Finally understand why your conversations with Millennials hit a wall.

I often coach managers who struggle with their Gen Y / Millennial team members. This classic case of Relationship Friction seems a near-universal pain point in professional life right now.

It’s exhausting for everyone.

My diagnostic: my clients’s professional whys do not align with their team members’.

Gen X / Boomers’ motivations are at odds with those of Gen Y / Millennials’.

Gen X projects its own expectations onto Gen Y, who stares back aghast.

  • Motivation – Advancement vs. Purpose: Managers prioritize climbing the ladder while their staff asks for purpose, work flexibility and impact. The manager dangling a promotion sees an attractive reward; their team member yearns for meaningful work. Talented Gen Y staff often quit well-paid jobs for roles that truly call out to them.
  • Commitment – Duty vs. Potential: Managers see a deadline as a promise tied to reputation. Their team members see it as a negotiable milestone, often missing it for a ‘better’ solution. A client contemplated letting go of a very gifted team member who missed every single deadline – by weeks – despite her and clients’ protests – eventually – with a beamingly smile she recounted – producing the most wonderful solution.

While these are just two instances, the pattern is the same:

  • Numerous conversations which remain frustrating and unproductive.
  • The ensuing Relationship Friction distracts both parties from their productive focus.
  • In addition to the emotional upset, underperformance and loss of talent are recurrent.

Both sides try hard to communicate but do not understand each other.

That’s because by focusing on the what (task) and the how (process), workplace conversations completely miss the proverbial boat: the why.”

Think about it: How can anyone do anything (task) effectively (how) repeatedly without a personally resonant why?

When I first introduce the idea of addressing the deep why – the underlying values and drivers  –  my clients typically find it odd. It feels clunky. It feels soft. But then, tada, it works!

That’s because your Gen Y staff’s energy is unlocked when you mobilise their personal drivers.

In short, your Relationship Wisdom Pivot aligns the task to the driver.

Make it possible for your team members to align their value system with their deliverables.

No more Relationship Friction! 🎉🎉

 

 

📞  + 41 79 532 4754
📧 alexandra@coachingforinspiration.com
#coachingforinspiration

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