Leading Millennials using Strengths Based Leadership. Leadership Challenges PMIBC : PMIBC_17_theme # 3_<abstract #>

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1 Leading Millennials using Strengths Based Leadership Leadership Challenges PMIBC : PMIBC_17_theme # 3_<abstract #>

2 CONTENTS Abstract... 3 Introduction... 3 Details of the paper... 5 Conclusion References w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 2

3 ABSTRACT Those born just before the turn of the last century behave differently. They like to know their purpose and not the pay check. They like to work from their strengths and excel without getting tied down by their weaknesses. These millennials cannot be managed the way earlier generations have been managed. They must be inspired and enabled through a special brand of leadership. Don t even try to manage these millennials, the largest generation in the workforce - lead them. Given India s large population under the age of 30 and the hope that India will become the economic fulcrum of the world, taking advantage of this demographic dividend is an imminent imperative. The leadership challenges, of channelling efforts of the millennial teams in organizations, are huge. It brings us to a key question as to why the millennials should follow a leader. Gallup, the largest research advisory on behavioural aspects of leaders around the world, has examined decades of data on the topic of leadership, leader behaviour surveys and follower responses on leader effectiveness. This paper discusses leadership effectiveness of Gallup advisory in context of millennial workforce management. The paper presents a case study of leading teams of millennials through leadership challenges with focus on personal transformation, by applying the Gallup Strengths based Leadership framework. By effective application of such a leadership framework, the millennial engagement and their alignment with organization objectives can be enhanced manifold. INTRODUCTION Millennials are those born just before the start of this century. They are different and cannot be managed the way other generations have been managed. Millennials (Gen Y) are tech savvy, ambitious, and are fond of collaborating in a team setting. They have a desire to make the world a better place and like to do things their own way. Their inherent disposition and focus sets them apart - Millennials offer a set of skills and a mind-set that fit well with the challenges confronting today s organizations. Millennials have a lot to offer their organizations they are a trusting and optimistic generation that is tech savvy far beyond earlier generations. They can absorb large amounts of data, convert them into information and they place high value on social causes, in which they collaborate with others to achieve change and impact. They are highly educated and want to make a contribution, though they do get impatient at times in their quest for immediacy and excellence. w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 3

4 It is therefore imperative for managers to understand how this generation thinks, what they are looking for in the workplace and how to inspire them, so that this generation of millennials can bring to bear their unique talents and make the world a better place. Indian Demographics Nearly 60 per cent [2] (700 million of the 1.2 billion estimated during the 2011 Indian Census) are millennials, under the age of 30. Almost 300 million of them are part of the workforce. India will be growing younger into the 2020s and 2030s and will come to have a larger workforce comprising present day millennials and the Gen Z category (those born beyond 2000), who need special handling. Millennials matter because they are not only different from those that have gone before, they are also more numerous than any of previous generations Baby Boomers & Gen X. With this large millennial population and the hope that India will be the future economic hub of the world, taking advantage of the demographic dividend is an imminent imperative. The leadership challenges, of channelling efforts of the millennial teams in organizations, are huge. w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 4

5 DETAILS OF THE PAPER Understanding Millennials It s clear that millennials will be a powerful generation of workers and that those with the right skills will be in high demand. They will choose the way they want to work and where and how they operate in the workplace. They may therefore present challenges at work that many organisations may not have faced earlier. Are millennials really any different from past generations? Across generations the employee behaviour and priorities change and adapt as they age; but to dismiss the question entirely on that basis would be improper. Millennials use of technology clearly sets them apart. One of the defining characteristics of the millennial generation is their affinity with the digital world. They have grown up with smart phones, laptops, internet and broadband, being the norm. Their keenness to collaborate on social media and expectation of instant access to information is another facet that sets them apart. This is the first generation to enter the workplace with a better grasp of some key business tools than earlier generation workers. Typical Millennial Expectations Mentioned below are some quotes, statements and descriptors of millennial feelings, behaviour, actions, expectations and the manner in which they come across in workplace situations. These are based on interactions with students and corporate employees during professional development workshop discussions and group activities [7] conducted in last 2 years. My career will be one of choice. It will align who I am, with what I like to do. - Final year student at college If I m working on something I enjoy and am passionate about, I will be motivated. - Fresher team member in an engineering company I want to feel valued, and be given tasks that allow me to stretch myself to the fullest extent. - College student at a placement interview making a career choice There is no work time. There is no personal time. There is no work/life balance. There s just life. - Corporate employee of 5 years experience w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 5

