Early on a Wednesday morning in your favorite coffee house you refill your halfway cold coffee and add a fuse of half and half before splashing back down at your normal table to regroup your thoughts. While you sit there thinking of how you are going to plan out your day, there is someone just getting up and reluctantly slamming their sleepy hand down on the alarm clock that beckons their lifeless body to get up and drag itself to work. They dream about your ideal lifestyle while you dream about accomplishing the relevant revenue you want to bring in for the day. What is the difference between these people?
Both these employees dream about success and are self-motivated. One employee has taken the plunge to work outside of the office, but...WAIT! Are they really "taking the plunge"? No! This is the new lifestyle of working for many young adults and preferable in the younger generation within small to medium sized businesses. They are being managed, but given the freedom of working on their own schedule.
The younger generation, called the Y-Generation, has used technology throughout their life from the moment they became aware of their surroundings. Because of this constant availability of knowledge and communication, they view their work availability as a 24/7 process in a virtual setting. Working at odd hours and from unique locations, this generation has a tendency to excel in these situations, however their downfall is that these hours tend to be spread around their lifestyle. While work is important, work is integrated into their lifestyle and becomes a part of who they are internally. When the dissonance between work and lifestyle differ too greatly, you will see turnover. And most of the time, when given the freedom to work outside of the office, this generation will put in more time than a normal 9a-5p employee.
So, you need to hire younger employees to move your company to the next level, but only have a "normal" sense of the word "job" available. What now? To reduce a high percentage of cognitive dissonance, an employee within this generation should be given the creative freedom to perform their job to the best of their ability. While you might find them texting or on a social media site during work, you have to remind yourself of their desire to mix pleasure with work and then turn the question back to yourself and your company. Am I providing enough social and creative stimulation for this person? What can I do to further learn how this person is motivated? If you slap their hands and reprimand them, you are bound to lose this employee over time, especially if there is no upward movement available in your company within the next two years.
How you manage this generation will determine how they function within your company in the end. Stick them in a cubicle and throw filing at an astute, recent graduate with the ability to self-motivate themselves to the top and you will whisk the desire right out of them and they will start shopping around for another job. Give them a cubicle and filing with the freedom to develop systems and think creatively and they might just eliminate the need for filing altogether.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Integrating New Employees Successfully
New Employee:
You walk into the workplace and head for your desk while taking in a good dose of your surroundings. Hesitant, but with a sense of readiness, you make small conversation with the other employees on the way. "Colleagues" that a few weeks ago were just interviewers you so desperately wanted to impress and knew that you could, if they would just give you the chance. Your thought bubble at the interview being, "LOOK PAST THE RESUME!" as you hurtled idea after idea at them hoping at least one of them played catcher in their previous days. Smooth entrance, you settle in at your desk, ready to start the day, full of life, coffee placed on the right side of the computer within reach of the mouse, chair positioned for maximum comfort, stapler in the top drawer, pencils in the cup... you drone on and on trying to sound productive in a world where you actually have no idea where to start.
Manager of New Employee:
You have made your final decision and picked a candidate you think will showcase their strengths best in your company (and hopefully make you look good for your choice). You sure do not want to go through that process anytime soon. The desk was set-up the previous day and you looked it over to make sure everything they needed was available. Stapler, computer, mouse, pens, pencils, CHECK! You just hope they do their best to assimilate themselves in this rather eclectic environment. You see them come in and walk over to one of your other employees and let them know they are to train the new employee today, making a mental note to take them both out to lunch later on today.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
So what's next? How does a new employee assimilate themselves? Is it through manager guidance or is the best idea really to let the other employees train the new one? Assimilation is an important part of employee satisfaction and loyalty to a company. Chances are, if a new employee does not assimilate themselves actively after a year, they will be disgruntled and probably produce 60% of their actual ability. They might seem fine on the surface, but something might be brewing just below the smiles and facade of their compartmentalization.
