Helpful Hints to Effectively Communicate Across Generations

We are often asked about the subtleties of leading multiple generations in the workforce. There are so many references available on this topic, but I wanted to provide one simple resource to get you started. This article was published in Talent Magazine Perspectives in April 2010 by Damon Kitchen and focuses on COMMUNICATION.

Helpful Hints to Effectively Communicate Across Generations
Damon Kitchen

Numerous surveys and studies reveal that large segments of the workforce in the United States share common work values, preferences and attitudes based on life experiences. While it is erroneous to assume an employee’s values and needs are similar to another’s simply because of proximity in age, it’s also a mistake to ignore shared generational values and perspectives that predominate in the workplace.

In many workplaces, there’s a fairly significant age difference between the oldest and youngest workers. While this isn’t a new phenomenon, what is unique today is that the workplace is much more “age diverse” than in past times. As American life spans continue to increase, more and more members of the so-called Silent Generation are returning to the workplace from unfulfilling retirements to work alongside baby boomers, Gen Xers and millennials.

Although historically the more senior employees in the workplace were found in the higher tiers of the business organization, that is no longer always the case. Today, it’s not uncommon to have a significant number of high-level managers and supervisors who are younger than their subordinates.

Based upon this changed demographic, some older workers may feel resentment toward younger authority figures whom they perceive to have not paid their dues. Similarly, some younger employees may feel frustration with having to conform to workplace policies and practices that they perceive to be antiquated, dogmatic and baseless.

Employers who are challenged with managing a diverse age group of employees must be innovative in establishing effective ways to communicate with and motivate their employees.

Develop a culture of respect in the workplace. Managers develop and maintain respect by treating people with courtesy, fairness and an even hand. It’s far too easy to draw conclusions about people based on age; these conclusions are often wrong and damaging to an office environment. Age-based stereotypes abound in many workplaces, but good managers will get to know their subordinates and assess their individual strengths and weaknesses irrespective of age.

Be flexible in your management style. Different generations often have different work ethics, so supervisors with rigid management styles may encounter problems when trying to manage and motivate an age-diverse workforce. A flexible management style can often be an asset in managing employees in widely divergent age groups.

Managers need to communicate clearly the particular tasks and functions to be performed, the time periods in which they must be performed and the standards to which they must be performed. Beyond that, they should assess whether it’s essential to adopt a “business as usual” or “that’s the way we’ve always done things” approach. As long as employees perform their assigned tasks and functions effectively, a manager who can learn to be flexible in his or her management style often can win the support and allegiance of subordinates.

Be guardedly open to new ideas and technologies. Regardless of age, employees who are technologically sophisticated will want to incorporate new technologies into the workplace. In today’s workplace, many employees may prefer to communicate via e-mail or Web conferencing rather than physically attending meetings or conferences. If business productivity, office efficiency and employee morale do not suffer as a result, managers should consider allowing the introduction of such technologies in their workplaces.

On the other hand, managers should be cautious about the manner in which they introduce new technologies into their businesses. Employers should have clearly written telephone, e-mail and computer usage policies that specify what is and is not considered appropriate usage.

Preach tolerance and practice patience. Sometimes, employees from one generation view others with disdain because they do not share the same values, attitudes and work ethics. Good managers realize that while they cannot always change the way their subordinates think, they can control the way those employees behave and interact in the workplace. Managers should make it clear that employees should not only be tolerant of each other’s personal views and beliefs, but also be patient and realize that personal views and beliefs are usually deeply ingrained and do not change overnight.

For instance, some office disputes involve differing opinions on dress codes. Many younger employees fail to see the utility of wearing formal business apparel; by contrast, older members of the workforce often view tattoos and piercings with disdain. Employers can avoid conflicts on this issue by developing carefully crafted yet flexible dress codes and grooming policies and then enforcing them consistently.


Damon Kitchen is a partner in the Jacksonville, Fla., office of national management-side labor and employment law firm Constangy, Brooks & Smith LLP. He has successfully defended cases in all areas of labor and employment law and assists employers in problem prevention and legal analysis of complex employment issues. Kitchen is a frequent lecturer and presenter and addresses human resource directors, managers and small business owners regarding labor and employment law issues. He can be reached at editor@talentmgt.com.

Thank you, Damon!

Surely one of the most useful things we learn in life is to take control of our outlook, our perspective…our attitude. I grew up in a “think positive” environment and that had a profound effect my…attitude!

