IN THIS ISSUE:

My Generation: Blending and Bonding Within the Multi-Generational Workplace. The four very different generations employed in today’s workplaces present a unique organizational challenge. Since we’re glass-half-full types, we see this as an exciting opportunity. Learn more about who is working for you and how they could be working together better. Read article

Frog Pond: Reflections from a Values-Based Organization. Measuring Ourselves: Part Two. Sage Portfolio Group undertook its own leadership development training three weeks ago. In this post-assessment recap, we explore the format and outcomes of our day together. Read article

What’s Out There. The Indispensable Employee. We take a quick look at Glenn Shepard’s book, “How to Be the Employee Your Company Can't Live Without: 18 Ways to Become Indispensable”. It’s a useful guide for both employees and managers. Read article

The Culinary Coach. Super Summer Guacamole. Guacamole is like a bowlful of summer. This month our culinary coach shares her favourite recipe—lazy avocados chillin’ with sunny citrus and zingy garlic—as well as tips for picking the ultimate avocado. Read article

If you would like a printable version of this newsletter, please visit www.sageportfoliogroup.com/archives.html

---

My Generation: Blending and Bonding Within the Multi-Generational Workplace
By Jennifer Dawson

It was 1965 when Pete Townsend of The Who penned the lyrics to My Generation, a song that typified the rebellion of an era and starkly articulated a growing generation gap between young and old. “People try to put us down,” Roger Daltry sneered. “Just because we get around. Things they do are so c-c-cold”, he stuttered. “I hope I die before I get old”.

Well, those kids of the 50s and 60s did in fact get older. Now referred to as the Baby Boomers, now they often share office space with the children of three other generations: the most mature employees, sometimes referred to as ‘the Veterans’, whom the Who were likely rebelling against; the skeptical and self-reliant Gen Xers; and the new hires, born after 1978, who are referred to as the millennial generation or Gen Y.

It’s a sexy subject right now, and descriptions of the different generations can be found everywhere, from community newspapers to business journals. ‘The Veterans’, or ‘The Silent Generation’, are described as conservative, rule-oriented, respectful of authority, and likely to put work before fun. They communicate formally, on paper, and work best independently. The Boomers, true to their rebellious roots, question authority. They are also described as efficient workaholics who look for personal meaning in their work and communicate in person, preferably in a meeting or team environment. Gen Xers like to check tasks off one-by-one, appreciate direct and immediate communication, and value flexibility in work arrangements. They like challenge, and tend to ask ‘why’. In contrast, Gen Y has been sometimes dubbed ‘Gen Y-not?’ These youngest employees are adept at multi-tasking, are likely to ask ‘what’s next?’ and are goal-oriented. The Gen Y (or millennial) employee wants to interact with others as a participant, and is highly adept at the use of technology. Interestingly, the loyalty and connection to family exhibited by many millennials is similar to the oldest workplace employees, the Veterans.

These descriptions are interesting and may shed some light on workplace conflict. A Gen X manager who tries to reward her Boomer employee with additional vacation time might hurt the workaholic pride of the Boomer, who would rather get a cash bonus. Sage Portfolio Group’s coaching gym program, which provides unlimited, sometimes immediate access to a certified business coach for any employee who is a ‘member’ of the gym, may be an excellent benefit to attract a Gen Y employee. “They’re used to calling their parents at any time, checking in, getting advice,” says Sage Portfolio Group CEO Melanie Parish. “That’s why our coaching gym is a really good fit. If your Gen Y employee has a challenge, she can pick up the phone and strategize with her coach almost immediately. It’s how millennials work. It’s how they’re wired.”

It’s important that a generational identifier doesn’t become a stereotype or a self-fulfilling prophecy, however. Seven years of research conducted by Jennifer Deal at the Center for Creative Leadership has shown that different generations have more in common in terms of their opinions about work and their personal values than most who write on the subject would admit. Regardless of their generational affiliation, the more than 3000 corporate leaders she interviewed shared the following attributes: they valued family; expected leaders to be trustworthy; wanted respect, feedback and the opportunity to learn; and didn’t like change.