6 Meeting Millennials Expectations. Based on survey of employees in the developed world and in the Indian employment market as reported in various press releases, it is evident that employers have to change what they offer employees if they expect to attract and retain millennial workers. Depicted in Table 1 is the focus of generations past, millennials (present) and future. Past Generations My Pay check My Satisfaction My Boss My Annual Review My Weakness My Job Millennials / Future Generations My Purpose My Development My Coach My Ongoing Conversations My Strengths My Life Table 1 (Source: Employee survey report extract from Washington Post, May 2016) The Leadership Challenge It is imperative that managers understand this generation of employees in the workforce and learn how to inspire them not just manage and deal with them. Managers, who learn how to truly enable and inspire millennials to contribute their talents to address the many challenges facing organizations today, could far outperform the competition. The typical challenges an organization faces are: Low levels of employee engagement High attrition Sub optimal performance by teams Talent development Customer engagement Don t even try to manage millennials, the largest generation in the workforce. Lead them. The different aspects pertaining to the practice of inspiring leadership are discussed through the following case study. The case study brings focus on application of leadership aspects in the workplace in context of millennial workforce management. The case study highlights nuances of leading teams of millennials through the leadership challenges, by applying the Gallup Strengths based Leadership framework [1]. w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 6

7 The Case Study: How to Achieve Business Results with a Millennial team using Strengths Based Leadership. The Challenge. The HR team of XYZ Company is predominantly staffed with millennials having good technical and management credentials. However in recent times they found that in most Business Units their performance has taken a dip. Employee engagement is at a low and employee attrition level has gone up. HR is seized of the matter and is looking for a structured solution to this challenge. The Solution. Develop a methodology to provide inspiring leadership to the millennial teams to deliver exceptional business results aligned with organizational objectives Methodology. A special blend of situational leadership using Gallup Strengths Based Leadership framework [1] used to inspire the millennial teams. 3 Phased approach [6] : Phase 1. Individual Discovery & Strengths development Phase 2. Build a competent and interdependent team Phase 3. Effective leadership to inspire the team members Benefits Achieved. Improved employee engagement Happy team delivering high performance Lower attrition Higher level of customer engagement w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 7

8 Methodology used - Gallup Leadership Framework Gallop advisory on leadership [1] is based on four decades of study of the subject and particularly after Gallup researched more than 1 million work teams and interviewed 20,000 leaders and 10,000 followers worldwide across 50 countries including India. It was found that best and most effective leaders do three things well [1] : 1 Effective Leaders keep investing in strengths What effective leaders do differently? 2 Great leaders surround themselves with highly competent people 3 Effective leaders understand the needs of their followers in depth The Three Leadership Mantras The Approach A Phased approach [6] to deliver inspired leadership to the team members was followed: Phase 1. Individual Discovery & Strengths development Phase 2. Build a competent and interdependent team How to provide effective leadership with an understanding of dominant talent themes / strengths of leader & team members Phase 3. Effective leadership to inspire the team members How to meet the basic needs of followers Phase 1. Individual Discovery & Strengths development To become a better and more effective leader yourself, start by figuring out what your own personal strengths are. Once you know what specific strengths you bring to the table, you can then start working on developing those strengths and enhancing them even further. If you keep at this, you will be doing all you can to become a great leader. w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 8

9 Mantra 1. Effective Leaders keep investing in strengths. Gallup s research [1] has shown that when an organization s leadership fails to focus on the individual strengths of the people who work within, only about 9% (about one-in-eleven) employees become engaged. When the leadership makes focusing on the strengths of employees a priority, the level of engagement rises to almost 73% (three-in-four). This eightfold increase in level of engagement is significant. It can generate substantial gains for the organization s bottom line while simultaneously enhancing each employee s individual well-being. In matured, high performance organizations effective leaders keep on investing in their individual strengths and in the strengths of their people. If you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything. While our society encourages us to be well-rounded, this approach inadvertently breeds mediocrity. Perhaps the greatest misconception of all is that of the well-rounded leader. - By Tom Rath and Barry Conchie, Authors, Strengths Based Leadership As desirable as it may sound on paper, nobody has genuine world-class strengths in all areas. A much more likely scenario is, you ll find a leader who is world-class in one or two specific domains and then is average or just slightly above average in all the other areas of the business. The paradox is when leaders try to become competent in all areas; they actually end up becoming less effective than those who focus on making the most of their strengths. From a personal perspective, if you concentrate on extracting every last benefit from what you already do well, you ll be much more productive than if you try and get better at the things you are weak at. It brings forth the following key points [1] : To lead effectively, you need to have an acute awareness of your own strengths and then organize yourself to spend the maximum amount of time every day working in those areas of strengths You can t become an effective leader by striving to be like other leaders you admire (e.g. Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. or Nelson Mandela). If you try and emulate someone with a different set of personal strengths, all you end up doing is taking yourself out of your natural element. This can only set you up for failure. As effective leaders focus on and reinvest in their strengths, it sets off a self-reinforcing cycle which generates what can be termed a cumulative advantage that continues to grow over the course of their careers. They are good at something, so they keep doing it. The more they do it, the better they become and the more opportunities they seek out to use their strengths. This, in turn, leads to even more individual and w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 9

