Work for Change

Boomer Generation, ready to retire?

Linda Price, MS

I recently saw a television advertisement for a financial investment company, where a 50 something year old executive man, announces proudly, “I am ready,” suggesting he is financially ready to retire to which his attractive, middle-aged wife responds, “What will you do?” He thinks for a moment and says, “I don’t know, putter around the house?” His wife answers, “I’m not ready.”

I was struck by the fact that over the next 25 years, 77 million Americans will reach retirement age and they might not be “ready,” even if they are financially ready as suggested by this television commercial.

When Boomers plan for retirement, they generally plan financially. Of the 77 million people retiring, most will not fully consider what life will be like when they leave their jobs and how they want to spend their time.

Retirement comes and Boomers tend to fall into two distinct groups. The first group is those who delay retiring, staying on their job because they do not know what they want to do next. For some, dreams were long ago buried and forgotten as they focused on more practical matters. The second group fearlessly leaves their career, declaring “I’m off to play golf”, “Open a Bed & Breakfast” or “travel the world”, only to discover that a single focus approach to retirement is not fulfilling. The question is why are intelligent, successful Boomers not ready? Why, when they talk about retirement and will have the time and resources to create any future they want for themselves, do they think of it as time to “putter around the house?”  In fact, they do want more than “puttering around the house.” The irony is they just have not had time to think about what they want to do.

There are other reasons the Boomer may not be “ready;” they are basing their retirement thinking and plans on an outdated idea of what retirement means.  The Industrial Age model -- where factories needed to replace older workers with younger workers and once retired, you were considered “useless” is no longer relevant. Yet that model is still affecting how we approach our retirement and our planning for it. The word “retirement” itself can conjure up images of withdrawing, being disposed of, losing interest, getting out, preparing for sleep, being put out to pasture, hanging up one’s spurs and being over-the-hill, to name a few.

These images of retirement are based on the past, but these old societal beliefs still hang on in our thinking. The Boomer cohort, a huge demographic, is once again on the vanguard of change, and will reinvent the notion of what it means to retire and create meaningful and fulfilling lives.

What will it take to get the Boomers ready? I believe the most efficient way to get ready is to think about creating post-career goals in a systematic fashion. The Boomer needs to think about and gain answers to four high-powered questions that will guide, clarify and add velocity to the future.

These high-powered questions can be answered independently or a couple can work together to generate their answers. The Boomer can also seek the guidance of an executive coach or career coach for additional direction and support. There is no correct way to do the inquiry. What is important is that the Boomer engages with the questions and gain clarity on life goals and legacy.

Question 1: What thoughts do I have about retirement that are stopping or limiting me?

Question 2: What are my dreams and life purpose?

Question 3: How will I invest my time to create a meaningful and satisfying life?

Question 4: How will I monitor my satisfaction?

These questions are simple, but not easy. The answers to these questions cannot be looked up or Googled. To gain access to the answers and even deepen the inquiry takes time and patience. Sometimes the answers do not come right away. However, the answers will surface.

Such an approach catalyzes and accelerates the transition into a satisfying and productive post-career life and allows the Boomer to launch into a new phase of life “ready” to find and sustain satisfaction for the 20 years ahead.

 

For more information on how to reinvent retirement and launch and sustain an innovative a new life, contact Linda Price at iFuture, 212 874-3645.

Janus at the Doorway: What work skills are important for new hire Millennials?

Michael D. Maginn, EdD

In Roman mythology, Janus was the god of beginnings and endings and, fittingly, he watched over doors and gates. These were the places of transition where a person moved from one state to another, metaphorically leaving the past and moving into the future.

In the summer of 2007, we conducted a Janus-like study of Millennials making the transition from college to the workplace. We asked a group of college graduates who were figuratively walking through the doorway to work what they were discovering about skills they felt were important. At the same time, we asked a group of workplace veterans to identify what they viewed—from their perspective through the door—as skills important for Millennials at work.

In both surveys, we asked participants to rate the importance of a set of skills for a new hire college graduate to be effective in their first six months on the job. Here are the rank order ratings for each group.

