Tag: empathy

The top 3 things our youngest generation workforce is after – Hint: it isn’t merch or perks


Ralf Weiser

My fellow BabyBoomer and GenX business leaders are often at a loss for words and solutions in finding new talent and then keeping it in the long run. It is more challenging than ever.  It isn’t merch and perks that keeps them coming back to the workplace day after day. It isn’t even necessarily about compensation either. In my research and personal experience all generations just differ in their emphasis of what they are looking forward to getting at work. Key difference lies in how especially GenZ and Millennials react when they do not get what they seek. They will not come, or at a minimum, they will not stay. Merely trading time for money is not their thing. Here is a list of top three job criteria they are looking for in a career: 

  • Purpose and perspective: No generation before has been this concerned about making sure that their value is somehow a good match with that of the company’s. In a recent LinkedIn survey 87% of GenZ professionals would be ok leaving a company if the alignment was not there. They would leave even without having lined up another job yet. 
    Does your company have a greater purpose for itself? How are employees engaged in impacting community, other fellow employees, and their customers for the better? Key here is offering a greater deal of transparency and open dialog of how and what the company does and how employees may be able to impact the outcome. 
  • Career pathways: This is a point that most GenX and BabyBoomer leader-managers just does not understand. They rose through the ranks by ways of working long hard hours even if it meant that they had to carve out their own way how to get there. 
    Not so with the younger generations. On average they will give the more tenured folks a puzzled look: “If you have figured this out a long time ago, how come you did not document that so I can use it for training and onboarding?”. GenZ and Millennials prefer that there is a planned structure for learning the job they were hired to do. And they expect that someone figured out a process and structure how to make (fast) progress in moving up the career ladder. Are they sometimes a bit too optimistic how fast they can acquire the needed experience and skill sets? Absolutely. They are not wrong though about a business having a plan how to upscale their operation. The workforce should have priority one. 
  • Flexible work time and place: I find this totally confounding, but there are still a lot of leader-managers who gauge performance with what I call bum-in-chair-time. 
    Those are the ones who are getting bent out of shape when folks roll in at 8.06am instead of 8am – sharp. You also see no issue with expecting the very same folks to stay longer if a job did not get done completely. Move on! More important is that the job is getting done and no messes are left behind for co-workers and customers. Period. 
    The only exceptions are shift workers. I totally get it when a line gets bogged down because someone did not show up on time. 
    The same is true for where your folks work. If you don’t have to be in the office to do your job, why would you waste time, fuel, tolls, etc to do so? We can figure out a balance between working from home and being at the office for meetings and other company culture building events. 

  I wish I could see some of the reactions this post will trigger, when some of the frazzled GenX and BabyBoomer business leaders read it. I highly recommend you dedicate a little time to ponder when you will commit time to work on developing the needed changes in your organization. Give it a few years and you may be the last one putting out the lights as your employees have either finally fully retired, or they have left you for more impactful careers elsewhere. It’s your choice. My recommendation would be to stop fighting fires and work on your business – not just work in it. 

You don’t have to take my word for it. Here is an article that provide a little more flavor to this topic: 

Overwhelming majority of Gen Z workers would quit their jobs over company values, LinkedIn data says

Ralf 

10 way how to improve how you and others feel about yourself


fountain

Be a fountain and not a drain 

Photo credit: Wikipedia link El Alamein Memorial Fountain in Sydney, New South Wales

It is so much easier to be a drain than to be a fountain. A fountain takes a lot of energy to push out water and distribute it such that it works effectively. Fountains symbolize refreshment, nourishment, and providing water as a life spending human resource. Fountains therefore help sustain life. They also represent beauty and many say they even are a source of good luck. A drain is just there and does not need to do anything.Of course that is not a literal reference, but it is a great analogy. When we are at our best we are a fountain: we expend our energy to provide love, inspiration, empathy, compassion, creativity, and so many other positive attributes.

