Leading Gen Y or Graduates and Providing Feedback

One of the most common frustrations and questions asked by Graduate Managers is;

"How do I make sure that managers actually lead the graduates the way they are supposed to be led?"

Great leaders have flexible styles and are able to lead individuals, not the homogenous mass. The majority of graduates are Gen Y so understanding the different generational paradigms is a step in the right direction. In order for leaders to understand Gen Y it is important for them to understand their own generation in order to see how and why generational issues exist. Only from there can strategies be built to increase leadership flexibility when dealing with Gen Y or in this case, graduates.

There are a range of strategies to improve the manager/graduate relationship. This article will focus on the area that can have the most impact without having leaders jump too far from their habit zone.

"Feedback"

For Gen Y, a sense of connection and purpose is vital. This is a generation that is used to constant connection and, with that, constant feedback. With constant connection via a plethora of tools, they question why they shouldn't feel connected at work. A common mistake leaders make is to increase the number of 'formal' meeting times with Gen Y staff to keep them feeling connected. The way to increase a sense of connection is even easier than this – keep it informal. This can be a quick 2 minute hallway conversation, a short email to see how they are going, or, if available, a quick instant message. The important thing to note is that there doesn't have to be any particular purpose for the conversation to occur. It just needs to happen to make them feel more connected.

Everyone likes to know where they fit within the organisation and how their role makes a difference. In other words, people like to know their purpose. This is especially so with Gen Y. This is a generation that likes to have impact – to see that what they are doing has a purpose. For many leaders, imparting the purpose of an individual's role in the big picture is something that is often not communicated.

By simply taking the time to explain how a particular task fits in to the organisation's big picture can have an amazing difference on the output of Gen Y employees. In actual fact, this strategy is applicable to most staff – it is just Gen Y who crave it the most and speak up about it!

For Gen Y, work, like everything else, is an extension of themselves. They are used to discussing anything and everything. Depending on who they are talking to, this could be both appropriate and inappropriate! They are used to their opinions being valued. This is the first generation to be 'seen and heard' at home and school, versus older generations being 'seen and not heard'.

What we found interesting in our focus groups was the sense that Gen Y found leaders to be "inauthentic". What they meant by this was that they felt leaders wore a mask at work – they weren't their true selves. Not being your true self is a foreign concept for Gen Y because for them, the soft stuff is big stuff.

So the message for leaders?

Loosen up. Lose some of the formality. Discuss feelings, both good and bad. The effect it has on building effective relationships with Gen Y is worth it.

Specific development for leaders on leading Gen Y is the only way to achieve true behavioral and attitudinal change. Many of the leaders who have received development have been surprised at how easy it was to change small aspects of their style and just how big the impact was. As per most development programs, you don't know what you don't' know until you discover you don't know it!

It is also important to keep in mind that it is not just leaders who need to shift their style and way of thinking. It is a two way street. Gen Y staff need to increase their flexibility too by understanding the paradigms of other generations and how they can build strategies to increase their own flexibility.

For more information on our customised full range of 32 flexible development workshops with both graduates and managers please contact us at info@fusiongms.com.au