By Jovana , Consultant

The data doesn’t lie: Millennials are the majority of the global working population, and they will soon be most of the managers in your organization.

While every industry has already had to take a hard look at how they conduct business in order to make room for Millennials in the workforce, many industries are still struggling to adjust to employing Millennials and managing different generations. This challenge has become particularly pressing again for two reasons. First, Gen Z will be entering the workplace soon, and it will be time to adjust to another new generation.  Second, Baby Boomers are going to start retiring in large numbers. Especially in sectors that are heavily comprised of Boomers (such as government and insurance), a large percentage of the working population will start retiring every year. With them will leave not only invaluable institutional knowledge, but also the sheer numbers required to accomplish the work.

If your organization is concerned about the Baby Boomer exodus, the Gen Z arrival and is still struggling to understand Gen Y, it’s time to get some clarity. To understand Millennials in the workforce, it’s crucial to know a few, often misunderstood things about how Millennials approach their jobs and their career.

Behavior #1:  Millennials treat job descriptions like they are up for debate.

The first misunderstood Millennial behavior is their tendency to want to tailor a job to themselves. It’s no secret Millennials in the workforce love a personalized approach to their training, technology, work locations or hours. They want a work experienced tailored just to them. Increasingly, recruiters, HR and supervisors in charge of employing Millennials are realizing that this tendency toward personalization extends to their job description and responsibilities as well. It is now common for Millennials to ask if their job description could include new elements or be modified to reflect “hybrid” roles that better combine their interests. This generation recognizes the value of getting multiple types of responsibilities at one workplace, and building a network of skills simultaneously rather than sequentially.

The fact is, Millennials in the workforce know they face very fierce competition in the job market. A university degree is no longer a competitive advantage, and their roles and responsibilities are the only aspect of their resume that could set them apart. Many Millennials started their careers in unpaid internships and, because they were paid in “experience”, Millennials treat their experience as an investment. They know the world is changing quickly, and they are concerned that, if they don’t show they can keep learning, they will fall behind their competition. Their desire to customize their job descriptions stems from knowing the skills they need to have and looking for opportunities to build them while at their current job.

What this means for you: Recognize that targeted stretch assignments, customized roles and multidisciplinary workers are your future. If Millennials in the workforce are asking for some flexibility in their official role, it is not because they are LESS invested in what they do. It’s because they are MORE invested.

Behavior #2 Millennials are job hoppers and retaining them is impossible.

The second misunderstood Millennial behavior didn’t really start with their generation. Repeat after me: Millennials are not job-hoppers.In fact, they are just copying the behavior of Gen X.  Gen X was the first generation to whole-heartedly move away from the employer-for-life model and embrace multiple career destinations and employers.

The data has been consistent since the 1980s—regardless of which generation people fall into, they usually switch jobs more often until they are in their mid-30s. After about the age of 35, people tend to spend longer with each employer. Aside from age, the biggest predictor of job hopping is the state of the economy, because all generations react similarly to a dip in the economy (stay in their jobs) and to a boom (look for something new). Millennials in the workforce are no less loyal than any other generation. Early career job-hopping is simply the new normal.

What this means for you: If your organization is struggling to retain those under 35, you need to get clarity ASAP on why, then fix any issues you can control. In order to get better at retaining and employing Millennials, you need to know why they are leaving. In a recent survey, 26% of Millennials in the workforce said that they would have stayed at their previous job if the pay was better (SHRM, 2014). Could you have kept a full quarter of your top performers by paying them more? If so, wouldn’t you want to know that? Get serious about understanding why people are leaving, and you can get serious about keeping them around longer.

Behavior #3:  Millennials can never get enough feedback.

Millennials are used to a world in which their performance is quantifiable and measurable.  In school, metrics are very easy to come by and grades are a clear indication of how well you’ve done.   In their personal lives, Millennials have had the benefit of apps to help them approach fitness levels, keep track of books they’ve read, and know how many people find their lives interesting on social media.

