Being invited to relocate to Melbourne to head up an online comparison site was both exciting and a little scary.
As with any change, it’s certainly thrown up its fair share of challenges over the last three years. Given that I worked in the finance sector previously, becoming the GM of an online comparison service was a complete shake-up in terms of working environments.
Due to the very nature of this business, I now work alongside younger people (Gen Y for lack of a better term) and one of my daily challenges is managing their expectations. Of course, I’m making a very general statement here but overall, I tend to find that (some) younger people expect to earn big bucks from day one, not wanting to put in the hard yards to make it all happen.
That said and as much as I have had my fair share of frustrations, younger people are a fantastic asset in business. You just need to learn how to adapt and relate to where they’re coming from so that they’re happy and meeting the key targets that ensure the overall success of the business.
Over the last three years, this is what I’ve found to make-up the magic formula (and yes, a lot of what you’ll read below has been inspired by Disney and my learnings form their customer service and leadership courses):
1. Communicate
Remember, Gen Y are from an age where everyone’s constantly connected. You need an open door policy in which you dedicate one-on-one time so that you’re interacting with them. Capture their interest in unconventional ways: use your office walls to help deliver messages, display motivational visuals and encourage your team to tell people their story. At the end of the day, we’re all people and getting your team to relate and understand one another will serve you well in the long-run.
2. Be flexible
Younger people are used to having options: they often choose when to leave home, they’re encouraged to pick a career that satisfies them and so on. What I find works really well is to be clear about what people need to do and then let them find their feet in terms of tackling their objectives. Of course there are limits and guidelines but I want my team to feel like they’re taking the steps they need to in order to work towards job fulfilment.
3. Promote growth
In a recent internal Staff Engagement Survey completed by 74% of staff, 76% of respondents said they’d like to progress into another role within Help Me Choose. If a young person feels that they’re in one big dead-end job, they’re not going to maximise their talents and they’re likely to move on fairly quickly.
Sure, Gen Y can be stress-testers at times, but spotting and retaining young talent can be a real advantage in business. I believe that if a person shows potential, regardless of their age, they should be given the chance to allow it to take them and your business wherever they can.
Have your experiences with Gen Y challenged you?