Chapter 6

Leading and Managing Gen X

While it’s been going on for some time, leading and managing Gen X has seemingly just hit the radar and primarily only because of the impending leader gap. Sometimes, lost in the masses, Gen X is a sandwich generation—sandwiched between two enormous generations. Recruiters went from recruiting and retaining Boomers to recruiting and retaining Gen Y with barely a passing glance at Gen Xers. Are they being passed over? Well, no, not exactly, but like Dr. Suess’s Whos in Horton Hears a Who!¹ they are going to have to work hard to make their voices heard.

The very idea of “management” of Gen X may be inappropriate as they will all too quickly let you know that the better term is “lead.” And what does it take to be a leader of Gen X? The same thing it takes to be a leader of anyone—followers. But whom will independent Gen X follow?

The best place to start is probably with flexibility. Leading Gen X will require flexibility, so today’s leaders can become more flexible voluntarily or by force, but either way, they will become more flexible. Gen Xers are not going to work well for those who micromanage, who are sticklers for the “clock,” or who fear loss of productivity just because they are working virtually versus in their cubicle or their “officle” (a cubicle with a door—it offers all the downsides of a cube with none of the advantages of an office, except for the door).

While they are not very trusting, Gen Xers do really want to be trusted by their managers when it comes to whether or not they are doing their work. It could be a sticky situation, but it doesn’t have to be. While they want to be trusted, they also don’t mind being measured by results. Therefore the Results-Only Workplace Environment (ROWE²) is tailor-made for Gen X. In fact, it was probably Gen X that came up with it.

If you have not encountered ROWE yet, it basically means just what it says. There are no set hours; there is no sick leave or vacation leave. Employees work where they want and when they want. The only thing that gets measured is results: no results, no job.

Some of the foremost leaders in the ROWE movement, CultureRX says “cubicles, desktop computers, and phones with cords will soon be the workplace relics of our time—just like the mimeograph machine, While You Were Out pink slips, and typewriters are of the Industrial Age workplace….

Benefits include:

•   Productivity. Get more work from existing workforce now

•   Retention. Keep the talent you want; say goodbye to the talent that isn’t producing results

•   Attraction. Be a magnet for the best talent from all generations

•   Elimination of wasteful practices. Elimination of unnecessary tasks and processes; communication becomes more efficient and effective

•   A workforce that’s fluid, flexible, and accountable. Ability to perform in a more agile, 24/7 manner with clear, measurable goals for every employee

•   Optimization of space. No need for 1:1 workspace requirements or hoteling programs

•   Life balances for all. Environment that is inclusive and fair without the headache of managing a flexible work program

•   Improved employee engagement/morale/loyalty. Happy employees boost the bottom line, are more dedicated, and produce better results

•   Go green. Reduce your impact on the environment by creating a culture where everyone uses common sense about where they get work done—whether from home, a coffee shop or library. Wherever. Whenever.”

Work done when you want, where you want with built-in work-life balance and success based on results: now that’s what Gen X was born for. However, most of the workplaces in America have not yet made this audacious jump, so we really must talk about managing and leading Gen X from a more (cough, cough) “traditional” standpoint.

During a leadership retreat for a large physician group, Hagemann encountered a jaw-dropping phenomenon among Gen X physicians. Now Hagemann is a seasoned leadership development professional who has worked with all levels of leaders for many years, so causing her jaw to drop is really not that easy to do, but none-the-less, here’s what happened. The retreat, facilitated by Hagemann, was designed to get the right people in the right positions in the organization. The physician group had about 30 physicians and annual revenue of approximately $50 million as a part of a large healthcare network. The group had grown quickly and entrepreneurially and ultimately established itself as a high-priority department in the network. Because of the quick growth rate, more structure was becoming a necessity. Those who were in leadership were usually there because they were the best technicians, and the section chiefs were usually the best clinical physicians. The only problem is to be great technically or clinically does not necessarily make a person a good leader. In fact, several of these professionals had gone from being A-players as technicians or physicians to B-or C-players as leaders.

So Hagemann led the group through a series of steps that involved removing the names, determining appropriate positions for the current and future leadership needs, and then trying to figure out who the potential leaders were for the newly designed or aligned positions. The work was fairly swift when it came to the technicians (probably because they weren’t at the meeting), but when it came to the physicians, the jaw-dropping began.