                                                                                                               

	Rank Order
Skill	Millennials	Veterans
Having   good interpersonal communications skills	1	3
Taking   personal responsibility	2	4
Appropriately   using technology	3	8
Listening   to feedback	4	1
Being   able to read the office culture	5	7
Being   on a team	6	6
Spending   time wisely	6	9
Handling   change	7	9
Having   an effective daily routine	8	11
Saying   no effectively	9	14
Dealing   with setbacks and disappointments	10	5
Being   effective in team meetings	10	10
Selling   ideas	11	15
Influencing   others and handling conflict	12	12
Customer   focus mindset	13	2
Supervising   other people and tasks	14	16
Finding   a mentor	15	13

Notice there is fairly strong agreement between both groups that interpersonal communication skills, taking responsibility, and listening to feedback are critical to effectiveness. What is interesting about this cluster of top skills is that they reflect the characteristics of high EQ or emotional intelligence.  Said another way, these skills describe important qualities of maturity--the ability to be sensitive to communications, to have a sense of integrity and follow through and an openness to learning.

Many other skills in this inventory are less character-driven and more tactical. For example, reading the office culture, being on a team, and spending time wisely are more learned than innate and important topics for company training programs. Both groups agree these are of middling importance.

There is also some agreement on what skills are least important for new hires. Finding a mentor, influence skills and handling conflict, supervising other people and selling ideas don’t break the top 10. It’s not unusual that both groups find supervising less critical; new hires don’t often do that. It may be that finding a mentor is viewed by both groups as something the new hire doesn’t actually do. Mentors usually pick, or are assigned to, the people they mentor.

What is interesting is that neither group expects new hires to be effective at influence, conflict and selling ideas (another form of influence.) Perhaps they don’t believe new hires are familiar enough with the office network to even have the opportunity to engage in those activities. Another interpretation is that these are fairly sophisticated skills, even for Veterans, and develop, if at all, with experience.

One very interesting result is that Millennials and Veterans differ on how important it is for new hires to deal with set backs and disappointments. It may be that Veterans, who have been through set backs and disappointments, know how critical it is to deal with these potentially emotional episodes. New hires simply haven’t been there yet so it is a lower priority. It will be interesting to see how they react when they start seeing layoffs and reorganizations. The importance rating for how to deal with upsets will then most likely increase.

One clear difference between groups is the view of a customer focus mindset. Millennials don’t even rate this in the top 10, while Veterans view it as the second most important skill, after listening to feedback.

How can this difference be interpreted? For the Veteran group, focusing on the customer is a standard mantra, surviving waves of strategy shifts and leadership changes. Since Tom Peters focused businesses on customers back in the 1980s, everyone has tried to figure out who his or her customer is and how to best serve them. However, new hires don’t seem to see the link between their work and how it impacts the customer. Let’s hope it won’t be long before they recognize how their actions—however slight or transitory—impact the customer’s impression of the entire organization.

What does this all mean?

Surfacing these expectations and questioning them can be a healthy exercise for organizations. Organizations might benefit when Millennials develop influence and conflict management skills and/or selling or even supervising people skills from the outset of their careers. What’s the message that would send about contributing ideas—and positive actions-- to the organization?

What do we gain if a customer focus mindset is key to the onboarding process? Would that provide a context for Millennials to see how they contribute to the Big Picture? And, if so, is that advantageous?

Janus watches over the passerby who moves to a different place—from outside to inside, from inexperienced to experienced, from naive to wise. What is the lesson we can learn from thinking about people on both sides of the door?

Article by Michael D. Maginn, Ed.D. who also writes  the Singularity Managerzine.

Gen X Strategy #1: Seeing What's In Front of Your Face

Scott Mills, Ph.D.

For each generation of employees, Dr. Rodgers and I have identified some key leverage points in efforts to create change and foster innovation in organizations.   These are rooted in the generational worldview or story that I have written about earlier as well as the characteristics that we have seen across the generations.  I chose to start this series by stating what might seem obvious but doesn't quite play out that way.  The most important strategy for enlisting Gen X in change efforts is to recognize their value.

