The Manager of Tomorrow

With Baby Boomers now firmly nestled in the C Suite, it's time for a new generation of leaders to take the reins. This is particularly intriguing because workforce dynamics are changing and the management style Gen Xers and Millennials are evolving to keep pace.

The formal workplace is a thing of the past. Traditional office hours are giving way to flexible work, formal dress codes have all but vanished and the need for business travel has drastically dissipated. Changes in the way we work have presented one massive certainty:

Mirco-Management is no longer a legitimate option.

Tomorrow's Manager will be unable to rule by intimidation. Transparency, Trust & a Divine Understanding of the Employee Perspective are paramount to Leadership Success!

First time managers will benefit as much from their understanding of what goes on in the trenches as they will an MBA. Age old management systems are becoming irrelevant. There are no short cuts or the ability to use fall back tactics to mask one's inability to connect with their employees.

Let's review the SCARF methodology:

Status-oriented employees can be motivated by a possible title change, or having their name attached to more important projects.

Certainty-oriented employees are motivated simply by the reassurance that their job is important and they are excelling.

Autonomy-oriented employees may need the ability to work from home, or simply slip on their head phones to tune everyone else out.

Relatedness-oriented employees are energized by opportunities to socialize with their coworkers — happy hours, softball games, etc.

Fairness-oriented employees want to know the playing field is even, and they aren’t being exploited or cheated. They need to hear it consistently.

Some employees wish to climb the ladder while others just want to know their jobs are protected. There are those who seek flexibility in schedule and those who wish work to be an extension of their social network. Something as elementary as the assurance of a level playing field may be all the engagement certain employees need.

By allowing people to stack rank the degree of importance of the above directives, a manager can understand how best to tailor said employees path to success.

Utilizing Gamification

Let's revisit Chatfield's 7 Ways to Reward the Brain:

1. Multiple Long & Short Term Aims

2. Rapid, Frequent, Clear Feedback

3. Reward for Effort & Achievement

4. Continual Progress Measurement

5.  Elements of Chance & Uncertainty

6.  Windows of Enhanced Attention

7.  Collective Emotion – Other People

The SCARF method helps us understand employee intent. Now it's time to systematize goal creation, track achievement and broadcast the results.

More than rewards or cash or pats on the back, employees want to know their options for advancement. The traditional performance review process is dying and Managers will no longer be able to protect their talent. Your organization will save 10's of millions by building an internal talent pool that keeps your superstars in-house and limits your recruiting/training spend.

The elements of gamification give me a goal, a badge when I complete it and the irrefutable evidence that I can contribute on a grandiose scale.  

Tracking Knowledge

Workforce veterans are departing with decades of knowledge. Keeping pace with the scale of innovation requires ideas from all angles.

All we have to do is re-purpose the suggestion box.

Allow employees to submit ideas for advancement. Have committee members from the C Level select the best ideas and have said concepts presented at an all-employee meeting.

This reveals hidden talent and turns bitching into idea sharing!

People are working into their 80's. The advancements in medicine may allow us all to live to be 120. Succession Planning should be as exciting as on-boarding. Every senior staff member should be called upon to mentor a new hire.

The top of the leadership ladder will shift..... it's going to happen sooner or later.... might as well embrace it now!  

Go Get It!

Dave