Motivating Each Generation

Generation Y

They're born  between 1980 - 1994 - they could be your sons, daughters, staff and make up the majority of sales staff. They question, they're opinionated, they're fast thinkers and they look for options. Yes, I can see you know who I am talking about - they are likely to be one of those who will opt-out if they're bored, disengaged, or feel there is no future.

They have little tolerance for being in a non-rewarding environment, can be very impatient and often will move very quickly between where they are now and where they want to be.

If you want to motivate them to improve results or sales, need their contribution verbally or physically on something, or want them to take greater responsibility for their area, here are a few pointers that will help:

• Give them recognition as things happen, and do it NOW!
• Provide interactive discussions, fast paced meetings, and up-to-date equipment - speed matters in their life, as they are used to everything being a click away
• Ensure that they get feedback in real time - they don't like secrets or bad news kept away
• Provide opportunities for personal development - ideally, sandwich them between someone above and below who can offer support, both administratively and in experience
• Give them a ‘What's New" scenario as often as possible, as they are always looking for things that are different and fun
• Generation Y truly want to help achieve profit outcomes, but want to have a say in how it will, or can, be achieved
• Recognition of their ideas builds their self esteem and ensures that others see them in a positive way, so make them the hero

Remember they are known for saying "We don't live to work, we work to live". They will be attracted to your workplace because the job "sounds interesting and looks like a fun place to work". The team experience is what they love. You have to live up to the promise though, or they will walk - no, run - to the next employer. And oh, I almost forgot ... a bonus is great too.

Generation X 

Things are a bit different in the Generation X camp. They were born between 1965 - 1979 and have their own families, mortgages, responsibilities and expectations, which they bring to the workplace. You can motivate them by:

• Incorporating their life experiences, stories and communication skills into day-to-day situations
• They will be very happy to have their opinions discussed and, where possible, be seen as mentors and teachers for younger staff
• Generation Xers usually possess better negotiation skills than their younger counterparts, and will be motivated by having ownership within their roles
• Give them the opportunity to facilitate team decision-making, provide them with a public face and reward them with personal time off

Baby Boomers 

Now when it comes to motivating Baby Boomers, you can motivate by offering cold hard KASH. Yes, it's that easy. Look at their Knowledge, Attitude, Skills and Habits and recognise and reward each of the four components:

• Knowledge - Think of all the Knowledge they possess about your business! Who better than them to get together as a group and document their collective knowledge or history of the company - or even talk to customers more regularly about the business. They know the what, the how, the who and the when. Get younger staff members to be mentored by them and give them the honour of leadership.
• Attitude - Look at their Attitude and reward them publicly - in the company newsletter, newspaper article or staff bulletin board. Reward them financially by providing time-off unexpectedly, personal gifts for their family or even car washes and dry cleaning.
• Skills - Provide additional sources of learning outside the competencies required at work, by giving them Skills in something they would love to do, for example, learning a musical instrument, a language, cooking classes - anything that provides a new skill. You can always motivate them by having one-on-one sessions in an area they nominate, and then reward them by giving them time to apply the new skill.
• Habits - Recognition and rewards are most highly valued when someone's personal Habits are acknowledged for their positive contribution and benefit of the whole organisation. Look for those people who support community organisations or charities, those who are empathic or supportive of others, or who always turn up on time and look for solutions rather than complaints.