Articles

Serious about Diversity? Then focus on Inclusion.

Inclusion is the only path to real diversity success. 

Diversity alone delivers nothing - in fact if left to its own devices it can cause havoc, impede performance and damage reputation.  That’s because conflict among people who are different is the natural order of things.  We are all naturally tribal and we tend to prefer those who we perceive to be the same as us (whether they are or not) – and be wary of those we perceive to be unlike us (whether they are or not). 

Diverse teams are important for three reasons :

to increase performance by leveraging the differences that team members bring in areas such as knowledge, outlook, experience and skillsets (the performance incentive) to ensure equal opportunity (the moral case…think reputation risk) to benefit society (the social case…think corporate responsibility)

If teams are not inclusive :

they will not perform as well as they could equal opportunity will be impeded, because some individuals will be and feel stifled diverse individuals will leave or languish

So if you want to realise the potential that diversity offers, be it innovation & creativity, more talent, access to diverse markets, equal opportunity for all or whatever else, inclusion is the key that unlocks that performance. 

There is no other way.

Top tips :

Weave inclusion thinking into all areas e.g. in recruitment processes ask candidates for feedback on how inclusive your processes are, in your teams conduct skills audits to see if your people’s abilities are being used to full effect, in your supply chains ask suppliers what else they could do for you.  Survey your staff and ask them how included they feel.  Their comments will give you clear indications of what’s working and what’s not.  Do it regularly to gauge progress. Think about your senior management team, how its members are different and whether those differences are valued or suppressed.  Educate them about the critical importance of inclusion for unlocking the potential of diversity. Get on board with unconscious bias and really address it.  It’s not a fad, it’s a critically important part of the inclusion challenge.  Go beyond training and implement solutions – there are many out there. Appreciate how hard inclusion can be to achieve.  Regularly meet people who are different, who you would not normally meet, and analyse your thoughts about them.  How do you feel about them before, during and after meeting?  Do you manage to get beyond the stereotypes they represented?  How much more effort was involved in interacting with them?  Were there awkward moments?  Would you be friends with them?  Would you hire them?  Would you recommend them to others?    Feel the difference discomfort and aim to understand why.   

Harish Bhayani

Senior Partner

PRM Diversity Consultants

Overcoming the challenges for L&D in 2018 – the Survey results

We asked Learning & Development Managers and Directors within UK businesses to answer 5 key questions that get to the heart of the challenges for L&D in 2018.

 *** Download it for free at http://bit.ly/LnDSurvey2018 (no sign up required for People Who Know members) ***

I would love to hear your feedback and personal experiences. 

Blake

The Future of Workplace Learning: Presented by Ben Reed, Nimble Product Consultant

Filmed at the Growing Gloucestershire Conference 2017, this 30-minute session is an overview of some of the main drivers for the future of workplace learning, presented by Ben Reed, Nimble Product Consultant.

WATCH VIDEO: https://youtu.be/BRQJ147gQ7w

About Ben Reed

MLIA DIP, NLP Practioner, HND Hotel Management, Training and Coaching Consultant: Ben is an active evangelist for modern learning within the workplace. As a Product Consultant for Nimble Elearning, his day is often spent understanding what businesses want to achieve with their workplace training.

Ben has over 25 years of involvement in consultancy, training and development in a wide range of sectors which include; financial services, manufacturing, energy, logistics, automotive and IT to name a few. A business coach, specialising in relationship development, the psychology of sales, goal setting and strategic planning, Ben is also an NLP practitioner working with clients to develop a clear picture of where they want to be and what they want to achieve.

Ben is deeply involved with the charity sector, providing support for charities to help reduce training costs. Ben has 27 years serving on the Board of Directors for YMCA Cheltenham and is a volunteer youth mentor at The Door in Stroud.

http://trynimble.com

Binary success in the digital world for Nimble Elearning

The trophy shelf in the Nimble Elearning office is looking crowded after the company won back-to-back awards within the space of a month.

