Taming Generation Y
13 Mar 2008
by: Henry Budd
Managing this technologically-savvy generation is causing headaches for plenty of bosses, but leadership experts say stereotyping all of Gen-Y is a mistake.
Mark Busine, general manager of leadership trainers DDI Australia, says although research indicates there are differences between the generations, employers would be best advised to treat people as individuals.
"If you look at individuals there are gender, generational and cultural differences," Mr Busine says.
"What we suggest leaders become skilled at is what we call adaptive leadership.
"Adapt your style and approach to suit the needs of those individuals."
Understand them
Author of How To Make Good People Great Leaders, Ricky Nowak, says Gen-Ys and Gen-Xs have grown up with technology and this affects the way they communicate.
"They, for the most part, have been brought up in the age of technology," Ms Nowak says.
"It is their way of life that communication is faster, more immediate and their responses are immediate.
"They communicate in a different style, because that is the way they have been brought up.
"Someone who is older will, of course, have a wider variety and a different variety of experiences, so they are going to see the world through a different mindset and a different set of eyes."
As with Mr Busine, Ms Nowak believes putting all Gen-Ys in the one basket has its limitations.
"We can speak generally, but it comes down to individual personalities,'' she says.
Be flexible
Modern managers need to take a flexible approach to leadership.
"We are seeing a transition away from the concept that there is one right leader, to more of the concept of the right leader for the right moment,'' Mr Busine says.
"What we suggest is that leaders become skilled at what we call adaptive leadership. Adapt your style and approach to suit the needs of individuals.''
Making Gen-Y leaders
The days where only members of senior management were considered leaders no longer exist, Ms Nowak says.
"A culture that suggests a leader is someone who has a corner office or has letters after their name and drives a flashy car is out-dated,'' she says.
Today, leaders can come from any position in the workforce.
"Leadership is not about rank,'' Ms Nowak says. "Leadership is about a chain of responsibility throughout an organisation.
"Leadership is for everybody, so it is the responsibility of the company to create leaders at all levels.
"Everybody in your organisation is a leader, from the secretary who answers the phone to the people in the mail room who are sorting the faxes, because they are in turn role models for other people and create a culture for an organisation.''
Mr Busine says creating a "pipeline'' of leadership talent is one of the most important issues facing businesses.
Both experts agree that while some people are born with the personality traits that make them natural leaders, leadership skills can also be taught.
Being in an environment that supports leadership development is essential.
"While we are not necessarily born with it, the environment around us can support and enhance our personality styles,'' Ms Nowak says.
Learning basic skills such as how to delegate work, coach others and manage conflict are essential to becoming a leader.
"If you can build those early on in your career, particularly when you are making some of those first transitions into a leadership role, you are setting a sound foundation for the future,'' Mr Busine says.
"Moving away from being a friend or buddy of a colleague to having to manage them is quite a transition and developing those skills can build a strong a foundation.''
Now listen here
Ms Nowak says good leaders know when to stop talking and start listening.
"Without clear conversation and without open dialogue there is a lot of BS in the workplace and that leads to confusion,'' Ms Nowak says.
"People start to go into that business-speak and not a lot is actually being said.''
Ms Nowak tells the story of one of her clients presenting a business case to a female customer.
"For one hour the listener sat there and said, 'Yes, uh-huh' and nodded along,'' she says.
Her client thought he had sealed the deal but the listener only hadone question: "How do you get your shoes so shiny?''
"He finished speaking well after she finished listening,'' Ms Nowak says. "A good speaker realises the words don't always come from them, and that others need to have an input.''
View source webpage here.
back to news »
Supercomputer creates drugs faster
|
Labor supports scientific freedom