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The Best Ways to Communicate with Gen-Y

Published

on August 13, 2009

. 0 Comments

Today’s guest post is from Kyle Ryman of ProfessionalLEADER.com.

Do you have Generation Y in your organization? You probably do, and that means that you will have to, at one point or another, have to get a hold of them at some point in time. But how will you do it? Look through these 4 different ways to find the best way of getting a hold of the tech savvy Generation Y.

1. Social Networking Sites

You will want to use social networking sites if you have a short to medium length message, that will be sent to one or a handful of people, and it will need to be read or responded to relatively quickly.

What is great about them:

They check these sites multiple times a day.
It is easy for them to access and respond to your message.

What sucks about them:

You can’t send attachments.
Lack of formatting options keeps your message length relatively short.
It is hard to easily communicate with more than a handful of people.
You not only have to be on the same social network, but you also have to be their “friend.

2. Text Messages

You will want to use text messages if you have a very short and direct message, that will be sent to one or a handful of people, and it needs to be read or responded to extremely quickly.

What is great about them:

Text messages are easy to respond to, even while in class…
Their phone will notify them as soon as they receive one.
You can be almost certain they will receive your message.

What sucks about them:

You can only use this for short, direct, messaging.
You are hard pressed to contact large groups.
It costs you money…

3. E-mails & List Servs

You will want to use e-mails and list servs if you have a medium to long message, which will be sent to any sized audience, and it needs to be read or responded to within the next few days.

What is great about them:

You can send longer, more detailed messages.
You can send attachments.
They normally check their personal e-mail at least once per day (more with a smart phone).
Emails and list servs make it easier for you to contact large groups.

What sucks about them:

They don’t check this as much as they do their social networking sites.
If you don’t send to their personal e-mail, then good luck.
There is a “slight” risk of their spam filter filtering you…

4. Phone Calls

You will want to use phone calls only if your message is too complex to be expressed any other way, i.e. you have got to talk to them.

What is great about them:

Phone calls are a very dynamic medium.
You actually know whether or not they got, and understood, your message.

What sucks about them:

You can only contact one person at a time.
They probably won’t pick up, for whatever reason…
They will not listen to any voice mails that you send. Or, at least not any time soon.

The Key for You…

…is matching medium to message. You have got to know what kind of message you are sending, what timeframe they need to respond in, and how many people you will be sending it to. If you take those three things into consideration and match them to the appropriate communication channel, then you will stand a much better chance at getting a hold of your Generation Yers.

My Question to You:

When you have to get a hold of Generation Y, how do you do it?

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Kyle Ryman is a guest contributor and author of ProfessionalLEADER.com. He is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army (infantry), and a recent graduate of Texas A&M University with a B.A. in History, Minor in Communications, and Certificate in Leadership Development and Study.

Tips for Successfully Leading Teens

Published

Kyle Ryman

on August 2, 2009

in Gen-Y and Guest Posts

. 2 Comments

Today’s guest post is from Kyle Ryman of ProfessionalLeader.com.

Who Are “Teenagers?”

What Influences Them:

Most of the time when you are talking about leading teenagers, you are talking about leading people who are sophomores in high school to freshmen in college. For these “teens,” their schooling is the dominant factor in their life. One result of this is that you will have to be flexible in their scheduling. For instance, they can only work late afternoons or evenings during the school week. However, they are often available during the weekends. Further more, teens are normally able to work full time during breaks from school.

Also, some of the best teen workers are going to be highly involved in extracurricular activities. You, as a leader, must take this into account if you want to retain the best in teen labor. Additionally, friends and family are incredibly important to this age group and will exert incredible influence over them. As a leader, you must be prepared for this as well if you want to lead teens effectively.

Common Motivators:

Very rarely will you find a teenager who is working for a particular company because they see themselves building a career with that company, or they like that company’s retirement benefits, etc. What motivates teens is a paycheck. But the “why” behind that motivation is important, and it can be broken down into three broad categories:

They want disposable income:
Basically, a lot of teenagers want to be able to buy the latest and greatest iPhone, or pay for their texting habit, or buy that car that they always wanted. Or, in some cases, they work to finance their party habit. Apparently alcohol is expensive…
They want to save for college:
There are also a lot of teens who come from families that have a decent income level, but still not an income level that can afford to help pay for college. College is expensive, and whatever amount of money they will be short in financial aid they will have to generate themselves.
They want to help their family:
There are also a lot of families where teens are needed (or expected – especially in this economy) to help support the family. While they generally are not the primary provider of the family, a teen’s part time income can really help out a financially struggling family.

3 Tips for Leading Teenagers:

With all of the above in mind, here are three tips that you can use when leading teenagers in the workplace.

