15 Apr Empower more Manage less!
Ok, now is it as easy as it sounds, well may be not! Gen-Z is just beginning to enter the workforce… it’s a fully digital generation and yet, they yearn for human interaction at work. In fact, “90% of Generation-Z reports wanting some form of human element woven into their work and team interactions”. This is good news; however it’s also true that they look for more participation at work than down-right coaching.
For leaders this presents a unique challenge; one that creates a cleft between being participative, digitally savvy, focused on collective success and the age-old madness of just getting the job done.
For the digital generation, empowerment is not a mere expression; it’s a way of life, where as a leader tends more to use it as a developmental tool focused on the success of the organisation. Empowerment starts at home for the Gen-Z, with most parents out working through the week. Homes subsequently, became a place where you learnt to organise your life with minimum supervision. This also meant you literally have to clean up your own mess, well, at least most of the times.
This behaviour echoes at the work place too; the digital savvy workforce of today is not in the mood for constant follow ups. While this may be a good thing, it works only when all goes well.
The real challenge however is how one balances the excessive zeal for empowerment while literally lacking required experience to perform the role.
So how do we make them feel more empowered and accountable at the same time to create a more productive workplace? Once again this is not as straight forward as it sounds. This involves constant effort from the leader and a lot of it. Let’s look at some aspects that I think might work for you.
Be open to new ideas – Encourage your team to constantly come up with new ideas that they think will work for the team and the organisation. Reward if you must on a regular basis even for concepts that are not there yet but could work with some extra push.
Develop others – Show them that teamwork is not only about developing self but also about growing together achieving larger organisational goals as a team. Set an example, organise learning session and KS activities during non-peak hours or breaks.
Promote an environment of trust – Keep your goals and objectives absolutely transparent show them that you count on them so much that you don’t have to account for any buffer.
Avoid conscious & unconscious biases – Keep your personal biases away from workplace, make consistent efforts to maintain a neutral approach towards all individuals in your team.
Personalise rewards – Understand the underlying need for recognition and make an effort to understand personal preferences while planning for a reward.
Allow decision making and delegate authority; people learn from mistakes…but make sure to let them know that a repeated mistake will attract consequences, that’s accountability with responsibility.
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