Same same, but different

Natalie Barker, Head of Transformation at Southern Cross Insurance, shares her musings on the mindsets of the generational groups she leads.

I middle of a one-to-one with a team member recently: I’m old enough to be your mother.

I realise that should have been obvious. I’m almost 20 years older than the youngest person in my team, but it had never actually occurred to me we’re from completely different generations. That got me thinking about how I lead. Should I be leading millennials differently? Do they need something different from their experience at work?

So I did what any good leader does. I Googled it.

I read about how millennials, aka Generation Y, seek meaning in their work. They want to know they’re making an impactful difference. They also want flexibility and freedom. They want to be empowered to shape their work, not blindly follow someone else’s rules. They want connection. They’re social beings who value relationships and need their whole selves to be acknowledged. And, finally, they want opportunities for growth and advancement, for their achievements to be recognised and celebrated.

But isn’t that what we all want? I know I do. I’m lucky enough to work for an organisation that values all of those things. We talk to our people about displaying exceptional leadership at all levels. We emphasise the importance of purpose, empowerment, collaboration and growth, regardless of whether they are millennials, baby boomers or anything in between. My own leader tells me her role is to develop, coach and serve. She reinforces the importance of connecting with your people at a deep level, so you can get in behind them and support whatever makes them tick.

We emphasise the importance of purpose, empowerment, collaboration and growth, regardless of whether they are millennials, baby boomers or anything in between.

It strikes me that it’s the talking about what’s important that might be one of the differences between those of us who’ve been in the workforce for a while and those with fewer working years under their belt. Millennials seem much more comfortable speaking up about what they want. I certainly didn’t share my passions and aspirations with my manager in my early career. Maybe that reticence has a lag effect? By comparison, the millennials I work with tend to be quick to tell me what they want. They don’t hesitate to talk to me about what makes them happy and what they need from me as their leader.

So where did I get to with my musings? Well, I think we’re more the same than different. But it’s those differences that matter – irrespective of when we were born. As leaders, we shouldn’t assume we know what millennials want from us, because no matter which generation you belong to, we’re all individuals.

To my mind, exceptional leaders spend time talking to their people, understanding what they’re passionate about, then bend over backwards to help them succeed.

As leaders, we shouldn’t assume we know what millennials want from us, because no matter which generation you belong to, we’re all individuals.

Natalie Barker is Head of Transformation at Southern Cross Health Insurance. She has been leading people for 15 years and believes that leveraging people’s strengths and passions are the best way to drive engagement and get stuff done.