New things in your life brought from 2019 may forever impact how you look at the world. These could even have been decisions you explored during a holiday break. Whatever or whoever it may be, it or they will influence how you work in this decade, from this day forward. The possibilities for you to grow, lead, and live more fully are endless. Welcome to the new enhanced and dynamic you of 2020 and beyond.
How do you get ahead in your job? Managing down and managing up. Many professionals have said that working with their team is often fairly straightforward and rewarding. It’s the managing of their boss and other senior executives, that is more challenging. For more junior staff, the guidelines for managing up can be even more slippery and the concept completely new. How do you earn the trust of your boss and become valuable to them so you receive the rewards you treasure?
If you want to establish a great working relationship with your boss, knowing whatever you can do to make your boss’s job easier is good. Being a young professional, Millennial or Gen Z, guidelines to do this may not be so obvious. Here is the first of three blog posts on how to manage up. This first one focuses on laying the ground work for good communication.
When differentiators are obvious to people, they focus on what makes the other people different rather than what makes them similar. It happens with races, cultures, generations, sexes. Those differences in recent times are criticized. What about if they were celebrated? What if those differences were actually talents? Seasoned people have experience and wisdom. Young professionals have a long list of skills.
There’s a lot of shaming about young professionals. You can think it is coming from their Baby Boomer or Gen X bosses who have a lot more life and work experience. That would be the obvious choice. They are not the only ones, however. People born in the Millennial years undervalue themselves and their colleagues just as much as senior professionals. Why? How do you stop this from continuing?
It’s worth it to make an effort to learn about and appreciate each person you work with. You want the best for and from them, and they will only show you that best if they know someone cares enough to see it. Furthermore, their dedication and engagement in work comes from being happy and being seen as full individuals. You could be responsible for the individuals on your team being encouraged or discouraged. When people are dissatisfied, they leave their bosses not their jobs.
That sports team is your organization. The right players to fill in those crucial voids are your people and the game plan is the strategy that allows your organization to continue to thrive. The time to evaluate and think about succession strategy is now. Do you have those rookies with potential, or seasoned athletes who are still strong players? And, if so, how do you keep them from being traded? Knowing the country is at full employment, and opportunities come knocking, how do you keep them loyal and poised to play?
Everyone has their “safe zone”. Millennials have tighter zones than other generations for many reasons. If you allow the young talent in your projects, staff and organization to stretch beyond that space, you’ll be rewarded by their increased participation, productivity and personal growth.
Many executives don’t have time to develop their people as individuals with specific needs. There’s a large number of emerging leaders, who need trusted advisors who could empower and help them develop as leaders. Who to turn to?
Does this sound at all familiar? I remember being a young professional in the marketing field being spoken to as if I knew nothing. I had completed a lengthy and high-level education with solid job experience. Didn’t I deserve credit for that? And, was this the best way for me to learn?
