Getting the most from Generation Y's in your business

Thanks again to Growing Business (www.growingbusiness.co.uk) who once again have published an article that stimulates another of my areas of interest; managing Generation Yers.

In essence they say that Generation Yers represent more reward than risk if managed well and properly understood, and they provide a good summary of their behaviour and expectations  (http://www.growingbusiness.co.uk/why-gen-y-is-good-for-your-business.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter).  However, they don't provide much in the way of guidance into how you can manage them to higher levels of performance and results.  So , in brief, let me fill the gap.

Three headlines to remember:

Focus delivery

- Make sure that your organisational purpose has the context that has real meaning for them so that they can connect and engage with it

- Inspire and energise them ( a challenge for some managers)

- Become their performance coach and partner, rather than manager

- Win and maintain their respect (and that does come from some naff attempt to be cool)

Create the right context for performance

- Genuinely put people at the heart of your performance 

- Be consistent.  if you claim to be ethical ( a hit with Gen Yers) make sure that you are truly ethical (inside and out).  If words and actions don't match up they will leave (mentally or physically)

- Provide opportunity and variety

- Stimulate and challenge them and provide a society in which they can operate and feel at home

Maximise capability

- Understand their individual aspirations and motivations

- Help them to achieve personal mastery of their roles

- Review their performance very regularly and give immediate feedback

- Give them responsibility and autonomy.

So, there you have it, a simple recipe for success in managing and leading Generation Yers based on how they have led their lives and the world in which they have grown up.  

But, funnily enough, is seems remarkably close to what we should do for any of our staff, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Y or Z.  Perhaps they are a little more demanding, but good for them and perhaps this blog is just a reminder of the good practice that you should be adopting anyway; what's your excuse?