Some of the brightest individuals in your workforce may lack the focus and commitment necessary to accomplish tasks and projects that they don’t enjoy. On the other hand, if it is something they are passionate about, they have the capacity to be incredibly productive.
What is a manager/coach to do? Well, let start with what not to do.
1. Don’t tell them about the “good old days.” They don’t care. They live in the “here and now.”
2. Don’t tell them they have to work during scheduled vacation time. They would rather quit then give up their free time.
3. Don’t try to force them into being creative when previous attempts have failed.
The good news is that there is hope. This generation is not lazy and unprofessional, they are just different. For that reason, we need to have a different approach. Please continue reading to learn about my personal situation with my son.
My son Alexander graduated from Auburn University with a degree Information Technology (IT). Alex is extremely bright and somewhat of a computer whiz. His passion in life and in school has always been online gaming. In fact, he has his own online game in development that will be introduced to the world in less than 60 days. Alex is also employed as my Information Technology (IT) guru for my Corporate Training Center.
Several years ago, I gave Alex the instructions to fix or improve anything he saw on my website and to use his creativity to do so. The look on his face said it all – he had no clue what I was asking and, therefore, I would not get my desired result. In turn, I wondered where all the problem- solving folks who use ingenuity and creativity live in this world! Then a small miracle occurred. Adobe Presenter 8, a computer program that I often use, would not cooperate. I spent three weeks discussing the problems with the Adobe staff and they said, “It simply can’t be done.”
That evening, I expressed my frustration to my wife Tami and Alex. In a split second, Alex said, “I can do that!” He spent an hour researching and making attempts to correct the problems. To my pleasure and surprise, he fixed the program. To this day it continues to work perfectly. All of a sudden, I realized that I was living on a “Gold Mine” but didn’t see it right away. This brings me to the topic at hand.
How to get the most out of our “new generation” workforce:
· Be crystal clear with what you want the associate to accomplish. I call it an end-game. You may offer them the steps or tasks. However, if they say they don’t need them, let them alone.
· Be crystal clear on the quality of the work that you expect. Let them see how their involvement will affect the much bigger picture for you, them, and for the organization.
· Be precise on the time-frame to accomplish the task or objective and make sure they agree to it.
· Ask them if they need any additional support or resources. If the requests are reasonable, get them help as soon as possible.
· Most importantly, check with them frequently to see how the progress is going. Keeping in that in mind, try to stay out of their way. They may approach things differently, but as long as you have the same end-goal, you need to understand that they simply have a different approach. As long the task is completed up-to-standard and on-time, you should be satisfied.
Fellow coaches/managers, WE are the ones who need to change, not our new associates. The sacrifices we made in our early days to get where we are today are great stories to tell. However, individuals just like us, are hard to find. In short, let’s deal with the cards we have… They are great cards if you know how to work them. Until we speak again, please remember; “Always Be A Professional For Life”.