What Do Millennials Want

Donald Trump’s TV show “The Apprentice” is back for another season with a twist that revolves around professionals who have been affected by the economy. Each contestant has lost his or her job and is searching for a new one. When contestants win a project on the show, they receive the opportunity to learn from the best in leadership with a leader from one of the show’s corporate sponsors.

Apprenticeship is a system of training the next generation of workers. Traditionally, “prentices,” also called protégés, enhance their careers from apprenticeships with training conducted on the job by working for an employer who helps them learn a trade or skill.

To put the idea of apprenticeship into perspective for today, consider that the 78 million Millennials, also known as the Net Gen and Generation Y, are nearly as large a group as the baby boomers. This new generation includes those born between 1980 and 1991.

What Do Millennials Want

The book The Millennials by Dr. Thom Rainer and his son Jess Rainer, details certain factors based on a massive research project led by LifeWay Research, involving 12,000 Millennials. The study concluded four major leadership focuses for “What Millennials want in leaders”:

·Mentoring. Millennials want to be led and taught in the workplace. They want to learn from their “heroes.”

·Gentle spirit. They are turned off by loud and divisive leaders.

·Transparency. Millennials want to follow “real” or authentic leaders.

·Integrity. They want leaders with standards and who aren’t concerned more about their own personal gain than serving others.

Applying the Idea of Apprenticeship

Given these findings, organizations need to examine how their own leaders are leading and training managers, supervisors and team leaders to become relevant in the new workplace. Because Millennials want to learn from others, it makes sense to think in terms of apprenticeship in the workplace.

Today’s leaders must be able to operate in an informal learning environment that positions them as mentors and coaches. They need exceptional communication skills, and they should be trained by good leaders in order for others to follow.

Millennials have a “can-do” attitude about tasks and work habits. They look for feedback about how they are doing, and they expect it frequently. They look for structure from older supervisors and team leaders, and they want these leaders to elicit and respect their ideas, as well.

Leaders can help Millennials become more engaged by providing development opportunities; members of this generation want to know where their careers are going and how to move up. They expect to be challenged, and they look for continual challenges on projects and opportunities for networking.

In the absence of the above, Millennials — who are adept on instant messaging, e-mail, text and social media — will network themselves into new opportunities outside their current organizations.

Helping All Employees Learn From the Boss

Research reveals that most employees, Millennial or not, look for common things from work. First, respect is a fundamental right for all employees. An important element of respect is recognition and feedback so workers know how they are doing. They want to be members engaged in the organization. They also want to learn new skills, develop their potential and grow in their careers. They want to be empowered and have influence on decisions.

And, they want good leadership. They want to learn from the boss.

The following tips can help employees learn from your organization’s leaders:

·Listen to their ideas and opinions.

·Delegate challenging tasks that help them become a part of change.

·Encourage networking on projects and teams.

·Discover what really motivates them and elicit their ideas.

·Coach them on-the-job and give them exposure across the organization.

·Provide frequent and meaningful feedback.

As an example, the Conference Board, a global, independent business membership and research association working in the public interest, requires leaders to provide two written evaluations per year and strongly encourages managers to deliver informal feedback at least monthly. Researchers indicate that this type of frequent feedback helps Millennials become engaged in their jobs and improves employee retention.

Training Leaders to Adapt

Most organizations’ supervisors, managers and team leaders will likely need more training to adapt to an apprentice-style workplace. Look for programs such as Vital Learning’s Leadership Series™, which offers targeted, flexible programs that enable organizations to put leaders in action quickly. Vital Learning’s flexible programs are available in online and traditional seminar formats to allow organizations to blend learning quickly with their existing approaches.

Recommended titles include the following:

·Essential Skills of Communicating™

·Essential Skills of Leadership™

·Delegating™

·Developing Performance Goals and Standards™

·Providing Performance Feedback™

·Coaching Job Skills™

·Motivating Employees™

http://www.chartcourse.com/VL-onlinecourses.html

Thought for the Day

“By providing Millennials with meaningful and growing experiences, respecting their contribution, utilizing mentoring, giving feedback and staying flexible, leaders can retain Millennials as followers who will develop into future leaders.”

— David Burkus, Millennial and adjunct professor of business at several universities, executive coach, and a student in the doctor of strategic leadership program at Regent University

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DISC Certification Training

DISC Certification TrainingDISC certification training

Individual behavior styles and preferences have a direct impact on our interpersonal relationships at home and at the workplace. People differ from each other in fundamental ways including their values, behaviors, talents, temperaments, wants and beliefs.

Our DISC certification training programs and workshops empower individuals and unleash team performance. DISC is a model of human behavior that helps people understand “why they do what they do.” The dimensions of Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance make up the model and interact with other personality factors to describe human behavior.

