Meagan Johnson - Generational Speaker

Solve Your Challenges and Bridge the Gap between Generations at Your Multigenerational Workforce

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Make Way – The New Generation Z is here!

Generation Z, iGen, Those Darn Kids.

Whatever you call them, Generation Z – the youngest generation is changing the rules, challenging our boundaries and recreating a generationally cohesive workforce!

Generation Z
Photo by Kendra Kamp on Unsplash

My first job in high school was working at a grim bagel shop called the Bagel Baker. This was pre-Starbucks, where being a barista has an element of cache’. This was pre-premium baked goods and sleek surroundings to sip your gourmet coffee while streaming the next Youtube sensation. The place I worked was dirty, (it was later closed by the health department) the chairs were not comfortable and the tables were cracked.

My manager did not believe in building employees’ esteem. Her management style was intimidation and her idea of words of encouragement was insults directed at my appearance or my lack of ability to mop properly. As an adult, I would often compare poor work environments or management styles to the Bagel Baker. I nicked named it Bagel Baker management style. I was fifteen – the same age as the newest generation entering the workforce is now.

Generation Z, also referred to as iGen or Post-Millennial are the youngest generation in the generational timeline and are just now dipping their toes into the workforce. (My co-author and I called this newest generation the Linkster Generation in our book, Generations Inc., but for simplicity sake, I will refer to them as Generation Z or Gen Z throughout the article.)

Who Are They?

Generation Z are people born after 1996.

The oldest Gen Zs are in their early twenties; the majority of this generation is still in their teens. The bulk of Gen Z are part-time employees working around their school schedules and interns. According to Monster.com’s survey of Gen Z, over 75% are still in school. Currently, Gen Z is 65 million people strong and in four years they will be 40% of U.S. consumers.

The majority of the Millennial Generation has Baby Boomers for parents. Generation Z marks the transition from the Baby Boomer parent to Gen Xer and older Millennial parents.

Similar to Millennials, however, Generation Z looks to their parents for career guidance. Generation Z reports their parents have the biggest influence when it comes to job and career decisions and greater than 80% are striving to become leaders.

Leading Millennials – What can you do today to lead Millennials?

Leading Millennials

How do I know what Leading Millennials look like? I am not a Millennial … not me. I am a Gen Xer. (Gen Xers also known as Generation X are people born between 1965-1980.) My generation is the smallest generation. We are the “middle child” in the generational lineup. If this were the 1970’s hit TV show The Brady Bunch, Gen Xers would be Jan. Like Jan, who was stuck between her cute baby sister Cindy and her more popular sister Marsha, Gen Xers are squeezed between two behemoth generations: Baby Boomers and the New Millennium Generation.

As a past Gen X employee and now a Gen X business owner, my belief has always been “no news from management is good news.” I always felt, along with many of my Gen X peers, “just tell me what you want done, give me the tools to do it and then leave me alone!” The less I saw or heard from my team leader the better.

As a Generational Speaker and Humorist and as an employer of Millennials, I have discovered the Gen X, Lone-Wolf leadership style does not often resonate with Millennials (NM Gen).

The NM Gen is the 80 million people born between 1981 and 2002. Their numbers have surpassed the mighty Baby Boomers and they are expected to represent 40% of the workforce in five short years.[i] They continue to baffle organizations and turn “the way we have always done it” on its head.

Leadership is no different. The NM Gen is reinventing leadership and demanding the corporate world does the same. Does this mean we sacrifice the multiple generations in the workforce to meet the demands of the younger workforce? No, but what it does mean is we all have to challenge our own leadership styles to help everyone reach a little higher and achieve success.

Photo by Climate KIC on Unsplash

Leading Millennials

What are Millennials Looking for in a Leader?

The NM Gen does not define a leader in the traditional sense. My leaders, when I first entered the corporate world, practiced a top-down approach. Their style was, to say the least, autocratic. They did not appreciate having their expertise questioned and they definitely had zero interest in my life outside of work.