First, there was only one physician out of 30 who really wanted to be a leader. There was another who was willing to be a leader, but was not willing to do anything that leadership requires. None were willing to give up their eight weeks of vacation or to take on the potential evening work or even check e-mail after hours since they were typically off work by 4:00 p.m.

In addition, the Gen X physicians had a lot of complaints about the current leadership not communicating enough. They claimed there was a conspiracy to leave them out of decision making by not telling them when the meetings were or allowing them to have a voice. A little digging revealed that the current leaders were, in fact, informative. They sent notices about meetings via e-mail and posted notices in the offices. The problem was that the physicians didn’t feel that checking e-mail was part of their job and didn’t notice the posted notices. They definitely weren’t going to check e-mail after work, because they had to walk their dogs (yes, they said that). And some of the male physicians wreaked havoc on the rotation schedule by scheduling time off from work in order to take their wives to gynecologist appointments.

Is your jaw dropping yet? Ultimately, this group ended up with the chief and the one physician who wanted to be a leader taking most of the leadership responsibility and arranging the rest of the organization to fit that model. It won’t work long term, but it won’t have to. This is nothing a little healthy competition won’t fix. In the next few years, Gen Y should start getting out of med school, and even the high-paid physicians will have to grow up and do some things that they do not want to do like the rest of the Gen Xers—you know the ones celebrating when their friends get a job—any job.

This story confirms that managing and leading Gen X can seem like a daunting task in a traditional environment. Still, it can be done with some awareness and ability to flex your own style in order to meet theirs, at least for now.

Leaders will have to keep Gen Xers’ independent nature in mind when managing this generation. While the Boomers banned together to change the world, Gen X is not exactly the most team-oriented group you will encounter. It is not that they are anti-team, it’s just that “…the team effort most Boomers envision, Claire Raines says, is more like football, in which every member acts in concert. For Gen X, it’s more like a relay race: ‘I’ll give it all I’ve got—when and where I’m supposed to.’”⁴

So leaders can start by honoring Gen Xers’ sense of independence and being flexible about how and when they do the work. Leaders may not understand Gen Xers, but they can at least try to express support of Gen Xers’ desire to have work-life balance. (Eye-rolling not allowed.) In addition to a flexible work environment, Gen X loves to learn. Leaders will be able to keep them pretty happy by providing them with ample opportunities to learn and develop. Leaders can use this to the company’s advantage by giving them learning opportunities that in turn solve problems and create solutions for the organization. Gen Xers love to be a part of the solution, so the more they are involved in problem solving, the better their chances are of having a future with the company.

Boomer bosses may be surprised to find that Gen X is not as focused on climbing the ladder as Boomers are. We’ve even encountered some Boomers who just flat can’t understand this generation. They see it as a lack of ambition, wondering why anyone would choose to not even try for a higher level position. Unfortunately this misunderstanding can lead to career derailment for Gen Xers and loss of great talent because of the Boomers’ inability to grasp Gen X values. Boomers will be much more successful leading Gen X if they remember that climbing the ladder is not the primary motivator for Gen X. In fact, according to Charlotte Shelton, a management consultant who teaches graduate courses at Rockhurst University’s Helzberg School of Management in Kansas City, “The top three things they want in a job are

1.   positive relationships with colleagues,

2.   interesting work, and

3.   continuous opportunities for learning.”

For Gen X, “recognition scored very low, and power and prestige ranked dead last. Salary, a major preoccupation for Boomers, came in third from the bottom.” Shelton adds: “It’s interesting, because most employee-motivation efforts in companies are designed by Boomers, who tend to build the programs around what motivates them. But this generation is different.”⁵

Of course there are some ambitious Gen Xers who are willing to play the Boomer game and climb the ladder as long as they are interested in the work, because they do want the top seats. They may want to be independent and put work-life balance above work on the priority list, but they are not stupid. Power is power, and they do want the power. Besides, once they have it, they can implement the Results-Only Work Environment, and then everyone will be happy—well, at least everyone in Gen X.