The Benefits of Attending our DISC Certification Training Program

  • As a consultant, add additional revenue streams for your business
  • Use assessments to identify and hire the best person for the right job
  • Become an expert on the DISC program and personality model
  • Use our training and assessments to enhance your talent management strategy
  • Reduce conflict and build more effective teams
  • Learn to interpret the DISC training assessment and the Workplace Motivators report
  • Deliver workshops to your employees/clients
  • Utilize the model and tools to meet personal and organizational objectives
  • Use assessments to improve communication and individual performance
  • Identify for which job the individual is best suited

DISC Certification Training Application

Upon successful completion of the training, you may teach the DISC personality model in your organization or use it in other applications outside of your business.  We will also provide you an online assessment account to deliver and use our assessments.

DISC Training Certification Workshop Objectives

  • Participants will learn how to correctly administer, score and apply the DISC profile in their own workshops.
  • Discover proven methods to enhance personal and organizational results.
  • Learn how to identify the emotional intelligence, strengths and the abilities of individuals and know which jobs people are best suited.
  • Predict a job applicant’s behavior style before hiring or promoting them.
  • Understand the temperament and ability of individual employees and managers.
  • Understand the eight dimensions of normal behavior.
  • Give performance feedback to people in a style they can understand and accept for improving performance and accelerating professional development.
  • Understand the critical differences between Myers-Briggs, Inscape and other behavior based assessments such as executive, team, customer service and sales versions of the DISC training workshop reports.
  • Learn to integrate the DISC assessment training tools and workshops into training and coaching applications.
  • Learn how to design and deliver DISC workshops. 
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Only 14 percent of U.S workers between t

Only 14 percent of U.S workers between the ages 22 and 33 in said in 2008 they hoped to stay with their current employer until retirement. This percentage rose to 25 percent in 2009. —Fidelity Investments

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Eating M&M’s at SAS Boosts Morale

Employees at SAS Institute in Cary, N.C., consumed $216,000 worth of M&Ms on the company’s “M&M Days” in 2009. Maybe it’s a coincidence, but SAS revenues have increased for 33 consecutive years.

Source: Harpers and New York Times

Additional ideas to boost morale and performance.

 

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Thirty-four percent of 754 employed Amer

Thirty-four percent of 754 employed Americans plan to look for a new job when economic conditions improve, according to a new poll. Forty-eight percent of them cite loss of trust in their employer as the reason. Source: 2010 Ethics & Workplace Survey ~ Deloitte, New York

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How to Motivate Workers: Rock The Office With Fun And Watch The Profits Roll In

“Work is either fun or drudgery. It depends on your attitude. I like fun.” —Colleen C. Barrett President Emerita of Southwest Airlines.

Can you put in eight to 10 hours at work every day and still have fun? Many experts say, yes. In fact, more and more agree that a workplace filled with laughter increases productivity and profits and reduces turnover. With numerous studies showing that anywhere between 55 and 60 percent of employees would seek other jobs when the economy improves, now is the time to turn that frown upside down.

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reported that children laugh an average of 400 times per day, but the average adult over the age 35 only laughs 15 times per day.

A study from researchers at Loma Linda University found that “laughing lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones and increases muscle flexion. Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, and produces a general sense of well-being,” the Business Journal reported.

So, what does this mean for the workplace? Studies show businesses that engage and motivate their workforce are more productive and have higher retention rates. Many employees have left a better-paying job for one that pays less. A positive work environment rates as one of the top reasons in study after study as a top reason that employees are dedicated to their work and why they stay.

With that in mind, it is important to break up the normal routine and do something different — and inspire and motivate your employees to laugh.

Again from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal: “’Taking’ 15 minutes a day to work on laughing is not a loss of time; it’s a productivity booster. Laughing helps people clear the cobwebs from the brain and helps the creativity juices flow. Great companies and leaders share these believes and leverage the positive power of laughing and healthy humor in their teams.”

A once-a-year trip to the mountains, birthday celebrations, or something silly like having a “crazy hat day,” can go a long way to make a big difference. Small, informal and fun celebrations are many times more effective than a once-a-year formal event.

Here are a few more ways to motivate workers with simple but powerful motivational ideas and tips used by different organizations to energize their workforce:

• Dedicate one day a week to serve high tea and discuss corporate values and other important issues;
• Send associates crayons and blank paper to render their view of the company;
• Send bimonthly newsletters to employees that features new employees, “Guess that Baby” contests and other puzzles and contests through which winners can receive prizes;
• Randomly suspend work for a few minutes to play Nerf basketball. Shooting a basket wins a candy or soft drink;
• Hold a joke contest;
• Establish productivity contests that require the manager to personally wash the car of each employee who surpasses the goals; or
• Hold a bake-off contest.