Their success began by being named Business of the Year at the Stroud Life Awards. The award honours firms who have made a difference to Stroud’s economy. Judi Bonham, one of the judges said of the company, “The Nimble entry demonstrated their commitment to the Stroud area and community, through their staff, local customers and how they introduce their wider customer base to all that our Stroud area has to offer when visiting them on site."

It’s quite a coup for the Stonehouse-based elearning company. Stroud is a national “hotspot” for the industry so competition can be fierce. Managing Director, Neil Hyde said at the event, “Nimble enjoy supporting our many local customers and introducing to our national customers to the delights of Stroud. No matter the size of the organisation, Nimble takes pride in supporting our customers every step of the way and we get tremendous satisfaction in playing a part in their success.” 

The company’s continued growth has meant those visiting the Gloucestershire town have included some big names: Laura Ashley, Costa, Premier Inn, Ann Summers, Gatwick Airport, Pukka, EasyJet. 

Growth of their customer base has allowed Nimble to expand and this became a significant factor when they won the Gloucestershire Live Award for ‘Digital Business of the Year’. 

The judges looked for evidence of exceptional delivery, site engagement and functionality, security, innovation, ethical practice and sales growth. As Neil Hyde explained, their secret is because “Nimble Elearning helps companies create their own professional and engaging elearning. we. work across many industry sectors such as health, security, retail and charity at a global, national and local level.” 

The company’s expansion has included customers from all over the globe, best illustrated by their latest - Sydney Airport. This success is due to themes that regularly feature in customer reviews: 

Ease of use: “Nimble stands out as being the most comprehensive and easy to use solution on the market.” EasyJet 

Cost effectiveness: “With Nimble we've delivered triple the training in six months. We've grown our suite of training and are now able to track results and produce individual development plans. In nine months we've created 50 courses and our staff have completed over 5000 courses... and we're just getting started.” Europa Insurance Group 

Ongoing customer support: “The support from Nimble has been outstanding – nothing is too much trouble. It's just a great experience." MoneyPlus. 

It’s not surprising the Nimble team are also excited about their recent inclusion in The South West Business Awards, where they were short-listed for Outstanding Business of the Year. It's been a busy start to 2018 already as Nimble Elearning have just finished exhibiting and meeting new audiences at Learning Technologies at London Olympia and are looking forward to CIPD in April.

About Nimble
Nimble is no ordinary elearning website; we've made it super simple to create engaging courses and share them with teams.

With Nimble Author, create elearning teams will love with its super-easy course editor. Publish SCORM courses and quizzes that work on every device and LMS, and Nimble Elearning supports customers every step of the way with its free training and support programme.

Nimble's beautifully simple LMS allows people to effortlessly manage their elearning.

Do more on http://trynimble.com.

Nimble Elearning are Winners of Business of the Year, Stroud Life Awards

Nimble Elearning have won Business of the Year at the prestigious Stroud Life Awards 2017.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/67mrsorZHVM

Organised by Stroud Life newspaper and sponsored by WSP Solicitors, the award is about honouring firms who have made a difference to Stroud’s economy.

Competition was tough amongst the top three, with Fluid Transfer who have won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade and Rempods, investment winners from Dragon’s Den and a previous Stroud Life Award winner.

Judi Bonham, Managing Partner at WSP Solicitors said, "As one of the Judges, the Nimble entry clearly demonstrated to me their commitment to the Stroud area and community as a whole. This commitment shows through their staff, local customer base and by the way they introduce their wider customer base to all that our Stroud area has to offer when visiting them on site."

