To become a more successful manager, a stronger team leader, and a motivator who gets the best results from your group, you have to come to grips with the fact that your team is, or will be, made up of a variety of generations. Economics, changing demographics, political views and technology are all potential points of difference between older and younger generations. And, because those in leadership positions are often of a different generation than the individuals they supervise, those leaders need to better understand the generational differences in their business or practice to effectively manage their diverse group of employees.

Each generation has different characteristics, behavioral traits, and value systems. At ConvergenceCoaching, LLC, we have done quite a bit of research on this topic and have outlined just some of the generational differences we found in the table below.

Although this table serves the general purpose of differentiating the generations, people can't necessarily be categorized solely based on the year they were born; instead, their behaviors and values will identify them with a particular generation.

So what do these generational characteristics mean to you as a firm leader? Creating cultural empathy to appeal to the different generations and then making the appropriate organizational changes to address the needs of your Generation X & Y team members is a necessity if your goal is to maximize employee productivity, retention, and the success of your organization.

When considering how to motivate X & Y, keep in mind that, according to the Journal of Career Planning and Employment, what matters most to your Generation X and Y team members is:

·       Respect and straight talk;

·       Good pay;

·       Doing interesting work;

·       Feeling their job is important, including documented roles and responsibilities;

·       Opportunity for self-development and improvement; and

·       Large amount of freedom and flexibility on the job.

In addition, they will respond best when you:

·       Set their expectations up front and give them the big picture on your firm's mission, vision, values, and their role in meeting your firm's goals;

·       Clearly define their roles and responsibilities in writing;

·       Directly interact with them regardless of your reporting structure;

·       Model the behaviors you expect from them—they will only respect you if you do what you ask them to do;

·       Performance manage them with "straight talk"—sharing the good and bad with them;

·       Speak their language where possible, meaning that you take the time to understand the phrases and words that they use when speaking to one another; and

·       Have a sense of humor in your communications one-on-one and in group meetings. Take the time to have fun!

Now, you might say that these are things that will appeal to all generations and we would agree. The distinction we would make is that "older" generations will not tie their overall commitment (hear this as willingness to stay and perform) to these things—Generation X and Y people will. They simply will not stay employed long term in your firm without them.

Another important concept to consider is the shift away from managing and measuring your people and their performance based on time alone, because your Boomers can relate but X and Y won't! Instead, consider setting goals based upon revenue and profitability targets and, if they find a way to get there without booking the hours, then we may be able to learn from them! Also, to support your Generation X and Y people in their very real need to be at home with their families, consider upgrading your infrastructure to maximize your Generation X and Y employees' access to technology and information, providing them the ability to work any time, any where. They will surprise you by their willingness to work evenings and weekends if they can do so from home.

Most importantly, each employee, regardless of their generation, will be motivated in ways unique to them. Strive to understand what the key priorities and motivators of your Generation X and Y people are—by asking them directly and individually. Then, work to create their performance goals collaboratively with them and base them on the needs of the firm and their values.