Q: I’m 30 years old and have been a supervisor for 5 years. I currently manage a team of 3 other people –all of whom are older than me- and I’m having some problems with pushback, morale and motivation. I didn’t seem to have these problems when I was managing a younger team. I wonder if it’s related to my age. Could this be due to a generational thing?
A: Yes, it could. At 30, I’d categorize you as an older Millennial. And if all your previous supervisory experience was limited to employees of your own generation -even if successful- perhaps you never had the need to adapt your style to fit older generations.
Workplaces right now are mostly made up of three generations: the 50-something and older Boomers, the 30-something to 50’s Gen-Xrs, and the young 30’s and younger Millennials. As they grew up, each group was shaped by different social, economic, and technological factors, which influenced what they value, what motivates them, even what irritates them. Understandably these forces also play a role in each generation’s expectations about work, what defines a “good work ethic”, how they problem-solve, how they communicate, what makes them feel appreciated and what they find rewarding. Each of these areas can cause friction at work, so I encourage you to educate yourself about characteristics of each generation.
Tips for now:
• Gen-Xers are comfortable questioning authority, so the pushback you feel may not represent a problem, but a style. Learn to respond non-defensively, armed with facts.
• Regarding morale and motivation, I’d examine how you’re communicating with your team. Check for over-reliance on electronic communication. Email and texting are fine with Boomers and Gen-Xers as long as there’s also plenty of face-to-face and phone interaction.
• Are you acting overly casual? Boomers especially appreciate formality and expect the boss to behave more professionally than everyone else. And, please don’t over-share.
• Don’t assume because you’re connected 24/7, that your team should respond to your emails at 10 pm. Gen-Xers especially value life/work balance and might resent the intrusion into personal time.
Hope these help. I think once you understand and adapt to the values and style of each generation, you’ll again be a successful supervisor.
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