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!