Be The Why

So much has been written and said about the generational differences when it comes to work. Millennials want a fun, egalitarian workplace. Gen X'ers want a casual relationship with authority and disdain policy. Boomers want a cordial, non-combative atmosphere. The Mature generation wants an environment where loyalty is valued. Whether truth, stereotype, nature, or nurture, the list of perceived differences is long.

On the other hand, there are many commonalities between the generations of workers that are often ignored, but valuable to know. In particular, all ages of workers have consistently said that they want to make a difference. Why is that valuable to know?

As companies establish performance expectations, goals, and objectives, it's not enough to just say, "this is what we're doing." Today's employees want and need to know "why".

Managers need to be able to explain to their employees how their responsibilities and goals fit with the company's plans. Likewise, the company's senior management owes it to the employees to provide goals and purpose that they can align with and believe in.

Purpose has got to be more than "let's make more money".  Workers today want to know that they personally matter and that what they're doing makes a difference.  How's your company's management connecting what you and your employees do to "why" it makes a difference?  Do you know your "Why"?

Make it happen!

Cindy Sanders Meyer

Celebrity Apprentice Plays Well

I’ve been a big fan of Donald Trump’s Apprentice shows from the very beginning. In fact, when I led a large team of Fortune 100 project managers, we used to have Apprentice Lunch and Learns after each episode. There was always something new we learned to apply from the way that the participants planned and executed their projects; especially how they interacted with each other, their clients, and even The Donald.

This season’s Celebrity Apprentice series winner, Bret Michaels, showed us lots of good lessons. Along with the obvious of perseverance and leverage your strengths, Bret showed us that you always have to play well with others. He never burned a bridge with his fellow team mates and competitors. He knew when to hold his tongue, which many of the others did not.

In the end, his relationship with the others was how he accomplished so much and won. Bret was the creative person that knew how to leverage relationships in a mutually beneficial way. His ideas were good, but without earning the great support from his team mates, many of his plans wouldn't have been executed so well.

As with many creative forces, Bret did not have a good sense of time constraints and implementation focus. He had to rely on others to help him in those areas. As a leader, he was good at communicating his creative vision, listening to his team mates, and building connections and commitment.

What other business lessons did you learn from this season’s Celebrity Apprentice?

Make it happen!

Cindy Sanders Meyer