Ms. Gioia

Human Resources, Recruitment & Training

Herding Cats: Leading the New Generations Without Losing Your Mind

By Joyce Gioia, CEO, Employer of Choice, Inc

By now, most of us realize that our younger generation employees are "different" - different from the other generations and different from each other. They are different in many ways and for a number of reasons. In this column, we'll explore what really going on in their hearts and minds. What drives them? And how you can tap into that energy and creativity and harness it to help your property to be more profitable.

Disclaimer: This article generalizes generational differences. Not all Millennials and Generation Xers will possess every attribute described. We offer this column as a guideline to help you cope with their different behaviors.

Markers - events that leave their effect forever

During our pre-teen and adolescent years, we are particularly impressionable. We are aware enough of world events to be affected by them, but often have not yet gained the wisdom to put them into the proper perspective. Thus, events that happen during this very critical time in our lives leave an indelible mark - whether they are natural or man-generated experiences. They have a significant impact on our psyches when they happen and continue to have an effect for the rest of our lives.

When the Generation Xers, whom we define as those born 1965 to 1985, were in their impressionable years, they experienced a number of occurrences that had a profound and lasting effect. A few of these markers were:

• The Watergate affair, when they witnessed our country disgraced by an unethical president
  
• The introduction of personal computers when we put processing power in the hands of individuals for the first time in human history
  
• The Women's Liberation movement that saw highly educated women choosing to be their own people for the first time

Of course the markers for the Millennials, born roughly 1986-2006, were somewhat different. A few their markers were:

• Columbine Shootings in which deranged adolescents on a rampage killed thirteen students and teachers, then themselves
  
• The September 11th terrorist attacks when we discovered that Al Qaeda was prepared to sacrifice lives to bring down our capitalist society. This event actually reset values in many US families, as well as those abroad.
  
• Hurricane Katrina when we all saw the failures of the US government to adequately support the population of New Orleans and many people died in the flood that followed. We will not soon forget the images of people stranded on their rooftops awaiting rescue

As children, our parents condition us to have the attitudes our parents teach us. As we grow into adolescence, we begin to develop our own attitudes about the world. It's important for leaders to remember the impact of these significant events, because our younger generations continue to make some decisions based on the attitudes they develop during these critical imprinting times.

Motivations come from our values and attitudes

People generally make decisions based on a combination of their values and attitudes. As most hotel executives have experienced, the values of these younger generations are different from the older ones. Knowing their values helps us to understand how to create the right environment in which they will thrive.

How many times have we heard members of the X Generation say, "Get a life!" What they really mean is we older generations need to understand that life is about more than working all the time. In other words, it's all about balancing one's work and personal life. We call it "Life-Work Balance" not "Work-Life Balance", because for the younger generations (Millennials included), their personal lives do come first. Be sure to recognize this priority when you are setting schedules and making decisions.

Generation X values diversity and inclusion; they want to work in environments with high levels of tolerance and mutual respect. They consider hotels that offer prayer rooms for Moslem employees and time off on religious holidays for all to be good corporate citizens. And speaking of good corporate citizens, remember the slogan, "Think globally, act locally"? The Gen Xers were very enthusiastic supporters of that idea. They are the generation that first understood the tremendous value in globalization.

The fact that PCs were introduced at a critical time in their lives is responsible for their love of technology. They embrace technology and the innovation that comes with it, especially when they can use it to be creative (one of their strengths).

Before Generation X came into our workplaces, all business people wore suits and ties and women seldom wore pants. Because this generation values informality, we can thank them for the standard we now call "business casual".

"You mean it's not that they are not just being insubordinate?" asked a hotelier a few years ago. "No", I replied, "they are just expressing their desire for independence". As latch-key kids, they learned to be self-reliant, now they prefer to work independently. Why are we so surprised when they bristle at being micro-managed?

Finally, they are pragmatic; they are capable of understanding that limited resources sometimes require settling for less than what they wanted. However, their creativity will still look for ways to make the necessary numbers and restore perks and bonuses.

In spite of many who wear black, most Millennials tend to look on the bright side. They are optimistic and will help support your financial growth - especially when you share with them the effect of their work on your bottom line.

Most Millennials feel a high sense of civic duty, choosing the side of morality every time. This generation also values social interactions, but would rather communicate electronically than in person; it's probably less threatening.

