WorkPuzzle

The ME Generation

In piggy backing on what Ben wrote a few days ago regarding the Gen Y population, I came upon some compelling data that may be of value to most of us who are hiring and training the next generation of talent.

In her book, Generation Me, (2006) Jean Twenge summarizes the results of 12 different unique research projects, spanning 13 years of generational differences.

What she found was that the baby boomer generation was brought up by people who had lived through a world war, and whose values were about honor and duty.  It was also a world dominated by God, the State and community, where the group mattered much more than the individual.  The children raised in this environment (Baby boomers in the 60's and 70's) began to rebel against this value system. They questioned authority.  As this generation aged, they began to become more focused on psychological growth, spirituality, self-discovery and fulfillment.

What she claims happened next has led to some not-so-good, unintended consequences.  Because personal growth was emphasized so clearly in the parenting styles of baby boomers, the children of these parents were told that they were special and the most important person in the world, etc.  Thanks to the influence of the self-esteem movement, the children of baby boomers had these ideas reinforced at schools throughout America.  These children were brought up forgetting about duty, or politeness, or social approval, and concentrated instead on simply being themselves.

She sums it up by stating that, although the baby boomers had slowly migrated from strong traditional values (that their parents held), toward a focus on "the self," that these newer individualistic values didn't really run all that deep.  Twenge writes:

"Those who adopted the ways of the self as young adults..speak the language with an accent." 

Not so for their offspring – Generation Me:  "The self is their native tongue," Tenge explains.  Unlike their parents who talked about "journeys of self-discovery" - The Me generation's culture of the self is their hometown.

Twenge elaborates (writing as if she's part of this younger generation):

"We don’t have to join groups or talk of journeys, because we’re already there.  We don’t need to 'polish' the self … because we take for granted that it's already shiny.  We don’t need to look inward;  we already know what we will find.  Since we were small children, we were taught to put ourselves first.  That’s just the way the world works – why dwell on it.  Let’s go to the mall."

So how does one use this information to build good companies and great execution?  How can we relate to individuals who put themselves first?

My thoughts on this are purely anecdotal, but I believe they have some merit.

I believe that everyone, has at their core a conscience that tells them when they hear good and bad truth.  I believe that people want more than empty individualism.  In fact, I believe that they need it.

A case in point is unfolding at the fastest growing church in Seattle, and perhaps, in the nation.  Mars Hill Church is led by a pastor who doesn't pull any punches about the RIGHT way to live life.  Since this church began seven years ago, their focus has been on speaking the truth, especially to this younger generation.  As a result, the congregation is made up primarily of 17 to 35 year-olds who have never been told that "they aren't number one."

The truth is being told, the need is being met, and people are responding.

So what can you do?  I believe that if we all stick to the truth regarding company values and expectations, and paint a vision of excellence that's beyond the individual, generation ME can become generation WE.  After all, most of us baby boomers switched back over eventually - right? (Although, it would be nice to have my pony-tail again...)  

Some Quick Insight Into Baby Boomers

Yesterday, we spent some time learning about the perspective of Gen Y employees (age 30 and below) in the workforce.  The research on this topic was consolidated in a recent article in Harvard Business Review.

The same article also highlighted some of the changes that are happening to the Baby Boomers (age 45 to 63).  As you probably know, the Baby Boomer generation has been extensively studied over the years.  As a result, many stereotypes remain alive and well.

While some of these stereotypes are in fact valid, views may be changing due to the aging of this generation, along with some of the profound financial struggles present in our economy.  Here are some of the changes in work attitudes and expectations that Baby Boomers have expressed:

• Delayed Retirement:  42% plan to work past the age of 65.  14% report they never plan to retire
• Long-Term Perspective:  47% see themselves as being in the middle of their careers
• From "Me" to "We":  55% are involved in volunteer work
• Want Flexibility:  87% say being able to "work flexibly" is important
• Familial Obligations:  71% report having elder care responsibilities.  41% contribute to the support of their adult children.

The realities of life have a way of changing a person’s perspective.  While Gen Y is more hopeful and altruistic, Baby Boomers are feeling the weight of their responsibilities and financial circumstances. 

These attitudes dictate priorities when it comes to looking for work.  Here are the types of rewards a Baby Boomer considers at least as important as compensation (ranked in order of importance):

#1 High-quality colleagues
#2 An intellectually stimulating workplace
#3 Autonomy regarding work tasks
#4 Flexible work arrangements
#5 Access to new experiences and challenges
#6 Giving back to the world through work
#7 Recognition from one’s company or boss

Whether you’re coaching employees or participating in the recruiting process, it is important to understand what people value.  Just because these issues may not be resonating with you personally (you may be in a different generation...or just an atypical Baby Boomer), does not mean that those around you are not experiencing them.
 