Millennials in the workforce are responsible for their performance, but they don’t have the same metrics readily available to them in the type of dashboard or app they are accustomed to.  They can’t know exactly how they are doing in every aspect of their job by watching percentage points slowly add up or dip down. They can’t know when a promotion is coming by watching skills points accumulate and “leveling up.”

In most workplaces, it is hard for Millennials to measure their progress so they rely on feedback. They are not looking for hand-holding. Instead, they are looking for a way to know if they are making progress and performing well at responsibilities on which their livelihood depends. The reality is that YES, Millennials will request a lot of feedback. Considering how Gen Z have grown up, they will need a lot of feedback too.

What you can do: It is time for organizations to consider how they can help their employees measure their own performance. In any task or discipline, there is a beginner level, intermediate and expert. If you can help your Millennials and Gen Z understand when they are moving in between levels, what the path to skill acquisition will look like, and give them some more detailed guidelines, they will rely less on feedback and more on the tools they have. Have conversations with Millennials in the workforce not just about how they are performing, but also about how they will know if they are improving. If you can help them understand skill progression—not just current skills—you help them scaffold their own learning.

It is pretty easy to make generalizations about how the generations behave in the workplace. However, in order to work together well and tackle the daunting challenges ahead, we need to get specific and grounded in understanding where the differences in employing Millennials come from, how the perspective of each generation is shaped, and most importantly, what we can do to bridge the gaps.

About the Authors

Joe Meyler

By Christin Rice , Senior Consultant

In the early 1900s, iconic poet Rainer Maria Rilke composed a collection of ten letters to a young gentleman who had sought Rilke out for feedback on his poetry. The collection, Letters to a Young Poet, provides an intimate view into a beloved poet-master’s mind, not on HOW to write poetry, but rather how to be in the world as a poet—how to understand the depth and meaning of that role, as well as the beauty.

It’s time to create a similar collection to emphasize the importance of middle management.

If you’ve ever seen a Dilbert cartoon or the Office Space movie, you know the term “middle manager” has a lot of baggage associated with it. This type of disparagement is unfortunate, because the role of the middle manager in an organization is one of the most critical for the long-term success of that organization.  If organizational strategy is set at the top, and the bottom is where that is supposed to transform into action, it’s the middle that holds all the strength or weakness in translating that strategy in a way that inspires, clarifies, and motivates those who will execute it.

Without a strong middle, organizations will fail. And yet, organizations often do not spend budget or energy on developing it. There seems to be an assumption that a leader who achieves that position already has what they need to succeed, when in fact that is most often just wishful thinking. According to The New Reality of Mid-Level Leadership¹, only 10% of middle managers feel well-prepared to face the challenges at hand.

I’ve recently had the privilege of talking with several leaders across a wide variety of industries who have learned how to be a good manager for a significant time. One question I asked each was “What advice would you give to someone new to the role of a leader of leaders?” Applicable for all levels of leadership, their answers are a roadmap particularly useful in accelerating the learning curve in the critical transition into a leader of leaders. Here is a selection of what they would share, in the spirit of Rilke:

Rilke always signed his letters by wishing the reader his best: “And all success upon your path!”

Rilke’s words still reverberate for poets and writers in training, more than a hundred years later. He cut to the core of what it means to be in the world as a poet, and the discipline and very hard work that entails. What advice would you give to someone new to the role of managing from the middle? Even those not in leadership roles have an important point of view on how leaders can lead more successfully.

About the Authors

Joe Meyler

Like many of you, I am a Game of Thrones devotee. The battle to claim the Iron Throne provides a host of learning for those interested in becoming a better leader.

As a leadership consultant and coach, I have the opportunity to connect with a wide range of leaders across a number of industries, from big pharma to finance, manufacturing to gaming. Each brings their own unique style, their own background and experiences and, through the impact of their character and actions, shapes the culture of their organization. Leadership can be built on a relationship of fear or love. It can come from any level in the hierarchy and it is not ‘bestowed’ by virtual of a big title or senior position.

Our view on leadership at GP Strategies has been strongly influenced by the work of Goffee & Jones of London Business School, with whom we partner to deliver leadership education based on three key concepts that our Game of Thrones characters beautifully demonstrate.