Melanie Parish agrees. “It makes sense that we all want the same things—to be respected, to be valued, to make a positive contribution—regardless of when we were born. I think the difference arises in the way each generation expresses their needs, expectations and values. When we talk about generational difference, we’re focusing on the expression, and not the underlying message.”

There is a unique opportunity for learning and engagement when four generations come together. To be the most constructive, however, employees may need to share their message in the presence of a trained ‘interpreter’. “Our team systems approach is based on the assumption that everyone is right, but only partially,” says Parish. “Our sessions are designed to get to the core of what people feel and believe, and structure the sharing of this information in ways that others can really understand. If we think of each of us inhabiting a ‘land’—which is influenced by many factors, including the generation we were born into—we teach team members how to be good tourists as they visit each others’ lands.”

The Who aggressively told their elders to “all f-fade away, and don't try to dig what we all s-s-say.” Us versus them may be okay in a good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll anthem, but an approach that helps the generations communicate their similarities and understand their differences will make workplaces more productive and positive environments.  For more information on the Sage Portfolio Group Coaching Gym or Team Systems work, please email us at info@sageportfoliogroup.com or 1-800-592-2303.

 

Measuring Ourselves: Sage Portfolio Group’s Adventures with a Leadership Assessment - Part Two
By Melanie Parish

In June we engaged in team development activities for a day and a half. My goals as CEO were to foster a spirit of learning and curiosity between us, to discern best (or at least better) practices for “virtual” team communication, and to create more cohesion between team members who work in different cities or countries.

On the first evening, we had a lovely potluck and some lively discussion as we began work on our group agreement. A group agreement is a grassroots document that identifies group norms and expectations. I facilitated and found that the most important discussion topic was how we share information in our organization. We came up with some good strategies and we didn’t “finish” the process. I am noticing as I am writing this that many of our clients experience this at the end of a group process. It is difficult to know how to keep the learning going forward.

Day two involved a smaller group. For this full day event, we included our regular full-time staff. We worked from 9 to 4 with a facilitator from outside our organization. The learning we received from the personality type assessment was interesting and helpful in understanding how we work together. One of the people participating had only been with us a week and it was a good way to help her know and understand us all. I learned that we are a tough audience with incredibly high standards. There were things that worked well and things we didn’t like as much. All in all, I think it was worthwhile, necessary, imperfect (we are, after all, human beings) and took us forward as a team.

What were our outcomes?

1. We now have an e-group to share successes. Everyone in the organization is on the list so we don’t have to all try to remember to cc everyone for universal communication.
2. The management team now has language to speak more clearly about our similarities and differences. I believe we have created a greater capacity for understanding each other and treating each other with respect.
3. Because of the positive learning process, we were able to recruit one participant to a more full-time position. (Creating a positive work environment and thus attracting better employees is often an outcome our clients experience when they invest in group learning.)
4. We now have a real ship’s bell to celebrate our successes, gifted to all by one of our staff members. Now as we succeed we “Ring the Bell” in person and on the e-group.
5. One of the less tangible outcomes seems to be a bigger sense of ownership in the company and where we are headed. That may be the best outcome of all.

If you are interested in speaking with Sage Portfolio Group about designing a group process for your organization, please email us at info@sageportfoliogroup.com or phone 800-592-2303.

Part one of this two-part article was published in the June 2007 edition of The Leading Edge. To access previous issues, visit our newsletter archives.

Frog Pond: Reflections from a values-based organization is a monthly column that explores the connection between business and social responsibility. The title for the column comes from the last, but perhaps most profound, of the five values upon which Sage Portfolio Group has been built. We call it "frog pond". Sitting beside the frog pond at Sage Portfolio Group's head office in Dundas, Ontario on a warm summer evening with a glass of wine and meal made from locally grown organic produce has taught us to value local roots and global consciousness, quiet contemplation and sharing with others, dreaming big and common sense. Articles written for this column take the abstract principles of Sage Portfolio Group's "frog pond" value and make them both real and useful. Dip your toe to test the water ... or dive right in!

