance, managing conflict, coaching and mentoring and knowing how and when to exercise your power. Click here for more information including dates and location.
The Leadership Challenge™ (3 day workshop): Provided particularly with senior managers in mind, The Leadership Challenge™ is all it takes to set leaders on the road to achieving their personal best – every day. Because it’s not about personalities, it’s about practice. Great leadership is a measurable, learnable and teachable set of behaviours. This course delivers the life-changing learnings that can be the catalyst for personal growth through to organisation-wide transformations. Presented in a Central North Island location that will inspire and encourage reflection. Click here for more information including dates and location.
To receive a full information package about one or more of these programmes, please email us, or call us on 0800 4 LEADERS. More information is also available here.
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Prize Draw Winner
We ran a draw in out last Leadership Update and online on our website for Tom Peters Essentials: Leadership by Tom Peters. This proved very popular. Our lucky winner this month is Paul Herring, from The Salvation Army.
In 2008 we will be launching a "Book of the month". We're very keen to bring some excellent business books to your attention.
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