Nimble Director Neil Hyde adds, “Nimble is extremely proud to have been selected Business of the Year and to be a part of the Stroud community. Nimble enjoy supporting our many local customers and introducing to our national customers to the delights of Stroud. No matter the size of the organisation, Nimble takes pride in supporting our customers every step of the way and Nimble get tremendous satisfaction in playing a part in their success. Nimble’s continual commitment to Stroud stems from a solid belief in the outstanding services, talent and expertise the people of the Five Valleys has to offer.”

http://trynimble.com

ABOUT THE STROUD LIFE AWARDS The Stroud Life Awards rightly puts Valley and Vale businesses and people in the limelight. Every year they discover and celebrate new talent, and share successes and the Awards are a fantastic opportunity for businesses and the community in Stroud district to shout about it. The Stroud Life Awards have established themselves as the most prestigious event in the local calendar since they were first held eight years ago.

6 steps to developing a high performing team

Working as part of a team can be an incredibly rewarding and motivating experience, especially when the team is highly efficient and collaborative. Accepting that challenges will arise and knowing what you are made of can help boost your own team contribution. Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment in the face of adversity.

So, how can you build and develop a high performing team?

1) Communication, Communication, Communication

Communication is something we all take for granted and a lack of understanding of how to effectively communicate as a team can cost businesses excessive amounts of time and money every year. Making sure there is a focus on team communication skills will lead to improvements in employee motivation, productivity and profitability.

There are many barriers to effective communication, ranging from not listening, making assumptions, conflicting messages, perceptions and emotional distractions - to remove and/or limit their impact will be the first step to becoming a high performing team.

Teams which communicate understand what needs to be achieved and allow themselves to support or challenge each other in equal measure. This allows a nurturing culture to develop where everyone will look out for one another and make allowances for mistakes. Constructive challenge allows individual and team growth. Agility and change ensures that projects don’t stagnate and the environment becomes one which is flexible, creative and passionate.

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion it has already taken place."

George Bernard Shaw  

Are you more of a teller, a talker, a listener or a writer? Understanding both the preferred communication style of yourself and others will instantly drive effective communication. You will then be able to modify your behaviour to that of other people to get the best reaction out of them, and vice versa, ensuring clarity, trust and respect are present.

2) Where is the starting point? Know where you are and where you want to be

To take your team to the next level, it’s imperative to understand the inner-dynamics of how you all work together. Can you answer the following questions about your team?

Do you know the strengths of the team so you can maintain them? What are the team’s limitations to improve on? What is the role of each person in the team and why? How will this team react to change? Where is there potential conflict in the team?

Completing a team audit will provide clarity around where your team stands, not only as a unit working together but also in the wider business. It will inspire the team to achieve more, pinpoint training needs and identify skill gaps that can be filled through upskilling and recruitment.

3) Making sense of emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a powerful driver in effective team working that, if mastered correctly, can transform understanding of the team's ‘DNA’.

"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”

Lao Tzu 

The concept of EI can be summarised as “the capacity to harmonise thought and emotion”, by which we mean an individual’s ability to understand and control their own emotions, as well as recognise and manage those of others. This requires a person to be self-aware, perceptive and able to regulate emotional responses in various situations.

If a team can consistently utilise the knowledge given by EI, they will naturally foster an attitude of loyalty and engagement, communicate effectively and can fine-tune their team-working skills to push for further success.

4) The foundation of any successful team is trust

A successful team has trust at its foundation. Without trust, teams cannot move forwards due to fear of conflict and a lack of commitment. Establishing trust between team members can take a team from a satisfactory level of performance to an outstanding set of results. Being open and honest about strengths and limitations in our workplace behaviours can generate trust between team members. An understanding of our own personality traits can illustrate how and why we behave the way we do and how we interact with other people and then make behavioural modifications if necessary.

5) Feedback is a gift

360 feedback is a peer-analysis approach to giving constructive and honest feedback, which provides your business with an objective framework for identifying performance gaps and developing self-awareness. It enables teams to gather performance feedback from their managers, colleagues, team members and customers and then compare this feedback with their own perception of their performance.

This style of feedback is essential in helping teams to recognise how their behaviour is perceived across the business. Is the team dynamic working? Or is it having a negative impact on the perception of the team across the business?