As I noted in an earlier article, Gen X has been largely invisible as a generation even as our societal contributions have continued to grow.   Where would we be without Google and Amazon?  Thank the Xers.  Gen X has grown up in a period where children were largely ignored by American culture.  We came home to empty houses as latch key kids, learned to fend for ourselves and spent "quality time" with our parents.   As a result, one of the most significant elements of our worldview tends to be a sense of being unseen or invisible.  This is especially true for institutions.

This has had direct implications for the business world.   The most obvious example is that almost all business journal articles on the generations are currently focusing on Boomers or Millennials.   While we are small in numbers, we are incredibly innovative.  Our capacity to see outside of the box often leads to creative solutions that would otherwise go unseen.   

However, our basic skepticism of authority figures means that we may not share our ideas unless we are in a place of trust.  Our ideas and innovations have become our capital with which we can move from company to company.   This can lead to a huge loss of knowledge and innovation for companies that are busy paying attention to retiring Boomers and entering Millenials.  You may have noticed that many Xers simply strike out on their own and then hire themselves out to companies that truly value them as consultants.

So the starting point for enrolling Gen X in change management efforts (as well as keeping them on the job) is to actively value the work that we do, speak with integrity making only commitments that you truly can keep and making an effort to see us.  While this may take a bit of effort at first the payoff is increased sharing of high leverage ideas and commitment to organizations that value us.

A Story for Change: Examining Gen X's Worldview

Scott Mills, Ph.D.

After interviewing people from all over North America for years it has become clear that each of the generations have a story of their own. While some researchers have limited their understanding to characteristics of the generations, Dr. Rodgers and I have seen that understanding the worldview or story of a group creates greater capacity for understanding and growth. Out of this comes new opportunities for innovation as well as efficiency.

In order to provide a very brief taste of this story, I have limited this series to four questions. Who am I? Who do I belong to? What shall I create? What does it all mean? Surprising to many, people from different generations have different basic answers to these questions. (Look for our book this spring if you would like a fuller version of this work.) In this article, I am looking specifically at Gen X.

Who am I?

At the root of this question is how we understand ourselves and whether other people see us. In integral psychology one of the basic needs of humans is to be seen for who they are. In the case of Gen X, we have often been invisible to the world at large. We are sandwiched between the larger Boomers and Millenials. This has meant that often our needs and concerns have largely been unnoticed or ignored. With Gen Xers often telling ourselves that those around us, particularly institutions, miss who we are, there is a great opportunity for connecting to Xers simply by making a concerted effort to understand who we are.

Who do I belong to?

Xers grew up in a time where the American family was on a decline. More women had entered the workforce and the latch key kid was born. At the same time, after school programs were cut around the country leaving many children to fend for themselves. As a result, the question of belonging shifted. We often felt missed by our families and communities and created tribes of our own. With the television as our most common babysitter, there are entire inside languages that have been formed from these cultural references. The television program Friends is a perfect example of the way that Gen Xers have formed our own communities.

What shall I create?

This has been a particularly sticky question for Xers. Raised in a time where the world seemed to be going to hell in a handbasket, left with tremendous environmental problems and an economic morass, the world has often seemed overwhelming. Couple this with a healthy skepticism of the institutions that once protected us and you can imagine that Xers are often seeking different answers to this question. And we are seeking different solutions. As Jeff Gordinier has recently pointed out in Gen X Saves the World, Xers have not lived up to their apathetic reputations. Instead, we have quietly but in great numbers worked to create local solutions to problems around the world. This is also reflected in the fact that Xers are not as tied to their workplace as our parents often were.

What does it all mean?

This question has actually driven much of my research. Across the country more and more people are asking this question. The answers that they find are very diverse and particularly for Xers, often very individual. However, this question points to our life purpose at its core. Xers have been pushing the postmodern envelope pointing to the small pleasures, connections with other people and the satisfaction of solving problems both large and small for meaning.

Obviously, this is only a very wide view of Gen X's worldview. The starting point is simply asking the questions. I can guarantee that each individual will have their own particular way of answering these questions but patterns do emerge. If we can begin to understand the importance of these questions in the way that we live our lives and connect to our answer in the workplace, we will create spaces for engaged community to emerge and innovation to flourish.