They are street-smart and have a sense of confidence that is very appealing. Millennials, too, value diversity, but it has been and is so much a part of their lives that they do not even think about it as being something to be desired. For them, diversity is a given and an expected aspect of their work lives. Finally, Millennials really value leading-edge technology.

Turn liabilities into opportunities

Turn Gen Xers impatience with the status quo into action by allowing them to come up with low- and no-cost solutions. Reinforce their people skills by providing scripts to handle difficult situations. And be sure to provide role-playing to reinforce new language.

Finally, deal with their cynicism by showing them the advantages of optimism and positive expectation.

Over half of all Millennials want to be famous.(1) This aspiration sometimes leads them to be indiscreet by exposing personal information on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, etc. Make them "stars" in your organization when they have earned it by profiling them on your intranet or bulletin board or in your in-house newsletter.

Turn their need for supervision and structure into a positive by giving them training opportunities and setting goals for them to become trainers themselves. Follow the example of Fintan Odoherty, General Manager of the Windsor Plaza Hotel in Ho Chi Min City (formerly Saigon). This enlightened GM has created a "Training Club" of his young achievers who conduct needs assessments, decide what additional training is needed, and take responsibility for ongoing training programs.(2)

Capitalize on their very short attention spans by expecting them to multitask with a wide variety of activities. Work with their unrealistic expectations by showing them the career pathing that is or could be available in your hotel.

Millennials - the Entitlement Generation

They place great value on achievement as well and want recognition for their achievements. Moreover, they feel entitled to the rewards, whether or not they have done the work. Many say their teachers have rewarded them for mediocre or poor work, failure was not an option. Not surprisingly, now they want the same recognition - whether they deserve it or not.

However, there's more to it. Guilty Baby Boomer parents, who were busy developing their careers, spoiled this generation with cars, computers, video games, and whatever else they wanted. As if all that weren't enough, we have advertising messages telling them, “You should have the best just because you’re you.”

Handling this attitude is not rocket science, but does require some effort. Here's what we recommend to our clients:

Find out what turns them on and build that into the job. Make sure that the job as you want it done includes some activities that the young person enjoys doing. Be certain to incorporate multi-tasking into the job, because that ability is one of the Millennials' strengths.

Build them a culture within your culture of high performance. Particularly if young people describe your culture as one for "old foggies", allow them to establish their own culture within your organization. If you fail to allow for this sense of community, you will never retain them!

Make them heroes. Millennials want to be heroes. Not only do they want to save the world, but they also want to save the day. Be sure to give them a chance to shine.

Acknowledge them for who you want them to be. When you expect and acknowledge that people are capable of being who you want and need them to be, they will often "step up to the plate" and become those capable, high performers.

If all else fails... express tough love. The Millennials need structure and boundaries. They may balk when you impose limits after the fact, however accepting low or mediocre performance will have a worse effect on morale at your hotel.

"Even Eagles Need a Push"

Respect the talents and abilities of your younger generations. Recognize that they may need a little extra help to be optimum employees. If you take the time to learn what motivates these younger generations, you will reap handsome rewards in terms of engagement and retention.

Working with their attitudes towards the other generations

The attitudes that the younger generations have towards the older generations can be both positive and negative. Here are a couple you can capitalize on:

• Millennials respect the Matures (born before 1946) and many Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) for their wisdom and experience,
  
• Matures admire Millennials for their computer skills. Consider creating reverse apprenticeships at your property where you have the Millennials teaching the older workers.
  
• Though Generation Xers have little patience for Millennials' entitlement mentality, they, too, respect the creativity and tech savvy that the youngest generation in the workplace possesses.

References:
(1) Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, Survey September-October 2006.
(2) Personal conversation with Fintan Odoherty in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam, March 17, 2010.

Joyce Gioia is a workforce futurist concentrating on relationship aspects of the future. This arena includes workforce and workplace trends, as well as consumer, education, and business-to-business trends. Ms. Gioia is also CEO of Employer of Choice, Inc, a distinction earned only by companies whose leadership, culture, and best practices attract, optimize, and hold top talent. Employers of Choice® enjoy "a higher level of performance, greater workforce stability, and the level of continuity that assures preservation of the knowledge base, customer loyalty, employee satisfaction, and stronger profits". Ms. Gioia can be contacted at 336-210-3548 or joyce@hermangroup.com Extended Bio...

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