Today the NM Gen describes a good leader as: approachable, authentic and a team player. According to Deloitte’s fourth annual Millennial Survey: “greater than 65% of the NM Gen feel a good leader’s focus should be on interpersonal skills, strategic thinking and inspirational qualities vs. financial results.”[ii] Moving forward, successful, multi-generational leaders will be a hybrid; a coach, mentor and a leader all rolled into one.

What can you do today to lead Millennials?

Give them an opportunity to participate ASAP. The NM Gen has been participating in family decisions and has had tremendous influence over household spending from an early age.

In 2002, when the 20 somethings and early 30 somethings of today were in their early to late teens they influenced 300 to 400 billion of the family spending. They influenced over 80% of the family apparel purchases and over 50% of the family car choices…this was often before they could drive.[iii]

Baby Boomers brought teamwork and consensus building into the family and encouraged their NM Gen children to participate. They took part in family discussions that ranged from dinner plans and vacation destinations to technology choices and what kind car the family purchased.

In school, the NM Gen experienced a greater emphasis on group projects and team-oriented tasks compared to older generations. This has given the NM Gen not just an expectation they will hit the ground running but also a genuine interest to engage and a real talent for collaboration. (This is VERY good news!)

As a leader, the more involved you can get the NM Gen in projects, discussions or meetings the better. Do not let your perception of the NM Gen’s greenness keep you from allowing them to engage early on.

Matt Khair (NM Gen) began working at CRBUSA, https://www.crbusa.com, an engineering, architecture, and construction firm before he graduated from college. He was offered a full-time position following graduation and has been at CRBUSA for over nine years, much longer than the average 3 years an NM Gen stays at one place of employment.

Says Matt, “What surprised me the most going from a full-time college student to an FT employee @ CRBUSA was the culture of responsibility. CRBUSA’s culture does not let age or experience determine how much responsibility you will be given. Early in my career, I was given responsibility my peers at other organizations were not given until later in their careers.

One of the projects I was given was creating a business plan, presenting it to the Core Team Leaders and receiving feedback. I was 21years old, a recent college graduate and I was in a meeting listening to what the company leaders were discussing. I was floored! I thought I should not even be in this meeting!!”
Matt Khair

CRBUSA recognizes the importance of getting the NM Gen involved quickly. CRBUSA also does not allow age or job tenure to influence the level of responsibility they bestow upon their young talent. This does not mean the company disregards seniority. The organization successfully gave Matt an immediate sense of purpose at the company and gave him an opportunity to learn from senior management.

Recognize my existence.

The NM Gen is a more transient generation than previous generations. Very few will experience lifetime employment with a single employer and as stated earlier, the average NM Gen job tenure is three years. There is a misconception that the NM Gen’s migratory nature has led to a deterioration of the importance personal relationships have at work.

According to LinkedIn, greater than 55% of the NM Gen feel buddies at work increases happiness and 50% believes it improves motivation. On the flip side, Baby Boomers feel friendships at work do not impact happiness or motivation.[iv]

When it comes to friendships at work, there is an obvious generational divide. As a leader, it is not your job to be everyone’s friend. As leaders of the NM Gen, however, it will behoove us to demonstrate some interest the lives of our young compatriots.

Malika Coleman, NM Gen, is an ISD Analyst at Navy Federal Credit Union. (https://www.navyfederal.org) After earning her series 7 license at JP Morgan Chase, Malika moved to Navy Federal CU, because she felt more connected to the credit union’s vision statement, “Be the most preferred and trusted financial institution serving the military and their families.”[v]

Malika describes her boss at the CU in the following way; “I love my boss. She is open-minded and really took me under her wing. In the beginning, my boss and I met once a quarter. I felt disconnected, meeting with such infrequency. I discussed it with her and now we meet once a week. I admit that sometimes I feel needy but I want to build a relationship with the people I work with. My work will not suffer if we spend some time learning about each other. I want to know your kid’s names and what you like to do when you are not at the office. It is a two-way street.”
Malika Coleman

A good leader is not the NM Gen’s next BFF. A good leader does, however, make time for conversations with their younger co-workers that go beyond a text and delves deeper than just market share.

