Whenever I do reviews with any of the guys in my team, that review always ends with me trying to drag feedback out of them for things that I could do differently and blind spots that I may have, or things that I may be doing that for them personally isn’t the most motivating. – Carl Blundon
Welcome to the show everybody! Today’s topic is Managing Different Generations. I have a great guest with us today who’s the Outsourcing Director for Adecco Taiwan, Carl Blundon.
In this episode we talk about his journey, generation gaps, what he looks for in a team member, customizing feedback, seeking feedback from your team and a lot more.
Click that play button to listen, and don’t forget to rate us on iTunes!
Investing in Your People’s Growth
My two years in that role were incredibly successful from a financial perspective. We had 32% top line growth the first year, 16% following up on that the second year, so it was really good.
I think the biggest mistake or failure that I had was that a lot of that growth was coming from my own sales. I was still spending too much time out, selling on my own and contributing too much on my own, rather than investing that time into the development and the success of the people that I had working for me.
I was taking them with me; in my eyes, I was showing them the ropes but I was still doing it myself.
When you look at those numbers – 32% and 16% – they look great. But had I spent more time investing in their development that first year, maybe that 32% might have been 24 % or 25%, but the second year when we were all working in similar levels of efficiency, maybe that 16% that second year is also up around 30% or 32% or 35%.
Because you’re not depending on your own ability. You’ve brought the people in your team up to a similar level and you can reap the rewards for it.
Managing Different Generations
I think it’s a little bit overblown. I think people make a little bit too much out of the generation gap.
In the end, we’re not the same as our parents were; we don’t have the same aspirations that your typical baby boomer might have had. I don’t think it’s really fair to expect that out of younger people, no matter what generation they’re coming in from.
No matter if you’re managing someone who’s older than you or younger than you, you have to sit down and figure out what motivates that person, what they want and to really understand them in order to get the best out of them.
Giving Feedback
For me, I don’t think you can have a one-size-fits-all approach when you’re giving feedback to people in your team.
I have people in my team that are older than me, that are more senior and have been in the company longer than me. I’m not necessarily going to go in and deliver that feedback in exactly the same way and words that I would deliver it to a 22-year-old.
You can want and expect people to take feedback, but you also have to give it in a customized way. You need to understand your people’s personalities and understand what type of feedback and setting and tone is going to allow them to react positively.
Links and Resources
Connect with Carl: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Purple Cow, New Edition: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin
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