• Leaders can only be leaders if they have followers
• Leaders can use their strengths and their weaknesses to demonstrate their authenticity and
• True leadership is about exciting others to high performance

Leaders need followers

Each of the great houses and communities within Game of Thrones has their own distinctive quality, informed by the style and character of their leader. Daenerys Targaryen has made her name through inspiring loyalty and devotion amongst communities of liberated slaves. She does this through promising them liberty, safety and the right to their freedom from abuse and servitude.  They choose to follow her through thick and thin because of the justice and integrity with which she wins their followership. Mance Raider, the leader of the Wilding Army, speaks of the challenge of uniting a number of infighting ‘Wildling’ communities by enabling them to understand and unite behind a common threat.

“They speak seven different languages in my army. The Thenns hate the Hornfoots, the Hornfoots hate the Ice-river clans, everyone hates the Cave people. So, you know how I got moon-worshipers and cannibals and giants to march together in the same army? I told them we were all going to die if we don’t get south. ‘Cause that’s the truth.”

Both Daenerys and Mance teach us that followers want to know and trust their leader and emphasise the importance of a clear answer to ‘what’s in it for me?’. Followers need to know what the vision for the future is and how they can play their part in making it a reality.

Leaders demonstrate authenticity

“Everyone is mine to torment!” – King Joffrey

Whether you consciously and skilfully disclose who you are or you give this away through your decisions and actions, followers are constantly scrutinising their leaders’ actions for what these tell them about who they are. Joffrey Baratheon, a tyrant at a tender age, ruled with fear and violence, often making an example of his subjects and showing little mercy, as seen in the murder of Ned Stark and later Ned’s wife and son. Conversely, his Uncle Tyrian a complex, witty and compassionate character, who experiences a great deal of hostility due to his small stature due to dwarfism, frequently takes advantage of these qualities to keep his lovers and friends safe and win the trust of suspicious minds.

When forced into a marriage with Sansa Stark, he is conscious of and sympathetic to her distress , reassures her that he will not take advantage of her and recognises that he is hardly her ‘dream man’. Stannis’s weakness for the Red Woman and inability to connect with even his most trusted advisers creates a huge, alienating distance between himself and his key followers. Followers need to have a sense of who you are through the conscious disclosure of your values, strengths, weaknesses and opinions and they are consistently picking up these signals  through your actions, whether you mean to share them or not.

Leaders excite others to high performance

Being as this series is as heavy on the battles as it is on the saucy scenes, we see many rallying speeches by leaders. Each of these, at The Wall, in the Far North, on the ramparts of Kings Landing, demonstrate the importance of forging an emotional connection with your followers – through understanding what matters most to them. Perhaps Tyrian offers the best demonstration of this, when, with Kings Landing under siege from Stannis and his ships, he tells the defenders to fight off the attackers not to save their king or for honour, but for the safety of their homes, their families and their futures.

The Game has much to teach us about leading in unsettling times. Those who are mindful of what their community needs from them, can unite colleagues behind a shared vision, can win their trust and inspire their commitment, are most likely to make it through a night ‘that is dark and full of terrors’.

About the Authors

Leah Clark

Leah Clark is the Leadership Practice Lead at GP Strategies, as well as an author and the founder of LeaderConnect. With over 28 years of experience in her field, Leah brings a unique perspective on the mindsets and skillset that are critical to leadership success to her coaching and consulting. Her clients benefit from her collaborative approach to crafting a well-connected and thoughtful leadership development strategy. Leah holds a Master of Arts; Organizational Psychology, Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts; English and Sociology, Boston College.

By Christin Rice , Senior Consultant

Conflict is not inherently bad – I know this theoretically. I’ve heard it taught in workshops, I’ve even taught it myself. Regardless of that head knowledge, my visceral response to real or perceived conflict is not unlike the dog in the car who just realized the joy ride has led to the vet. Whether the conflict is interpersonal, professional, or with my own demons, I begin to sweat, crouch in defense, and fear the encounter before me.