When Leading Millennials, Treat them Like a Leader too!

The NM Gen perceives themselves as leaders and they want their careers to include leadership roles.

According to training company, Virtuali over 70% of Millennials regards themselves as a leader even if their title does not reflect a leadership position.[vi]

The NM Gen has not only experienced a life of collaboration and consensus building, they have also had a powerful voice from an early age.

Social Media has given the NM Gen the voice and the ability to take the imitative, lead change, lead frequently and get big results often all before getting out of bed in the morning. Via Social Media, the NM Gen can fund a start-up, popularize a new restaurant or find a bone marrow match for a sick friend.

As leaders themselves, the NM Gen wants to help others and make an impact. According to The Millennial Leadership Study, close to 50% of the NM Gen describe leadership as “empowering others to succeed” and greater than 60% want to imbue people with a “sense of purpose and excitement.”[vii]

How do you help the NM Gen further develop and nourish the leadership skills they already possess?

1.Give them a variety of opportunities with in the organization.
Colorado Police Chief John Camper rotates his detectives and officers into different departments or positions. Some rotations are every few years; some rotations are as short as a few months.

2. Encourage the NM Gen to take on leadership roles in their volunteer organizations.
When it comes to volunteering, NM Gen wants to donate their time and use their skills. Greater than 75% of the NM Gen will volunteer if their skill set benefits a cause.[viii]

3. Tell them about your past mistakes.
Transparency is a vitally important trait to the NM Gen. (read a past article I have written – https://meaganjohnson.com/failed-to-be-transparent/) Deloitte’s global study found that the NM Gen feel “openness” is one of the top traits they look for in a leader.[ix]

“My boss told me about a situation where she had made a mistake. I really value the fact my boss will share with me on a case-by-case basis her past successes and failures. Those discussions are more helpful, insightful and inspiring than any online-course.”
Malika Coleman
Navy federal credit union

No matter where we fall on the generational time line, we all have a responsibility to be conscientious leaders. The beauty of the NM Gen is they want to learn from our past stumbles, tell us who they are and lead us all to a changed future.

Transparency in Leadership – Have You Failed To Be Transparent?

Have You Failed To Be Transparent and you can’t see where you are going? In today’s day and age, transparency in leadership is a MUST! Transparency in any business…

Recently my husband and I went to one of our favorite neighborhood bistros. One of the primary reasons my husband & I choose this particular place over all the others in the vicinity is the terrific staff. The majority of the employees are under thirty years old (The New Millennium Generation).

transparency in leadership
Photo by Serge Esteve on Unsplash

There are countless articles expounding on the New Millennium Generation’s tendency to job-hop. I personally have received a slew of emails from audience members complaining about the challenge they are having keeping young people beyond six months to a year. According to Millennial Branding and Beyond.com, 30% of the companies they surveyed lost 15% of their New Millennium employees within a year. The restaurant industry, transitory in nature is bedeviled with one of the highest turnover rates in the US Labor force, greater than 60%.[i]

However, statistics and bellyaching emails aside, the New Millennium Generation employees that work at my neighborhood bistro do not seem to job hop. (We have been customers for several years.) My husband & I see many of the same familiar faces on each visit.  The majority of the staff from the bartenders to the servers learned our names within our first few visits or if they do not know our names give us a friendly hello and consistently tell us “Welcome back.”

One bartender went out of her way to learn from a fellow bartender just how I liked my margarita prepared. The staff projects an infectious level of enthusiasm, they are happy to tweak your order to your liking and are good at striking the right balance of friendly chit-chat and knowing when to leave you alone to enjoy your meal. In summary, the staff seem to like their jobs and feel a sense of pride in the product and place they are serving. Their attitude and expertise make the restaurant the perfect neighborhood spot.