10 organizational growth. The cycle keeps on repeating itself over and over as leaders continue to capitalize on these disproportionately good gains. Phase 2. Build a competent and interdependent team How to provide effective leadership with an understanding of dominant talent themes / strengths of leader & team members Mantra 2. Great leaders surround themselves with highly competent people Gallup leadership advisory [1] highlights that while each member has his or her own strengths, the most cohesive and successful teams possessed broader grouping of strengths. Four distinct domains of leadership strength [1] emerge: 1. Executing they know how to make the right things happen. 2. Influencing they know how to sell their organization s ideas both to insiders and outsiders. 3. Relationship Building they are good at keeping a high performing team together and fully engaged. 4. Strategic Thinking they keep everyone focused on the possibilities and what could be. It serves the team well to have a representation of strengths in each of these four domains. Instead of one dominant leader who attempts to do everything or individuals who all have similar strengths; contributions from all four domains lead to a strong and cohesive team. Although individuals need not be well rounded, the team should be; leading to the concept of interdependence and collaboration in a team setting. Clifton StrengthsFinder The StrengthsFinder assessment tool identifies the top 5 talent themes of individuals during the discovery phase. Effective leaders can use these themes to clarify and understand the interests and motivations of individual team members in a systematic way. Once you understand what themes are dominant in each team member, you then have some clues on the best way to influence and lead those individuals. Team members will have a combination of themes rather than just one theme exclusively, so different combinations and permutations are possible. Each member will possess some strength in multiple domains. The Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment tool [4] can be useful in determining how all team members can maximize their contribution to the group s collective goals. What great leaders have in common is that each truly knows his or her strengths and can call on the right strength at the right time. This explains why there is no definitive list of characteristics that describes all leaders. Dr. Donald Clifton, leadership researcher & father of strengths psychology [5] w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 10

11 Maximizing the team In this phase 2, strategies are evolved to develop millennial team members (A, B, C, D, E) using their individual talent themes in the order of their dominance, ie. 1 being the most dominant theme and 5 being a lesser dominant theme within the top 5 for the individual. This provides the basis for the formation of a well rounded interdependent team that has strengths across the leadership domains. w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 11

12 Achiever Arranger Belief Consistency Deliberative Discipline Focus Responsibility Restorative Activator Command Communication Competition Maximizer Self-Assurance Significance Woo Adaptability Connectedness Developer Empathy Harmony Includer Individualization Positivity Relator Analytical Context Futuristic Ideation Input Intellection Learner Strategic Project Management Practitioners Conference 2017 EXECUTING INFLUENCING RELATIONSHIP BUILDING STRATEGIC THINKING Team Leader A B C D E F G w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 12

13 Great leaders achieve more because they assemble and develop a well balanced and focused team of performers. They put together great teams and then harness the collective talents of the team to maximum effect. A strong interdependent team [1] By understanding the specific themes in which your team members enjoy working in, you better position yourself to exploit the collective strengths of your entire team. As previously mentioned, the central idea is not to even try to get people to be good enough at everything. Rather, you want to get the right strengths on a team and then let each person focus on doing what they do best. In this way, you can make the most of what extraordinarily talented individuals have to offer. Strong, high-performing teams are an asset to organizational productivity and they show following five signs: Strong Interdependent Team Focus on Results Prioritization Embrace Diversity Committed to Work & Personal life Magnet of Talent Five signs of a strong interdependent team Phase 3. Effective leadership to inspire the team members How to meet the basic needs of followers Mantra 3. Effective leaders understand the needs of their followers in depth. Gallup leadership advisory [1] suggests that: People follow leaders for only four reasons: 1. They trust their leader to do the right thing at all times. 2. They believe the leader genuinely cares about the rank-and-file employees. 3. They consider the leader is stable and can be counted on in times of need. 4. They have confidence in the leader because he or she makes them feel enthusiastic about the future. w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 13