The Indispensable Employee
By Jennifer Dawson

We have our own version of a business book club at Sage Portfolio Group, and the current pick being passed around the office is Glenn Shepard’s “How to Be the Employee Your Company Can't Live Without: 18 Ways to Become Indispensable”. We’re mentioning it here because of a chapter that highlights the differences between working for a baby boomer or a generation x boss. Overall, the book offers practical insight into the qualities that make a valuable employee and concrete ways to adopt and exhibit these aspects in everyday work life. There’s a chapter on work ethic, reliability, distinguishing between education and knowledge, predicting what your boss needs, and how to make “the right mistakes”. For employees, this book is a how-to guide for career success. For managers and executives, Shepard provides a clear description of who you’re looking to hire and promote. 

What's Out There is a monthly column highlighting the ingenious, wacky or merely weird in the business world today -- people, organizations or subjects that push boundaries, break down barriers or build bridges in novel or unexpected ways. Sage Portfolio Group does not necessarily endorse the ideas presented in What's Out There, but we do feel that bringing forward the innovative or unusual opens our minds to new possibilities, enhances creativity and helps identify our own values. Far out, man.

Super Summer Guacamole

Guacamole is one of those remarkable foods that has appeal across cultures and generations. There are many different variations out there, and more than once I’ve been snacking at the hors d’oeuvres table with fellow party-goers when curiosity about the contents of the host’s “guac” has turned to lively debate among guests and outright defense of a tried-and-true recipe. Red onions go head-to-head with garlic; limes duke it out with lemons. Cilantro? Tomatoes? Hot sauce? Mayonnaise??? To add to the discussion, here is my favourite guacamole recipe, as well as some tips for choosing the perfect avocado.

A really good guacamole takes a little more planning than most dips. Very rarely am I able to find the perfect avocado in the store or at the market, so great guacamole is a perfect way to practice the underappreciated art of postponing gratification. A rock hard avocado usually takes about a week to soften, while a medium hard avocado takes about three days. The soft avocados on the shelf are usually too ripe and won’t have the flavor of the perfect avocado. Organic avocados are readily available, even in the winter when other fruits and vegetables are out of season and you’re craving a taste of summer.

Ingredients:                  
2 “perfect” organic avocados
2 cloves organic garlic, pressed
½ cup chopped organic tomatoes
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
Salt to taste

The Culinary Coach is Melanie Parish, founder and CEO of Sage Portfolio Group. Good food is about culture, community, family, physiology and fun. Each month we share one of Melanie's tried-and-true recipes in celebration of the power of food to strengthen, nurture and inspire. Cheers!

This month’s contributors:

Melanie Parish, CPCC, PCC, is an accomplished speaker; executive and team coach; entrepreneur; and is the founder of Sage Portfolio Group. She has a 20 year background in sales, marketing and business development. Melanie regularly works with business owners who want to create incredible, profitable businesses. She has been a coach since 1999. Melanie is certified through the International Coach Federation and The Coaches Training Institute.

Jennifer Dawson is a cultural anthropologist, writer, and coordinator of corporate services for Sage Portfolio Group.

The Leading Edge is published monthly by Sage Portfolio Group and written for a readership that includes coaching clients, human resource professionals, business leaders, fellow coaches and the occasional aspiring gourmand. Our goal is to offer a combination of wisdom and wit--sourced from our own in-house experts and other respected leaders in the field--in an easy-to-access e-zine format. A hard copy version is published bi-annually. We welcome editorial questions, comments and story ideas; please direct these to the editor, Jennifer Dawson, at jen (at) sageportfoliogroup.com. If you find value in the articles we invite you to pass them on to a friend with the recommendation to sign up directly for The Leading Edge at www.sageportfoliogroup.com. Articles from The Leading Edge can be reproduced in an in-house publication provided that Sage Portfolio Group is credited for the article.