By opening your team up to feedback from others, you will receive essential feedback and recommendations that could help you to take your team from good to great.

6) Now let’s maintain it

Once you've set the foundations - maintain it! A collective commitment to making individual and team improvements, that enhance performance and capitalise on strengths, will ensure your team is constantly working together as effectively and efficiently as possible. Re-visit these commitments as often as you need to. As situations and targets change, update and reconsider what your team needs to do to keep the momentum going.

When team members work well together, there is little they cannot accomplish. Make sure you're looking at the bigger picture when it comes to your teams and increase your chances of developing a high performing team.

Diversity in the workplace; how psychometric assessments provide a level playing field.

Psychological tests and assessments come in many forms, measuring characteristics like your personality traits, behaviour preferences or ability with words and numbers. There are many common assumptions about gender differences in these areas: are men more assertive and better with numbers than women? Do women have higher empathy and better verbal skills?

A recent focus both in psychological literature and HR practice is on ‘unconscious bias’ (unknown biases people hold towards others that can relate to many different characteristics). Important people-related decisions can be unintentionally influenced by individuals’ unconscious biases or widely-accepted stereotypes that may not be grounded in fact (acas). How can the negative impact of this be avoided?

Using gender as an example, research has demonstrated that there are relatively small gender differences when measuring personality (Costa, Terracciano & McCrae, 2001). You will likely observe greater differences between two individuals of any gender than between men and women overall. The same can be said for ability measures, minor gender differences can be observed but they are usually so small that again, you would notice differences between any two people rather than men and women overall (GIA Technical Manual).

The use of psychological tests and assessments can add great value to people decisions, be that recruitment, promotion or leadership development. An additional advantage is that robust psychological tools have to demonstrate that they have no ‘adverse impact’ against particular characteristics, such as gender. If individuals are advantaged or disadvantaged on a psychological tool by virtue of their gender then it is not fair to use that tool for decision-making.

Robust psychological tests and assessments can help provide a level playing field for individuals, providing objective metrics about their traits, behaviours and cognitive abilities, all of which can reduce the influence of people’s biases. Thomas International are currently partnering with a large recruitment business in London, tracking up to 500 graduate applicants throughout their selection process. The aim is to demonstrate that their processes (behavioural profiling, interviewing) do not negatively impact the chances of people progressing who have protected characteristics.

 

References:

Costa, P.T., Terracciano, A., and McCrae, R.R., (2001), Gender Differences in Personality Traits Across Cultures: Robust and Surprising Findings, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Vol. 81. No.2. 322-331.

http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=5433 – accessed 16:33, July 2017

General Intelligence Assessment (GIA), Technical Manual (2017), Thomas International

Enabling change, enabling success

If mindfulness and wellbeing ... at the top of your people agenda right now, it could possibly be because your organisation, like so many others, feels that the rate of pace needed to grow is a challenge for your people. So how can you slow things down for your people while keeping pace with market demands?

Businesses will be familiar with traditional change models and may consider them when looking to effect cultural change.

Has the path of change evolved?

Change is necessary when new processes, technology or products ... introduced to a business. Moreover, adjustment is normally required by everyone and, because ... all have our own preferred way of being communicated to and our own moral compass, the same message will be received and interpreted differently by individuals and teams. In the past our people have needed to receive the ‘great news about our future’, get over themselves and adjust. Either that or leave!

Many leadership courses require us to understand the impact that poorly planned change can have on individuals and teams.

“...'re encouraged to consider the people that ... manage, and plan our communication well, leading by example – embrace the change, it is positive!”

When does change become a state of normal?

Today’s world requires continual movement, for us to innovate, stretch and grow. ... need to be agile and receptive to the increasing demands of our customers while watching game-changing technology take our competitors into new markets.

If ... stay with traditional ‘tried and tested’ change advice, ...'re at risk of our people becoming apathetic or worn out. Our goals should be written in concrete ... the plans to get there should be in sand, considering the differences in our people when modifying our approach in how ... work with them.