14 Achieving greatness as a leader is not just by solving day to day problems and issues that arise in the workplace, but great leaders understand their people and intuitively provide them with just what they need to perform to the best of their abilities. Four Basic Needs of Followers Trust Compassion Stability Hope In this phase 3, providing inspiring leadership to team members is addressed taking examples of the team members (A, B, C, D, E) with dominant themes Achiever, Responsibility, Maximizer, Relator & Analytical and meeting their basic needs [1] of Trust, Compassion, Stability & Hope. It demonstrates how leaders inspire their followers on these basic needs. 1. Trust Followers will not tolerate dishonesty in any way, shape or form. They need to feel confident they can trust you to act consistently regardless of the circumstances or situation. If you re not honest at all times, there will be no trust and no respect. Trust significantly increases speed and efficiency in the workplace. Don t waste time telling someone you can be trusted show them. 2. Compassion You have to prove to followers you care about them and have their best interests at heart. If you do that, your people will become far more engaged and productive. It may not be feasible to build a personal relationship with each of your followers but if you can show them you have a heart, your followers will like you better. 3. Stability You must have a solid foundation. You need your followers to feel like they can rely on you at all times and under all circumstances. This is especially important during times of rapid change. The more stability you exhibit, the stronger your foundation appears to followers and the more anxious they are, to get onto the bandwagon. 4. Hope Humans are wired to feel enthusiastic about the future. If you want to be an effective leader, you must instil hope in them that a bright future lies ahead. Great leaders respond to challenges, solve problems, remove barriers and create impressive options for the future. If you want people to follow you, fill them with hope that is realistic and inspiring. Mentioned below are 5 dominant themes in 5 millennials who are part of the team to deliver business results. Outlined below are strategies to influence and motivate them to deliver high performance while being part of an engaged team w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 14

15 1. Achiever 2. Responsibility 3. Maximizer 4. Relator 5. Analytical Taking the example of inspiring a millennial with Achiever as the most dominant theme - The team leader is expected to lead the Achiever using the strategies mentioned below: Leading a millennial team member with strong Achiever Achiever Achievers have stamina and work hard. They get satisfaction from being busy and productive. Strategies to lead them effectively Give them important projects Work with them to build trust & trust them to deliver Call on them often Set up good metrics for tracking progress Give stretch goals periodically Surround them with good workers Let them set their own pace of work & work hours Make weaknesses inconsequential; others can pitch in when required Leading a millennial team member with strong Responsibility Responsibility Those with strong Responsibility take ownership of what they are working on. They are thoroughly loyal totally honest about everything. Strategies to lead them effectively Fill teams with committed peers Recognize them as self-starters Provide low levels of supervision Allow them to act ethically Keep adding to their duties Allow them to volunteer for more Leave them in hands-on situations/ roles w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 15

16 Leading a millennial team member with strong Maximizer Maximizer Maximizers focus on their strengths as the way to achieve excellence. They like making good things even better. Strategies to lead Maximizers effectively Discuss their strengths in detail Strategize their next moves Provide a clear career path Have a good compensation plan Let them analyse your organization Let them lead teams / activities Have them help with learning and development Take serious note of their suggestions Encourage them to mentor others Leading a millennial team member with strong Relator Relator Relators are the people who enjoy building close relationships with others. They find total satisfaction by working hard with their friends to do some great stuff. Strategies to lead Relators effectively Identify their colleague s goals Let them bond with top performers Put them into management roles Show you will always be there for them Highlight their generosity Create informal recognition systems Establish high expectations Leading a millennial team member with strong Analytical Analytical These are the people who have to know reasons and causes. They want to know every factor which influences a situation. Strategies to lead analyticals well: Always lay out the logic of decisions Provide sufficient details on everything w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 16

17 Acknowledge their disciplined mind Always have the facts ready at hand Give them opportunities to present data and analysis Take their view point seriously Endorse their work openly Through inspiring leadership, team member strengths are further developed to achieve excellence and personal transformation, which ultimately delivers business results to the organization. Through strengths based leadership the millennial team member expectations are met and conditions made conducive for high performance and high employee engagement. Summary of Approach: Building a strong team requires a substantial amount of time and effort. Getting the right strengths on the team is a good starting point, but it is not enough. For a team to create sustained growth, the leader must continue to invest in each person s strengths and in building better relationships among the group members. The leader must also provide inspiring leadership to the followers on their basic needs of trust, compassion, stability and hope. When leaders can do this, it allows the entire team to spend even more time thinking about the needs of the customers they serve. Strengths based development & strengths based leadership frameworks are structured solutions for leading millennials at the work place for delivering business results. CONCLUSION India is growing younger, and will become the youngest country by Young Indians will form 64% of the workforce by The Indian millennial generation are the best-educated generation in independent India and are well poised to steer the country to long-term prosperity by the middle of 21st century. But we have to deal with the leadership challenges at the workplace now, to take advantage of the demographic dividend and the economic opportunity that is unfolding. This calls for a paradigm shift in talent development in finishing students pipeline and corporate India employees. We should be willing to embrace strengths based development & strengths based leadership to take us into the golden age in a New India. We are at our best when we operate from our strengths zone. It brings out our full potential. w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 17

18 REFERENCES [1] Strengths Based Leadership, Rath Tom from Gallup, (2008), GallupPress, New York, pp 7-27 [2] The Millennials: Exploring the World of the Largest Living Generation, (2016), Subramanian S. Kalpathi, Random House, India [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] w w w. p m ib a n g a l o r e c h a p t e r. o r g P a g e 18