In management classes over the years “attitude” never fails to surface – “What if I have think someone who just has a bad attitude -can I penalize that?” Of course, the conversation becomes, you provide feedback on observable behavior, you don’t attack someone’s “bad attitude” – you must be able to quantify the feedback with specifics about behavior, not just say their attitude stinks!

But attitude is a major player in our lives – if only everyone took charge of their own outlook and realized it affects everything. I really appreciate this comment from Charles Swindoll – he says it perfectly:

Attitude
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than an education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.

Thank you, Charles!

The Everyperson Profile!

That's what I'm calling the Everything DiSC Workplace Profile! I'm very excited about this product - this is the next generation of DiSC and here's part of why I like it so much:

325% -- that’s the difference in personalization from DiSC Classic 2.0 to the new Everything DiSC Workplace. Not only is Everything DiSC Everyperson (real name: Workplace) more personalized, it’s also more appealing, more intuitive, more dynamic and purely elegant! The content IS dynamic, it's not based on a static graph, but where your position falls within a circle - there are 35 different reports for ED Everyperson (real name: Workplace!) and that's compared to 15 reports for earlier DiSC profiles. The learning is richer, deeper and MORE MEANINGFUL! It's just a more robust reading of yourself than you've had previously. All "D's" are NOT the same!

You'll begin to see immediate applications for interacting with other people - anywhere you interact! There's a greater tendency to move away from labeling ( I've always hated being called a "D" as though it's some kind of illness)! The focus is on relationships - you're getting far more learning and value than ever before.

That's become our primary focus - building better relationships (primarily at work) because those co-worker arrangements are vitally important. We don't have to like everyone we work with, but we DO have to successfully work with them - right?!?!? And, of course, whatever we learn about ourselves at work carries over into other areas of our lives - right?? So we stand a good chance of improving those relationships as well.

We’re planning webinars to overview the profile, so check the website schedule - they begin in April. A major highlight of those webinars will be the Comparison Reports - this is a new feature to DiSC and allows two people - co-workers - to receive their profiles and compare them - not for better or worse, but to understand their differences and the ways they complement each other - focus on relationships.

Along the way, you’ll learn the great benefits embedded into the Workplace content that has never before been released in any other Inscape DiSC product.

In the meantime, click here and In the meantime, click here and take a look for yourself at the ED Workplace Profile and see what it can do for you and your organization.

You Can Change Your Life!

Gotta tell you that I'm more excited about the uses of DiSC Profiles than I ever have been before. We've had such good reactions to these tools for so many years and the publisher just keeps making them better!

What's new? The Everything DiSC (ED) Application Library - big name for three new profiles (and complete courses along with them)!

1. ED Workplace Profile - my very favorite ever! Finally, a profile that can be used for EVERYONE in the organization. Common language, common understanding of styles, why people may behave the way they do, why you may react to them the way you do! It's all about understanding yourself and others AND what you DO with that knowledge!

2. ED Management - obvious application: for people who manage others and expect to get results! How many managers do you know who can really tap into someone's motivations and get the best possible performance? (Very few in my experience!) This profile is aimed at those who manage others to give the manager a fighting edge - delegating, directing (yes, that IS necessary!), motivating, developing. An OUTSTANDING aid to any manager/leader.

3. ED Sales - could YOU afford to improve your sales results? Approach your customers in the way THEY will respond to! Just learn how to do that.

AND...there's a cool new supplemental report available with any of these three profiles: The Comparison Reports - take any two people who have responded to one of these three profiles and using the existing data, let the system compare them TO EACH OTHER!! Why??? So they find the areas of commonality and conflict, so they can interact better than they ever have, so they have a factual basis for discussion - how they perceive each other!

Imagine the results: greater understanding of each other's positions and behaviors, an agreement to work together to take care of differences, to work toward a common goal with much more effectiveness.

AND GUESS WHAT? THE COMPARSION REPORTS ARE FREE - that's right - FREE. a major value from the DiSC system.

Follow two links for more info:
1. http://www.youneverstoplearning.com/ and get the FREE REPORT "The Secret to Connecting with Others"
2. http://ald-inc.com/disc/EDAPLibrary.asp to see the complete body of info available for the ED App Library.

I'm anxious to see you get started with DiSC - it CAN change your life!