The transition from a traditional business to a market-leading one can be uncomfortable and take longer than the budget permits in some cases. The impact will be realised through stress-related absenteeism, reduced productivity, team conflict, negative performance management and attrition.

Past employees can review us through social media and, in return, you would hope that customers and employees, current and future, could receive a balanced view of our business, the way that ... operate, our services and our innovation. This may not always be the case if change has been poorly executed or our people just can’t change with us.

What about the employees that stay? Why ... they stay? Is it because they're more resilient, or is it something else? How can you keep them motivated?

Well-communicated change, where people ... on board and involved from the beginning, should reduce the dip in performance that most organisations accept simply because ... ... told that this (the change) is what is going to happen and what ... should ... as a result.

How can you transform from a ‘change agent’ or a ‘change enabler’?

Let’s consider an environment where your people and teams ... empowered to effect change. Collaborative and authentic leadership requires clear and consistent communication providing facts and evidence that change is required. Challenges and questions need to be managed respectfully and honestly. For example, a meeting is called to discuss the findings of a competitor review. The problem and the consequences of this potential threat ... shared. Everyone has input into how the business can maintain its competitive edge. Cross-departmental teams could be formed to work on ideas of challenges together. Often leaders feel that they must own the business problems. This is not the case. Normally our teams ... creative and have more to add than they're give them credit for!

This may be simple, ... it is highly effective. ... stimulate creativity and passion within our organisations that allows personal development to flourish. Highly effective organisations employ people that ... multi-skilled and can work across multi-disciplines to deliver on projects that will grow our businesses. Apprentices, interns and graduates can flourish and develop experience quickly where they can add value to creative thinking and problem-solving tasks or projects. After all, they're the future in terms of our succession plans. More importantly they have a view of tackling problems based on facts and ... not constrained by conventional views that ... all carry when ... have worked in a business for a while.

So, back to the leaders. This can create some discomfort in the short-term. ... can find ourselves feeling out of control or not the ‘subject-matter-expert’ ... start to work on cross-functional projects or ... seconded to other areas of the business. This discomfort comes when ... reach a point of new learning.

“... need to appreciate that future leaders need to embrace skills and expertise that they may not possess. Everyone needs to be encouraged to learn from mistakes, to be humble and ... for help, from this true collaboration is achieved.”

Leadership could never be in such high demand as when ... ... going through change. Leaders should be reminded that the reason they're in the position that they ... is to simply lead.

So, what does the change-enabling leader need to ...?

Let go of personal insecurity

Accept that the role of the leader is to manage the vision and people to achieve it. Invest in understanding the team’s strengths, goals and motivation to ... their best.

Create trust and share feedback on strengths and limitations

Sharing feedback is healthy and needs to be balanced. Honest dialogue within the team allows people to express if they feel out of their depth. This could provide another team member with a new challenge. Celebrate this honesty and try not to hold people accountable to responsibilities on their job descriptions. The team will not grow. 

Let go of convention while holding the company’s vision close

The vision of cultural change needs to be imagined and shared by all. Leaders need to demonstrate that even ambitious plans ... achievable with the right motivation and mindsets. Celebrate wins along with way, demonstrating that the progress being made is important and positive

Empower decision-making at all levels

Supporting and coaching is easier said than done, especially if a quick solution is evident. Most people will take responsibility and step up if they can make decisions. Accountability and ownership ... important to us all and is relevant for even the most junior of team members. As a leader, it is occasionally wise to turn a blind eye to the methods of achievement as long as the expected outcome is achieved.

Take away the fear of reproach of mistakes

Making mistakes is in our human nature and provides points of learning. A collaborative leader will be approachable and on hand to coach or mentor individuals through these mistakes, allowing growth and opportunity to own issues and make it come good.  Sometimes leading by example means rolling up one’s sleeves and getting stuck in to help. This does not mean taking the mistake away, ... keeping in mind that showing is sometimes better than telling.