What do we tell our proverbial pet in the face of so much fear? “It’s going to be okay. It’s for your own good. The doctor has treats.” Which is why I wanted to examine exactly how handling conflict is indeed for my own good.

It can expand your worldview. If you let it.

Without conflict, there is no growth.

In conflict situations, we can be so immersed in fight or flight responses that we can’t respond rationally. We can lose the best parts of ourselves in such moments; those parts of ourselves that can help us be the person we want to be, rather than the person we cringe in memory of after the fact.

So how do we access that? Sometimes all it takes is a deep breath. Sometimes ten or twenty. Sometimes it means stepping away from the situation momentarily to return to our senses. Giving yourself enough time and space to consider who you want to be in the conflict, rather than just what you want out of it, opens the possibility for constructive communication. Our conflicts often find themselves following the same pathways; the bickering may sound different, but it’s always about the same thing. Constructive communication instead creates the possibility of forging a new path.

So, how to begin? By asking questions. Start with yourself: What is this triggering for you? Why is it so important? What buttons are being pushed by this situation? By taking a stance of curiosity in the face of conflict, we create the possibility of a mutually positive outcome. Routinely, during this step is when I realize just how much the conflict is not really about what’s happening on the surface. It’s about something much more fundamental; feeling respected, feeling heard, a sense of fear that something is being taken from me. Simply by naming it, I’m able to diffuse the visceral response just enough to begin the next critical step: Applying that same curiosity to the person I’m in conflict with.

The surprises possible here are countless. This is the true opportunity for my worldview to expand. If I let it. Understanding the underlying positions, interests, and values from the other person’s point of view never fails to highlight similarities and differences. The similarities may come from universal truths (i.e., I’m not the only one who feels a need to be respected), while differences illuminate a whole way of being in the world I may never have considered before. The conflict has enriched my life, simply by making me see more of life. It can create greater self-awareness, and deepen my understanding of others.

It’s better than the alternative.

You can handle conflict. Or it can handle you.

A key idea in approaching conflict collaboratively is to make sure concerns are aired early on according to the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument. This is true in client-vendor relationships, friendships, and even your own health. Think about that last visit to your doctor. Did you have a worry nagging at you that you felt you shouldn’t bring up because it probably was nothing/the doctor was busy/you didn’t want to look like a hypochondriac? And yet, when you voice your concerns, you are taking ownership of your health and advocating for your very life. Conflict can be an opportunity to speak up for yourself.

A life without conflict is not a life. To breathe is to experience conflict. It makes for eye-catching news headlines, and overcoming it is the basis of all great stories. To exist in the world is to live in the midst of competing priorities and agendas, of people having bad days and making them yours. In the workplace there are strong personalities, hard-crunching deadlines, and quickly shifting needs. Conflict is never far behind in such circumstances.

Conflict can remind us about the fundamental needs we have. I often have to remind myself that the fact that life is messy is not a bad thing. To be honest, I usually prefer things to be neat. I like knowing what’s expected and what to expect. And I prefer my drama on screen. But life inserts itself, with its ambiguity, challenges, and driving needs. And those are the moments, as resistant as I may be at times, that I feel really alive. As Maurice Chevalier once said, “Old age isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative.”

It can create necessary change.

I have long loved this quote by Anaïs Nin: “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Sometimes, what finally drives us to make a change we’ve been putting off because it seemed too hard, or too scary, is conflict. Perhaps the inner conflict of being out of sync with your own values finally makes you take an important career step. Perhaps a festering conflict with a friend comes to a head and makes you realize the relationship is more important than winning and you take a new approach to the conversation. Perhaps the conflict is imposed on you; a merger, rents raised, failing health. And your response is an opportunity to become more than you were before.

There really should be merit badges for adults in my opinion. I know I would like one for every time I’ve consciously entered into a conflict situation rather than cowered away from it. But even if I’m not awarded a Handling Conflict Effectively badge, I do feel a sense of hard-won wisdom and some new tools for the next encounter. Despite my visceral response and loathing of conflict, every moment of it that I’ve entered has created just a little more courage for the next occasion.

