Promote Yourself (20 page)

Jeff Shuey, Director of Global Solutions at Eastman Kodak, goes a step further, putting a lot of the responsibility for employees' success on their managers' shoulders. “The most important factor for me when evaluating performance is tied directly to designing and aligning goals with realistic timelines and skill sets. These are set in conjunction with the employee. It is a dialogue, and in some senses a contract,” he told me. “My role as a manager is to help people on my team succeed. Which means breaking down barriers, opening doors, and helping all of our efforts roll up into the bigger picture.”

Companies that have high-potential programs in place, such as GE, Marriott, Raytheon, and EMC, have a better chance at retaining top talent long enough to breed them into the next generation of leaders.

 

Making Yourself Promotable

Managers consider a number of factors when making promotion decisions. Of course, each manager's decision-making process is unique, but just about everyone includes these in their top five: being able to prioritize your work and meet deadlines; having a positive attitude; working well with your team; and putting the team's best interest ahead of your own (don't worry: If the team benefits, you will too).

Having a solid understanding of what your manager is looking for will help you focus on acquiring—and promoting—the skills that will increase your visibility, build your brand, and open up career paths that will be closed to your peers who haven't got the insights you do. Oh, and don't forget about persistence and preparation. You'll never get ahead without them.

 

7

Develop Cross-Generational Relationships

 

The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.

—
THEODORE ROOSEVELT

 

In today's workplace, it's not unusual to find people from four different generations, each one with its own unique cultural and communications styles, values, needs, and wants. When intergenerational conflicts arise—and they always do—productivity and profitability suffer. Each generation has its own, unique communication preferences and ideas on how work should get done. If you understand these preferences and ideas, you'll be able to build relationships with those who can advance your career. Say you're in the habit of showing up for work late. Boomers are going to have a real problem with that because they're big on rules and believe that everyone should be on time every time. (I'm not saying that you make coming into the office late a habit, but if you're getting your work done at home, you're likely to ask yourself why being a few minutes late every once in a while is such a big deal.) Keep in mind that not everyone in a particular generation will react the same way in the same situation. There are plenty of individual differences. As you can imagine, managing a workforce with so many variables can be challenging, which is why there are so many resources out there aimed at managers and executives. In the previous chapter, we talked about the importance of developing skills that your audience wants. When it comes to dealing with older generations (Boomers and Gen X), the situation is similar. In both situations (and pretty much everywhere else in life), you can't give people what they want unless you know what that is. When you understand how different generations operate as well as their feelings and what motivates their behavior, you'll have a much easier time forming relationships with them. Failing to understand other generations could lead to unnecessary conflicts at work that can hurt your career. In this chapter we're going to focus on understanding what makes each generation tick and how to use that understanding to avoid the pitfalls most people fall into, promote yourself, and advance your career.

 

The Four Generations: Who Are These People, Anyway?

Here
, there's a chart that summarizes the major differences between the four generations. But I want to take a few minutes to go into each one in a bit more detail.

Gen Y (born 1982–1993)

With about eighty million people (in the U.S.), this is the biggest generation. They grew up with parents who were actively involved in their lives, helping them make decisions, and in many ways acting as their chief advisors (these parents' constant hovering over their children has earned them the moniker “helicopter parents”). That may be why Gen Yers (also called Millennials) tend to always want to be connected with friends, family, and others around them. They're extremely tech-savvy and do a lot of that connecting on Facebook and Twitter, which they're using every day. And they're a growing economic force: As consumers, Gen Y will have more buying power than the Baby Boomers by 2017.
26
Most young workers in this generation are in their first job right out of college, although some have already moved on to second or third jobs and some may be in lower-level management positions. Gen Yers will account for 75 percent of the workforce by 2025, according to the Business and Professional Women's Foundation. (Some companies have already started ramping up their Gen Y hiring; at Ernst & Young, for example, the workforce is already 60 percent Gen Y.)

Some of the biggest differences between Gen Y and the other generations are in the workplace. Gen Y has largely rejected the attitudes of Gen X and the Baby Boomers (more on both below). Overall, this generation is a bit impatient. They don't think in terms of loyalty (the idea of having one job for life makes no sense to them). They don't want to wait five years to make an impression. They want to work their passions and do something meaningful right now. If they don't find meaning in their day job, they are quick to have a side project outside of work that gives them meaning. Seventy-five percent of Millennials say it's important to have a “side-hustle” that could turn into a career, reports MTV.
27
Workplace flexibility is a must. They don't understand the need for a traditional nine-to-five schedule—they want the freedom to work when they want and where they want, using any tools they want (and they resent it when companies block social media use). Flexibility is so important that they're willing to give up some salary to get it. Gen Yers want mentors and easy access to management and executives. They also want informal feedback between formal reviews and they want to be recognized constantly by the people around them (this is the generation of kids who grew up in a world where everyone gets a trophy, win or lose), which may explain why they thrive on collaboration and teamwork.

