Generation management is a much talked and written about subject. Specifically Generation Y is the most discussed generation there is. However, we often read articles about this subject which, in our eyes, seem to increase the gap instead of decrease. That is a pity. At Fresh Habits we believe that mutual understanding is required to bridge and decrease the gap.
We set out to do that in this blog. We want to provide other generations insights into the Millennials and we want to give Millennials a bit of insight into their own generation as well.
There are many (historical) events that have been a major influence on the development of Generation Y. The actual list is quite long, but we start by high-lighting 3 of them:
Obama
One of the first leaders that Generation Y has consciously experienced is Barack Obama. Say way you may, but he set the bar for any leader high – it’s Obama. That is why generation Y has the need for inspirational leadership, lead by example. They are less impressed by titles, instead they are impressed by what you do and whether you visibly strive to live by your values. Perhaps it is not realistic of the millennials to find Obama-like leaders at work, or we can see it as a challenge for current leaders. Afterall, the core idea of an inspirational leader, leading by example, is not a bad one! For the millennials this does mean that they may desire their leaders to be inspirational tomorrow, but they may not expect it:. In order to learn, you have to be able to make mistakes. Also as a leader!
Reality tv
Reality TV, like “Big Brother” is a part of growing up for the millennials. Because of this, the millennials have been analysing behaviour since an early age. However, by watching TV they have never learned to talk about their observations – you don’t talk with you TV. This leads to the possibility of tension between seeing a uncomfortable (work) situation and the courage to have a conversation about it. It doesn’t help, that the millennials aren’t always taken serious when they do share their observations. By helping and training the millennials to make their observations a topic for conversation in a good way, their added value will increase. In short; this is a call to all involved to share and listen.
Gaming
Generation Y is the first generation who grew up with a game console in their hands. The great thing about computer games is that it gives real-time feedback, in a safe environment where you can try and try again: When you make a mistake in a video game you die, but you can try again right away. As a leader you can help millennials by creating this safe environment and give feedback directly, instead of twice a year during the annual reviews. And it has created a desire to learn in a fun an playful way, in which Fresh Habits also happens to believe. By creating experiences of and in which people can learn, we connect with this young group. Telling how it should be done, is simply no longer enough, offering learning experiences is the new standard! And importantly, our experience as shown that this way of learning doesn’t only resonate with the young(er) generations, it works really well with all generations. Looks like the generations have something in common already.
Do you want to bridge the generation gap in your organisation? Fresh Habits is here for you!
Want to read more about generation management? Read this blog of Sophie!