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The answer quite simply is “no”. Where Baby Boomers or Zoomers (baby boomers who refuse to age) have worked in private, alone or in intimate project groups to achieve their results their Gen Y counterparts are using open space, online forums and Twitter project progress with their work.

This begs the question, “are baby boomers too private when it comes to their projects and work in progress”?

Where baby boomers do not want to deliver a work outcome until it is near ‘perfect’ or refined a Generation Y sees their work as a work in progress that could benefit from outside input, peer critique and opinions. Best Buy has an opportunity for its employees to rank or rate ongoing projects through an online portal and it encourages group mind sharing. Other sites that Best Buy uses for sharing that benefits customers and employees are: askablueshirt.com,  at15.com,  forums.bestbuy.com,  geeksquad.com/news,  iambestbuy.com,  wolfinspires.com and of course, the famous blueshirtnation.com.

To me there are two distinct differences in the model of the 90’s and early 2000’s and those of the last few years as Gen Y’s have infiltrated the workplace.

Those differences are:

Baby Boomers worked to perfection and for recognition of a project well executed

Generation Y don’t care so much for perfection as they do for innovation

Baby Boomers have pride around a projects outcomes

Generation Y have pride around getting input, including multiple viewpoints and producing a superior solution

The practical opportunity is for Baby Boomers and Gen X to shift to an open and sharing workstyle and project focus. The internet and new technology is making it easier than ever before to gather data, input and challenging opinions that contribute to innovation.

Today, I was on a conference call with a client and he said something that I have heard from other clients in the past year.

He said, “We are a large company and we have sales training programs BUT none of the training focuses on the relevance of generations in the workplace.”

A lot of organizations rely on pre-packaged training programs that are very effective and yet they are foundational and not necessarily rooted in real time issues. While these programs are of value it is important for leaders to recognize the value of having ‘outside’ topic experts who are working with industries on real market issues in real time.

The client recognized that they needed to ‘mix it up’ when it came to providing their leaders and teams with training.

By integrating generational intelligence and communication training companies can increase innovation, productivity and competitive advantage.  This is isn’t about convincing people that there are generational communication gaps rather it is about harnessing the generational viewpoint differences and leveraging that knowledge for greater leadership ability and increased sales results.

To find out more check out my new book, “101 Ways to Make Generations X, Y and Zoomers Happy at Work” http://www.101waystomakegenerationsxyandzoomershappyatwork.com

The criteria to be a member is a minimum of 50 employees with minimum revenues of a million or more. This group is comprised mainly of Gen X and Gen Y and recent survey results posted in April 2010 show that global economic confidence is up 3.2 points.

This latest information is quite valuable as it applies to global views with specific countries showing slight drops in confidence.

How does this information affect our businesses?

I think if there was ever a time to look at global business the recent recession shows that thinking global with business is the key to future success.

The survey highlights are:

SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS Looking ahead 12 months, nearly 70 percent of CEOs who responded to the April 2010 survey expect future sales to increase with non-E.U. Europe, Latin America, Asia and MENA anticipating the most widespread growth. The majority expects employee counts to remain roughly the same, with the most widespread increases expected in MENA, Africa and Asia.

For the full details of the survey check out the link below:

http://www.ypo.org/globalpulse/

101 Ways Chapter Twenty Two- Talent Pool

About four years ago I was speaking at an event in Kansas about the generations and I mentioned a concept that had started in Europe and that I predicted would become the norm within the next decade. The concept was of a ‘shared talent pool’ among organizations. I predicted that companies will hire with the intent to train, groom and guide their employees and once they have learned everything possible about the organization and there are no further learning opportunities they can then become part of a talent pool that is shared by like minded organizations.

These like minded organizations might be in the same industry or in similar industries but they all hire with the intent to then later ‘share’ that person with their partner companies.

This holds great appeal for all of the generations because it opens the potential for learning and promotion.

Imagine that you worked for Starbucks in their corporate office and you were given the best training and became very good at your job. At your regular coaching meeting with your boss you decide that there is really no other place you can go within the company to learn more or to expand your skills. Your evolved leader suggests that you enter the talent pool and you get a call from McDonalds for a higher level position than would have been available to you through Starbucks.