These are inexpensive, creative ways to motivate workers and have fun. Forward-thinking businesses will budget a small amount for these kinds of activities that can pay off in the long run.

Greg Smith

www.Chartcourse.com

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Ice Breakers and Team Building Games for Meetings

How many meetings have you been to that are just the same old thing — boring gatherings you cannot wait to leave. Most meetings are poorly managed and non-productive.

I have been a teacher, management consultant, and meeting facilitator for over twenty years. In the hundreds of classes and seminars I have taught, I have learned one truth — people get more out of your meetings if you mix in a little fun.

By using some simple team building exercises and ice breakers you can make your next meeting, class, or team building event something dynamic and fun.

It is wise to consider a few basic elements before choosing a team building exercise or a meeting ice breaker.

Ownership — First, meeting ice breakers tend to work best when participants have taken ownership of the activity chosen by the facilitator. You must put five key elements in place.

1. Explain the activity.
2. Provide the goals of the activity.
3. Outline the structure of the activity.
4. Allow time for questions.
5. Give permission to participate at their comfort level.

This last element is crucial and overlooked in many cases. Make an announcement at the beginning of an exercise to insure participants understand they are not “bound” to participate in the activity or team meeting.

For those who opt out, perhaps ask them to be “observers” and see if they are comfortable providing a debriefing at the end of the event. Provide them something constructive to do during the exercise. When given the freewill to choose, people will take greater ownership of their participation.

Set the Climate — Icebreakers set the climate for the event to proceed. With this understanding, it makes sense to choose an icebreaker that is in alignment with the climate of the meeting. An ice breaker or team building exercise could send a wrong message. The unintended message could send the meeting in a different direction. Therefore, it makes sense to spend the time to choose the proper meeting icebreaker.

Learning Objectives — Some trainers and team facilitators prefer using either a meeting ice breaker or team building exercise focused on the learning objectives related to the meeting, training program, or goal of the group. Others prefer using an unrelated exercise just to break the ice. However, each icebreaker is dynamic and has both intended and unintended consequences. Consider this prior to the event so you can maximize the experience and build a cohesive meeting.

Safety — The first rule is not to take any chances that could cause physical injury to your participants.

One of my favorite team building activity is called the “Terrorist Toxic Popcorn Situation.” This is an easy team activity for both adults and teens. The goal is to decontaminate a can of “toxic” popcorn that has been secretly placed in the room by “terrorists.” Your team must quickly come up with a plan of action; assemble tools and equipment, transfer the material into a “safe” container before the “toxic” substance explodes. This is a great game to identify the planners, doers, and thinkers in your group. It also demonstrates the importance of having a good plan.

Sample Team Building Exercises and Meeting Ice Breakers

A Great Day for Hats!

Give each participant a donut-shaped piece of felt or other material approximately 18 inches in diameter. Tell participants to form a hat with the material. Participants should have enough time to make their hat. At the end of the team exercise, allow each person to explain the hat they created. You can also put people on teams and have some friendly competition between the groups on who can come up with the most creative hat.

Letters and Names

Give each person a few moments to think of an adjective starting with the same first letter in his or her first name (e.g. “Great Greg”). Begin by modeling it yourself. Then go around the group asking each person to state their name/adjective combination. During various points of the exercise, or at the end, ask volunteers to remember and repeat each of the names and adjectives volunteered so far. Provide prizes to those who do the best job.

The Napkin Game

Ask participants to form equal size groups. Give each group a napkin and ask them to fold the napkin as small as possible. However, it must be large enough for members of the team to place their toe on the napkin.

Paper-Tearing Exercise

This meeting icebreaker only takes about 5 minutes to conduct.

Give everyone a blank 8 ½-by-11-inch sheet of paper. Tell them the following:  “We are going to do something that will show us some important things about communication. Pick up your sheet of paper and hold it in front of you. Close your eyes and follow my directions—and no peeking — you cannot ask questions.”

Then tell them the following. “Fold your sheet of paper in half. Now tear off the upper right-hand corner. Fold it in half again and tear off the upper left hand corner of the sheet.

Fold it in half again. Now tear off the lower right-hand corner of the sheet.”

After the tearing is complete, say something like “Now open your eyes, and let’s see what you have. If I did a good job of communicating and you did a good job of following my directions, all of your sheets should look the same!”

Hold your sheet up for them to see. It is highly unlikely any sheet will match yours exactly.

Ask the group why no one’s piece of paper matched yours. You will probably get responses like “You didn’t let us ask questions!” or “Your directions could be interpreted in different ways.” Then, lead them in a discussion about the need for effective communication.

Get the Team Building Games and Icebreakers Book.  Over 56 different teambuilding exercises and icebreakers!

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