I got a chance to listen to an interview with a management “expert” on generational differences on BNET the other day and she had some very interesting perspectives to point out as Gen Xrs begin to step up and take leadership roles or at least begin to show up in your candidate pipeline.
Many Gen Xrs bring some attributes to the party that properly understood and incorporated can enhance your organizations ability to compete in this changing environment. They also approach things differently than past generations so you want to incorporate that into your process as well.
- Many Gen Xrs have grown up in an environment where diversity at all levels and in all forms is a much more natural part of their reality. They don’t have to be “retrained”. They recognize that everybody didn’t grow up with Wally and the Beav!
- Gen Xrs have also grown up in one of the most dynamic periods in history. They have to a certain extent a better tolerance for ambiguity and change than previous generations. They haven’t grown up with the “structure” we Boomers “benefited” from.
- Many Xers are naturally more collaborative. They seek out input from “friends” and others. they don’t feel as threatened by input, even unsolicited input.
There are also some things about Xers we might find disconcerting:
- Because of their growing up with information and “input” streaming in at real time you might find that they are more reluctant to make quick decisions or be “decisive”. They will allow process to go on much longer than a Boomer might.
- Xers have a definitively different view of the importance of work/life balance. We might see that as a lack of dedication or commitment. They see it as a proper allocation of time, energy, and other resources.
- They have a much lower “appreciation” for hierarchy than other previous generations. Credibility and authority come from trust and personal experience, not position and title.
I don’t want to position my comments as absolutes, but rather as considerations. As my colleague, Lyn Edwards, has written about so eloquently at the end of the day what every organization wants and needs is contributors.My point here is that Gen Xers can be significant contributors, if you recognize their generational and personal attributes and incorporate them into both your hiring and deployment strategy.
The other factor as we have pointed out numerous times on this blog and other publications is that fit is about way more than just technical skills. Fit is ultimately what differentiates someone from a competent performer to a real contributor. When you hire and select for fit, you are building a much higher opportunity for both higher and sustained contribution and technical skills are rarely going to define fit.
The final factor is that these folks represent our future whether we like it or not! Over the next few years the supply of experienced talent is going to decrease not increase. I would submit that truly successful organizations are going to maintain and sustain a talent pipeline rather than just thrash about competing for scarce resources.