Tips for handling the inevitable conflict that life throws at you.

1) Take a deep breath. Our animal brain takes over when conflict arises and shoves aside logic, empathy, even oxygen. Taking a deep breath (or ten) literally and metaphorically allows you to calm your animal brain long enough to figure out how you want to approach the conflict. You can do this in the moment, or if in a particularly heated conflict, you can do this by removing yourself from the situation just long enough to be able to think clearly, rather than reactively.

2) Get curious. Sometimes I pretend I’m an anthropologist, studying myself and others for greater understanding of the world. It can be particularly helpful to take a respectfully curious look at yourself – your motivations, positions, and interests – in the conflict at hand. Ask yourself questions: Why is this so important to me? What is this making me think and feel? Does this connect to something else in a way that the person I’m in conflict with couldn’t possibly anticipate? And in turn, taking that same approach of curiosity with the person you are in conflict with gets you that much closer to mutual understanding.

3) Ask yourself, “Who do I want to be in this conflict?” Ultimately, you don’t have absolute control over the outcome of the situation. You can only control who you are trying to be while you are in it. And that is often enough. As Samuel Beckett famously wrote: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

About the Authors

GP Strategies Corporation

GP Strategies is a global performance improvement solutions provider of sales and technical training, e-Learning solutions, management consulting and engineering services. GP Strategies' solutions improve the effectiveness of organizations by delivering innovative and superior training, consulting and business improvement services, customized to meet the specific needs of its clients. Clients include Fortune 500 companies, manufacturing, process and energy industries, and other commercial and government customers.

Before iPhones, e-readers, and streaming platforms, when the working day was done, our ancestors used to gather together around the fire and tell stories. They shared accounts of their experiences and struggles, told ancient tales of adventure, and swapped bits of folklore. Through these stories they made sense of their lives, created a shared sense of purpose, and educated one another about their history and their destiny. 

The Essence of Storytelling 

What is a Narrative?  

Narrative is a sequence of events that is told in a particular way. Or, in other words, a story. Stories come to us in a variety of different ways, through prose in novels, images in movies and televisions shows, as well as through poetry, song, and even dance. A story can be as simple as two friends sharing details from their day or be as complex as a thousand-page novel or a four-hour epic film. 

The Evolution of Storytelling 

“We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.” 

― Jimmy Neil Smith, founder of the International Storytelling Center 

Storytelling remains as vital and powerful today as it was in the past, but what is the purpose of a narrative? We tell stories to our children to engage and entertain them, but also to help them learn about the world around them. We share stories on the golf course or with friends in bars to inform them about our life and experiences. And we tell stories at work as a way to reinforce the culture, as cautionary tales, or as ways to help people understand what is expected of them. Stories are a powerful and compelling way to transfer knowledge and information in a memorable way. 

Even as adults, we are transported into an alternative frame of mind through the experience of listening to a story. Stories provide meaning, and these tales and anecdotes help us to connect to the bigger picture 

Global Reach of Modern Storytelling 

These days, our storytelling methodologies have become more sophisticated and the community that we can share them with is now a global one. We are no longer limited to the faces joining us by the flickering fire. Instead, we can use video conferencing, email, blogging, and the full range of social media to broadcast our knowledge, experience, and perspective around the world instantly, with the same message being shared and heard in Singapore, Russia, Brazil, Sweden, and Ireland simultaneously.  

The Power of Narrative 

Connecting Through Stories 

At a recent workshop for 200 senior managers in a biopharma firm, we were exploring practical tools for career coaching conversations. As part of the program, we asked three senior leaders to share the story of their own career journeys. The Managing Director of the team shared an experience where he took a leap into the unknown that ultimately resulted in him taking his current role. The quality of attention in the room was impressive—his, “how I got here,” story provided an insight into who he was as a person and what he believed in, and it created an environment of openness and receptivity. In addition, the content of the story demonstrated his openness to growth and understanding through taking a risk, something he had learned by following his own unconventional path. 

