Have you been taught the best way to manage a team?

 

Inc. magazine has jumped on the bandwagon of understanding that the majority of employees who quit a job do so because of a bad manager (PR Newswire). In their article, “From Bad Boss to Boss Boss: 7 Powerful Ways to Become a Better Manager (and Boost Your Bottom Line),” they provide tips on how to be a better manager.

 

Why? Better managers keep good employees! How much time do you spend trying to get great workers? And how frustrating is it when the best people leave?

 

To save you the click-through, here’s a quick summary of their points:

1.    Make it safe for employees to fail

2.    Celebrate small wins and milestones

3.    Be transparent and communicate openly

4.    Be an active listener

5.    Put the focus on strengths, not weaknesses

6.    Embrace a growth mindset of opportunities (as opposed to a fixed one)

7.    Remember to work on yourself

 

While there’s nothing here to object to, I would add my own thoughts when it comes to managing teams comprised of those in different generations. Here three key additions:

 

A.   Don’t tolerate bad behavior. Many employees, of all ages, get frustrated when they see those who have bad attitudes, be it racism, sexism, or any other “ism.” And don’t tolerate those who slack off and don’t contribute their fair share. Valuable employees who are frustrated as they witness these behaviors will leave an organization.

 

B.   Reward in an equitable fashion. While it’s great to “celebrate small wins and milestones” for the team, or the company, it’s important to reward individuals with bonuses and raises in an equitable fashion.

 For younger workers, money talks louder than cheerleading and pizza parties. And if money is tight, there are other ways to reward individuals and teams, such as additional days of PTO. 

 

C.   Exercise empathy, and encourage it. There’s nothing more powerful to effect change in a team’s culture than an empathetic leader. You don’t have to look far for gurus who know this and talk about it, like Simon Sinek and Ted Lasso (yes, on Apple TV). It’s important to be empathetic and to teach it to others.

 

Here’s the problem: no one is training team leaders how to manage intergenerational teams. 

If the front door of your building is becoming a revolving door of employees coming for a few months, or a year, and then leaving, your have an issue.

If you’ve doubled your spend on attracting, interviewing, hiring, and onboarding employees, you have a problem.

These can be solved with training. So if you’re looking for a better way, let’s chat.