As a manager, it is your job to assimilate this new employee, but to do it tacticfully enough that the new employee does not see you as "the rule maker". Introduce the employee to your work culture and the unwritten rules of your office. Nothing is more embarassing than breaking or not understanding a rule that is unwritten, especially within that delicate first year of work. As a new employee, I broke plenty of rules my first year and was sizeably embarassed, so I made it my duty to make sure the new employees knew about the bosses, managers, and fellow co-workers' attitudes, likes, and dislikes, as well as the "rules" HR didn't know or understand. In fact, my first year I was laughed at for wearing professional clothes on a casual day, for wearing too light of jeans on my next casual day, and for choosing shoes that didn't have enough sequines to be determined as "office attire". (As a side note, I was in Hawaii working at the time and "casual" has a very different meaning there versus on the mainland.) Coffee runs were also acceptable in my workplace, but only at certain times. Unfortunately, I discovered all the times it was not acceptable and felt embarassed when I was pulled into my bosses office to discuss simple systems of work productivity. Simply, get coffee between 8:15am and 8:30am when there is a weekly meeting planned, but it doesn't matter after that unless the boss decides there should be another meeting later in the week and plans it at the exact time you are gone; bring your cell phone!
To properly assimilate a new employee, start taking note of your office culture and what norms are acceptable and which are agreed upon, but not stated. Sit down and discuss these cultures and norms with the employees that you plan to use to train the new employee. Then assign certain tasks to make sure the new employee understands these cultures and norms, along with colleagues' attitudes and likes/dislikes. This is a great start to creating the loyalty you need in your workplace.
You walk into the workplace and head for your desk while taking in a good dose of your surroundings. Hesitant, but with a sense of readiness, you make small conversation with the other employees on the way. "Colleagues" that a few weeks ago were just interviewers you so desperately wanted to impress and knew that you could, if they would just give you the chance. Your thought bubble at the interview being, "LOOK PAST THE RESUME!" as you hurtled idea after idea at them hoping at least one of them played catcher in their previous days. Smooth entrance, you settle in at your desk, ready to start the day, full of life, coffee placed on the right side of the computer within reach of the mouse, chair positioned for maximum comfort, stapler in the top drawer, pencils in the cup... you drone on and on trying to sound productive in a world where you actually have no idea where to start.
Manager of New Employee:
You have made your final decision and picked a candidate you think will showcase their strengths best in your company (and hopefully make you look good for your choice). You sure do not want to go through that process anytime soon. The desk was set-up the previous day and you looked it over to make sure everything they needed was available. Stapler, computer, mouse, pens, pencils, CHECK! You just hope they do their best to assimilate themselves in this rather eclectic environment. You see them come in and walk over to one of your other employees and let them know they are to train the new employee today, making a mental note to take them both out to lunch later on today.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
So what's next? How does a new employee assimilate themselves? Is it through manager guidance or is the best idea really to let the other employees train the new one? Assimilation is an important part of employee satisfaction and loyalty to a company. Chances are, if a new employee does not assimilate themselves actively after a year, they will be disgruntled and probably produce 60% of their actual ability. They might seem fine on the surface, but something might be brewing just below the smiles and facade of their compartmentalization.
As a manager, it is your job to assimilate this new employee, but to do it tacticfully enough that the new employee does not see you as "the rule maker". Introduce the employee to your work culture and the unwritten rules of your office. Nothing is more embarassing than breaking or not understanding a rule that is unwritten, especially within that delicate first year of work. As a new employee, I broke plenty of rules my first year and was sizeably embarassed, so I made it my duty to make sure the new employees knew about the bosses, managers, and fellow co-workers' attitudes, likes, and dislikes, as well as the "rules" HR didn't know or understand. In fact, my first year I was laughed at for wearing professional clothes on a casual day, for wearing too light of jeans on my next casual day, and for choosing shoes that didn't have enough sequines to be determined as "office attire". (As a side note, I was in Hawaii working at the time and "casual" has a very different meaning there versus on the mainland.) Coffee runs were also acceptable in my workplace, but only at certain times. Unfortunately, I discovered all the times it was not acceptable and felt embarassed when I was pulled into my bosses office to discuss simple systems of work productivity. Simply, get coffee between 8:15am and 8:30am when there is a weekly meeting planned, but it doesn't matter after that unless the boss decides there should be another meeting later in the week and plans it at the exact time you are gone; bring your cell phone!
To properly assimilate a new employee, start taking note of your office culture and what norms are acceptable and which are agreed upon, but not stated. Sit down and discuss these cultures and norms with the employees that you plan to use to train the new employee. Then assign certain tasks to make sure the new employee understands these cultures and norms, along with colleagues' attitudes and likes/dislikes. This is a great start to creating the loyalty you need in your workplace.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Where is my motivation?
You know the story. It is a Monday, coffee in hand soon to be consumed and hopefully before Monday consumes you! The weekend is wearing heavy on your mind as you sit in your chair reminiscing about the weekend that could have lasted even an hour longer.
