Dave Park isn’t called The Maverick Builder for nothing. As owner of Advantage Inspection in Raleigh, North Carolina, he also wears another hat: mentoring other home inspectors to improve their businesses throughout the Southeast. Here he talks about how older folk (like him) can benefit from dealing with younger employees, if only they learn their own quirks and peccadilloes and how to deal with them in the right way…
Talkin’ ’bout the new generation…
When The Who belted out this tune, I do not think they could have envisioned anything like the kids of today. I’ve heard them called by many names as of late: Generation X, Gen Y, The Plug-and-Play Generation, The Gotta-Feel-Good Generation.
What they’re all referring to is the new young generation - our current 20-somethings. Every generation “deals” with the generation who comes after them. Their different views, their different ways of doing things, and so on; this generation is no exception.
Why is everyone talking about this new generation now, though? They’ve been coming along for years. They’re in their 2os now, after all. Because now they’re starting to impact the workforce and because we couldn’t predict their group characteristics until we saw them in action. In some ways, they’re changing the landscape for the better. But in some ways, we oldies would say, for the worse.
Regardless of the nostalgia we feel for the “old days,” this generation is plunging headlong into the workforce and will impact you and your business at some point. There’s really no sense fighting it. No generation has ever changed the generation which came after it, not once that generation reached its 20s anyway. These are the kids we raised and we did raise them this way, so let’s figure out how to work with them.
Understand Them
What makes this generation tick (or turn off) and what is the impact on businesses looking to hire them?
Problem: They’re not called The Plug-and-Play Generation for nothing. This generation grew up on video games and television while their parents were out working and making (what they viewed as) better lives for their families. This led to a whole generation of children, now entering the workforce, who need instant gratification in whatever it is they do. Whether its work or play, the satisfaction must be immediate. Problem
Solution: What this means to the business owner looking to hire qualified workers is that you need to be diligent in assigning tasks to (or rather asking the worker if they’d be happy to do the tasks) that they enjoy doing. You must challenge this generation to the capacity in which they want to be challenged.
Solution: This goes back to speed. They’re used to moving at the speed of the Internet, not the speed of the horseless carriage. Yo have to give this generation what it’s looking for or prepare to lose them. Regular check-ins individually to gauge their interest and excitement are critical to keeping this generation happy.
Problem: The Generation Ys demand that they feel good about what they’re doing. If they don’t feel good about it, they’re not going to do it. No amount of money will convince them otherwise. Remember: They watched their parents work and work to earn a few extra bucks and what did it get them? Absentee parents who were rich. This generation wants quality, not necessarily quantity.
Solution: Sometimes the buying process isn’t all that gratifying. However, you can combat that by showing your gratitude in the research and time they have spent working with you. Often the sheer pleasure of helping someone else and that person being grateful is enough for the buyers to receive the gratification they need.
Problem: The generation of ADD. The Gen Ys are not going to pay attention for long. They want their information fast and to the point.
Solution: Don’t waste time with long, drawn-out memos and information. Just shoot it straight and fast.
Problem: Lack of etiquette. Unfortunately, the new generation may not even know they’re breaking the rules. Etiquette in their world is far different than that of other generations.
Solution: As my wife says, “But wrong is still wrong and right is still right.” However, with the Internet and a new generation, is this perhaps the new “right.” Maybe, maybe not. If most families are dysfunctional, doesn’t dysfunction become the new “normal?” Unfortunately, I think the new generation has us beat in sheer numbers, folks. In this writer’s opinion, there’s not much we can do but learn to deal.
Yes, this generation’s issues result in a higher mental impact on the sales business, different than we have experienced in the bricks-and mortar-world.
And pretty soon, no doubt, they will start talkin’ ‘bout that new generation…
