June 2013 ICEL Meeting Recap by Janae Jeffs, CCE, Muir Enterprises, Inc.
June’s ICEL meeting was presented by Lynn Richardson SPHR, CCF, a former Vice President of Human Resources for SOS Employment Group. He is currently retired. His insight and experiences made for a very informative meeting.
In the workplace there are diverse generations that need to be managed. Lynn started his presentation by explaining traits of the different generations. He listed many traits but his approach in the area of “Respect For Management” provided an interesting new perspective.
1) Traditionalists -Though there are few still working, we need to understand their values. They respected the Chain of Command as a matter of course. Job hopping was not an option – if you didn’t put your time in, there would be no pension at retirement. The team is more important than the individual. Work only; families didn’t count. Face-to-face communication is preferred.
2) Baby Boomers – Most managers are from this time period. They were the “WHY? Generation.” They challenged the status quo and introduced technology in the workplace. Phone & direct communication is their preference.
3) Xers – This is the first generation to learn technology in the home as they were growing up. They prefer straight–to-the-point communication style (emails).2) Baby Boomers – Most managers are from this time period. They were the “WHY? Generation.” They challenged the status quo and introduced technology in the workplace. Phone & direct communication is their preference.1) Traditionalists -Though there are few still working, we need to understand their values. They respected the Chain of Command as a matter of course. Job hopping was not an option – if you didn’t put your time in, there would be no pension at retirement. The team is more important than the individual. Work only; families didn’t count. Face-to-face communication is preferred.1) Traditionalists -Though there are few still working, we need to understand their values. They respected the Chain of Command as a matter of course. Job hopping was not an option – if you didn’t put your time in, there would be no pension at retirement. The team is more important than the individual. Work only; families didn’t count. Face-to-face communication is preferred.
4) Millennials – They want meaningful work and new skills. They ask questions to get ahead. Multitasking is easy for this group. They prefer indirect communication (texting).
A new way to manage all these different types of people is called “Emerging Paradigm Shift.” Lynn Richardson talked about ways to implement this approach. As a manager, you need to understand what will create success in your company. The Emerging Paradigm Shift uses success factors such as: in what way you can inspire people and monitor the process. It will show that effective motivating is good leadership.
Department heads and bosses must become leader-managers. A leader influences and a manger is responsible for getting the work done. One way to be a good leader-manager is to be a people developer – inspire your team and create loyalty. Lynn discussed the variances of using intrinsic rewards vs. extrinsic rewards. Intrinsic rewards are achievements, individual recognition, career advancement and personal growth. Whereas extrinsic rewards are competitive pay, benefits, and job security for the individual worker. As a manager, we need to know which type of award is best for each individual and their generation. Diverse awards for a diverse group will encourage all age levels to stick around for a longer time.
We need to invest in our companies greatest assets: its workers.