What is it about this job that you just can't seem to get over? Sighing, you place your coffee down on the same place you always set your drinks down. You know this because of the white dried ring left by your iced drink on Friday afternoon as you tried to fuel yourself through the last few hours before your weekend.
Motivation is something that is innately found in each employee. Everyone has motivation, but what motivates a person differs based on gender and generation with generation playing a key role in the motivational factor. As we are in the Informational Age, we find that many younger employees from the Y-generation almost fight the "norm" presented in many companies across the nation. They leave jobs searching for a newer, cooler place to work that empowers them and gives them what they are looking for, but what is that exactly?
Jobs are viewed by the Y-generation as just that...a job. This job pays the way to enjoy better life things. And things and a social lifestyle are definitely two things held dearly by them. However to encourage more than just an employee doing a job that they wished could be "cooler", the Baby Boomer generation MUST develop new concepts to keep the Y-generation involved. You see, corporate America was founded based on people who were workers and who wanted to work hard to do just that...WORK HARD! The rules, culture, and specifics of working in a company were hashed out and implemented LONG before this generation came into play. And they just don't play by those rules! Sometimes, there is nothing you can do about the rules, so you think...
Your job as a boss, manager, or owner is to empower these employees to take ownership in their jobs. To give them the creative power to develop and manage tools that even you can't imagine. They will take your company to the next level, if you place your faith in them. Yes, they seem a bit wild, uncharted, and in your mind, all over the road, but this generation has the ability to multi-task and develop. Cultivate that desire to grow, but also understand that if 5pm rolls around and you haven't properly motivated them, they will pick up and waltz out that door faster than you can watch the second hand pass twelve. However, if you bypass the rules of corporate and give them some leeway to practice a few ideas with your support, they will begin to take ownership of what you have given them and you will see a swift worker-bee. Don't be surprised if they elect to take the work home and do it at 2am after they have had a fun night out with their friends. They will find time to do it and you need to be aware that they are working hard.
Praise is another key influence that can help the Y-generation feel motivated into becoming a hard worker. Feel free to give them raises, if you can afford it. If you can't, lunch every once in a while, tickets to an exclusive event, or even a handshake or award can do justice to a failing employee. There is still a thick line between employee and boss, but the closer you toe the line, the more open the younger employee will feel and ideas will begin to flow.
Now one thing to remember is this, your idea of a perfect employee is a FAR CRY from what they believe a perfect employee is. You will see bits and pieces of what you want, but never push your idea so hard on them that they crack. Remember, even though you don't see them working at their desk for overtime, this does NOT mean that they are not working at home. If they have enough ownership and praise and enjoy working for YOU (remember these guys do not work for a company, they work for a manager), then you will start seeing the outcome you desire.
What is it about this job that you just can't seem to get over? Sighing, you place your coffee down on the same place you always set your drinks down. You know this because of the white dried ring left by your iced drink on Friday afternoon as you tried to fuel yourself through the last few hours before your weekend.
Motivation is something that is innately found in each employee. Everyone has motivation, but what motivates a person differs based on gender and generation with generation playing a key role in the motivational factor. As we are in the Informational Age, we find that many younger employees from the Y-generation almost fight the "norm" presented in many companies across the nation. They leave jobs searching for a newer, cooler place to work that empowers them and gives them what they are looking for, but what is that exactly?
Jobs are viewed by the Y-generation as just that...a job. This job pays the way to enjoy better life things. And things and a social lifestyle are definitely two things held dearly by them. However to encourage more than just an employee doing a job that they wished could be "cooler", the Baby Boomer generation MUST develop new concepts to keep the Y-generation involved. You see, corporate America was founded based on people who were workers and who wanted to work hard to do just that...WORK HARD! The rules, culture, and specifics of working in a company were hashed out and implemented LONG before this generation came into play. And they just don't play by those rules! Sometimes, there is nothing you can do about the rules, so you think...
Your job as a boss, manager, or owner is to empower these employees to take ownership in their jobs. To give them the creative power to develop and manage tools that even you can't imagine. They will take your company to the next level, if you place your faith in them. Yes, they seem a bit wild, uncharted, and in your mind, all over the road, but this generation has the ability to multi-task and develop. Cultivate that desire to grow, but also understand that if 5pm rolls around and you haven't properly motivated them, they will pick up and waltz out that door faster than you can watch the second hand pass twelve. However, if you bypass the rules of corporate and give them some leeway to practice a few ideas with your support, they will begin to take ownership of what you have given them and you will see a swift worker-bee. Don't be surprised if they elect to take the work home and do it at 2am after they have had a fun night out with their friends. They will find time to do it and you need to be aware that they are working hard.