There is another little problem if you are a Boomer boss: you may be Gen X’s number one career blocker, and they do not like career blockers. As a group, Gen X is becoming impatient (a true Gen X trait to start with) over its older siblings who are choosing to work longer than originally anticipated. Gen Xers were getting excited about taking the power, and now the Boomers are dashing their hopes.

The “I’ll work forever” attitude of the Baby Boomers is bringing movement up the career ladder to a complete standstill. It’s like waiting for a table in a busy restaurant when the guests at the table you want have finished their dessert and paid the bill but are busy chatting well beyond their ‘allotted’ time. The longer they stay, the more intense the glares and more uncomfortable everyone becomes.”⁶

Organizations that want to keep their Gen X star performers shouldn’t wait another moment. They will need new career path or development opportunities to keep them engaged while the Boomers drag out their exit plans. The last thing you want is to lose your next generation leaders because the current generation won’t leave.

Okay, now back to the more “traditional” workplace and how to get and keep Gen X motivated to do the work that needs to be done. Here are a few key tips:

•   Outline the role, but leave some flexibility for them to establish their unique characteristics and talents within the role.

•   Establish expectations, including desired results and time-lines, and then become as hands-off as possible on how they get the results. As long as the results are delivered in a moral and ethical way, isn’t the rest sort of semantics?

•   In fact, encouraging their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit will go a long way in gaining a Gen X following.

•   Allow Gen Xers to use technology in ways that Boomers have not. Gen X will probably want to work untethered to their desk and may not even need to have a desk or office space. While uncomfortable for most Boomers, considering the options here is a wise move. Remember, it’s just a stepping stone into what Gen Y will want, so we may as well start adjusting now. After all, if the work gets done on time and with high quality, does it really matter where the work is done?

•   Authoritarian management won’t work with Gen Xers. They may take it for the moment as they smile and nod and tell the authoritarian manager, “Yes sir (or Yes ma’am), I understand,” but they are most likely filing their mental ammunition to be fired at a later, more opportune moment.

•   Gen Xers will accept constructive feedback as long as it is linked to results. To overcome their generational cynicism, it never hurts to have some data handy to back up the feedback. Leaders might think of themselves more as a hiking guide on a mountain terrain:

1.   Lead the way.

2.   Don’t pretend you know the way if you’ve never been this way before. If you’re going into uncharted territory, let your followers know. Gen X will rise to the challenge and help you find solutions, but they won’t tolerate a leadership facade where you pretend you’ve done something before when you never have.

3.   Point out interesting areas for them to explore.

4.   Identify areas of danger and let them know the potential consequences of venturing into dangerous terrain.

5.   Whenever possible, take time to teach Gen Xers new skills and allow them to teach each other new skills.

6.   Give them time to explore and navigate on their own.

7.   Give them enough knowledge to make informed choices.

8.   Once you’re comfortable with their skills and decision-making capabilities, point to the summit and turn them loose, but don’t leave them on the mountain. Stay close enough to help if they slip or need some navigation advice along the way.

So you see, it is possible to lead Gen X. It just takes a little paradigm shifting to do it effectively. Ultimately, we all hope that the Boomers learn to lead and mentor Gen Xers and in turn, Gen Xers become effective leaders as their turn as “king of the mountain” approaches. What are the chances?

Notes

1.   Seuss, Dr. Horton Hears a Who! New York: Random House, 1954. Print.

2.   Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE). Web. 24 July 2010. http://gorowe.com/.

3.   CultureRx Team. Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE). Web. 01 Aug. 2010. http://gorowe.com/about/culturerx-team.

4.   Stauffer, David. “Motivating Across Generations.” Harvard Management Update. Mar. 2003: 4. Print.

5.   Fisher, Anne. “How Best Companies to Work for Retain Gen Xers.” CNNMoney.com. 17 Jan. 2006. Web. 24 July 2010. http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/17/news/companies/bestcos_genx/index.htm.

6.   Wolfe, Ira. “Are Baby Boomers Overstaying Their Welcome as Guests in the Workplace?” Toolbox.com. Toolbox for HR. Web. 24 July 2010. http://hr.toolbox.com/blogs/irawolfe/are-baby-boomers- overstaying-their-welcome-as-guestsin-the-workplace-35955.