During your next interview or coaching session, test out some of these findings.  Ask some questions that get at some of these issues and see what kind of responses you get.  You’ll probably have some fun doing this, but you’ll also gain some important insight...

Some Quick Insight into Generation Y

This month, Harvard Business Review published a hefty article regarding leadership in the workforce following the September 2008 financial crisis and ensuing recession.  A number of topics were covered in this extensive (98-page) article, and there was a lot of insightful information. 

One sub-article caught my eye right away.  The authors were attempting to make a connection between the work characteristics of Generation Y employees (those under the age of 30) and the work characteristics of Baby Boomer employees (those over age 45). 

I didn’t buy the connection the authors were attempting to make, as the similarities don’t seem that convincing to me.  However, the research they did in order to write the article taught me some things I didn’t know—particularly about Gen Y.  

Here are some of the top motivational issues that concern Gen Y:

• Ambition:  84% profess to be very ambitious
• Loyalty vs. Quest:  45% expect to work for their current employer for their entire career
• Multicultural Ease:  78% are comfortable working with people from different ethnicities and cultures
• Healing the Planet:  86% say it’s important that their work make a positive impact on the world
• Networking by Nature:  48% rank having a network of friends at work as very important

As a subset of motivations, the article went on to discuss the types of rewards that a Gen Y worker would find at least as important as compensation.  Here is a ranked list, in order of importance:

#1  High-quality colleagues
#2  Flexible work arrangements
#3  Prospects for advancement
#4  Recognition from one’s company or boss
#5  A steady state of advancement and promotion
#6  Access to new experiences and challenges

Do any of these resonate with you?  Think about the last interview or coaching session that you had with someone in this age group.  Did you see any of these issues surface in the discussion?

In a hiring scenario—especially if you’re competing for a candidate’s attention—it is important to understand a candidate’s motivations, and consider what they find rewarding.  You may be offering the greatest opportunity in the world, but if it’s packaged up in a way a person can’t understand or recognize, the opportunity will not seem very compelling to your candidate.

In a coaching scenario, the path you took to find significance in your job may seem very odd to those whom you’re coaching.  Do they just need more indoctrination?  Probably not.  What might be more helpful is some insight concerning how their natural motivations can lead them to meeting not only their personal needs, but also the common interests of the team.  That’s a work puzzle worth solving!

Jack Welch's Perspective on Hiring

You don’t hear much from Jack Welch anymore.  A few years back, you couldn’t pick up a business magazine without seeing some article about Jack Welch.  Since his retirement from General Electric in 2004, it seems the business pundits have moved on to other subjects. 

We can, however, still gain a little “wisdom from Jack”...if we're willing to go looking for it.  He and his wife, Suzy (the former editor of Harvard Business Review), write a weekly column in Business Week.  Last week, they covered the topic of what impact the current recession will have on the hiring environment, once the recession ends.   

“[What can] companies expect when the economy finally improves?  A hiring game that's entirely different—and harder.  Look, this recession has really shocked people.  Never before has the bottom fallen out so fast or affected so many people so deeply.  Virtually no organization has been left unscathed.  Two years ago, being in business was filled with promise and payback.  Now, you just don't know what bad news awaits you when you arrive at work every day.

The result?  Many people have come to the conclusion that they don't want to work for 'the man' anymore.  They want to work for themselves or someone they know and trust.  It's as a marketing specialist told us recently:  'My husband was fired.  My hours were cut in half,' she said.  'As soon as we get on our feet, we're starting our own business.  We're never going to let ourselves be vulnerable again.'

She's hardly alone.  From coast to coast—and through hundreds of e-mails to our Web site and conversations on Twitter—there's a tidal wave of emotion.  To be someone else's employee, people are telling us, is to be at someone else's whim.  The impact of this growing attitude could be profound.  When the economy recovers, most companies might, for the first time, have to deal with a candidate pool that's not particularly excited to work for them.”

As many of you know, we have many clients in the real estate industry.  This type of attitude change among the workforce could be advantageous for those companies who offer business models where the “employee” works for themselves. 

We’re beginning to see this change in mindset with real estate candidates.  While many people are feeling the angst in their current jobs, as the Welch's talk about, they also sense that the real estate market has hit bottom.  Moving into a new career field when things are less crowded makes some people even more excited about the opportunities for success.