Randy Pausch on Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Scott Mills, Ph.D. In our work, Dr. Cathy Rodgers and I often talk about the power of purpose to shift an organization.   In his inspiring "last lecture" Randy Paush, a Carnegie Mellon professor diagnosed with incurable cancer, discusses the power of purpose in all of our lives.   I encourage everyone who has not seen this powerful lecture to take it to heart and imagine what our organizations could achieve if we brought the same spirit to them. Randy Pausch passed away on July 25th, 2008 leaving behind his wife and three children. 

Millennials bring value to change

Cathy A. Rodgers, PhD

Much has been written about how the Millennials (born since 1980) are changing our organizations. They will not only change us; they also provide our organizations with great strengths at times when we need to implement change initiatives. We should be tapping in to them.

First, in continuing our story theme, we should look what is behind who the Millennials are. The reality is they are made up of two disparate groups, only one of whom we probably “know” at all well. Those are the group raised by soccer moms, running from scheduled activity to scheduled activity throughout their childhood, maintaining important friendships with their parents and having great self-esteem. As parents we’ve always told telling them how terrific they are with the result that they don’t always see the value of learning and acquiring new skills and abilities. Nonetheless, they are in our organizations, being seen, heard and managed.

The second group we’ll be talking about less. These are the Millennials of the lower socio-economic bracket. They are not as likely to have parents telling them they are terrific. They are, in many cases, raising themselves and growing up in areas of great violence and crime. They are not those 20-somethings being hired as professionals in our organizations. This is a group may benefit from attention; however, they are not the topic of this blog.

So who is this cohort that is the latest entrant to our organizations? They are a large cadre—the biggest group ever. They bring technological multi-tasking to our organizations along with recognition that many of their generation have gained fame from being outrageous. And, they have an attitude toward information that those of us who did not grow up with it instantaneously available do not. That is, if they learn something of value they want to share it—with anyone who needs it at any time. That provides great value during times of drastic change. But we need to learn to be open to it, rather than only to the time-honored “speak only to the layer above you” approach of many of our organizations.

The Millennials want to make a difference, especially if the difference will impact society. Thus, providing them with a purpose that has true meaning to them will frequently result in their mobilizing around the goal with speed, creativity and flexibility. At the same time, they want a challenge, so we must think carefully about the ways in which they can add value that will not only advance the initiative but also provide new opportunity for them as individuals. Perhaps the two most important things to remember in enrolling Millennials in a vision of the future is that they are stimulated by achieving tangible results and they like to be heroes.

Millennials, by virtue of their inexperience, may have less to offer in terms of complex capabilities. However, they have great ideas, energy and commitment (to each other,) and provide an opportunity as valuable allies in ongoing change.

You can’t teach an old dog…Boomers and change

Cathy A. Rodgers, PhD 

My apologies to any Baby Boomer (born between 1945 and 1960) reading this who may be offended by the title. I, too, am a Boomer, one born within a few years of the end of World War II. That makes me an old Boomer, euphemistically called a First Waver. I hope that gives me the right to talk about the Boomers and change, because there is SO MUCH we bring to the table!

We are the cohort that everyone loves to hate—we were the biggest group of children ever seen, we were kids in the candy store of a booming post war economy, we were idealists out to change the world and, by our shear size alone, we made the country pay attention to us, build schools for us, create suburbs for us to play in. Today, we are shaping entire industries like cosmetic surgery, adventure vacations and retirement communities. And, we are not retiring at 55 or even 60!

Somewhere on the path to altering the landscape of mid-20^th century America, we lost our hope, our trust and our otherness. After the assassinations, Vietnam and Watergate slammed us repeatedly against the realities of life, we finally started trusting people over 30 in large part because we became them. And, in that transition, we grabbed on to new ways to feel good about ourselves. If we couldn’t change the world, we could at least have exciting cars, big homes, important jobs and great personal success.