Last week my husband entered the restaurant and the first thing the bartender said to my husband was “Meagan is not going to be happy.” The reason for my impending unhappiness was my favorite item had been taken off the menu… forever.

The restaurant had been sold a month earlier and the new owners had decided to implement a new menu. Not just a few small changes but an entirely new menu with a different culinary theme and higher prices. I understand these things happen, what was most disturbing was the way the changes were dumped on the staff. The staff had not been forewarned about the menu changes and in some cases had been left completely in the dark.  The lead bartender found out about the metamorphosis the close of business the night before and several servers told me they were informed when they arrived for their shift that afternoon.

I felt bad for the servers, listening as they explained to irritated customers why customer’s favorite menu items were no longer available.

I overheard one particularly chuffed customer (he was a New Millennium) argue with the hostess that the item he wanted to order was still posted on social media. He even showed her the post. The hostess obviously had not been given much instruction on how to handle disappointed customers and all she could tell him was, “We have a lot of new and really good items on the menu.” The customer left.

The servers were further hamstrung by the fact they had not had a chance to learn or taste the new menu. Since the restaurant had embraced an entirely new concept the ingredients were not only new but unfamiliar to some members of the staff.

One of my favorite young employees told me, “I do not know how to pronounce half of the new items on the menu much less describe the intricacies of the dish. I just wish we had been given an explanation of the more complex dishes and sampled some of the new items. I hate feeling like I do not know what I am talking about to my customers.”

It was disheartening as a patron to watch what had once been a place that was an enjoyable experience, a fluid working machine, come to a grinding halt because management did not keep their staff in the loop regarding the impending changes.

I am not a restaurant insider, maybe the new owners had legitimate reasons for not keeping their staff educated and informed. I do think they made a crucial misstep with their New Millennium employees. Management failed to be Transparent.

“By giving people the power to share, we’re making the world more transparent.”[ii] Mark Zuckerberg

It is a challenge to read or hear anything about the New Millennium Generation without hearing about the importance Transparency plays when hiring, connecting or marketing to this younger generation. The challenge many of us have is defining what transparency really means to the NM generation and how does it manifest itself in the workplace?

Transparency is not, as I first believed, uber honesty. I imagined being a transparent employer would require us to throw all social niceties out the window and be as blunt as possible about our co-worker’s failings, fashion choices and spouse/life-partner selections. Turns out, transparency is not an excuse to be rude but an approach to management that asks employers to treat their employees like partners.

Dictionary.com defines transparent as; easily seen through, open, frank and candid.[iii]

Hannah Keunn, (New Millennium Generation) an admin specialist, the definition of transparency distinguishes the difference of being through, open and candid versus using transparency to forward one’s agenda.

“To me transparency in an employer means they are completely honest with me about my performance at work. I had a supervisor in the past use ‘transparency’ as an excuse to gossip. The verbal exchange left me feeling very uncomfortable and responsible for keeping information a secret. This eventually led to the breakdown of our professional relationship.

My current supervisor is a transparent leader. She gives me pertinent information when it impacts my job or will change the way I conduct business. She does not gossip, she is straight forward with me about my job performance and she will give me guidance when I need it.”

Hannah Kuenn

Administrative Specialist II for Coconino County Adult Probation

Where does the New Millennium Generation’s clamor for Transparency come from?

Social Media has transformed the desire for honesty into a necessity for transparency. It is no surprise The NM Generation uses personal technology and social media to interact and gather information in larger numbers than older generations. According to Personal News Cycle greater than 90% of the NM Generation possess smart phones, 50% own tablets, and more than 80% get their news from online sources.[iv] When compared to Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, the NM Generation according to eMarketer, has the largest Social Media presence and the NM Generation are the highest Twitter users. Greater then 50% of  “tweeters” are the NM Generation.[v]

Being private (different than privacy settings) or secretive are not qualities that are highly regarded in the Social Media arena. The NM Generation not only demands but also expects people to “show their cards.”  This has been fostered by their unprecedented access to information. The NM Generation can read a customer review about a restaurant, visit youtube.com to learn about a company, and most importantly see current events captured on the “average Joe’s” smartphone.

