DigiTech Magazine - UK CIO2020 - Autumn 2015 | Page 7

................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ MILLENNIALS WILL COMPRISE THE MAJORITY OF THE WORKFORCE BY 2025 Baby Boomers Generation X Generation Y Generation Z 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 Source: US Census Bureau PUTTING THIS INTO PRACTICE – THE NORTH HIGHLAND WAY 1. Be open: Project not going to plan? Have a difficult issue to deal with? Be open and honest about it and the team will likely rally to solve the problem. 2. Reverse mentoring: Practical tip – why not partner up your X and Y generations so they can transfer knowledge? Gen Y can talk about new technologies, and Gen X about past experience. HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE LEADER FOR GENERATION Y 3. Provide a forum to listen: In weekly meetings, let everyone share their personal bugbear, so everyone has a forum to speak. 1. Leaders must be trustworthy: Different generations do not have notably different expectations of their leaders at a fundamental level, trust is key. But tailoring your interactions is required. 4. Creative content: Let’s face it programme roadmaps can look boring. Why not adopt a more creative approach to display your for roadmaps rather than Gantts. Also help them understand where they fit into the bigger picture. 2. Listen: Generation Y may be young and inexperienced, relative to Generation X and Baby Boomers, but they can add value and importantly, want to be heard. 5. Constant feedback: Good or bad it doesn’t matter, try to give feedback once a week. Tip – why not have a weekly coffee to give feedback, but how about starting the conversation with something non-work related? 3. Coaching and mentoring: Provide access to your experience, guidance and insight to facilitate knowledge sharing to help improve a colleague’s performance and develop personal relationships. 4. Accessibility: Generation Y are willing to work hard but accessibility is very important to them. For example, access to strategy or client exposure can be very motivational. 5. Work agile: This is the generation of instant gratification, short sprints and where only 50% of people expect to be working a standard 9-5 by 2020. 6. Feedback: Generation Y thrive in a feedback culture, where feedback goes both downwards and upwards. Attention and praise, where due, are key. For more information contact Will or Andy: Will Sargeant: [email protected] +44 07795 598 583 Andy Iddon: [email protected] +44 07976 752 062 6. Keep it snappy: Why not introduce daily huddles to convey key messages. Filter it down so you focus on priority messages – remember, Gen Y digest information in smaller, more engaging, often visual chunks. Don’t forget f lexi ble e or m h uc m is Y en G : ne ho Fit it on a p out of hours. nd a e ov m he t on ng ki or about w sy t o access on ea t en nt co ep ke n ca ou y If get a much l il w ou y n he t et bl ta or a phone faster response. g, make it fun, in g a g en it ke a M n: io at ic Gamif sk management. ri g e. e. iv it et p m co it ke a m raising risks). nd ou ar ns io it et p m co e (C reat CIO Magazine Autumn 2015 Issue 7