With many Boomers unable to retire because of finances, Gen Y's impatience can sometimes turn into frustration as they find themselves unable to advance as quickly as they'd like. One of the biggest problems I see with Gen Y workers is that they sometimes have a kind of workplace ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)—if their needs aren't being met
right now,
they're ready to jump ship. If you're feeling antsy because your path upward is being blocked by an older worker who put off retirement for a few years, do yourself a favor and relax. Have patience, and show some loyalty. Your time will come. Trust me.

Gen X (born 1965–1981)

The 47 million people in this age group are independent, resourceful, and self-sufficient. They also place a high value on personal freedom and were the first generation to put themselves and their personal lives before their job and career. And, in my research, I found that Gen X is the generation that's most stressed about the economy. Today, they're mid- to high-level mangers. They value flexibility more than stability, but not quite as much as Gen Y does. They value family and personal relationships more than Boomers, but aren't quite as willing as Gen Y to trade a higher salary for more flexibility. They take more risks than Boomers but aren't as entrepreneurial as Gen Y. And, like Boomers, they work well independently, as opposed to Gen Y, which prefers teams. This raises an interesting problem because Gen X, for the most part, is in middle management positions, and the people they're managing are Gen Y. Unfortunately, a lot of them are having a tough time figuring out how to deal with a generation (Y) that seems to need constant attention. At the same time, Gen X is chomping at the bit, waiting for the Boomers to retire so they can move up in their organizations. They've put in a lot of years planning for succession, and feel they've earned those corner offices.

Baby Boomers (born 1945–1964)

Although this generation may seem kind of stodgy and old-fashioned to you, it's important to remember that they were known for rejecting and redefining traditional values. Boomers are by far the wealthiest generation in the workplace and they're typically pretty high up in the food chain. Because they can remember life before personal computers and touch screens, they tend not to be quite as technologically adept as Gens X and Y, preferring face-to-face interactions over most other forms of communication.

On the whole, Boomers are very work-centric. They believe that hard work pays off and they're motivated by perks, prestige, and titles. They often define themselves by what they've accomplished, aren't averse to coming into the office seven days a week, and strongly believe that younger generations need to pay their dues before advancing. They're competitive, confident, and self-reliant, but because of the current economic situation many are postponing retirement.

On the downside, Boomers tend to be uncomfortable with conflict and may be oversensitive to feedback. As they move closer to retirement, Boomers occupy most of the senior management positions and they like being in charge. Be nice to them: They control most of the wealth and right now they're picking their successors. Most will be from Gen X, but some may be from Gen Y.

Gen Z (born 1994–2010)

I saved Gen Z for last because this generation is only now hitting the workplace, and if they're working at all, they're probably interns or in an entry-level position. But look out. In a few years, you may be competing with Gen Z. Born into a highly competitive global world, they understand that they're living in an era when colleges are expensive and it's tough to get a job. As a result, Gen Z tends to be very entrepreneurial.

Gen Z is essentially Gen Y on steroids. Typically the children of Gen X, they don't know what life is like without the Internet. Twenty-three million strong and growing, they're sometimes called
digital natives
and are completely dependent on—and comfortable with—technology. They use it for everything from ordering a pizza and checking the weather to applying for jobs, connecting with friends, and dating. Gen Z also has a bit of an ego—at least in the eyes of the other generations—and they're used to putting their whole lives online, telling their friends and anyone else who will listen everything they're doing, from brushing their teeth to sitting in traffic to getting a promotion at work (don't believe me? Just check out the kind of information most people tweet about). As great as all this technology is, Gen Z is so plugged in that face-to-face communications are sometimes a challenge. Gen Z is definitely the one to watch. Before you know it, they're going to be in the workforce and gunning for your job.

 

Working with—and Learning from—Older Generations

It's always easier to work with people with whom you share a common culture and outlook. But in the workplace that's not always possible. And while we know that there are cultural differences between, say, Asians and Europeans, the cultural divide between older and younger generations is just as deep. And as with just about any conflict that comes up between cultures, a lot of the problems are rooted in stereotypes and preconceived notions.

In our study, for example, we found that while young workers generally have a pretty positive view of their managers and what they offer, managers often have a negative view of their employees. For example, we found that employees feel that their managers have experience (59 percent), wisdom (41 percent), and are willing to mentor them (33 percent).

On the other hand, managers say that Gen Y employees have unrealistic salary/compensation expectations (51 percent), a poor work ethic (47 percent), and are easily distracted (46 percent). The most negative opinion that Gen Y employees had about their managers is that they don't give proper credit to them (26 percent). Managers view Gen-Y employees as having new perspectives and ideas (30 percent), creativity (27 percent), and being open-minded (23 percent).

Clearly, there are some pretty big disconnects between younger and older generations. The good news is that they're not insurmountable. The other news (it's not necessarily bad, just different) is that because there's a good chance that most of the older people you work with are senior to you, it's up to you to take the necessary steps to bridge the gap. Here's how:

Boomers sometimes value work over personal relationships. So make sure you do your job well, because that's ultimately what they're looking for first. They're also big on work ethic, so always bring your projects in on time and make sure they see the work you're doing. Physically being at the office is important too because it's easier for them to see what people are doing. When you respect their values, they'll notice you more and see you as a leader, which will help you get ahead.