Are You Leading Like its 2009 BC?

In the work place we have two separate cultures working together that are as disconnected in communication as an immigrant “stepping off the boat” into the new world. The cultures I am referring to are those raised BC (before computers) and those raised AD (after digital.)

Ever wonder what it was like in Edison’s time when electricity and lighting became the norm? How about when motor vehicles replaced the horse? Think there was a dramatic shift in how our culture interacted? What about when the television first entered the home? When telephones became common in a person’s home? All of these technology shifts no doubt caused a quantum shift in our society and culture. But none of them can compare to the shift in how the computer and the digital age have changed our world today.

Currently most managers are from the BC culture, who learned by reading in classrooms, studying to regurgitate information back onto tests, and learned job tasks by apprenticeship. They entertained themselves by playing neighborhood pick-up games of sports, watching three channels on TV and on weekends occasionally going to the theater for a movie.

The employees have a greater number of those from the AD culture, and they are fluent in digital speak and learn by video input. In fact today’s college grads have spent less than 5,000 hours of their lives reading and over 10,000 hours playing video games and another 20,000 hours watching multiple channels of television. They entertain themselves with multi-tasking of listening to music, while the TV is on but muted, texting on their phones and chatting in a chat room on the computer – all at the same time!

Ask the younger generations about school and work and they are bummed because they have to “power down” to participate in these activities. Why the mismatch of attitudes? The BC culture is trying to fit AD employees into the old way of doing things.

At a recent national program I delivered I spoke with many managers who refuse to allow their workers to talk on their cells or text message while on the job. Can you imagine 40 years ago going to work and your boss placing duct tape over your mouth for the entire work day? It’s the same effect and the same response: This sucks!

How can the gap be bridged between the BC and AD cultures?

1. Go digital

As a leader and most likely of the BC culture you want to learn how to speak digital and understand your AD employees. Forcing someone into a box they just don’t fit into will not make for a better employee; in fact, it will make for an employee looking to move on. Step into their view, from their perspective. Digital technology isn’t the next new fangled gadget – it’s a birthright. Computers have been in their homes as long as some employees have been able to walk. It’s their culture to participate with technology. Learn how to use technology to your advantage. Put training into podcasts.

Email or text instructions. Have them create web sites for your organizations to interact with customers. Getting them involved in projects especially technologically driven projects and they can power up and enjoy their digital world while balancing that with working in your labor-driven world.

2. Keep the information coming

Because of the internet, information is literally at this younger generations finger tips. Where the BC culture uses a phonebook as a way of locating the number to call for a local restaurant, the AD culture uses the phonebook as a door stop and Googles for the number they are looking for. Along with that number they will also find directions to the location, the menu, the store hours and what other customers thought of the dining experience there. Just the phone number isn’t enough. The volume of information this group craves is much greater than what the BC culture is used to giving and here is another opportunity to bridge the cultures.

Be as open with information as you can be. Fishbowl transparency of what needs to be done, why it needs to be done and how you want it done, is going to be welcomed and appreciated by the AD culture. When a BC boss demands, “You need to work over two hours tonight.” and starts to walk away, the AD worker immediately is wondering what he did wrong. For the BC culture overtime meant extra cash and it was a positive event. To the AD culture employee overtime means detention and fewer hours with family and friends. The communication is lost and the messages are confused. The more detailed the explanation the better the communication works between these cultures.

3. Respect

“Back in the day” stories are lost on the AD employees and most of the times they don’t understand why you tolerated such things you talk about in those stories. Because the younger generations didn’t have to deal with the hardships some of the BC culture had to tolerate doesn’t make them less of an employee or a person. I hear a small business owner talk over lunch about how he dressed down a younger employee in front of customers. Said he did it to get the kids attention. I asked him what his turnover rate was like. He told me if they stay 90 days he was surprised. It was almost said with pride as if being a hard nose was a good thing. Maybe “back in the day” that was a mark of excellence in some corners, but today if you want to reach younger employees treat them with respect, inform them completely, and ask them to teach you about the digital age – it will help you both to better connect.

In fact, you want them to be pumped up about what they are doing! Get them involved, give them multiple tasks to do, train them to do the tasks successfully and then move out of their way and don’t hover.