Managing and Motivating Employees

Leaders speak about managing people, but, I feel that age is also key differentiators. What’s your take on it?

Is age the key differentiator? Let’s distinguish motivation techniques for younger lot below 30’s and above 30’s separately

I'm really fortunate to work with some awesome employees in their twenties. While the formative decade is long and dynamic for each person; I've collected some observations on the differentiators in Generation Z. Though we need to be consistent in how best to manage and motivate excellent twenty-something’s?

Younger people are especially hungry both to learn and to receive affirmation that they are doing a good job. The best ones are generally much more self-motivated by acknowledgement than they are by a modest bump in salary. They are susceptible to negative feedback, so we need to be mindful of the context into which we toss them.

They should be associated with the right men/women. The best manager/s of younger employees is people who would otherwise love “teaching for a living”. They have passion to grow and tend to over explain their reasoning for decisions. These managers take an extra few minutes to lay out pros and cons and diagram their rationale. It teaches them how you think. Excellent managers of really excellent young people also set up regular teaching sessions for them on different parts of the business. Early investment of this kind yields payoff fast.

Here are some other good ways to motivate and teach young employees:
Throw them into the deep sea on their first day. The idea is out of story I read as a kid; alone in the Atlantic Ocean: Excellent managers of younger people give them decision-making authority. One very successful Silicon Valley founder is reported to make everyone in his company "CEO" of something. That's the right idea. If they don't know how to do it, tell them to figure it out.

Publicly reward junior team members who are doing a great job. No brainer, right? The traditional way is to stand up in front of your group, explain what the superstar of the moment has been doing well, and thank him/her. Never reprimand publically, do it privately, as a golden rule...

Ask frequent truth telling uncomfortable questions. When you're walking around the office, or standing at your desk, ask your junior colleagues "what's the dumbest thing we're working on?" The fact that you're asking that kind of question will carry impact on its own. It will show that you invite and insist on truth-telling and on hearing bad news. It will stimulate younger employees to think for themselves and affirm their contribution of ideas.

Sometimes the answers will also make you realize that something the company is working on is actually quite dumb and a waste of money.

Younger employees are shyer than their older counterparts, so invite interaction not just with you, but with others throughout the company. It's a motivator as well as a catalyst for developing cross-functional intelligence. A simple tip for a manager is to stand while you're at your desk.

Give them personal attention. A simple and little-used approach that goes a long way is to call them on their birthdays. That's it. Just call and say "happy birthday, glad to be working with you, hope you have a great celebration." They'll be glad you remembered, you'll feel good about it, and it's a sweet thing to do. Find out what they like most&do the same.

Activities.It is a very old idea, to build in an activity calendar, divide them in to houses and run a scheme/trophy for the year. It still increases bonding and competitive skills. You tend to open up more in non-work atmosphere. Conduct off site and different learning processes. Use technology as much as possible.

Do not make the mistake of creating false reasons for praise. Younger people have contempt for what they perceive as political baloney. Fake it, and they'll know, and they won't trust it when you really mean it. Don’t become a Control C and V.

Emphasize long-term rewards. Rather than living up to their oft-reported reputation of being entitled ingrates, I've found that the best employees in their twenties — perhaps particularly in the wash of the Great Recession — admire those who focus on longer-term rewards. This is especially true of those who aspire to run their own businesses one day.

Short-term projects. Young employees have short attention spans. Blame digital nativity, social media, the Cartoon Network, or whatever else. But it's true and real, and you need to adapt as a manager. A good approach is to set weekly cycles so that every employee knows on Sunday night what she must tackle by Friday EOD. In some cases, set daily goals. You'll find it remarkable how productive a short attention span twenty-something can be.

Fire non-performers.Younger people are disproportionately affected by seeing others slide by in their jobs. Seasoned colleagues may read between the lines as to why a slacker is being kept around. Excellent junior colleagues too often, too quickly, and too strongly come to resent their less competent peers and the boss who keeps them.

For the same reason, fire unengaged employees immediately, especially if they have any interaction with younger people. One unengaged colleague can destroy an organization.

Beware of setting up A+ 22-year-olds with 28-year-old managers. Too many late-twenties managers are threatened by super-smart colleagues in their early twenties.

And finally, wear authority lightly. They take it more seriously than you think. Rookie managers of younger people can easily mistake informal body language and sometimes insouciant communications style for disrespect. Don't.

Let’s now look at the other half, people in your team who are on the right side of the age. Team member/s in 30s, 40s and 50s.

Both generations have very different views of the other and will need to learn how the other generation operates. It is up to the managersto take the lead and create the climate in which older workers will remain engaged and productive.

Throw out all assumptions: Your older employees are individuals just like everyone else in the group. Treat them as such.

Remember the range of ages: A manager/employee in early thirties is very different from an employee in 50s closing on retirement. The later onewants to keep active as they have to work.

Communicate, Communicate& Communicate: Don't assume that the older worker knows what you expect of them. They don't have the same background as you. Be very clear what you want done and what the measurements of completion and of success will be. Be clear in your communication.

Value their life experience. Your older worker has been around. They have seen a lot. They have done a lot. Recognize the value of this experience. Learn from it. Encourage the younger members of your team to learn from it. The lessons from the "school of hard knocks" are invaluable.

Train them. Older workers need training as much as younger workers - just as much, just as often. The subject of the training may be different, but the need is the same. And don't believe that older workers can't be trained. They are just as receptive as their younger peers.

Meet their security needs. Older workers probably need benefits more than the younger workers. They need medical coverage, vision care, and financial planning. Make sure your company's benefits plan meets their needs too.

Motivate them. Any manager's key job is to motivate their employees. Older workers have different motivational "hot buttons" than their younger counterparts. Opportunity for advancement is probably less important than the recognition of a job well done, but see step #1 above.

You don't have to "be the boss". The older workers grew up in a hierarchical society. They know you are the boss. Most of them were bosses at some point too. Get on with leading the department and don't waste time posturing. It won't impress them anyway. They've seen it all before.

Be flexible. Your older workers, depending on age group may want flexible hours or a shorter work week. For those of them that need that, be willing to be flexible. You need their talent and technical skill so do what you need to keep it available. Do not, however, assume that all older workers want to go home early. Some may be motivated by working the same long, hard hours that they have always done.

Use them as mentors. Let them coach and encourage the younger workers. Older workers have a wealth of knowledge and experience that they would love to pass on.

10 truths about managing diverse employees remember them and use them, they will help you (these are fact/s learned over last 20 year/s of people management experience):-

1. All generations have similar values
2. Everyone wants respect
3. Trust matters
4. People want leaders who are credible and trustworthy
5. Organizational politics are a problem — no matter how old or young you are
6. No one likes change
7. Loyalty depends on the context, not on the generation
8. it’s as easy to retain a young person as an older one — if organizations do the right things
They want:Opportunities for advancement, Learning and development, Respect and recognition, Better quality of life&Better compensation.
9. Everyone wants to learn — more than just about anything else
10. Almost everyone wants a coach

Common wisdom holds that younger people can’t get enough feedback, while older people don’t want any at all. Workers of all ages want to know how they are doing and what they can do better. Though feedback can come in many forms, most prefer that their coach do the honors. Effective managers will encourage line supervisors to provide frequent feedback so team members can develop the skills they need to get ahead.

Article by- Deepak Malhotra, Vice President: Human Resources at Viraj Profile (Steel Manufacturing)

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