Water Cooler Conversations

This may be one of the more challenging holiday seasons for many people around our region.  We may all know someone who is actively searching for a new job or whose savings has postponed retirement.  And, the general news of the day has been tough to swallow to say the least.

If you look back in history, some of
America’s greatest moments were spawned out of adversity, similar to what we face today.  Those great moments where made possible with individuals rising to the occasion.

Fear seems to have paralyzed so many around our region and country. So many people I have come in contact with over the past several weeks are taking a wait and see approach and hoping for the best. 

Hope has never been a good strategy for business. Waiting around for our local, state and federal government to set in motion a “fix” may accelerate a business death spiral. 

I am a big believer that we control our destiny. Yet for some reason, we have shifted that burden to our government.  They don’t run well in good times, why would we expect them to run well in challenging times?

So during the upcoming holidays, perhaps spend some time thinking about 2009. Think about your possible participation in supporting an economic turnaround.  It does not have to be big – it can be as simple as helping someone out with their job search, spending your next corporate purchase locally, and/or just providing encouragement. 

We can do this…I know we can.

Don’t let the “Grinch” steal this holiday season or 2009 from us.  Life is too short and our region is too important.

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Wishing you, your families and friends excellent health, good jobs and prosperity in 2009.

Written by Pat Perry
President, ERC 

There are many reasons why the newspaper industry is dying a slow death in this country.  Primarily, they are not offering value to their readership. What was once considered news is now an array of shock headlines of information most of us learned about prior to the morning paper delivery.  Technology has afforded us instant access to information from across the globe.  Incredibly, the newspaper industry “leadership” is stubborn to change, making them the modern day horse and buggy.

Not far behind are the mainstream television stations and cable networks.  The nightly news has for some time pandered to the negative; reflecting the media’s censorship of what they believe is the news of the day – murders, rapes, robberies, corruption.  Ironically, they try to make it all better by closing the show with a “feel good” story after most everyone has tuned out or turned off the “newscast”.

The media’s defense is that they have a “responsibility” to report the news…that is true…but it has been a long time since they have been responsible.  Here is a revelation for the media - good news is also considered news.  And, believe it or not, our region has a ton of good news.  It is there for the taking.

Since our local political leadership has fallen by the wayside the past few years, perhaps an opportunity to lead the region can be ignited by the local media.  The power to influence is still alive and well…people are praying and hoping for real leadership…real risk taking and real positive change. 

The local media still has tremendous power to influence its readership and viewers.  I would challenge all of them to try something different, even if it would be for one day…don’t report any negative information or spin including the shock headlines.  Leave words like crisis, doom and failure out of the vocabulary for one day or better yet for one week. Imagine the psychological impact – it would be a cool thing.  In fact, I would bet if the local media tried this for a week, they would be hard pressed to go back to the status quo - maybe that is what they fear.

And, if I’m wrong, nothing is lost but a few days of bad news.

Written by Pat Perry
President, ERC 

“I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words.  When I was a boy, we were taught to be discrete and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise and impatient of restraint.”

Though you might believe this statement is true today, it dates back to the ancient Greek poet Hesiod (700 BCE).

In present time, we have a unique anomaly occurring - four distinct generations working together;  

Veterans – there are 52 million people in this classification born between 1922 and 1943 (63-84 year-olds). In general, Veterans, want respect for their experience, they prefer handwritten communication or in-person dialogue rather than email.  This group of workers appreciates recognition of their hard work and dedication with plaques and other symbolic records of achievement.

Baby Boomers – 77 million Americans are in this class born between 1943 and 1960 (47-63 year-olds).  Boomers appreciate being asked for their input and getting their consensus.  They like plenty of public recognition and a knowledge that they are important to organizational success.   Baby Boomers are known for their long hours and work ethic which could explain many Boomers’ disdain for Gen X and Y for their perceived lack of work ethic.

Generation X – a very cool label applied to approximately 46 million people in this country born between 1960 and 1980 (26-46 year-olds).  The Gen X group enjoys multitasking and appreciate constant constructive feedback.  This is the first generation to never have known life without a PC and expects their organizations to be technologically current.   They want to pursue other interests outside of work and expect to be supported by their organizations.  And, they want to work to be fun.

Millennials, also know as  “Generation Y”, “Nexters”, “Generation Next”, “Echo Boomers”, “iGeneration”, and “Net Generation” – whew!  There are 72 million people born between 1980 and 2000 that make up this group (6-26 year-olds). We are still learning about this group as a good number of them have yet to enter the workforce.  But the preliminary research shows that Millennials in many ways reflect Gen X characteristics.  They are “wired”, seek immediate gratification, desire alignment between their personal and organizational goals, insist that job opportunities be available to all regardless of gender, and desire non-traditional approaches to professional development.

If you have an organization where a few or all of these groups are represented, you know their generational differences can cause a few raised eyebrows amongst co-workers along with a multitude of communication, morale, HR policy, compensation, recruitment and retention issues. Writer George Orwell may have said it best, “Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it. “

Some organizations are fighting this cultural diversity while others embrace and welcome the change and challenges the four generations bring to the table.  The latter organizations will clearly come out winners in the long run, while traditional organizations who attempt to homogenize their workforce will find that top performers will exit quickly to greener pastures.

Here are few practical steps top consider if you have a few or more generations represented among your top people:

Assess your employee demographics – begin with a look at your workforce from the perspective of the generational groups highlighted above.  At the risk of being stereotypical, it is a pretty good place to start and provides you a base of knowledge of strategies you may need to take in the future.

Train your management team – from first line supervisors to CEOs, your management team needs to clearly understand that age and background can explain some of the behavior exhibited in their respective departments.  In addition, they will need to upgrade their skill sets in managing generational differences while supporting the attraction and retention of top performers.

Assess recruiting practices – assuming your goal is to attract the best possible talent available, it will be necessary to recognize that one size does not fit all when it comes to recruiting.  For example, placing a classified ad in the newspaper may work to attract a Baby Boomer but not a Generation Y candidate who spends their time on the Internet.  Spend some time looking at your most successful sourcing tools and continue to ask top employees across the generations where their peers are finding jobs.

Assess policies and benefits – retaining top performers across the generations can also be a difficult task.  It can no longer be a one dimensional approach but one that mandates an appreciation for what people are seeking in a great workplaces.   Like recruiting, it is imperative that you ask your top people across the generations why they stay at your organization.  Their honest and direct feedback can provide an excellent blueprint for future policies, work environment considerations and employee benefits. 

Generational differences can either be looked at with disdain or as a welcome challenge.  On occasion I hear Boomers complain about the young people in their workplaces.  “They don’t have a work ethic”, “They want to run our company without paying their dues” and on and on.  You get the point. 

I am not sure why there is so much concern.  It is not like the Veterans or Boomers perfected the workplace.  Gen X and Y generations are inheriting some archaic HR policies and programs, gender differences in pay, corruption in corporate America and glass ceilings to name a few.

There is hope for the future and the upcoming generations have a wonderful opportunity to turn our mess around.  If you are reading this article and represent Gen X or Y, please don’t follow our lead.  You can do better…much better.  You can be the “greatest generations” for corporate
America.  And, that’s not something to kid about.