However, many, many people allow themselves acting as a drain to themselves and others. Just take some time at the airport, in traffic, and even at the grocery store and observe the sometimes really nasty interactions between total strangers. Ultimately, these folks are energy sinks – a drain of immense power. How about the drain you experience when you have issues with your spouse or your boss? That hits in the gut and heart, doesn’t it? You can literally feel the energy leaving your body and soul when you are close to nasty people like this.

Ultimately though is your choice. Only you can choose to either take a positive route or the negative. Here a few ways how you can be that fountain to others and you will good about yourself as well:

  • Choose your attitude: Every morning and moment brings along a new choice for you to make. You can either choose to be miserable, or you can choose to smile and be full of joy. No, I am not saying you should fake this. No matter how miserable you think you have it, rest assure there are plenty of other people who have got it so much worse than you.
  • Make other people’s day: It is easier than you think. From random kinds of kindness to just being there for others when they need a boost will do wonders for the ones whom you are helping and your own self esteem.
  • Employ the Platinum Rule: I am sure you know the Golden Rule – treat others like you would be treated. Kick this up a notch or two. The Platinum Rule is treating others like they want to be treated. How do you know that other people like what you like? Is it not better to ponder how other people would like to be treated? Would this not make a much better first impression?
  • Play: Having genuine fun with others whether or not you are at home or at work is incredibly inspiring and uplifting. Ponder how you can generate a good solid mutual laugh with each other. Carry that out as much as your laughing muscles will bear it.
  • Be grateful: Gratitude is when you are truly humbled by the many gifted and talented people you get to meet on a daily basis. Gratitude is when you are truly grateful for your health, family, and friends. We have so much to be grateful for.
  • Share your talents: You impact more people than you think by what you do best. Share whatever talents you have and do it freely.
  • Volunteer: Let it be at school, church, hospitals, fire companies, local business associations, theater, special events, etc. Volunteering impacts the lives of many people and it feels great having made a difference for others.
  • Sleep: Huh? What does that have to do with being inspiring to others? That’s really simple: You had better sustain yourself and sleep as much as you can such that you have plenty of energy to expend.
  • Believe: Faith has a great impact on sustaining yourself. I find it all but impossible to be a fountain and not having a strong belief. Stock up on Faith and you will be inspiring to others and have the necessary integrity to do that for the long haul.
  • Ask what you may bring – not what you can get: In anything you do with and for others make sure you demonstrate your servitude attitude. Serving others is key to advance yourself. Yes, you serve the ones you may be in charge of. Be open, collaborative, inquisitive, and help break down barriers for the people whom you serve. Give and you shall be given.

Don’t be a drain like this woman (click to watch video). Fear, hatred, bitterness, too much ego drain your personality and reputation straight into the gutter. Sometimes it may be fun and also lucrative to let those bad feelings and thoughts direct you through the day. Ultimately, you allow those dark forces to lower, if not destroy your potential.

That’s when you see a fountain make sure to think of what you will do today to inspire others to also do their best in becoming one too.

Ralf

21 years ago and 9/11 memories are still so vivid


IMAG0959
9/11 memorial

Down but never out

Photo credit: Ralf Weiser

If you have the opportunity to travel the Big Apple anytime soon, please make a point of stopping by the 9/11 memorial park and while you are at it take time to visit the new Freedom Tower – the new World Trade Center 1. Also, check out the museum connected to the park. Our family took the first trip back to the area where the two majestic North and South Tower used to stand before 9/11. I am glad we waited to return to this site. The memories had been way to real for us to return there too soon. To this day I will never forget standing in front of the WTC for the first time in the early 90s. I had taken many a visitor including my mom up to the restaurant on the 107th floor and taken a breathtaking view from the top of the roof. Never will forget standing in the restaurant closing my eyes and feeling the tower move due to the strong wind outside. I still get goosebumps when I reflect upon the uneasy thought that scary day: “oh my goodness, this could have been us stuck up there with nowhere to go”.

