Why We Need Coaches Not bosses

How younger generations are changing work structure

By Bruce Morton, Workforce Design and Talent Acquisition Expert and author of Redesigning the Way Work Works, available on Amazon

According to the 2017 Gallup Report ‘71% of the Millennial workforce say[s] they’re either not engaged, or actively disengaged, in the workforce today. Compared to other generations, there are actually fewer Millennials who are actively disengaged (16 percent). So, that leaves 55 percent in that middle group— “not engaged”—and they’re turning up every day at work saying, “Show me why I should be.” What do they want? Not surprisingly, “meaning and purpose” topped the list.

Introducing the Talentsumer

A generational shift in the workforce and changing conditions have produced workers with different values, desires, and expectations than their predecessors. Today’s workers came of age in a consumer-friendly atmosphere, in which they grew to expect and insist on responsiveness to their needs and expect the same level of respect and attention in the workplace.

Like all of us they want to work for purpose-driven organizations, but also to feel a connection to individual purpose and a sense of journey. They want to feel that they can develop and move forward. Millennials Are Not Job Hoppers if they’re engaged in the right ways. But employers risk losing them if they don’t actively address the engagement issue. They want to work collaboratively so they can own those expectations. They’re saying, “Don’t make me guess,” and “Inspire me with what great looks like. Tell me who are the great performers.” In a fast-paced world, they don’t have time for trial and error.

So, how can we engage and motivate them? Move from Boss to Coach – Interactive oversight sets them up for success. You need to help them understand and build on their strengths. Overtly communicate the organisation’s mission and purpose. The reality, they can take or leave the bells and whistles of hang out spaces etc. they really crave development that will serve them in the long term. They’ve grown up with continuous feedback in real time, so daily connects are ideal. These don’t have to be face-to-face meetings; quick texts and emails are fine. Don’t rely on annual or bi-annual reviews! Organizations need to maximize the strengths of their workers in order to keep their superstars. That means firstly understanding, then focussing on utilising their strengths to take them to the next level.

A few things to keep in mind…

Remember people learn faster through experiences than sitting in a classroom type of training session. Design your workspace and coaching style from an experiential perspective – model it on great consumer design as opposed to workforce design. For example: Remember a time when your viewpoint was changed through something you experienced? Take learnings from that and build into your workspace design.

People don’t just want a job anymore. They want to contribute, feel they’ve made a difference, and have the chance to continually develop their skills and increase their worth. They want to be in demand, not just add to the worker supply. At the same time, they insist on the same treatment in their work lives that they get in their personal lives. And in today’s society, that means being courted, respected, and rewarded—in other words, treated as a consumer.

Workers who have grown up with cutting-edge technology and an ever-increasing ability to get work done as quickly and easily as possible—Generations X, Y, and Z—also carry high expectations for doting customer service. This means that competitive organizations must rethink how the employee and contract worker experience can most closely align with the consumer experience, in order to attract and keep the best talent from these groups. It may mean making work more convenient, the way online shopping is—say, with flex time or remote options. It might mean offering ways to build skills about which individuals are enthusiastic but may not obviously benefit the organization.

A common misperception is that Gen Y or Millennial workers have no loyalty. That is simply incorrect; they are incredibly loyal—just not necessarily to the same things that their parents were. Retaining them becomes more situational. Members of these demographic groups are now more likely to show dedication to a distinct craft or skill than to an organization. Some of this attitude may have come from seeing their parents serve decades in a company, only to have their careers ended by “downsizing,” with no loyalty in play by the company. Many in these younger generations were raised indulgently, hearing that “anything is possible” and “every child is special.” They may have an exaggerated sense of their individual merits, or the importance of those merits in given roles. And, for many, the parental safety net was extended much longer than in previous generations. These younger workers may have enjoyed the luxury of taking longer to decide who they wanted to be when they grew up while their helicopter parents hovered overhead. This could explain the group’s preference for flex time and an interactive coaching and leadership style.

A Coach’s check-list should include “Do I and the organization, value their strengths and help them do great work every day?” Since employment consumes the major part of their lives, the answer had better be yes!

Bruce Morton, Workforce Design and Talent Acquisition Expert and author of Redesigning the Way Work Works, available on Amazon

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