We are the ones with the most to lose when organizations undertake significant change. And, our very presence in those organizations occurs for those younger than us as a potential obstacle to their future. They want us out so the top spots are unblocked; we want to stay because our very identity, and our retirement accounts, depend upon it. So how do we reconcile our role with our image of ourselves and how do we continue to add value to our organizations until we are ready to leave them?

One powerful way to do that is to reconnect with the idealism and passion of our youth. Most significant change efforts have a potentially important impact on the future of the organization. With relatively little effort (but focused attention to it,) we can be brought to see the value of that vision. We can, if the goals are appropriate, step in as ambassadors to promote the value of the change to individuals, the company and, hopefully, society. We were change leaders once, many of us are ready to be so again—to see how we can make a difference, how we can rally others behind a great idea, how we can improve the future. We have a legacy to pass on. What better way than to spend our time in meaningful roles, championing exciting innovations.

More Surprises for the New Hire College Graduate

Michael D. Maginn, EdD

In Office Space, the zany comedy about work place culture and rebellion, Peter, the very twenty-something main character asks the next cubicle occupant, Milton, the office nebbish, to turn down his radio. “I was told I could keep it on at a low volume,” stumbles Milton in flat rejection of common courtesy. Peter just rolls his eyes and glances at the clock. It’s only 9:15 am.

 Indeed, to many college graduates, the culture of work is filled with many such unpleasant surprises. Our recent survey of new hire graduates surfaced a number of frequently mentioned revelations.

 For example, former students said they didn’t realize how much attention—and money—was devoted to dressing professionally and “looking good.” The idea of working in a cubicle affected several respondents. “Environmentally disappointing,” was how some in this environmentally-sensitive group described their space. They also reported bosses weren’t as understanding as professors, and co-workers weren’t as friendly as classmates. In fact, one person reported people at his job weren’t eager to help new people out. The need to learn fast and learn a lot was part of the package, and it was expected that they would take the initiative to learn. “There’s no end at work. When you achieve a result, you are given more work. At least in school it ends,” was one comment. Indeed, the engine never stops. No one was providing a lecture for them to capture knowledge; for many, it was a do-it-yourself learning experience. The need to work in teams—effectively communicating with colleagues—required a new set of responses far different from school. Of course, diplomatically listening to and playing office politics and mastering red tape were challenges of their new world.

 Even more disappointing, many respondents said that work was “essentially meaningless,” boring, not challenging and not using any of the knowledge gained through years of study. “Every day is pretty much the same.”

 Finally, new workers found that the amount of income they received for their labor was an unpleasant disappointment. After taxes, retirement plans, dues and health insurance, take home pay was reported as much less than expected. Bills, living expenses and payments on student loans made that amount even smaller. One person put it this way: “I make significantly less than I thought I would with my degree.” With loan payments looming, you can understand how that obligation makes these new workers look at work in a bitter-sweet way. Yes, there is a job that brings in a salary, but they are not making that much when all is said and done, and the background pressure is always there to make sure they don’t lose their paycheck because of student loans.

Of course, new workers also have a sense of freedom from papers, tests, homework and “no more school.” But you wonder what the amplified pressures of working, learning how to survive in a somewhat alien—and sometimes unfulfilling—work culture and living on much less than expected can do to even the most confident new worker.

 It would be useful if someone told them that finding friends at work makes a huge difference in how engaged they feel at work. Or, an avuncular manager might offer advice on finances, giving them some control over money. Unfortunately, that happens only by chance. Why don’t we build it in to our onboarding processes?

 Yes, people adjust over time, but it appears that expectations are frequently adjusted downwards.

 And at what price? Surely, there must be a better way to welcome the new folks aboard.

 
Article by Michael D. Maginn, Ed.D. who also writes  the Singularity Managerzine.

Silent Change

Cathy A. Rodgers, PhD

In Scott’s blog article, Leading with a New Understanding of Change,  he speaks of stories providing a means through which to understand the different generations and engage them in the changes that will occur in our organizations with increasing rapidity. This article will take a brief look at engaging the “Silents” in change. The Silents are generally described as those born between 1922 and 1944, although the dates are subject to minor variance depending upon the writer.

