Motivation – getting things moving in today’s environment

“Good help is hard to come by”

I’m sure all of us have heard that phrase before. And more often than not, those words are uttered from employers or bosses/supervisors/uplines of companies. You know what they say about hearing only one side of the story. Often times I wonder if some manager were to say this, does it indirectly point how ineffective they are as leaders or bosses? Do they have a good understanding of generation gaps, the different motivators that works on each generation and how well they adapt to use those motivators to cater to today’s younger work force? Or do they use the same when-I-was-the-boss-at-XYZ-company-20-years-ago methodology in keeping everyone in alignment with the company’s goals? You know best.

Behavioral scientists have noted there are similarities of groups of people who are born of a certain time period. You can see the list of generations here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_generations#List_of_generations

but more relevant to us in today’s workforce are 4 generations:-

Baby boomers – those born from the 50ies to the 70ies
Generation X – late 70ies to early 80ies
Generation Y – 80ies to 90ies
Generation Z – 90ies to the new millenium

Naturally, most bosses are born of the baby boomers or generation X era. There is significant cultural differences between those who manage and those who are managed (Gen Y and Gen Z) and it is important to understand the characteristics of all those involved in order to gain maximum leverage.

We are propelled to action by 2 kinds of motivators:-

1) Extrinsic
– something others do to you by offering carrots (rewards such as bonus, incentives, promotion) and sticks (punishment ie losing your job!)
2) Intrinsic
– something you do to yourself such as the desire to get better at something, the sense of purpose, of being part of something bigger than yourself, to be your own master

While extrinsic motivators gets you compliance, in the long run, intrinsic motivators work better. Both are tools and how the tools being administered to what effect depends on the boss. In order to use them, you need to consider the cultural differences between the generations and what makes each tick.

Ok, I’m going to generalize. What I am going to say is a blanket statement; there will be exceptional people who does not conform to what is to be said.

I do notice that baby boomers value trust above all else. They can be pretty stubborn at times and when they form an opinion, they stick with it. Baby boomers don’t respect titles. They work their ass off to get to where they are today so as far as they’re concerned, respect is earned from their perspective and they place high emphasis on work satisfaction. The term live to work fits them pretty well. And being a Gen X, I find it grating at time hearing a Baby Boomer go , “you know, back in the old days, we didn’t have mobile phones so why do you have to be connected all the time?”.

Hello, uncle, the business pace was different back then so don’t live in the past, ok? Whether it’s your father, grandfather, or boss, I’m sure you can find lots of examples about this. If they’ve formed a negative impression about you, it takes them quite a while before they do (if they ever) change their minds. So if you’re managing upwards, it’s important to think of ways to get into their good books. Baby Boomers aim for salary so extrinsic motivators appears to work best on them.

If you’re a manager, it is very likely you’re managing Gen X or Gen Y individuals. Let’s talk about Gen X first. This is the first generation that is exposed to the internet. Generally, Gen X people are open to new ideas, new concepts. They are goal oriented which means if the task is not challenging enough, they lose interest and focus. They would also question authority, ask more questions about what’s in it for them? It’s not because they’re selfish, it’s because they’re more wired towards individuality rather than team work like their forefathers.

They also value autonomy and freedom to develop their own tasks and talent. Gen X also marks the start of a new generation of workforce who does not believe in working for the same company for long periods of their life, prefering to sample and jump from one company to the next in trying out new things. Primary motivators of Gen X are security, whether extrinsic or intrinsic.

Gen Y on the other hand are even more liberal. They are sociable, have confidence, able to multitask. Gen Ys needs flexibility and this puts them more in conflict with Baby Boomers as the latter uses a more structures approach towards business (ie strict working hours, etc). While Gen X people still place strong emphasis on family roots, Gen Y are more geared towards spending time out with friends or in cyberspace. The very fact that Gen Y is much more technologically savvy puts them at greater odds with Baby Boomer bosses. Primary motivator of Gen Ys are maintaining personal life. Intrinsic motivators play a major role in helping them bring the best results for you.

So there you have it. The next time when you face a problematic staff and starts blaming everything on him/her, ask yourself if you’ve done all you can, including changing your approach. For all you know, your staff may be screaming for your help without himself even realizing it.