Talent Journey

“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” ~ Anthony Robbins

Co-authored by Diane Brown of TJ Associates, LLC and TTI Performance Systems, LTD. Copyright protected, all rights reserved worldwide.

I’m a Baby Boomer. When I was growing up, the diversity challenge seemed limited to race, ethnicity and gender. In fact, I participated in one of the first Fortune 100 health care company strategic diversity and inclusion work teams chartered to improve the experience of diverse talent entering the workforce and serving a diverse marketplace. We found that bringing in diverse talent was easy. Deploying and optimizing that talent was not. People, in general, are uncomfortable with diversity. Humans struggle seeing the world through the eyes of another. Too often, we want everyone else to communicate, value, think and operate the way we do.

As we have entered the 21st century, a new diversity challenge has emerged – that of generational differences. Never before in history have we had four generations in the U.S. workforce, which means you might see everyone from 20-something Millennials (born after 1977) to Generation Xers (born 1966-1977), to Baby Boomers (born 1947-1965) and seasoned Veterans (born prior to 1947) working side-by-side. The opportunities we face with generational diversity are very similar to the ones we faced last century in acknowledging gender, race and ethnicity diversity. It comes down to understanding what the differences are, not taking them personally and leveraging them for business success.

There is significant profit potential embedded in today’s age-diverse workplace. Successfully leveraging generational differences provides a strategic advantage. If you aren’t convinced about that, just look back to the Renaissance period. The Renaissance began in Florence, Tuscany in the 14th century. A dominant family at the time, the Medici, is largely credited with birthing this innovative and progressive period. The catalyst was in bringing together in one location talented people across many disciples and cultures. This cross-pollination unearthed novel and unique breakthrough concepts. Had the Medici’s not sponsored and insisted upon communication, mutual respect, and learning from each other, the breakthroughs would not have occurred. Such is the potential in our marketplace today. The fortitude to leverage and optimize perspectives, skills and talents across generations is at our doorstep. The question is simply whether or not we cease the moment.

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” ~ Henry Ford

Let’s look at a couple of practical examples of how leveraging differences can benefit your organization’s bottom line.

Young people of every generation have a fresh perspective, a youthful energy and a burning desire to accomplish something worthwhile. If your organization treats them with respect and engages their enthusiasm, they will bring that attitude to work and accomplish something worthwhile for you.

Older generations have an outlook tempered by past experience allowing them to help younger workers avoid potential pitfalls before mistakes become real problems. They also have the battle-tested skills to realistically anticipate what it will take to move a business initiative from being just a great idea to becoming your company’s game-changing competitive advantage. But it can be all too easy for seasoned business people to let past experience limit what they think can be done. Millennials and Gen Xers can help them see new possibilities.

Young people may be idealistic about the extent and speed of change that’s possible in your organization, but they may be the very change agents who make it happen! They aren’t limited by the way things have always been done and many are technologically advanced.

Young people who are tech savvy will be great candidates for mutual mentoring relationships with older workers who need to update their knowledge of social media and technical skills.

The preferences of younger workers can improve communication and connection within your company and with customers. A great example of Gen X and Millennial-inspired business change is using social media to share consumer opinions about products and service experiences. Facebook and Twitter have become vital ways for businesses to respond quickly to customers and demonstrate to the world that the company cares about them. Millennials drove this change because they like to connect with others to share their experiences, and they like to use social media for consumer reviews.

That young people know how to use technology to enable life balance and provide flexible work options makes sense. There is a shift underway in the business world, from defining work as time spent at the office to measuring performance by the results produced. Using mobile technology and flexible scheduling makes it possible to shift the focus toward results. This benefits all of us, including boomers who would like to semi-retire, but keep their hands in the marketplace.

Don’t dismiss older generations: The Silent Generation grew up with face-to-face staff meetings that encouraged the development of relationships. There is something to be said about seeing a person while talking to them versus chatting over instant-messaging. Body language and voice intonation are lost in newer forms of communication, meaning that newer isn’t always better.

Provide variety and engaging development experiences for younger workers: Stretch assignments and cross training to keep them interested and build their career prospects while enhancing their value to your organization. Help them develop a career path and give personalized development plans that encourage them to stay engaged with your company as they grow. Use TTI job benchmarks to give clear expectations and match them to the right job for success.

Make good use of Millennials’ strong team orientation and global, networking mindset: If you’re not using informal learning networks and information sharing tools yet, younger workers can show you how they do it. For the generation that grew up with massive multi-player online video games, team work is second nature.

Give everyone the tools to engage in meaningful, mutual mentoring efforts: Be sure that everyone’s contributions are heard and respected and help them share their strengths. When both parties understand how the other likes to receive communication, make decisions, pace their work and what motivates them to action, it eases the way for collaboration. Use Talent Journey’s assessments and team training to blend generations successfully.

Established ways of doing business will continue to change as global markets expand and technology accelerates. Research shows that all generations will need help adapting to the rapid speed of change. Important skills for all of us are flexibility, resiliency, personal accountability and openness to learn. Together, we can do it!

”We may have come from different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Copyright protected 2010, Diane Brown at TJ Associates, LLC (www.thetalentjourney.com) and TTI Performance Systems, LTD.

