I’ve been in marketing since before the internet and, for that reason, I’ve been working on honing this program since then. As digital marketing grew in use and popularity, overtaking other media and channels in the early 2000’s, those who’d been in marketing for years often had a tough time keeping current. At the same time, younger marketers started off their work and careers being more digitally savvy and comfortable with the newest digital techniques and practices.
With change as the only constant in marketing, there’s been a slowly growing distance between the generations that’s only accelerated as Millennials have become the largest generation in the U.S. labor force (back in 2016). The need for reconstructing how different generations work is as great as it’s ever been and I’m proud to have been at the forefront of this work since 2010, when I shifted the Fortune 500 company that I worked for from the old paradigm of “outbound” marketing to “inbound.”
There have been many approaches and programs developed to help “build teams” and “train managers” (and new employees) that are supposed to help alleviate the inter-generational tension found in many organizations.
These don’t work for a number of reasons – and I believe that science gives us the best over-arching understanding to what’s really going on. Once the science is understood, it provides us with a way forward. If you haven’t seen Pixar’s movie, “Inside Out,” which explains this in a child-friendly story, I recommend it highly!
I’ve worked with a wide range of clients, from marketing teams at mid-size companies to enterprise teams, from small agencies to international nonprofits. I’ve also worked with external teams (such as agencies) as well as internal teams. It really doesn’t make a difference what type of organization you have, or if the relationship is internal or external, or even the size of the team. If there’s a range of generations working together and there have been issues, I can help.
I didn’t start off in HR – my entire career has been in marketing and business strategy. I started focusing on the interpersonal/human resource issue out of necessity because, within my own organization (a Fortune 500 company) and marketing areas at other companies, there were misunderstandings and teams didn’t work effectively.
My approach is that working with people – all types of people – is an ongoing challenge. It’s not solved in a couple of hours or even one day. Organizations that work with me understand that when I work with their people, that’s just the beginning. There are ongoing touch-points after the workshops for everyone involved. Other consultants tend to work in a “one and done” mentality – my timeline is more long-term. After all, change doesn’t happen overnight.
Yes, it really works. As long as the following conditions exist:
- People want to be part of solving the issues. If they’re feeling as though they’re not being heard or they’re frustrated with the way things are now, then they have a stake in the outcomes.
- The organization agrees to ongoing touchpoints and updates. These “take the temperature” of how progress is going and it’s the best way to know – for you and for me – if the results are “sticking” or if it’s time for a “refresh.” These ongoing touchpoints don’t take a lot of time, but they do help to foster long-term change.
If both of these conditions are in place then this works and you can expect positive results.
Here’s what you can expect from me:
- I conduct a quick survey of your employees (and anyone else you’d like to include, such as contractors) to see if there are issues that need to be addressed.
- An evaluation of the survey results, in which I summarize the findings and my recommendations for working together – if that’s, in fact, appropriate.
- Together, we do a fact-finding call to learn more about issues that need to be addressed.
- We plan a bespoke program specifically for your organization, based on the survey findings and the fact-finding discussion.
- We implement the program.
- We measure the results right away and over time, based on the ongoing updates from the team.
When we start the program, you’ll see some results right away. That’s because we start with a good basis of what the issues are that need to be addressed and we tackle them proscriptively.
Some change happens faster than others, which is why we insist on the weekly “temperature checks.” These help us understand what’s going on, sometimes even better than you may be able to detect from inside the organization or team.
I conduct a quick survey of your employees (and anyone else you’d like to include, such as contractors) to see if there are inter-generational issues that need to be addressed. Once the majority of people have provided information, I do an evaluation of the survey results, in which I summarize the findings – for some organizations, this can be an eye-opening experience. With that summary is any recommendation for working together – if that’s appropriate.
If we move forward with the work, we’ll do a fact-finding “kick-off” call and then create a program specifically focused on the issues we’ve uncovered and that you’ve shared. We implement the program based on our discussion during the “kick-off” call.
The first step is reaching out to me! You can do so on Instagram or LinkedIn, or by emailing me ([email protected]) so we can set up a time to talk about what you’ve been experiencing. Be sure and let me know the best time to contact you. I look forward to speaking with you!
