Generations in the Workplace: Express Yourself

Perfect Storm of OPPORTUNITY!

Focusing on today’s business cultures in light of the multiple generations helps us to identify strategies that ensure an inclusive environment in a way that improves business performance rather than simply attempting to avoid conflict. It allows each generation to express themselves in a powerful way. Also, it’s critical to help one another identify the distinctive characteristics and implications for the way businesses attract, communicate, educate, motivate, manage, inspire, support and retain these generations.

Technology innovations are having a profound global effect on how, where, why and when we work, learn, and live. CHANGE is the new normal – volatile, certain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA). The attitudes and expectations of each of the four generations regarding your business culture and your attitude towards CHANGE may be diametrically opposed in ways and yet strikingly similar in others.

Today’s younger workforce is largely comfortable with or at least expectant of CHANGE, are confident in expressing themselves and are making it clear to employers that they don’t want to be micro-managed, ignored or bored. Taking a serious interest in these 4 E’s to Express Yourself is essential to 21^st century expression of leadership and collaboration:

• Expertise
  The business knowledge, acumen, skills and experience you possess require constant attention in order to respond efficiently and effectively to change. It entails conviction in your business expertise as well as researching and developing best practices to recruit and retain the generations in your business. For example, have you revisited your tenure and promotion criteria to ensure needed expertise during times of change? Do you stay on top of your game and stay educated on your/your employer’s business practices and your role in that bigger picture?

• Environment
  The skills needed to understand yours as well as various other business cultures, demographics, and even, the competition are VUCA. Does your business culture encourage collaboration and identify what is needed to be successful? Are your client services as automated as they should be or do your competitors have an advantage? Do you use a proven workforce analysis model to benchmark your results? Do you involve all the generations in your workforce planning efforts? Why or why not?

• Engagement
  The powerful and persuasive use of personal communication skills and changing technologies and tools, such as social media, require compassionate and thoughtful intergenerational engagement. Are you a traditional “command and control” one-size-fits-all” business leader or have you transitioned to a less directive and wholly engaged coaching style? What about the psychology of a social network as a peer-to-group tool or do you default to the “grapevine” or “water cooler talk” among those your age, at the exclusion of others? What about the blurred lines between work, social life, and learning? Are you engaging others and are you engaging to others?

• Ethics
  The principles or standards governing your personal conduct while transacting business – your reputation, character, integrity, honesty, and the building of trust with your coworkers and stakeholders should rarely change. You may excel in other areas, but if you are perceived as lacking integrity, your career and future is at stake. Did you know that today’s young workers think of themselves as your customers/consumers as well as employees – what does this mean for the future of your business and, is that even ethical?

How do you Express Yourself?  Is your culture deliberately developed around your Expertise, delivered through a successful Environment, using an appropriate style of Engagement, while transacting your business Ethically?   If not, why not?

Contact us today to schedule an educational and entertaining program in which participants will receive action steps and tips to express themselves while navigating generational relationships in your culture while improving their lives, professionally and personally!