What if your business cannot offer a “work for yourself” option?  Welch has some advice for you as well:

“Fortunately, companies can prepare now for the changed hiring dynamic ahead.  All they have to do is, well, stop acting like big companies—bureaucratic and impersonal—and start creating a fast-moving and vibrant atmosphere. They'll need to mimic the upside small companies and entrepreneurial ventures offer as a matter of course.  Teams will need to be smaller, organizations flatter, and the values of candor, informality, and innovation must be baked into the culture.  People will need to feel that what they say matters, regardless of rank and title.  Perhaps most important, companies will need to understand that when the recovery arrives, stars will no longer wait around to be given the authority to make decisions or to be promoted.  The alternative—running their own show—has too much appeal.”

What Creates Talent? - Part 5

This entry represents the last edition of our Talent Code series (1, 2, 3, 4), which has spanned most of this last week.  Again, I am reporting primarily what Dan Coyle has found in his extensive research regarding talent development.

The focus of this final edition is on Coaches, or as Coyle puts it:  Master Coaching.  These are teachers, coaches, managers and mentors who approach the task of nurturing and helping others to grow “talent” (or in Coyle's belief- build myelin: the essential ingredient to brain growth).  Coyle begins by pointing out that coaching/teaching/mentoring/managing is a skill, in itself, that takes a long time to build, and eventually master.

To support his claim, Coyle presents some fantastic examples of coaches, music teachers, and school teachers who have put in many thousands of hours of deep practice coaching and mentoring.  In other words... If you want to be a great coach, you need to hone your skills!  If you are an owner of a company, you must insist that your managers work on their coaching, just as they would any other skill they want to develop.

Coyle calls these great coaches "The Talent Whisperers."  They are the teachers who view their jobs with the utmost seriousness.  These are the individuals who understand that it's up to them to tap and sustain the second element of The Talent Code...Ignition.  As Coyle puts it, "They are creating and sustaining motivation." 

Dr. Bloom, from the University of Chicago, researched 120 world class talents and summarizes:

"The effect of the first phase of learning seems to be to get the learner involved, captivated, hooked, and to get the learner to need and want more information."

If you are responsible for managing/teaching/coaching, do you accomplish this?  I know that I have fallen short at times...or perhaps more importantly, lost sight of this underlying purpose of teaching.  If I've been a successful teacher by presenting you this fascinating insight from the The Talent Code, you might take it further, and read more from Dan Coyle's book, which is full of similar insight.  And then apply, apply, apply...

What Creates Talent? - Part 4

Over the past week, I've shared some fairly counter-intuitive insight regarding talent development.  This information benefits anyone who is serious about recruiting, or wants to better coach their success-driven employees. (To catch up, read editions 1, 2, and 3)

Yesterday, I focused on what Dan Coyle has found regarding a concept that he calls ignition (moment of motivation launch).  All of us intuitively can grasp that to excel at anything, one must have the energy, passion and motivation to sustain a commitment to practice....not just any kind of practice, but deep practice.

To arrive at this level of commitment takes a moment where one experiences a spark, and says to him/herself, "I can do that, and want to do it!"  There are several ways this can happen.  A common way, is to witness achievement by someone who resembles you...someone you can relate to.

For example:

• Since Se Ri Pak won the LPGA championship in 1998, South Korean women on tour steadily grew from one, to 33 in 2007.

• Since Anna Kournikova reached Wimbleton finals, Russian women in the WTA top 100 has grown from three to 16.

Girls in these respective countries likely said..."She's like me, and I can see myself doing that!"

• As soon as Roger Banister managed to break what was considered to be an impossible barrier to the four minute mile, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz3ZLpCmKCM, other runners began to break the record.  Knowing that it was possible was all it took to trigger the motivation.

• For me it was watching The Bob Newhart Show in 1974 and thinking to myself that Bob had the sweetest job in the world:  Getting paid to hang out with quirky people!  I know, not too deep a reason, but it did ignite the original spark. 

Whatever it is that lights the spark must happen before the commitment to practice.

Here's a prime example of the link between ignition and commitment:  Gary McPherson set out to understand what differentiated those kids who continue to practice musical instruments and those who give up?  Predicting the continuation and talent development turns out to rest on a simple answer to a simple question:

Before children began music lessons they were asked to identify how long they believed that they'd play their instrument.  The categories were:  (1) Short-term commitment, (2) Medium-term commitment, and (3) Long-term commitment.

The results were staggering.  With the same amount of practice, the long-term commitment group out-performed the short-term group by 400%.  So what matters most, it appears, is one's ignition level - This is what ultimately determines commitment level.

So, what does this mean for you?

