{"id":85876,"date":"2022-10-12T07:43:57","date_gmt":"2022-10-12T14:43:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.betterworks.com\/?p=85876"},"modified":"2022-12-19T08:51:39","modified_gmt":"2022-12-19T16:51:39","slug":"lindsey-pollak-curiosity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.betterworks.com\/magazine\/lindsey-pollak-curiosity\/","title":{"rendered":"Lindsey Pollak: \u2018Approach each generational perspective with curiosity\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today\u2019s workplaces host employees from five different generations. How can managers create synergy between team members in their first job and those who have worked for 40-plus years? And how can managers do this without taking sides and choosing one generation\u2019s preferences over the others?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThink of age as just another element of diversity,\u201d says Lindsey Pollak, author of The Remix: How to Lead and Succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace<\/a><\/span>. \u201cWe\u2019ve always managed people of different genders, ethnicities, backgrounds, and locations, and \u201cthe same strategies apply from any diversity perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We invited Lindsey to share her expertise in our People Fundamentals webinar series<\/a>. Before her talk in November, we asked Lindsey to share her advice on effectively managing employees of different ages and generational backgrounds \u2014 and bringing out the best in everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What would a \u2018perennial\u2019 do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No individual embodies all the stereotypes of their generation, but when we were born and entered the workforce have likely shaped our workplace habits and attitudes. Managing multigenerational workforces requires recognizing what\u2019s best across each generation\u2019s norms. Lindsey is a fan of fashion and tech entrepreneur Gina Pell\u2019s perennial approach<\/a><\/span> to identifying the strengths of each generation\u2019s ways of working. Pell defines perennials as \u201cever-blooming, relevant people of all ages who live in the present time, know what\u2019s happening in the world, stay current with technology, and have friends of all ages.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBe really committed to knowing your history,\u201d Lindsey says, \u201cwhich means talking to people who have been at your organization a long time or been in the industry a long time \u2014 and understanding and being really curious about their perspective and what things were like, and learning from the best of that. And being really curious and interested in keeping up with the times: What\u2019s happening, what\u2019s coming down the pike, what are the new things we can use?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lindsey once knew an older manager, for example, who asked his team to add new apps to his phone to see how younger people were interacting with technology. A younger manager she knew at an architectural firm, on the other hand, would ask older employees to show him how to use pencil on his designs, as he learned using computer software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key is to ask people about their workplace norms and habits, then listen openly to their responses. \u201cIf you really are a good listener \u2014 which I think is always the mark of a good manager \u2014 if you approach each generational perspective with curiosity rather than trepidation, I think that\u2019s really powerful,\u201d Lindsey says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In any planning or project meetings you host, make sure that you\u2019re getting perspectives from each generation. \u201cYou get more innovation, you make sure that you aren\u2019t overlooking anything important, and you are ensuring not only that each generation is represented,\u201d Lindsey says, \u201cbut that those who don\u2019t align with their generation are also represented.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remixing the best of each generation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A perennial attitude helps you see what\u2019s good about each generation\u2019s norms. But when employees are bringing lots of great ideas to the table, how do you select the best ones?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lindsey once worked with a nonprofit that had always hosted a sit-down dinner as a fundraiser. Some of the younger members suggested that younger donors might prefer a less formal cocktail party. There was back and forth on what to do, and the nonprofit ultimately offered both options \u2014 allowing donors of all ages to choose the program that best fit their interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be either\/or,\u201d Lindsey says. \u201cA lot of times, the solution is just to give more options. I call it the \u2018remix\u2019 \u2014 it\u2019s not the old song or the new song, it\u2019s a mix of both.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now, we\u2019re seeing an \u201call or nothing\u201d conversation with return-to-office plans, a conversation that\u2019s also complicated by generational differences. Lindsey suggests offering practical options with sensible boundaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are ways to figure things out where you do set some boundaries,\u201d Lindsey says. \u201cI think people want boundaries; they don\u2019t want unlimited choices. That\u2019s exhausting. It\u2019s about more choices, but with boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leading with open conversations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Instead of making assumptions based on age, open a dialogue about what works best for each employee. Some situations might present a generational element, but what\u2019s most important is understanding how each person, regardless of their background, works most effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOften, I think people are embarrassed to offer their strengths, and I think a lot of leaders don\u2019t ask,\u201d Lindsey says. If this is something you find challenging, she points to Michael Watkins\u2019<\/a> model of asking questions<\/a><\/span> to help you pinpoint ways to work together more effectively. Sample questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n