Why "Leadership" Fad Will Die in 5 Years

In 2015, 75% of the workforce will be comprised of people over 50 years of age and under 30 years of age. That's 75% who will either be a Baby Boomer (Zoomer) or a Generation Y (Millennial).

Here's what you need to know about each generation:

• The Baby Boomer has only ever known Management. It's how they've worked their whole lives: for a manager. As a generation, they've never really put much stock into the latest fads and corporate trends (see their uptake-ability on technology) but instead prefer to work within a hierarchical chain of command. That chain of command gives an organization order, structure and makes people accountable. Boomers prefer managers who manage. Don't make the workplace seem too new-agey or you are likely to lose your solid workhorses who think work is for work and home is for personal.
• The Gen Y is entering the marketplace with one question for everything: Why? Hence the name, Gen Why. Everything is questioned. Everyone is equal. Everyone is a peer. It's brains and decisiveness over seniority and tenure in their world when it comes to being promoted. They want to know how to be promoted, what they are being measured on and how to achieve the quickest way to the boardroom. They will question why they should be following when they have just as much right to lead. Therefore, they want to know who their boss is and how to become the boss as quick as possible. They are looking for a seat in the manager's chair because of their talent - not because they are most popular in their network. Gen Y is a collaborator and bring their entire network with them - because everyone is equal - theirs is not a world of leaders and followers.

Consensus amongst peers is order for Gen Y - not "follow me for I have a vision." Tangible, measurable and touchable is how Boomers like to work. 

Boomers will respect the title regardless of the personality of the holder of the title. Gen Y will respect the person who holds the title giving little regard to the title itself.

If you want to engage both of these generations, promote your natural coaches - those who can coach, inspire, motivate, problem-solve and are not afraid to get their own hands dirty - to positions of management. Train them solidly in how to manage people, problem-solve, run efficient meetings, build solid relationships and communicate directly with their team-members. Because no matter what new fad is happening in the market place, you are always going to need to have good, solid managers to keep it all on-track.
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Kevin Burns - Management Attitude/Culture Strategist
http://www.kevburns.com

Creator of Filter-Free Fridays™
Creator of the 90-Day System To A Greatness Culture™

Coming Soon Kevin's 8th Book - "Your Attitude Sucks - Finding Your Excellence In A Wasteland of Mediocrity

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Managers Showing Their Laziness

What's with so many managers bashing the Gen Y work ethic? That complaint comes mostly from Baby Boomers - the same people who raised a lot of the Gen Y's. Do you see the irony here? Boomers raise them and then complain that they don't work as hard as Boomers. Huh?

TRUTH: you will NOT be able to convince millions of new workers to give up everything they know just because it's easier for you. (Who's the selfish one now?) And if you try to make them change the way they think, their values and their ethics, then you will end up with an empty space to fill.

You had just better figure out that the workforce is changing - and either you, as a manager, keep up or get left behind. Asking a whole generation of competent (and incredibly fast with a propensity for technology) workers to stop doing what they've been doing their whole short lives and start doing it your way seems sort of one-sided. Maybe it's that you just don't want to change the way YOU'VE been doing things for the past 25 years because it seems like a lot of work. Think about what you're asking them to do. It sure sounds like laziness to me - and not from Gen Y.

Think of it this way: if you were dropped into a management job in Poland, would you expect all of your workers to learn English or would you attempt to learn to speak enough Polish to communicate effectively? The same rules apply here. You had better learn the language (and the ways and ideas) of your workers if you want to effectively manage them. Complaining about it is lazy. It's what mediocre managers do.

Excellent managers do whatever is necessary to manage effectively - even if that means learning a new language - oh, and how to send a text message.
--
Kevin Burns - Management Attitude/Culture Strategist
http://www.kevburns.com

Creator of Filter-Free Fridays™
Creator of the 90-Day System To A Greatness Culture™

Coming Soon Kevin's 8th Book - "Your Attitude Sucks - Finding Your Excellence In A Wasteland of Mediocrity

Being Liked And Being Respected

How come you don't say what's on your mind? How come you hold it in? You want people to like you don't you? And you're afraid that if you deal with the stuff that's been bothering you, then you may not be liked anymore. Well get over it. You don't need to be liked anyway. Being liked is the chicken's way out. Given the choice, you should prefer to be respected far more than wanting to be liked. Being liked is the short-term approach whereas being respected is what everyone should be aiming for.

There has been much talk about how one generation seems to perhaps not hold the same amount of respect for others as another generation. It may be true but maybe not. What seems to be true is that everyone wants to be respected regardless of generational differences.

Respecting others means respecting yourself as well. Just rolling over, laying down and taking the beating it is not respectful at all. It is disrespectful to both you as well as to the other person because you are no longer offering them your very best. When you lay down and allow others to run over you, or at the very least, take advantage of you, you are not offering your best. In fact, you are offering your worst and that is terribly disrespectful.

When you hold your frustrations and irritations in, you try to convince yourself that it's not that bad. But you still end up holding a resentment towards the other person. There is no way for you to be respectful of someone else or work in a positive way with someone with whom you hold any trace of resentment.

So if the office dork (because that's what you call him - maybe worse) who leaves an empty coffee pot on a burner ticks you off because he doesn't start a new pot, then don't hold it in anymore. Take it to him and respectfully (not timidly) tell him that you expect him to offer more respect to the rest of the staff by replenishing the coffee. Maybe he just doesn't get it because he has a subservient spouse who looks after little things like this. Maybe he's forty-five years old and still lives with his mom. Either way, you need to teach him a lesson from the adult world - you know, the real adult world where you have your own place to live and you don't have someone cleaning up your mess for you.

Other employees talk about this guy don't they? How respectful is it letting other people grumble and whine about this guy behind his back? You're letting him hang himself out to dry. That's not respectful at all. Show a little class by telling him what you are all thinking. And if he doesn't like you anymore because you told him the truth, well that's OK. You didn't like him either and you harbored resentment. You are no further behind.

Deal with your squabbles and irritants before they fester into great big issues that can't be resolved. Respect yourself and others will respect you too. After all, you can't give respect if you don't have any for yourself. You can not give away that which you do not possess.
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