Gentelligent Practices: Repair Guide for Retention Flat Tires
A Quick Repair Guide for Retention Flat Tires Caused by Generational Potholes
In my last newsletter, I ranted about Michigan winters and flat tires. The wide temperature fluctuations create potholes—it’s a fixable problem, but politically complicated. Meanwhile, we hobble along on spares and spend a lot of time in the shop.
The flat tire analogy applies to Retention, too. As a leader, you’re doing your best to keep the organizational vehicle moving and suddenly you are stalled when too many voluntary turnovers suck the air out of tires. You get out to see what caused the problem, you find out that young workers don’t feel like they belong in your organization, they don’t feel seen, heard, or respected. Their flexibility needs are not met. They feel trapped in a fixed organization with little prospect of promotion. Sometimes they are being offered more money elsewhere, while other times they want to find an organization that fits them.
Besides costing you a lot of money on turnover costs, reduced productivity and morale, this feels like a gut punch because it is such a strong contrast to the way many of us in older generations started our careers. We simply had to figure out what the leaders wanted, adapt, pay our dues, and wait our turn for promotion.
If we look closer, we see a generational pothole caused by our collective inability to appreciate and leverage the talents of other generations.
So we can either:
A) Accept that this is the way of the world these days—hold a pizza party for everyone still on board and wait for help
Or
B) Fill the pothole!
If you choose B, grab your copy of Gentelligence: A Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce and get a handle on the first two practices.
1) Resist Assumptions: Constantly question your own biases, and don’t jump to conclusions based on generational stereotypes
2) Adjust the Lens: Carefully discern, but don’t assume the intent and interest behind the attitudes and actions of those across generations.
If you start NOW by being curious (not judgmental) about generational differences, you will be amazed by what you learn and what people want to learn from you.
Here are Power Questions that can help with the process:
When I say ________ what does it mean to you?
Can you help me understand ______________?
What are you seeing that I don’t see?
How would you approach this?
Next Steps
Let’s fix the roads so potholes can no longer cause emergencies. This calls for Gentelligence Practices:
3) Strengthen Trust: Foster an environment where all people focus on shared interests and feel welcome to share ideas and ask for help.
4) Expand the Pie: Reject generational competition, and seek ways to leverage mutually beneficial knowledge for collaboration.
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More soon.
Mary