Never before in history has it been more difficult for an organization to sugar coat reality or hide the truth long-term from their customers. Transparency is not just about being clear it is about being unvarnished, raw and real.

The NM Generation expects the same kind of transparency forms their employers. A study by LifeWay Research reported that transparency was one of the top four attributes the NM Generation looked for in a leader.[vi] Moving forward leaders may have to take some uncomfortable steps to become more transparent if they want to inspire loyalty and engagement from their NM employees and co-workers.

Jackson Reed (New Millennium) a Performance Specialist had this to say about the importance of transparency and what his employer does to demonstrate transparency.

“Transparency in an employer means that the employee is informed of all things that pertain to the company in which he/she works for or that pertains to the employee. Basically, there is no information that is withheld from either party so that everyone is on the same page.

My current employer, EXOS, does a great job at being transparent with me. My manager exhibits openness with all information about my position/responsibilities as well as what is happening in the company. He includes me in strategic planning and asks for my opinion and listens to my suggestions.”

Jackson Reed

EXOS

Performance Specialist

The first step to being a transparent leader is having a presence online. Just like finding information about restaurants, current event and entertainment online the NM Generation expects to find online information about the leaders of the companies they work for and the people they work with.

As a multi generational leader or mentor use your online presence to blog about your views on business, culture or upcoming corporate changes. The information you put forth allows the NM Generation to learn more about you, who you are and what type of leader or mentor you will be.

Pat Flynn is the creator of several business and websites but he is best known for developing SmartPassiveIncome.com. A website and podcast targeted to people wanting to start their own online businesses. Pat is known as the “transparent leader in the space of online business education.”[vii]  In his blog he shares how much money he makes from products and discusses his own business successes and failures.[viii]

Pat uses Social Media as an open forum so customer and employees alike can communicate with him and have a clear understanding about him and what he represents.

A transparent employer also keeps employees abreast of major happenings in the organizations. Being upfront about imminent changes is an essential piece of being transparent. The more the NM Generation knows about what is happening at their place of employment the greater engagement they will feel with their job.

Account Executive, Melissa Robichaud
(New Millennium) describes transparency as a two-way street and the negative side effects when an employer is being perceived as non-transparent.

“Transparency in an employer is extremely important. In order for employees to do their job, there must be a sense of openness and understanding that comes from both sides.

Frequently management will know about a major change before the employees. It is management’s responsibility to prepare their employees for the upcoming changes.

At my last place of employment, my manager was fired immediately after we returned from our annual conference. Upper management had been, unknown to my current manager, preparing another employee for months to assume the role of my manager.

I feel the entire firing process was handled in an unprofessional, non-transparent manner. It became obvious after the fact that all upper management, VP’s and the President knew what was going on for months, all I could think was ‘what are they not telling me about my performance?’

If you want loyalty from your employees then you owe loyalty to them and being transparent is key in loyalty.”

Melissa Robichaud

Account Executive

JTG

In the case of my favorite tavern, I learned the new owners had informed the staff there would be changes implemented slowly throughout the following weeks. So technically they were honest but they were not transparent.

If the restaurant could go back in time and they wanted to take steps to make the change more than honest but transparent they would have shown the new menus to the staff in advance, asked their opinion and explained how the new concept was going to work moving forward.

By posting the new menu online they could have avoided unnecessary conflict with customers about the availability of menu items. They could have offered training and assistance to help employees deal with disappointed customers.

By not being transparent they alienated and risked losing their talented and engaged NM employees. Unfortunately, I had to find a new place to go to, not because I did not like the menu but because the restaurant had to close for a week because there had been a staff walk out.

