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There is quite a lot written or talked about when it comes to leading different types of people - especially different age group generations and different cultural backgrounds.
Of course, the more exposure to different people, particularly life-learning overseas travel or working for a global company absolutely helps be more generationally-aware and culturally-aware.
Sure there are different career and life stages people go through, and evolving changes with work/life/family balance, working-from-home (WFH), technology etc and many other things, but don't get caught up in all the XYZ 'generational generalisations' - when you’re head down in battle, it’s all hands-on deck!
The vision / purpose / mission should be bigger than any one person anyway.
The right metals stick and some might drop off that don't fit the vision or values of the organisation - that's ok.
If you start from the premise that 'people are generally awesome' you going to give every person and every opportunity the greatest chance for success.
Start with 'people are generally awesome!'
Leading people across all levels of the company can always ‘be better’. People come and go, leaders come and go, and brands / companies / situations evolve and change.
Travel gives you so much exposure to watching, listening and speaking to different people from all walks of life. If you live or work in a bubble, then of course you are not exposed to as much and it can narrow your thinking and your beliefs.
Drop all biases and try and to keep a new and very open 'baby mind’ or like how a young toddler thinks - pure and open. Biases creep in as people get older!
All ages can contribute something well - from 7 to 17 to 27 to 37 to 47 to 57 to 67 to 77+ there is something in everyone, given the right attention and surroundings. And the good news is - no one knows it all, even if they think they do!
To help, we have put together some tips from experienced life learnings of different people to help you and your leaders be more effective and to help inspire the next wave of leaders.
“The purpose should be so powerful that it draws all the differences together like a magnet.”
20 TIPS TO LEADING DIFFERENT PEOPLE
Start with 'people are generally awesome!'
They generally have three chances to kill that theory if they're not on the same page
Address non-believers or those not on board through an open two-way performance management discussion or worst case agree to disagree and move on if it’s not the right fit
Work to extract the best from each person
Then get the best to work as one to complement each others skills
Squash it when team members pick on too many 'irrelevant faults' with each other, eg. because they drink a caramel latte, they can’t analyse numbers! Haha.
The vision / purpose / mission should be bigger than any one person anyway.
Drop all biases. Keep a ‘baby mind’ - pure and open. Biases creep in as people get older.
Don’t get caught up in all the XYZ 'generational generalisations' - when you’re head down in battle, it’s all hands-on deck!
All ages can contribute something well, from 7 to 77+, given the right surroundings and opportunity. There is something in everyone.
Give the confident talkers a project to lead.
Give the quiet performers a project lead.
Make sure everyone knows what the person next to them does.
Keep gossip to one sip of coffee.
Focus more on the process of getting it done than the person.
To explain more, of course connect and talk to the person/people, but then quickly get into the 'process of how we are going about it', otherwise you could be spinning around longer than you need to, which frustrates everyone.
Zoom in to one person completely when they don’t agree or understand the process of how we will get it done.
Don’t tell the boss everything - just the big picture.
Build in more fat (timeline, budget, resources)
Don’t tell your people everything - protect them.
Build in less fat (timeline, budget, resources)
Reward the 'yellow hat' enthusiasm. Reward the 'black cat' thinkers too.
Encourage new ideas, but stick to the scope.
Stick to the scope (it’s not a typo, repeated on purpose!).
Watch scope creep (once you start).
Watch scope creep (it’s not a typo, repeated on purpose!).
Does everyone understand the scope? (there is always pressure to deviate).
Keep it heavy and light at the same time. Keep it fast and slow at the right times.
Constantly zoom in and out to the current state vs. the end result big picture.
When things go well celebrate it but cut the up peaks in half. When things go bad, acknowledge it, but cut the down peaks in half.
Expect roadblocks and challenges along the way so you won’t be disappointed.
Move fast in slow motion for very important things (big hits).
Small talk is important - people’s weekends, families, activities - it shows interest and you understand what makes people you spend a lot of time with tick. Plus, you uncover and learn more about the hidden behavioural attributes of a person.
Set artificial deadlines, humans work better that way. It might sound a bit harsh, but it's the reality of human nature - people rise to an occasion. Great performance comes from a bit of positive pressure to chase a bit more than what is actually achieveable.
A humming dream team can move mountains.
The leaders job is to be there for their team (front, back, side) and create an encouraging environment to see people shine as their best self. But the leader is also there to lead, to have a very clear method of organising the work resources so everyone can get on and hit it with full force and see that joint-force momentum when a team is really driving forward as one.
Leading people across all levels of the company can always ‘be better’.
LET'S TALK
Be in touch if you need help or extra support to 'Be Better' for your company, brand, team, individual.
Ring or message for a fresh perspective on your current vs future state / situation / challenge / vision. We have probably been there or seen a similar challenge with experience from other clients.
Our initial Business Audit will give you some ideas about your Leadership development within your business. Or our One-On-One Personal Coaching/Tips/Ideas for managers or individuals just wanting some fresh perspectives to 'Be Better'.
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