They are impressively represented by the Greatest Generation described by Tom Brokaw—those who fought in World War II. Yet some of those born just prior to or during the war continue to have an important presence in the workplace, even if an ever-diminishing one. However few they are, they bring enormous value and skill to change efforts. To understand this role more fully, it helps to think for a minute about their experiences.

Many of those still in our organizations were born just before or during the war. They may have been raised in an early version of the single parent household with the stressors of a father and a country at war. Perhaps they were too young to be fully aware of what was occurring in their world, but the tumult of the war years with food and other shortages, bigotry and women working out of the house for the first time must have had significant influence on their childhood. And, whether they were aware of it or not they certainly experienced, along with the early Baby Boomers, the excitement, economic growth and amazing creativity and innovation of the post war era.

They may well have moved to the suburbs along with much of the rest of the country and may have recently begun the move back to urban environments. And, they are and were extraordinary workers, gaining their sense of themselves predominantly from their roles at work.

Too often today the Silents are being ignored, if not pushed out, by their companies. They are old enough now (in their mid to late 60s) that rather than recognize their wisdom, we see only their past. Yet it is just that past that provides value in times of change. They have seen and survived so much of it that they have enormous wisdom to impart. What great discussions could occur if they met informally with younger colleagues to share experiences and ideas? This is the generation that grand parented the Gen Xers. The skipped generation bond is often a powerful one. We can use that bond and tap in to their passion, their purpose, their knowledge and their experience.

The Silents may not want to work 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year. But there are so many creative ways to have them help organizations gain commitment for new initiatives. All we need to do if find out what they value in the process and have them share their excitement with others. Excitement and commitment are contagious and are reinforced by their experience and wisdom.

Graduates: Welcome to your new life

At the end of the wonderful French movie, L’Auberge Espanole, a young college graduate is shown showing up for work in a tomb-like, corporate glass and steel office. His new boss awkwardly crushes him with an embrace in his stiff, new suit, the drab office workers enthusiastically describe what the different color folders on his desk mean and then exchange opinions about the best setting for the air conditioner. “Two” seems to be the consensus.

When the workers look up from adjusting the thermostat, the new employee is gone. The next scene shows him frantically running…away.

New college graduates are coming into a world of work that is purposeful, efficient and frequently relentless. It’s surprising that more of them don’t leave after their first morning. The transition to adult employment is abrupt and, for many, a dismal and permanent change to their lives.

 Doesn’t it make sense for employers to look at the impact this transition has on graduates? It would be helpful to know what those “thermostat” moments are, making it easier to soften the landing.

In our study of recent college graduates, we asked these new workers to identify the biggest surprises and disappointments they experienced when they settled into their cubicles. What they said was interesting, if not provocative.
Probably the biggest surprise about going to work was how hard life had suddenly become. To many, just getting a job had been a long and difficult process. Some reported taking work in a field they didn’t want and didn’t plan to stay in “for the rest of my days.”
When graduates did get a job, there was little free time; people reported they were not used to being anywhere for eight hours at a time and actually heads down working for the whole time. One person found it hard to get his mind around the idea that he had to be at work “no matter what.” “Someone was expecting me to be somewhere at a certain time with no flexibility and no rescheduling. That’s different for me,” said a new worker.

 Another said that the magnitude of projects and amount of work that had to be done was something he was “totally unprepared for”. Indeed, life had changed; new workers didn’t have the energy they had at school, they didn’t exercise as much, they came home pretty exhausted. No more naps during the day; no more schmoozing with friends. Work schedules found former night owls needing to get to bed early and forgoing a social life for the sake of getting up with a clear head. Work had taken time away from their lives.

 Of course, instead of being overwhelmed by the change, these new hires can chose a productive response. They can build exercise into their schedules, ask for help or offer their time on an interesting project and figure out how to adapt to the loss of so much free time. Action, although perhaps hard to take on during overwhelm, is hard. At the same time, it is what will make a difference in easing the transition from student to employee.
And, what are we, people who have been in the organization for years doing to recognize the “thermostat” syndrome and help them?

Article by Michael D. Maginn, Ed.D. who also writes  the Singularity Managerzine.