Beware the employer, corporation or manufacturer that tries to bluff their way through transparency, the NM Generation will find out and take their loyalty and connections elsewhere.

[i] Ellie Mirman, How to Battle Restaurant Staff Turnover, http://blog.toasttab.com/how-to-battle-restaurant-staff-turnover, 2/5/15
[ii] http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_zuckerberg.html
[iii] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/transparent?s=t
[iv] American Press Institute, How Millennials Get News: Inside the habits of America’s first digital generation, https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/reports/survey-research/millennials-news/, 03/16/15
[v] How Digital Behavior Differs Among Millennials, Gen Xers and Boomers

Examining mobile, social and digital video activity among boomers, Gen X and millennials, http://www.emarketer.com/Article/How-Digital-Behavior-Differs-Among-Millennials-Gen-Xers-Boomers/1009748, March 21, 2013
[vi] Dan Schawbel, Millennials vs. Baby Boomers: Who Would You Rather Hire?, http://business.time.com/2012/03/29/millennials-vs-baby-boomers-who-would-you-rather-hire/, March 29, 2012
[vii] Laura Shin, How Pat Flynn Made His First $3 Million In Passive Income, http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2014/09/12/how-pat-flynn-made-his-first-3-million-in-passive-income/#7d6300de1af4, 9/12/14
[viii] John Hal, 10 Leaders Who Aren’t Afraid To Be Transparent, http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2012/08/27/10-leaders-who-arent-afraid-to-be-transparent/#2ad7a0857d0e, 8/27/12

Recruiting and Retaining Millennials

How Many Mistakes Do You Make in Recruiting and Retaining Millennials?

This is the first installment of a ten-part series called The Terrible Ten.

Each monthly piece will address the mistakes, misconceptions and missteps we (and the organizations for which we work) make when trying to recruit, rally and retain the largest piece of talent in the workforce, The New Millennium Generation.

Since I do not want to be accused of dwelling on the negative, all ten segments will offer suggestions and action items to employ when communicating with the next generation of employees, managers, and world leaders. I look forward to your comments, anecdotes and success stories!

recruiting and retaining millennials

Recruiting and Retaining Millennials

There has been a shift. It was subtle at first but now it can’t be ignored. As a Professional Generational Humorist Speaker, I spend a considerable amount of my time interviewing people prior to my presentations. One of the first questions I ask Human Resource Professionals is “What is the biggest challenge facing Human Resources today?”

As a Professional Generational Humorist Speaker, I spend a considerable amount of my time interviewing people prior to my presentations. One of the first questions I ask Human Resource Professionals is “What is the biggest challenge facing Human Resources today?”

During the height of the recession, the answers ranged from diminishing moral, shrinking budgets and, of course, layoffs. Slowly the answers have changed. Human Resource directors do not tell me about eliminating personnel as the next crisis they are facing. What I hear now repeatedly is “How do we find, keep and retain qualified people.”

Here are some comments straight from the source:

“Finding qualified people is the biggest challenge facing my industry.” Lace Bosch, HR Director @ Westriv

“For school districts in AZ, the biggest challenge facing Human Resources is the shortage of teachers. The number of school districts that attend job fairs looking for qualified teachers is insane.”
Justin Wing, Director of Human Resources
@ Washington Elementary School District

My informal surveys are confirmed by hard facts. According to Deloitte 2014 Global Human Trends, organizations put “talent acquisition, retention, and engagement” in the top four issues facing companies today. Over 55% of the professionals responding to SHRM’s poll, Challenges Facing HR Over the Next 10 Years, named “rewarding and retaining employees” as one of the top issues facing Human Resources.

There are several reasons talented people are a challenge to find and even trickier to keep. During the Great Recession, some job seekers gave up looking for employment, some chose to work a variety of part-time jobs rather than pursuing a full-time position and others trained for different industries when their career fields dissolved.