1. The threat of being fired only goes so far:

For most teens, being fired doesn’t hold the same sway as it does for an older worker. Why? Because, most teens’ primary motivator is to earn money that they don’t “need.” Even teens who work to help support the family don’t feel the same burden of responsibility as their parents. So, if you are a “leader” (or “tyrant,” you pick) who relies on this to motivate your people, then you and teens will probably not work out.

2. Encourage socialization at work:

As was mentioned before, friends and family are incredibly important to this age group. What that means for you, the leader, is that the more attached teens are to the people who make up your organization, the more incentive they have to work hard and to be professional. You can help accomplish this by encouraging socialization (at responsible levels) at work. Having friends at work is probably the most powerful motivator there is in getting teens to come in and work hard.

3. Really mentor them:

The reality is that, most of the time, you and your organization will be your teen workers’ “first rodeo.” Since they lack any significant experience with the work world, you are going to have to mentor them on things like professionalism and acceptable behavior at work. If you don’t, then they will get themselves (and possibly others) in trouble. If you do, then they can prove just as capable as any other worker you employ.

My Question to You:

What have you done, or seen done, that has been effective in leading teens in the workplace?

Kyle Ryman is a guest contributor and author of ProfessionalLeader.com. He is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army (infantry), and a recent graduate of Texas A&M University with a B.A. in History, Minor in Communications, and Certificate in Leadership Development and Study.

Terminal Leadership: When the End is Near

Published

Kyle Ryman

on July 23, 2009

in Guest Posts and Leadership

. 0 Comments

Today’s guest post is the first in a series from Kyle Ryman of ProfessionalLeader.com.

Your Dilemma as the Leader:

As a leader you may one day be faced with the reality that your organization’s days are numbered. The potential reasons for this are many and range from the plant closing down permanently, to a round of layoffs moving through the company, to the Halloween super store closing for the season. No matter the “why” though, as a leader you will have a dilemma on your hands: how will you lead people who have less and less reason to come to work in the morning?

Your Game Plan:

As a leader, you know very well that the key to getting people to accomplish the organization’s mission is to know what makes them tick. But, when your organization, or your people, is down to the home stretch these motivations change. Bobby will never be promoted now, so why bother? And Jeanne will never see that pay raise, so who cares? This is a tough challenge for any leader! However, there are some general strategies that you, as a leader, can follow to ensure that your organization will continue to perform until the last hour of the last day.

1. Strengthen your bonds with your people.

Here’s the deal. Because the end is near, what motivates your people has changed. Your star performer can suddenly go to your problem child since his or her career ambitions were just destroyed. However, just because your people’s motivations have changed doesn’t mean you can’t lead them. You just need to find out what they changed to! Focus on getting to know your people again and strengthening your bonds with them. Then you will be able to effectively lead them again. Or, at minimum, they will follow out of respect for their relationship with you.

2. Strengthen your team’s internal bonds.

No, there probably won’t be any time (or money!) for staff retreats. However, continuing to make team-building a priority will continue to pay dividends in this period of an organization’s life. Team-building will help maintain, if not strengthen, your people’s bonds with each other. These bonds can be your best friend as a leader. After all, someone who just cannot be motivated any other way will still come into work just so that they won’t let their buddies down. Again, these bonds are another tool for you as a leader to put into your bag.

3. Give your people something to look forward to.

Just because the end is near doesn’t mean that your role as the organization’s visionary is over with! Give your people something to look forward to. Plan a party for the last day of work. Or, promise (and deliver on) a generous severance package. The point is that they will only get it, or be able to participate if they continue to work until the last hour of the last day. You will give them a powerful incentive to stay loyal until the end if you promise even just a small reward for all of their hard work. Trust me, even the promise of a cheesy employee party can go a long way…

4. Carve yourself a new “stick” (and hope you won’t need to use it).

Sometimes even the best leaders will need to bring out their “stick” (discipline program, etc.) to deal with subordinates who just will not perform with the end looming near. However, the end brings out interesting dynamics in your ability to use your stick. For instance, who cares about getting written up when you won’t be climbing that corporate ladder after all? Or, what threat is there in getting fired if your company won’t be around anyways to answer inquiry’s from future employers? And, what’s an extra two days of pay after all? Your challenge as a leader is to find that single, tangible, thing that actually holds sway. While what you may actually be able to do will vary considerably from leader to leader (and never be draconic!), common practices include withholding severance pay or denial of re-hire status for seasonal employees. Nobody wants to use their stick, but sometimes, very rarely, your hand will be forced.

What You Should Take Away:

Terminal leadership is hard. The most important thing that you, as a leader, must take away from this discussion is that what motivates your people will change when the end is coming near. It may not seem like it at first, but the closer the end comes the more your people will change. You should strengthen your bonds with them, strengthen team bonds, give them something to look forward to, and carve yourself a new “stick.” While terminal leadership is hard, it can be done.

What have you, as a leader, done (or seen done) when the curtain was coming down on your organization?

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