In seeking ways to further an organizations success and maximize its assets, starting with a realistic picture of what exists is critical. A very successful tool that is underused is the 360-degree survey, which we explore and highlight in this article.

The 360-degree survey is a request for feedback about performance from managers, direct reports and peers of the individuals being evaluated. Since the feedback comes from sources above, below and at the peer level, it is commonly referred to as a 360. This tool is designed to give individuals rich and broad feedback about specific strengths and weaknesses in their performance.

This is a simple tool to implement for immediate results. The growth of computerized systems make this administration tool very inexpensive and efficient. More importantly, 360-degree surveys help address some of the performance management time constraint issues that emerged with the down-sizing of organizations. The tool provides a vehicle for identifying and addressing performance strengths and gaps, leading to better performance achievement and development discussions. Finally, the 360-degree survey has become more prominent as leaders realize new levels of collaboration and alliance are required both internally and externally to the company. This tool captures the strength (or weakness) of those skills and reinforces the necessity of them.

Designed properly, 360’s identify and measure the 7 – 10 most important competencies (see Talent Journey’s June newsletter for definition of competencies) needed for business success. The unique strategy and culture of an organization are cornerstones to identifying the most relevant competencies. For this reason, “off the shelf” 360-degree surveys rarely fit the specific needs of an organization. It is to the benefit of the organization to customize the 360-degree survey to reflect its unique business success factors.

There are many advantages to utilizing a 360-degree survey. They include:

More Accurate Feedback. Multi-rater surveys are more balanced and accurate. Without this type of instrument, it is at the discretion of the supervisor or manager to evaluate an employee’s contributions to the organization. This can lead to either over or understated assessments of performance. Multi-rater input provides assurance that no single individual’s perception “speaks alone”. It is beneficial for both managers and employees to get this performance feedback from a variety of people with whom the employee interacts in order to convey an accurate assessment of the individual.

Varied Perspectives. Multi-raters ensure the overall feedback is more comprehensive. Perceptions of behaviors often times differ across personality styles and work groups. The same behavior exhibited in one scenario can be perceived in a positive light and be deemed less attractive in another scenario. Often, these differences reflect the personality style of the person giving feedback or the departmental culture. For example, a manager may view the competency of “customer focus” differently than a colleague or customer would. The perception depends on the expectations, personality style, and type of exposure each rater has with the individual being rated. The opportunity to receive performance feedback from a variety of participants provides a more well-rounded view of the individual’s competency.

Approach Eases Anxiety and Engages Participation. A carefully designed and communicated 360-degree survey provides anonymity and a collegial feel for participants. When designed well, much of the typically anxiety associated with evaluations can be partially diminished. The individuals being evaluated, as well as those providing feedback, are positioned to be treated fairly and objectively. This results in a safe learning environment where all parties have the opportunity to grow and develop without punitive repercussions.

Opens Up Dialogue. The 360-degree survey tool provides companies with a launching pad to continue, or begin honest and caring discussions. Open dialogue emerges when feedback is treated as a learning opportunity and conversations are bathed in care, sensitivity, and truth. Though most employees can be somewhat nervous about their 360-degree results, they are also curious and interested. The majority of employees want to grow and develop and will respond well to feedback delivered in a positive environment. The dialogue can be even more successful and objective when the results are not tied to performance reviews and merit, but instead are leveraged as a pure learning and development tool.

Appropriate performance and career development. The 360-degree survey adds perspective in assessing an individual’s competency and career advancement potential. We have all seen examples where employees were promoted and precious dollars were spent training an individual for a job they were not well suited. The 360-degree survey can help corporations better position their employees for success. Taking it one more step, the 360-degree survey can be used to help place stellar employee in increasing responsible positions to advance the company’s success. Development plans written in response to the 360-degree survey results motivate employees to grow, develop and stay dedicated to the firm.

Assesses Strengths and Gaps in Teams. In addition to evaluating individuals utilizing a 360-degree survey, the results can also be tabulated to evaluate the strengths and gaps of a team or department. This analysis provides information to help assign projects and goals consistent with strength areas within the teams. The information can also be used to develop a group training plan. In both cases, resources (whether people or training budget dollars) are utilized more intentionally and effectively when objective multi-rater performance data is collected.

Communicating Business Expectations. One “by-product” of instituting a 360-degree survey is that all participants clearly understand the company’s core competency expectations. A 360-degree survey powerfully communicates these expectations to all participants. As Demming states, “we improve what we measure.” Backing up a step, the actual process of defining and narrowing the core competencies generates consensus and alignment among the leadership team. The power of this discussion should not be underestimated. Through the 360-degree survey design and implementation process, everyone in the organization becomes acutely alert to the key performance drivers within the organization.

Although the main advantages are explored in more detail in this article, the trickle-down effects can also be beneficial. It is advantageous for corporations to use information gleaned from the 360-degree process to update job descriptions, improve internal relations, and bring teams back to the mission and goals of the organization. Implementation of this type of survey is for everyone. It clarifies strategy, improves performance and grows the competency of your people.

Worldwide Copyright TJ Associates, LLC Diane Brown