Another pressing factor impacting the ability to capture great talent is that the workforce has changed during the recession, especially the New Millennium Generation. Sometimes referred to as Generation Y, or the Echo Boom, it’s the 80 million people born between 1980 and 2000.

Mighty Baby Boomers take note; your New Millennium children have dwarfed your 72 million and are poised to become the largest generation in the workforce. Roughly 10,000 New Millenniums reach the legal drinking age every year (21 years old) and in five years, 40% of the workforce will be New Millenniums. It is estimated that in ten years, 75% of the workforce across the globe will call themselves the New Millennium Generation.

The NM Generation is the first to reach adulthood during the early years of 2000. This generation is more ethnically diverse than past generations, more racially accepting, more likely to have a tattoo, more open to immigration than older generations and more likely to sleep with their cell phones. Managers of the younger generation claim this generation wants instant gratification, praise, a fun work environment and a casual dress code. Supervisors are often left feeling that if they do not give into their demands, this generation will bid them and the job, for which they just spent six weeks training, au revoir.

If what Human Resource Professionals are telling me is true, savvy companies are going to need to take a hard look at what they are doing to capture the interest, imagination, and talent from this growing vital piece of the workforce called The New Millennium Generation.

So here is the first of the top Terrible Ten mistakes, misconceptions and missteps we (and the organizations for which we work) make when trying to recruit, rally and retain the largest piece of talent in the workforce, The New Millennium Generation.

#10 – The Terrible Ten

(We are counting backward…fans of The David Letterman Show will understand why.)

My Boss is Unwilling To Do What She is Asking Me To Do

Kaitland, (New Millennium Generation) works for a food broker as a sales rep.

She tells me that

“part of the job is following a planogram and resetting the stores when the buyer brings in new products. This is a dirty procedure that typically occurs late at night or very early in the morning. One reset we were short staffed and my district manager came into help. She looked at me and said ‘I can’t believe I am here, this is below my pay grade.’ Her comment was frustrating because she talks teamwork and at that moment I did not feel like we were on the same team.”

Climbing the corporate ladder was a sign of success for many Baby Boomers, part of the perk when you climbed to a higher rung was not being required to perform some of the less desirable duties of the job you just left behind.

The New Millennium Generation grew up in a world of collaboration, where their input was not only solicited but also acted upon. In 2006, when the 20 something’s of today was in their teens USA Today reported the New Millennium Generation influenced over 80% of the families apparel selections and over 50% of the families car choices. What does this mean in the workforce today? The New Millennium Generation does not associate status with being above certain tasks or duties. Part of being on a team for the New Millennium Generation is everyone pitching in when needed.

Shivone, a New Millennium hairdresser I interviewed left her previous salon when the owner refused to help out.

“The waiting area would be full of clients, the phones would be ringing and we could be down to our last towel and the salon manager would not help out by putting a load of towels into the washing machine. She told us it ‘was not her job.’ I thought OUR JOB was to provide our clients with the best possible experience at our salon. I left because I felt she operated by a different set of rules. At my current salon, the owner has no problem throwing a load of towels in the washer or answering the phones if we are busy. I have learned more business skills from him than any manager in the past.”

The New Millennium Generation places a high value on teamwork and working together. One of the reasons teamwork is a strong motivator for the New Millennium is the high rewards placed on being part of a team when they were young … remember when we complained the NM Generation got a trophy just for showing up? Teamwork also gives the NM Generation a chance to participate immediately.

This does not mean you are performing the New Millennium’s duties because they have slacked off. What it means is that managers need to be willing to step in and perform some of the duties they thought they left behind when they got promoted. By actively participating, managers convey to the New Millennium generation they are both working toward the same objectives.

This concludes the first segment of THE TERRIBLE TEN!

How Many Do You Do?

Watch for number 9 next month!

Baby Boomers and Social Media – My Dad Unfriended me on Facebook!

