I thought it was a good idea to to start a business blog to supplement the journal articles I write on change management.
(PDF Articles) I trust that some of the issues raised here may be of interest to you to pursue away from this blog of ideas and thoughts. The blogs run in date order with the most recent at the top of this page.
Many companies have failed to take the challenge to adopt a flexibility of style to deal with the generational variants peopling our workforce. Managers say - "Young people have an attitude problem - they don't have any work values. They work to live - not live to work! I don't understand them so how can I motivate them?"
'Matures' & 'Baby Boomers'
Matures (those aged 62 yrs+) and Baby Boomers (those aged between 43 and 61) have experienced real pressure in dealing with the widely varying values and attitudes of Generation X (those aged between 28- and 42) and Millennials (age up to 27).
There is a requirement to understand that what motivates these generations is widely different to what motivated people in the past.
The world has changed! Millennials and Generation X focus on completing the task and how it fits with their ideas of success. They have not bought into the corporatism reflected in our capitalist system. Loyalty is to individuals and one's career rather than to any one business.
Millennials and X's don't share the same pursuit of success with their forbears. They treasure their time and much prefer to commit to short term projects. Their attention span is low, reflected by the web culture and electronic iPod gadgetry of recent years briefly stimulating their interest before they move onto the next new fad.
Interestingly, we need to focus more time on examining the consumer behaviour of the X's and Millennials because that's where the big spending power.
Performance Management: Can you give more than 100% Effort?
It drives me crazy when people start talking about giving 110% of their effort to a venture or task. To me 100% is the most you can give. Others feel they have to embellish their performance with these silly statements - "I put 125% into that venture". Click here to assess what 100% really means.
This is an interesting metaphor. I have been looking at the Conference and Training facilities at Edinburgh Zoo for an event I have coming up in 2008. Looking around the zoo I focused on the big Cat enclosures and witnessed the behaviour of Tigers, Lions and Cougars. And then my imagination started to run away with me.
Are you the hunted or the hunter?
On the African continent each morning a Lion awakes. If he's hungry he knows he has to go hunting. He knows he must out run the slowest gazelle or his family will starve.
Every morning in Africa a Gazelle wakes up. He knows he must out run the fastest Lion or he will be killed.
How does this apply to you and your relationship with your customers?
It matters not whether you're a Lion or a Gazelle…when the sun comes up - you better be running!
It matters not whether you are an established business or a small start-up, you all require customers. Without customers there is no business activity.
This issue is not industry or sector specific. And you don't have to be a genius to apply it to your own context and your own enterprise.
What about building new processes to attract new customers and forge new partnerships?
The business world is changing and moving faster than ever before. The demands and the need to change is a 'constant driver' and a wake-up call for many. What is new and happening this year will be outclassed and commonplace in a year's time. What novelties we can implement this month, this week and today will be available to our competitors next month, next week and maybe even tomorrow.
Are you hungry enough?
Think now! Predictably, every day when the dawn rises on the horizon it is a good idea to be up and running towards new business opportunities.
You may have to 'steal' them from competitors, acting, thinking and being at least three steps ahead in market intelligence, predicting new innovations and trends - exploring new routes to market and new customers.
What does this mean for your business decision-making?
Are you geared up for running when the Sun rises?
Are your associates, teams, leaders, and business partners equally prepared to start the hunt?
Can you rely upon your supply chain to delight existing and prospective customers?
Do you have customer-centric processes ready in place to transact new business to delight your customers?
Have you segmented your clients and customers to appeal to their strategic imperatives? How can you contribute to help them to start working together to achieve those objectives?
How can you help your clients and customers to run steadily and without faltering to achieve their objectives?
Note, that some of your customers simply can't or don't want to run. If that is the case can you coach them to jog towards some of their objectives? With confidence in jogging comes the ability and stamina to take longer strides and with that, leaps of faith. You can coach your customers through this process.
If they are not running to shape your future what lurks in the background that could impact your business for worse?
Consider if you are not propelled forward jogging, running, sprinting when the sun comes up will you be the hunted instead of the hunter?
Identifying Values and predicting Trends in Buying Behaviour
It's interesting to look at the motivations and aspirations of different generations of people. Organisations that depend on their ability to sell to the general public really need to focus on the distinct triggers that can promote winning new customers as well as retaining existing ones.
Marketing Consumer Behaviour
Any marketing function that fails to examine the aspirations and drives of their core customers is not adding value to the business. If you really want to win the hearts and minds of customers, you have to examine the psychology behind their buying behaviours
I know we focus on trends and fashions but equally we need to explore how people have evolved and the social and historical context in their formative years when.
Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y (Why?) and Millennials
Each of the groups above has evolved in widely differing social contexts. Consider the environment of the Baby Boomers born between the end of the 2nd World War and the mid 60's. As this wide spanning generation were growing through their formative years there were significant world events that provided meaning about right and wrong. As people grew up in this era their values were shaped.
Austerity and frugal living after the war evolved into the 60's revolution with the Beatles and pop music, the Kennedy assassinations, the moon landings and the Cuban crisis. Each of these events reverberated and impacted our social milieu. We can understand that world events have shaped how generation view what things mean to them - so it should not come as a surprise that examining current trends and opinions will do much to help us predict how the next set of consumers will react, and to what they value most.
Your Values and Your Identity
Consider your own evolution. What was happening when you were aged 7-11? What events do you remember which are significant to you, and how has this shaped your values today? What were the breaking news stories or significant emotional events that impacted your thinking?
What shaped who you are today?
Have you fairly determined values which indicate what you stand for - your identity? And how was that created. What happened in your own social development and in your personal life to shape you the way you are today?
Many of us are shaped by authority figures in our lives such as our parents, our families, teachers, preachers and leaders of social organisations such as the Scouts, football teams etc. Think back to critical incidents that made you "you". This is a great exercise for personal development and growth but also a very useful exercise in getting to understand others - whether they be your customers, your staff or your friends and family.
Taking ideas from the commercial world and employing them with your own personal development is a useful exercise to undertake. If you want to read more about these groupings you can find the most recent PDF ARTICLE
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