Proactively encourage teams to grow through ‘lessons learned’

A team that possesses a philosophy of supporting one another should also be able to challenge each other’s decisions constructively. Lessons learned ... valuable; they should be recorded for future reference as they ... likely to be in project management processes moving forward. Ultimately, valuable lessons ensure that ... ... not repeat them.

Change is sometimes called ‘continuous improvement’. If you think about it, it makes total sense. People ... innately scared of change, nut ‘continuous improvement’ is something that ... all strive for. Allow your continuous improvement to happen, harness your approach to managing it and focus your ‘plan of concrete’ towards being a successful change enabling leader.

How does your leadership stack up in an environment of continuous improvement? Contact us about our Thomas tools to see.

Is there really a need to change how we work with millennials?

I quite liked this article - 10 Reasons Millennials Are No Different From Any Other Generation - by M. Morris (from the ListVerse.)

It got me thinking about all the noise around trying to adapt ho businesses work to suit millenials. Are we getting it wrong? What do you think...

Every generation likes to think they’re special. Every generation is wrong. Even the Greatest Generation, who grew up in the Depression and kicked Hitler to the curb, were just doing what their own ancestors did with the Kaiser a generation before.

Yet for some reason, millennials think they’re different. Maybe it’s because the media keep telling them they are. Maybe it’s the arrogance of youth. For whatever reason, millennials are convinced their specialness eclipses that of all other generations. Here’s why they’re wrong.

Economic Insecurity Is Nothing New

Millennials came of age during the banking crisis of ’08. According to the media, this was an epoch-shaking event that left them uniquely scarred compared to previous generations. However, every generation experiences economic catastrophe.

For Generation X, Black Monday in 1987 was their apocalypse. The following recessions crippled Western economies well into the ’90s. For Baby Boomers, two oil shocks, an energy crisis, and the nightmare of stagflation was their personal Great Recession. Before that, the Greatest Generation grew up in the Great Depression.

Recessions are a part of life. Every generation will experience one. We’re sure those walloped by the Panic of 1796 or the South Sea Bubble felt uniquely disadvantaged.

Smug Tolerance And Openness Come And Go

It’s an oft-repeated myth that millennials are uniquely tolerant. In fact, evidence from both the US and Europe says they’re no more tolerant than Gen X. Yet even if we believed the majority of young people were racially open, pro-LGBT diversity fans, it wouldn’t make a difference because tolerance and openness are always ebbing and flowing.

Gen X, who grew up post-segregation, were supposedly the first colorblind generation. The Boomers notoriously celebrated different sexualities in their Summer of Love. The Greatest Generation lived in a more racially progressive time than the preceding Silent Generation, who were born at the nadir of US race relations.

And yet tolerance isn’t always increasing. Some generations are marked by an increase in intolerance (post-Reconstruction, for example). These attitudes are always changing throughout society. Being part of that change does not make you special.

Each Generation Uses New Tech To Disrupt

Smartphones, apps, 3-D printing . . . one of millennials’ defining traits is supposedly its use of new tech to disrupt the old order. They’re pioneers, addicts. They embrace tech like no one else before them.

Or do they? Successive generations having been using new tech to disrupt society since our ancestors first invented the wheel.

Remember the Dotcom Bubble? That was a big dollop of Gen X tech disruption laced with some harsh reality. Or the advent of personal computers? Or the arrival of microwaves? What about when washing machines changed housewives’ lives? No doubt each of these generations felt it was riding the crest of a wave into a tech utopia, too.

Every New Generation Is Called Lazy And Entitled

Reputable outlets from the New York Times to Forbes have printed articles suggesting every millennial is work-shy, lazy, and entitled. There sure is some laziness here, but it’s not on the part of millennials. It’s on the part of journalists too work-shy to learn older generations have been making these accusations for millennia.