How many times have you asked a new recruit about their ignition story...about what initially sparked their interest in their given field?...Or, how long they planned on continuing in their line of work?  And don't settle for vague answers - Commit to getting solid answers.  Those answers may be the most important information you'll ever get regarding the future your employees.

Igniting a hot bed of talent can be done.  We've just begun to scratch the surface regarding how it can be done.  If you're responsible for talent development, you owe it to yourself to read Dan Coyle's book.

Tomorrow, I'll describe the third principle of talent growth:  Master Coaching!

What Creates Talent? - Part 3

In the last of my discussions regarding Dan Coyle's work on Talent, I promised to summarize some of his findings around the concept of motivation (the second of three vital components of talent creation).  Coyle found that people tend to have what he calls a moment of "ignition" prior to developing great talent. Specifically, he contends that people need to have a moment, or period of time, that inspires them to be great at something.  Without these moments or circumstances, we can't sustain the lonely discipline of deep practice.

I'd like you to reflect on your own talent before I provide any more specifics regarding motivation/ignition:  Where does your talent lie?  How did you develop this talent?  What drove you to practice or study to develop your skills?  Where and when did the ignition take place?  What was your environment like while you were developing your talent?

How have the most talented members of your team developed their talent?  Ask them how and where they were "ignited?"  Has it ever occured to you to ask this of your top talent, or of prospects or individuals who you're trying to recruit?  The more you know about people, the the more relationship credibility you will build, and the better you can manage.

Tomorrow, I'll elaborate some more on the details of Ignition...

Getting Inside Your Candidate's Head

As a recruiter or hiring manager, it is important to be able to put yourself in the shoes of your candidates.  From a marketing perspective, your messaging needs to ring true with the individuals viewing your ads.  The objective is to have an emotional impact, followed by prompt action.  For high-quality candidates... you know, the ones you really want to have join your team... the need to make an emotional impact carries over into the interview.
 
This begs the question:  What’s going on inside the candidate’s head?  What are this individual’s priorities?  What are the significant issues that are going to cause the person take action?  All are great questions.

I came across some research this week that gives us some insight on this topic.  The research was conducted by The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).  The study involved presentation of a list of common job traits, and a request for employees to rank their importance.  They used a four-point scale to indicate what they felt was “very unimportant” (a "one" on the scale), on up to “very important” (a "four").  The percentages below indicate how many people ranked the given item a four, meaning “very important.”

JOB TRAIT - PERCENTAGE WHO RANK ITEM AS "VERY IMPORTANT"

• Job security - 63%
• Benefits - 60%
• Compensation/Pay - 57%
• Opportunity to use skills/abilities - 55%
• Feeling safe in the work environment - 54%
• Relationship with the immediate supervisor - 52%
• Management recognition of employee job performance - 52%
• Communication between employees and senior management - 51%
• The work itself - 50%
• Autonomy and independence - 47%
• Flexibility to balance life and work issues - 46%
• Meaningfulness of job - 45%
• Overall corporate culture - 45%
• Relationships with co-workers - 42%
• Contribution of work to organization’s business goals - 39%
• Job-specific training - 35%
• Variety of work - 34%
• Career advancement opportunities - 32%
• Organization’s commitment to corporate social responsibility - 31%
• Organization’s commitment to professional development - 30%
• Paid training and tuition reimbursement programs - 29%
• Career development opportunities - 22%
• Organization’s commitment to a “green” workplace - 17%

As a hiring manager, I suggest you digest this list from a couple of perspectives.  (1) How do the employment opportunities you’re offering line up with what candidates want in a job?  (2) In the marketing and interviewing process, are you emphasizing issues that have a minimal chance of impacting your candidates?

What Creates Talent? - Part 2

In yesterday's blog I began to share some facts that challenge the way we think about talent development.  I think you'll find over the next few weeks, the material I share with you on this topic will change the way you train, recruit and coach. 

In my intro, I included questions similar to the following:

• Why has one tennis camp in Russia developed more top ten athletes than any other?

• Why has one music school in New York turned out the likes of Itzhak Perlman and Yo Yo Mah?

or, as metioned previously...

• Why have 12 different boys from the extremely small country of Curacao, made it to the semifinals of the Little League World series, six times over the past eight years, even taking the title once?

In his book The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle uncovers certain consistent patterns that exist in every "talent hot bed" in the world.  Specifically, these patterns include similar methods of practice, motivation, and coaching.