It’s true. My dad Un-Friended me on Facebook! I had to think of Baby Boomers and Social Media and ask myself:
“Are Baby Boomers the social media dorks we often make them out to be? Or do they covertly know what they are doing?”

He claims it was an “accident” but I found it ironic that the Un-Friending took place shortly after I declined an invitation to spend an afternoon with him and his Baby Boomer friends, watching old black and white movies from the 50’s (boooooring.)

Recently a Baby Boomer client told me with unbridled enthusiasm that he “LOVED Facebook!” He explained that he is in touch with so many wonderful people from his past, and he is just thrilled at the ability to check in with all these lost friends with so little effort.

He is not alone. Many of his Baby Boomers peers do have a web presence and are using social media.

baby boomers and social media

Baby Boomers and Social Media

According to CBS, over 80% of Baby Boomers are online. According to Marketingcharts.com Baby Boomer’s use of Social Media has increased from less than 10% in 2008 to over 40% in 2010. And, according to eMarketer, Facebook is the favorite social media site for Boomers – over 70% maintain a Facebook page.

If Baby Boomers are jumping on the social media bandwagon, why does it seem that so many workplace conflicts arise because of social media use?

My guess is that Baby Boomers still view sites like Facebook and Twitter as just a step above an online game or watching an entertaining YouTube video. Meaning many Baby Boomers are of the opinion that social sites are just that – social – something fun to do but not a workplace tool.

While preparing for a presentation I was to make for an industry association meeting, I was prowling around Facebook, looking for solid examples of professional Facebook pages pertaining to the industry to show to my mainly Baby Boomer audience. I was dismayed by the dearth of professional Facebook pages. How could an entire industry turn its back on such a powerful marketing tool?

In an interview with a Gen X principal in this industry (his organization was one of the few I found with a presence on Facebook) he explained:

“My colleagues view Facebook as something you do at home, or during your off-time, not something you do at work. In fact, it is the general consensus among my peers that if your people are accessing these types of sites at work, your employees must not have enough to do. I had to push for our professional FB page and I did it because our corporate buyers are getting younger and younger. If we want them to have a relationship with our brand, we have to be someplace they want to go. Right now, they go to sites like FaceBook and Twitter to help them deicide if our products have the personality they are looking for. It is a lot like dating.”

Gen Yers see the duality of social media. It is a form of entertainment but also an aid in decision-making. This attitude is dramatically different than their Baby Boomer co-workers.

In an L2 Think Tank study, it was reported that over 80% of successful Gen Yers log onto Facebook every day, and more than 50% are influenced by Facebook and web-based information when making buying decisions.

If Baby Boomers are going to remain in the workplace past retirement age, and according to Pew Research Center, 60% of Baby Boomers are postponing retirement, it would behoove them to embrace social media. That includes you Dad.

BTW, after changing my mind and attending the black and white movie festival, my dad accepted my friend request. Let’s just hope I stay there.

My Dad Larry’s Comments

Alright already. My Un-Friending you on Facebook was an accident, but purely a result of my unfamiliarity with how to use and navigate on my own page, which, I suppose, makes your point. We boomers, it seems, have embraced Facebook as a way to connect with friends, but maybe not as much as we should from a business and marketing standpoint. I recently attended my 45th high school reunion, where 150 of our 1965 graduating class came from all parts of the world to reminisce and listen to the Beach Boys. The entire event was organized through Facebook, and it was a terrific way to coordinate the event and to connect with old friends and sweethearts, even if they didn’t attend the reunion.

But I’m still struggling with using it as a marketing tool for my speaking and consulting business. Call me old fashion, but I prefer face-to-face and telephone contact, even to e-mail. So the anonymous nature of Facebook and Twitter unsettles me. On the other hand, you can’t argue with the results one gets from being able to connect with hundreds, thousands or even millions of potential customers. So you’re right Meagan, I need to get over it and start using Facebook and Twitter for more than contacting my high school buddies.

So that’s what I doing. And if I get really proficient, maybe I won’t unfriend you again.