Two decades ago, the New York Times was printing identical articles about Gen X, calling them immature and lazy. Life magazine in 1968 said “the phrase ‘to make a living’ could have absolutely no meaning” to entitled Baby Boomers. Even the ancients got in on this. 2,800 years ago, Greek economist Hesiod was calling the younger generation “frivolous” and work-shy.

Every New Generation Revolutionizes Sex And Dating

Tinder, Bumble, online hookups . . . it’s often said that millennials have completely revolutionized dating and mating. In a way, they have. But only because every generation has its own sexual revolution.

Take Gen X. It was on their watch the casual hookup became a cultural talking point. Or the Boomers, with their love-ins and supposed discovery of the female orgasm. Or the Greatest Generation, who relocated to the suburbs and changed what married life looked like. Millennials swiping right is just the latest twist.

Each New Generation Fails To Revolutionize Work/Life Balance

They want to work to live, not live to work! So claim roughly 100 billion articles about millennials in the workplace. But this position isn’t so unique.

Check out those old manifestos by the hippies. Or the ramblings of the Beatniks. Or the punks. Or the stuff the Jazz-age guys or the Bohemian artists said. The specifics vary, but it all boils down to “life is short, and I don’t wanna spend it working.” It’s a classic stage of youth idealism.

We all know what happens next. You grow up, get a job and put all that stuff behind you. Then you start moaning that the next generation doesn’t understand the value of work.4

Being Adventurous Is Not A New Invention

They’re a bunch of rich, entitled teenagers, gadding about Europe on their parents’ dime, going to parties, sleeping around, and throwing money away on booze. Darn those millennials and their gap years, right? Not quite. These teenagers were born in the 18th century and were taking part in the Grand Tour.

We mention this because one of the most persistent myths about millennials is how uniquely adventurous they are. But heading off into the wide blue yonder has been a rite of passage across cultures for centuries.

The Boomers took the Hippie trail across Europe and Asia. Gen X went backpacking around the world. Further back, foreign travel was an essential part of a man’s growing up. Everyone from Marco Polo to Jesus Christ spent years traversing parts of the Silk Road. The only difference is millennials now Instagram the whole experience.

Narcissism Has Been With Us Since Before Narcissus

“Millennial” is often used as media shorthand for “narcissist.” Countless articles decry millennials’ obsession with selfies, social media, and filling their Facebook feeds with pictures of themselves. Surely, this is a sign today’s young people are more self-obsessed than ever.

Know what would be really narcissistic? Hiring the world’s greatest painter to paint you into an epic biblical scene. Compared to the extremes the Borgias of Renaissance Italy took to be remembered, uploading a selfie to Instagram seems positively humble.

The Victorians and Edwardians used early cameras to take selfies, just as earlier people had flattering portraits painted. If they couldn’t afford that, they carved their names on a wall. There’s a reason Narcissus is such an enduring figure: His self-obsession is something all of us can identify with.

Millennials Do Not Have A Monopoly On Ethics

From ethical shopping to shaming corporate tax avoiders, millennials are meant to be the most ethical generation yet. Businesses are even told to increase their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to attract millennial talent. For millennials, it’s all down to what’s good for the world.

Except it isn’t. Consulting firm CEB recently did a survey of attitudes to CSR. The generation that put the most emphasis on it were Baby Boomers, with 41 percent saying they valued it highly. For comparison, only about one-third of millennials agreed.

What about ethical shopping? Research into shopping habits suggest millennials are no more likely to pick up Fair Trade products than the rest of us. Nor are they the first to take the social justice fight against systemic racism to the man. Just ask the Boomers who marched with Martin Luther King.

Generational Divides Are Meaningless Anyway

Millennials are people born between 1980 and 2000. When the Great Recession hit, the oldest were nearly 30, while the youngest were in elementary school. The oldest remember 9/11 viscerally. The youngest never knew a pre–War on Terror world. Today, the youngest are in High School and grew up with Hunger Games and smartphones. The oldest are entering middle age and had a childhood of SNES gaming and Arnie films.

