GALT Consulting LLC

The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce's young professionals group (ages 21-40), The Network, has formed a task force looking at recent studies performed for the City of Springfield.  I have had the privilege of serving on that task force over the past few weeks and I think our message is coming together.

Ultimately, in order to attract and maintain young talent, we need to get our talented people opportunities to in the game.  This means that Springfield companies must give their youngest professionals (and really all of their employees) some power to make a real difference in their organization.  This means that we need to get young professionals in involved early in solving problems within our community.  This also means that our strong university and community college system in Springfield must prepare graduates with the basic tools they need to succeed.

Here is are some of the obstacles in Springfield that can scare talent away...

1) Companies that treat their employees like commodities.  Top-down management has been the dominant organizational structure for a long time and baby-boomers LOVE this type of management structure.  This type of management along with the baby-boomer perspective often yields a "wait your turn" philosophy.  Young professionals and even blue-collar employees want to make an immediate impact.  Nothing is worse than companies who don't allow this to happen.  It scares away good people and it limits the success of the company.

2) Students who don't connect with the community.  There are a plethora of opportunities to connect with the community along with some initiatives within the Network itself.  Students who work within non-profit organizations will make valuable community connections (both emotional and practical). 

3) The Universities / Technical Colleges / High Schools have to offer programs that feed the right people to the community.  Apparently MSU has restricted itself from introducing some professional degrees into Springfield as a part of the name-change deal.  This was a potentially damaging move within the community.  We need to train doctors, lawyers, and engineers right here in Springfield.  I spoke to larger companies like my former employer, 3M, who tells me they have to go elsewhere in the state to find qualified professionals.

These are just a few of the topics we discussed in our task force meetings, but it highlights the theme of the discussion.  As we enter into a new economy (not an economic dip, but rather an eceonomic "shift"), Springfield is in a great place to succeed with our strong culture of community.  As we identify our core community issues (ex: child abuse, culture of poverty, etc), we need to tap into our young talent to help solve these problems.  Not only will we make progress, we will also retain young talent! 

One business owner calls another owner over the phone to discuss details about an upcoming collaboration.  The 2nd owner's phone is busy, so the 1st owner leaves a voicemail.  "This is Frank, please give me a call when you get a chance".  The day passes and the 2nd owner doesn't call back.  The owner was really being rude, right?

But which owner was being rude?

The 1st owner thinks the 2nd owner is rude for not returning the call.  The 2nd owner thinks the 1st owner is rude for not leaving more information on the voicemail.  The 1st owner is a baby boomer and the 2nd is from Generation X (GenX). 

Consider this.  A study by Sprint showed that a person under the age of 30 is 4x more likely to return a text message than a voicemail.  Why?  The 2nd owner would tell you that a text is much less intrusive than a phone call.  Phone calls are necessary, and the GenX person will spend lots of time on the phone, but he wants to prioritize his communications.  The voicemail left by the 1st owner was vague.  The 2nd owner could stop everything, pull out of a meeting, and call back the 1st owner only to find out that he just needed the answer to a simple question...  one that could've been answered in 5 seconds with a text message.

The 1st owner is upset.  Why don't business people today have any business etiquette anymore.  When someone says they need to talk to you, they need to talk to you and you owe them the common courtesy of a return call.  The next day, the 1st owner leaves another message, "call me back", frustrated the whole time that he has to do this.

People are fundamentally wired the same way, but generational experiences cause differences that can cause difficulties in the workplace.  Baby boomers grew up waiting their turn.  They played the game, moved up the ladder, and now they get to run the show. 

GenX workers don't want to wait.  They saw their parents work hard in jobs to wait for their time only to lose retirement or get an early-leave.  Baby boomers complain about a lack of loyalty in today's young workforce, and GenX'ers and younger agree... but one side is talking about worker loyalty and the other is talking about company loyalty.

No solutions here (yet), just pointing out the differences.  Is this something you have experienced?

Generational differences continue to be a hot topic!  I hear Baby Boomers complain that younger people don't respond to emails or voicemail messages.  They conclude that the issue is a simple lack of manners.  Meanwhile, Gen X'ers (like me) complain that Baby Boomers refuse to utilize other communication tools (like texting and instant messaging) and leave rude messages like "Hey Don!  It's Jim.  Give me a call.".  I know it's you Jim!  I have caller ID!

The truth is that communications etiquette is evolving with technology faster that the actual use of the technology.  On a given day, we have the ability to communicate with more people than ever before.  The only way this can be accomplished is through efficient use of technology.  No one is trying to be rude, but an increased understanding of the tools will yield tolerance (if not usage) of things like text messaging and other forms of social media (like blogging!).

Consider this.  A study conducted by Sprint found that a person under the age of 30 is 4x more likely to respond to a text message than to a voicemail...  and 91% will respond within the hour.  This makes sense if you consider that today people are constantly prioritizing communication needs and utilizing the right tools for the job.  A phone call takes several minutes.  A text message takes seconds.  I'm not saying you need to use it... just understand that it's not manners... its efficiency!