This will probably be my last post on Gen Y. Not because I do not like the topic. It is just that I would like to work on another managerial “thingy”. Perhaps in some ways I have saved the biggest or most engaging for last. I cannot count the number of times I have heard managers and owners of an older generation (and even of the same generation for that matter) speak with regards to this generation by saying things like:
“They just do not get it.”
“They have no initiative.”
“They do not have a work ethic.”
“They expect things in the job they haven’t earned.”
And my favorite, as well as the catalyst for this post, “They just don’t have the right attitude.”
To be fair, that last statement has been said about every generation in mankind. No younger generation or competing generation has EVER had the right attitude. I am still researching what “right” actually” means. I have found that it is completely relative and without context, completely amorphous. By the way, amorphous is a dollar fifty word which means “shapeless, foggy or without defined substance.” As I have stated in so many ways time and time again, I believe there to be exceptional-ism, average and slackers in every generation. Sometimes it depends on the day, or is the lunar cycle, I am not sure. What I am sure is that I will never attempt to manage or lead attitude. It is too hard. Attitude is linked to motivation and motivation is a personal choice. I will always manage and lead behavior. Behavior is linked to expectations and can and should be assigned accordingly based on the nature of the job. So behavior trumps any attempt to deal with attitude.
Think of it this way. What if you have someone 25 years old and their job is to be a sales rep in retail while on the clock. What if they had a really bad night and come into work a bit grumpy. And as a manager, while I would prefer they had a bigger smile on their face, can I really manage that? Or should I try to manage their behavior in what they do when they are in bad mood or good mood or whatever mood they may be in or have?
I think attitude influences behavior. That is for sure. I also have heard recently by someone who knows a couple of things that behaviors can change if you get the attitude right. Gen Y has been molded just as my generation was molded. I think there are two huge influencers in every generation; familial (mom and dad) and environmental (socio/economic/cultural). General and specific attitudinal realities come directly from there. So we inherit attitudes as managers. Attitudes, many times, formed outside of our control. I always tell managers, control your control-ables. The best you can do is control how Skippy, Todd and Mary act behaviorally when on the clock. I am not their mom or dad. I am not their cultural compass. I am their supervisor and when they are facing my customer, I expect three or five or ten things each and every day; even if their inner child is bruised. That may sound harsh. Get over it. An author I have recently been reading stated we must practice Loco Parentis with our Gen Y team (“in lieu of parent” – latin phrase generally most schools have been asked to practice). His point is that parents have been central in the lives of Gen Y from feedback to praise to recognition that anything is possible, so we as manager and leader we must emulate a certain amount of the same influence. He was not saying we have to be parents, especially on an emotional scale, just provide parallel degrees of engagement. Therefore I contend, I chose not to change attitude, but influence attitude by creating boundaries and expectations (a.k.a. behaviors). So at best, by managing fairly and equitably, I can help Skippy smile because he has a defined job with a leader who is consistent, has integrity, creates a feel of openness, allows collaboration and legitimately shows concern for the team. Not because I asked him to smile more. If he has a bad night, sorry skip, can’t help you with that…suck it up and do the ten things I have asked you do.
Maybe this is less about Generation Y and more about that the best you can do with any team member is to manage and lead their behavior. So to bring it back in way to Gen Y, let’s target these things tomorrow.
Tell what the job is, train them to do, coach ‘em to do it and then hold them accountable for doing it.
Let them problem solve. Let them figure it out. Let them make mistakes. See what behaviors emerge (and thusly attitudes).
Reward and recognize often and in as much of real time as you can provide (is that proper grammar?).
Know that even though you might focus on behavior and not attitude, they may be not be with you forever.
I remember distinctly when I worked for a large fashion house; there was a guy I could not stand. I just didn’t get him and the way he carried himself. Wait for it…but, he was a great salesman, his customers loved him and he did everything he was asked to do. So is it that we need to manage the job, not the person? To not worry about the centimeters of teeth showing per smile, but rather the job, the operations associated with it and the sales target. And then also the management, leadership, communication, coaching and development necessary to do that job successfully.
By the way, I am not saying Gen Y has less oral cavity display or a lesser range of visible dental enamel than me (or any other generation for that matter). I am just saying…
Cheers