In short, their life experiences are so different, it’s insanity to stick them in box and pretend they’re the same. Some millennials are already old enough to complain about kids today, while some are so young they still haven’t discovered who they are.

However much the media might like to lump them together and tell them they’re unique, the truth is millennials don’t really exist. They’re just people, as adventurous or entitled or tech-focused or narcissistic as the rest of us. The sooner everyone stops thinking this mythical

 

 

Millennial CEO: Focus on Employee Growth and Development

Millennial CEO: Focus on Employee Growth and Development Chief Learning Officer spoke to N6A’s Matt Rizzetta about what it’s like to be a millennial CEO, the importance of workforce development, and how that impacts his leadership style.

June 1, 2017

by Marygrace Schumann

Matt Rizzetta was 26 with a baby on the way when he founded North 6th Agency and began managing the business out of his basement. Through hard work and delivery, Rizzetta grew N6A into an award-winning brand communications agency.

In an industry littered with predominantly older CEOs, Rizzetta’s age has offered him a unique perspective on management and leadership. As a millennial CEO just starting his business, Rizzetta’s primary goal was trying to prove himself. Now, he’s switched his focus to fostering an environment that promotes internal employee growth as a means to maximize the company’s success.

Chief Learning Officer: As a millennial CEO, how do you handle managing and educating those in your age range? Given the stereotypes out there about millennials, is it different than educating other generations?

Matt Rizzetta: When I first started the business I was young. We had just started our company out of my basement, and we were doing everything to try and convince clients to work with us and staff members to come join us. The proof had to be in the pudding for me to be able to recruit employees.

Fast forward, it’s eight years later; our business is completely different. We have 50 people now; we don’t really have a ton to prove to anybody in terms of our ability to succeed. So, now, my leadership style is much more personal. I think, what I’ve learned through the years, is you need to invest in getting to know everybody, especially at the millennial demographic. There’s certainly no one-size-fits-all approach to managing people around me, whether they’re my age, younger than me, older than me — that’s something I’ve found to be applicable to all types of folks I’m managing, regardless of where they fit into the work chart.

CLO: How important is a learning culture for your business’ success? What value does that investment bring to your organization?

Rizzetta: Our business really is only as successful as our people. That’s why we’re investing in a culture of learning appreciation and professional development. You want your people to feel just as invested in the success of the business as you do, and the best way to do that is to promote from within. By investing in educating your staff, they’re going to realize the benefits of that because they’re going to make more money, and they’re going to get leadership roles at younger ages.

CLO: What is the correlation between monthly performance reviews and leadership development?

Rizzetta: We’re eight years old as a business, and this probably came about two or three years in. We just started to scale, and I started to really see the need for objective data-based metrics and checkpoints to show our employees where they stood in the company, where they needed to grow, and in some cases, what was holding them back from being promoted. Our old system … annual performance reviews, it’s much more subjective than objective. Nobody should ever be surprised sitting down with their supervisor and hear for the first time, feedback about their performance at the one year mark.

So, we developed this objective, KPI-based system. Every month you sit down as an employee with your supervisor… You get ranked in certain categories that are customized according to your core role in the company. You see crystal clear how you’re performing. People have been promoted more quickly than they would have in our old system, and they’ve made more money earlier on.

CLO: What advice do you have for young leaders?

Rizzetta: Listen to your people. Your greatest asset you could have as a manager is your ability to benefit from different perspectives around you. As a leader, it’s on you to constantly keep learning. You’re going to have a pretty special business if … you can just commit to listening to your people, holding yourself accountable, and then making adjustments on a regular basis according to what they’re telling you.

I would not be afraid to experiment. I have this saying: Don’t be afraid to experiment and to move the barn to find sunlight. You never want to bet the farm, but don’t be afraid to move the barn around if you’re going to benefit from more sunlight. You don’t want to be stuck in your ways. You want to be very comfortable operating in an environment of innovation and experimentation. If you’re a young, aspiring leader, commit to that.