Where were you when the attacks happened in 2001? We all recall this quite well I am sure. One of my responses used to be rebuilding the site right away and taller than ever before. “In your face, terrorists of the world – down but never out. I wanted for us to rebuild right there and even better and grander.

I am really glad to say that I was wrong about this. Over 3000 people lost their lives that day. There is no easy way dealing with the emotions of losing loved ones and having no closure as very few victims were ever found and identified. It is clearly a site that will provide vivid flashbacks to any of the folks who were old enough to remember this fateful day. I am glad now that some time went by before planning the rebuilding and development of the site.

The two fountains that have been built right there at the site where the Twin Towers used to stand are just magnificent. What a serene and peaceful scene, very tastefully done and topped off with all the oak trees and the museum being part of the park. I can still not stand the sight of looking at artifacts that relate to that dark day, but park and museum will allow every new generation of visitors to keep remembering the many innocent people we lost. May it also help remember the days that followed the attacks and how we Americans came together closer – united we stand!

When you look up you now have two new high risers to look at. WTC1 is a worthy successor to the buildings that used to stand there. I was totally elated about the symbolic value of both scenes: America stands for resilience, tolerance, ingenuity, rebelliousness, love, and inclusion. It is soothing to the mind to see that we have come full circle. We are dealing with the grief and we will make sure that we will never forget to honor the fallen heroes. The new site is fulfilling its purpose to help bring hope to people and to inspire people again.

NYC has really grown on me over the last twenty years. While you are immersing yourself with the pulse of the city you will get a notion of what it means to be amongst people that may go down, but are never out of the game.

Ralf

PS: A quick tip on the side for visiting NYC. If you go North bound on I95 make a point to park at the Staten Island Ferry building on Staten Island. The ride to Manhattan is free and you get to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It is a treat all the way around without the usual parking hassles.

4 golden rules of networking


4 golden rules of networking 

There are still some sales folks around who will explosion vomit their solutions all over their potential customers followed immediately by asking for more business. Wow. Good luck with that approach. Relationships are earned – there are not owed to you.

Patience, value creating, and competency are needed in copious amounts in order for you to be offered an open ear. Only then can any solid relationship happen. Just slipping your business card quickly into people’s hands during your first encounter – especially C level folks – is usually a waste of time. Networking events are for providing value and for connecting people of value to others. Here are four things to consider when networking:

  • Be prepared to add value to your new contact. This is by far the most important point in any networking activity. If you have nothing to add to any new relationship then don’t wonder why your circle of relationships does not increase. Remember that it is not important whom you know, it is more important who knows and remembers you.
  • Willingness to give before asking for anything. Honestly, do you really think that asking for favors the first time you meet someone will get you anywhere? You may luck out guilt tripping someone into giving you something, but is that sustainable in the long run? Approaching anyone with an open heart, soul, and your intellect / mind and making sure that you are willing to give your talents away helping someone else is the best way to start your networking process.
  • Invest your time smartly – but please make sure that you do spend time with your newfound friend. Only when you get to spend some significant quality time together will you really get to appreciate new folks and old alike. When people see and get to experience first-hand that you are the real deal you make a deeper connection that is trust based. That is the essence of relationship building.
  • Make sure you are genuine and sincere. Be genuinely compassionate with everybody. Compassion means that you are suffering with someone else. That is what it is all about. When you care enough to stop noticing what the real issue is that someone has, only then will you be able creating a much more genuine relationship. Listening and truly understanding where someone is coming from is essential for applying the correct technology / method to solving issues.

Networking is easy and effective if you are willing to give first. There is only one thing that you can ask. Ask for whom may be able to help you, or ask for another connection this person could possibly offer to you. Your new contacts owe you nothing, certainly not respect or their time. Earn their attention by working hard connecting them with new people, ideas, concepts, products, and services. Only then will you become a master at networking and your income potential rises with it.

Ralf