Recently, my organization facilitated a roundtable session with fifteen young professionals. Their main concern was how to advance in a multi-generational workplace. Several of these young professionals felt that they didn’t belong or fit in their workplace; they were uncertain about who to trust and didn’t respect the manner in which they were being led. These young professionals were eager to learn the best ways their generation could take control, influence their workplace culture and start performing at the highest levels. They wanted to get noticed, create impact and at the same time discover how to start generating more income and accelerate their advancement.
This three hour roundtable was intense, but we successfully identified what these young professionals were really looking for: how to most effectively teach their baby boomer bosses how they seek to be led. As one young professional said, “if my boss understands how I am wired to work, I will not only teach the organization’s old guard how to lead my generation, but my performance will help contribute to the organization’s success. I will make them more relevant.” This confident perspective changed the conversation and helped to define the following top five ways young professionals want to be led by their baby boomer bosses.
1. Empower us; don’t micromanage our talent
2. Sponsor us; serve as role models
3. Allow us to manage our own brand; don’t define us
4. Trust us; don’t question our intentions
5. Challenge us; don’t marginalize us
More: http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2012/03/12/5-ways-young-professionals-want-to-be-led/
Via Chris Chan