Praise is another key influence that can help the Y-generation feel motivated into becoming a hard worker. Feel free to give them raises, if you can afford it. If you can't, lunch every once in a while, tickets to an exclusive event, or even a handshake or award can do justice to a failing employee. There is still a thick line between employee and boss, but the closer you toe the line, the more open the younger employee will feel and ideas will begin to flow.
Now one thing to remember is this, your idea of a perfect employee is a FAR CRY from what they believe a perfect employee is. You will see bits and pieces of what you want, but never push your idea so hard on them that they crack. Remember, even though you don't see them working at their desk for overtime, this does NOT mean that they are not working at home. If they have enough ownership and praise and enjoy working for YOU (remember these guys do not work for a company, they work for a manager), then you will start seeing the outcome you desire.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Interesting Conversations
Some people are innately gifted with an ease of conversation. You know the ones I am talking about; they smile and are relaxed and somehow generate enough conversation to keep the both of you talking for the perfect amount of time. We watch in awe and just sit back and react, engrossed in a conversation where we walk away usually with some new sense of knowledge or personality or sometimes just walking away not thinking one way or the other. The conversations that plague us are the ones that leave us wondering where we or they went wrong. How do we avoid these conversations? How do we create perfect conversations and engage a stranger with interesting, yet safe topics?
The one secret to learning how to be a good conversationalist is understanding listening versus hearing and empowering the other person. I know you have heard it before, "Listening is understanding. Hearing is just noise we don't digest." How does this translate into conversations? The key is to listening to the other person and translating their conversation into additional questions that are interesting to you, too. People love to talk, no matter who they are. If you are thinking about a woman right now, you are correct, but men like to talk, too. The key is to empowering the person you are talking to in order to encourage additional, exciting conversations. Conversations between and within genders are going to be different, but if you continue engaging the other person to talk, you will be successful.
Here is an example:
Conversations can be drudgery when a person tries to talk the entire time, interrupts, and fails to engage the other person. As long as you remember to listen and engage the other person with topics they are interested in, you will be on your way to becoming an accomplished conversationalist.
The one secret to learning how to be a good conversationalist is understanding listening versus hearing and empowering the other person. I know you have heard it before, "Listening is understanding. Hearing is just noise we don't digest." How does this translate into conversations? The key is to listening to the other person and translating their conversation into additional questions that are interesting to you, too. People love to talk, no matter who they are. If you are thinking about a woman right now, you are correct, but men like to talk, too. The key is to empowering the person you are talking to in order to encourage additional, exciting conversations. Conversations between and within genders are going to be different, but if you continue engaging the other person to talk, you will be successful.
Here is an example:
A man sits down at a banquet next to a woman and she introduces herself. She is another professional in a room full of entrepreneurs and begins talking about how the last banquet she attended droned on for hours. You ask her which banquet she attended, listening attentively while looking for a cue that could spur the next question. Once you have it, you continue listening for additional cues. Then you ask her which was the best banquet she attended so far this year, continuing with key speakers that could have attended and finally gearing the conversation towards key speakers, since that is your chosen profession. When she excuses herself for a drink, she walks away with a neutral feeling of the conversation, but not hesitating her return.
Conversations can be drudgery when a person tries to talk the entire time, interrupts, and fails to engage the other person. As long as you remember to listen and engage the other person with topics they are interested in, you will be on your way to becoming an accomplished conversationalist.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Welcome!
Welcome to AngeionConsulting.
This blog is designed to publish new and exciting communication, management, and structure techniques to apply within your own business. Throughout your reading experience, you will also discover additional elements that allow businesses to flourish by creating exceptional employees or giving you the tools to re-manage your company differently than the norm. Feel free to comment and question our posts as we enjoy feedback and do our best to respond to fit your unique situation.
This blog is designed to publish new and exciting communication, management, and structure techniques to apply within your own business. Throughout your reading experience, you will also discover additional elements that allow businesses to flourish by creating exceptional employees or giving you the tools to re-manage your company differently than the norm. Feel free to comment and question our posts as we enjoy feedback and do our best to respond to fit your unique situation.
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