Stories as Communication Tools 

During periods of change and evolution, stories can be a powerful tool to help individuals within the business to adapt. In Leading Out Loud, our leadership development workshop based on the work of Terry Pearce, we encourage leaders to share their vision in empowering and exciting ways, using the power of metaphor to engage their audience. In addition, we teach them to overcome resistance by acknowledging the challenges, the opposite view, the effort it will take, and the detail that will be involved in delivering on the vision, so colleagues are not left to determine how policy will work in practice. 

Stories about where we have been, about how we have struggled, and about the journey to the present day help leaders to set a powerful context for the reasons behind a change in process, practice, or personnel. In addition, they set a firm foundation for building a compelling vision for the future. 

Building Community 

Fostering a sense of community is crucial for creating high-functioning teams. When team members practice empathy, they can look past generational differences, cultural differences, and other barriers to collaborate more effectively. Stories play an important role in building empathy within teams. When individuals share their personal stories, they provide valuable insights into how they think, work, and feel. This is an effective way of teaching individuals to see beyond their own biases and embrace alternate points of view. 

Effective Storytelling Techniques 

When people have sight of the goal on the horizon and the challenges they will face to get there, they become more able to devise strategies and plans and take positive action to move the organization forward. Our research around engagement has shown that the clearer this line of sight is, the more effective individuals are in their positions. The more your audience understands about the story of the business and the role they play in creating an upbeat ending to the tale, the more committed they are to making a difference. 

Crafting a Compelling Narrative 

If an opportunity is coming up for you to tell a story to make a point rather than just recite facts and data, here are some tips for you, as leaders, to bring your tale to life. 

Be Authentic  

Speaking in front of an audience can be daunting enough without also putting up a front. To win hearts and minds, leaders need to be vulnerable, authentic, and truthful. In Leading Out Loud, we explore with our clients how to share values and beliefs in empowering and engaging ways. 

Use a Compelling Metaphor 

Metaphors can help your listeners bridge the gap between the known and the unknown. It provides an image that people can see. As you think through the metaphor, it should be clear who the listeners are in the metaphor and who you are in the metaphor. The metaphor does not need to be elaborate to be effective. Organized crime, budget deficits, and runaway costs are often referred to as “infectious diseases” or “cancers.” Change is often referred to as “the tide” or “the wind,” indicating a force beyond the listeners’ control, but one within their power to use for their own purposes. 

Acknowledge the “Counter” View  

Not everyone will share the same view about the world as you do. They may not agree with your reasoning, your perspective, or the conclusions you have drawn about the appropriate course of action. A powerful response to this can be to acknowledge these concerns and anxieties. Take the time in your preparation to listen to the business and the counter views and to articulate your thinking, or as we call it to “show the math.” 

Respect and Know Your Audience 

Joseph Campbell defined the purpose of myths as, “a way to make sense of life in the world and establish a shared set of rights and wrongs.” Great leaders create a shared sense of belonging while also working to align their community behind certain core truths and principles. These may be old ideas that they want to reinforce or new ideas that require a complete “rewrite” of the current context. When you tell your tale, be sure to give some thought to the needs of the audience to understand the context and their part in it. 

The Future of Storytelling 

While stories have remained a constant throughout our history, the methods have evolved significantly from those early days around the fire. We now find ourselves on the cusp of another evolution with the rise of AI. As we adjust to this new normal, it is important to remember that these AI technologies are simply tools and, much like the printing press and typewriter before them, exist to enhance human creativity rather than replace it. No matter what storytelling looks and feels like in the future, it will always be an essential part of the human experience.  

Learn how to use narrative to improve leadership and transform your business.  

About the Authors

GP Strategies Corporation

GP Strategies is a global performance improvement solutions provider of sales and technical training, e-Learning solutions, management consulting and engineering services. GP Strategies' solutions improve the effectiveness of organizations by delivering innovative and superior training, consulting and business improvement services, customized to meet the specific needs of its clients. Clients include Fortune 500 companies, manufacturing, process and energy industries, and other commercial and government customers.