We all know that the best leaders are those who are willing to coach, groom and grow their people. We also know that all of the generations today are not so easily wooed into sticking around if the work isn’t challenging or there are no signs of growth in the future.

The talent pool idea is taking hold in Europe with many companies recognizing that they would rather share their people within a group of ‘like’ companies rather than lose the employee to another industry altogether.

Companies can form their own talent pools right away if your company is already strategically aligned with other companies. Many great leaders informally set up a talent pool through connections and keep these names and resources in their back pocket should one of their high performing employees move on.

Think of the hiring and recruiting attractiveness to any of the generations if you could offer them the endless opportunity of growth, learning and increased income potential through strategic alliances with other groups.

Some larger companies already have this in place, companies such as Johnson & Johnson is already so massive with hundreds of different departments as well as having many global locations that the need for creating an outside talent pool may not be there. However for mid-size companies it makes perfect sense to build strategic talent pools with other aligned organizations.

This is the future and I do see this as being a major draw for all of the generations in the next few years.

In it there is research and practical ideas on how to create a workplace that appeals to all of the generations. Happy generations means more productivity, more innovation and ultimately gaining a more competitive advantage.

I was interviewed by Can West media last week and the full story about the positive future for Gen X is here:

http://www.canada.com/business/Generation+waits+line+benefit+from+boomer+retirements/2753995/story.html

#1- Free is the new expectation

Savvy customers today are ‘expecting’ something for free- not because they are entitled or are from a certain generation but because ‘free’ allows them to test your brand, use your brand and then speak your brand. An few examples:

Fed-Ex has been offering free printing of 25 resumes for job seekers

The luxury market is offering sample sizes through vending machines

A new website is rewarding brand ‘communicators’ with Amazon points

#2- What Is Your Motivating Reward?

What does your company offer and how can you leverage free or reward?

The new economy is about sharing resources and sharing in profits. The old model is that if someone gave us referral business we would graciously thank them and that would be it. It used to be enough- not anymore. Now the companies or individuals that are rewarding referrals generously are realizing the power of ‘paid word of mouth’. 

An example is an event we were putting on- my team decided that we would generously pay referrals 20% and we would do it with gratitude. A measly 10% or a token of appreciation would not be enough of a reward and so we wanted to ‘go big’ with our thanks. This worked tremendously and the good will from those who referred business to us was incredible. 

A not so favorable comparison is a recent promotion I received promoting a pretty pricey event which of course offered high value. There was no mention of a referral incentive- I though I would ask- and the answer I got was less than motivating. Now when I believe in a product or a person I will shout it from the rooftops BUT if you want to motivate me to mention or refer you from a top of mind standpoint then a referral reward that speaks to me will definitely help.

I am not alone in this- its no different when motivating sales the higher commission or the sweeter prize will become the sales professionals focus. If we want others to sell for us we need to find out what is important to them, what would be incentive for them and how we can ’share resources’ to increase value. 

Welcome to the new economy!

We can become immobilized by all of the options available to us- if it is at all helpful I have the following Do’s and Don’ts as a guide:

Do’s

Do -Look At Your Business or Your Leadership through the eyes of another industry to find ways to operate. If you are in retail what can you learn from manufacturing?

Do- Re-connect with your customers about what they want and need. This will help you to re-focus on what your customers truly want rather than what you think they want.

Do- Get people talking. Use the social media tools, twitter, facebook, myspace and linked in are great for creating dialogue.

Do- Reexamine your business model for processes, products, and systems that are no longer working.

Do- Constantly look for ways to add value to your customers, your company, your team and all you connect with. Focus on meaningful and heartfelt interactions.

Don’ts

Don’t-  Stagnate with status quo- sitting back is a ‘wait and see’

Don’t- Stop marketing your product or service. Communicate with your customers now more than ever.

Don’t- Assume your suppliers and vendors are doing fine. Visit in person, pick up the phone, negotiate creative ways to continue doing business.

Don’t- Lose your creativity. Focus now more than ever on new revenue streams, new ways to leverage existing client relationships,