So, let's examine these three components further:  Practice, Motivation (he calls it Ignition) and Coaching (he calls it Master Coaching):

It turns out that Practice, in each of the talent hot beds, is achieved in a very similar way.  It is performed so that mistakes can be tracked and modified, without missing the opportunity for correction.  For example, in one of the top music schools, students are asked to play so slowly that nobody can possibly recognize the song being played - The student is then able to notice imperfections and train the brain to grow in this area.

Similarly, tennis players are trained to work through routine movements slowly, without a ball, to train the brain to grasp the fundamentals before actually hitting a ball. They do this throughout many years of training.

What is happening in the brain while one trains like this? (from a recent blog that also references The Talent Code, but worth including again)

Your brain is made up of millions of neurons and synapses, all with the ability to build super highways of super speed.  All that is needed to build these connections is a substance called Myelin.  Myelin, it’s recently been found, has the ability to grease the skids between neurons so that large pathways are formed to create mega bandwidth learning and growth, if given the opportunity.  And guess what gives your brain the greatest opportunity for Myelin production?... Failure!  Not just failure, but lots of failure…the more the better!  And not just large doses of failure, but failure and correction, failure and correction, failure and correction…

Here’s an example:

In 1997, Soccer Coach, Simon Clifford, was so curious about what caused Brazilian Soccer to be so successful, that he temporarily moved to Brazil and lived in a dimly lit dorm-like setting to find out first-hand.  What he found has changed the way many elite youth soccer teams practice, and has made Simon Clifford a very wealthy man, given that he has founded worldwide “Brazilian Soccer Schools” all over the globe.

What he found was that everyone, except the professionals, were playing a much smaller game of soccer on a small, hard court, with a heavier ball.  Given the small space, the game moved quickly and frantically, with split-seconds to decide where to pass, to whom, and how.  In other words, unlike American Soccer, Brazilian Soccer offers many more chances to fail and succeed in each minute of play, for each player – Every player touches the ball six times more per minute, to be exact.

When the brain experiences this incredible frequency of failure and correction, it grows Myelin like mad!  Super highways are formed that can ultimately lead to amazing talent.

So what does this teach us?

When we are training, it's not the "talented" people we should focus on, it's the people who share the capacities of the top performers, and are willing to practice until they reach mastery of a given skill.  People who are willing to practice scripts, over and over and over... Sales people who are willing to make multiple calls, fail/correct, then fail/correct, again and again...These will be the folks who develop talent!

I don't know each of your businesses well enough to definitively be able to articulate what should/shouldn't be part of your training regimen, but I do think that if you can mirror the practices of these talent hot beds, tailored to your industry of course, you have a much better chance of turning out some true talent. 

I would love to hear your ideas regarding how your company's training might be able to resemble these talent hot beds... 

Next:  Ignition (Motivation)

What Creates Talent?

Most of us have been brought up to believe that talent is something people are born with- you either have it...or you don't.  This idea is so pervasive that what I'm about to share with you may take a few days to sink in.  For that reason, I'll spend a few days giving you a little information at time, so that you can digest it, and perhaps slowly begin to let it change the way you approach everyone under your management. 

What deeply interests me, is that what you believe about the question, "What Creates Talent?" will determine how you recruit, coach, mentor and parent.  It will determine the questions you ask in an interview, how you train, what you insist on in work performance, etc...

I've recently been devouring the book The Talent Code, by Daniel Coyle.  Coyle had the enviable job of traveling the globe, studying the world's most unusual "talent hot beds" - places where unusually high percentages of people excel at what they want to achieve.  He describes the social science and neuroscience around the phenomenon of talent development.  It's truly amazing stuff! 

He convincingly answers questions like:  

• Why is Brazil so dominant in soccer?

• Why has South Korea gone from having one LPGA touring pro in 1998 to 33 in 2008?

• Why has Russia gone from having three in the top 100 Women's Tennis Professionals, to 16 today?

• Why have 12 different boys from the extremely small country of Curacao, made it to the semifinals of the Little League World Series six times, over the past eight years, even taking the title once?

The answers to these questions will surprise you, and will have you doubting your preconceived notions of talent development.  I actually want you to ponder the possibilities today...Sorry, I'm giving no answers until tomorrow.  But, I guarantee that the answers will make you a better manager, mentor and parent.

I will leave you to ponder this quote:  Robert Lansdorf, tennis coach of former number one players Pete Sampras, Tracy Austin, and Lindsey Davenport, all who grew up miles from each other said this:

"It's not about recognizing talent, whatever that is.  I've never tried to go out and find someone who's talented.  First you work on the fundamentals, and pretty soon you find where things are going."

There is much, much more than meets the eye with regard to this quote.  I will chip away at the science around talent tomorrow...