19

Coaching Gen Y and Millennials

People want to work with you now rather than for you. Those are tiny words but a big distinction. I think the command and control model is probably over.

Sir David Bell, former Director of People at Pearson Publishing

Definition of Gen Y and Millennials

It is perhaps appropriate to start this chapter by attempting a loose definition of some of the terms used when talking about different generations. The term ‘Baby Boomers’ relates to the generation born in the years following the Second World War from 1945 to 1960. Generation X refers to the generation born roughly between 1961 and 1981, and is followed by Gen Y (often also known as Millennials as they enter the workforce post-2000) who were born somewhere between the 1980s to the mid-90s. It is estimated that Gen Yers now account for half of the employees in the workplace. The next generation after Gen Y is Generation Z born from 1995 onwards. They will be the most technologically savvy generation ever. As baby boomers ourselves, we can remember a time without mobile phones, computers and colour TVs. Younger people laugh at us when we tell them that there used to be only two television channels in the UK and that programmes finished with the National Anthem!

What do Gen Y want?

Gen Y and Millennials want fulfilling work, flexibility, the opportunity to make friends and to connect to a larger purpose. They also want a good salary, expect to be promoted, want work–life balance and to be coached and mentored!

In a sense that should make it easier for current mangers to coach Gen Y and Millennials, because they are open to coaching and actually want to be coached. Research undertaken by Ashridge Business School shows that 56 per cent of UK graduates want to be coached or mentored.

Interestingly, the research showed that more women Gen Yers wanted a coaching/mentoring relationship from their managers (61 per cent) than men (48 per cent).

The authors of the research wonder if this reflects a gender preference among women for a more collaborative and cooperative form of work and more openness to the emotional and self-awareness aspects of coaching. However, the fact that they expect to be coached can also make it difficult for current managers because either they do not coach Gen Yers, or they think they are coaching them but in fact are really only giving them advice.

Another key aspect from the research is that Gen Yers do not have a strong sense of loyalty towards organisations. Members of Gen Y tend to stay in a job for about two to three years; often the reason they leave is unmet expectations of their work. Perhaps a strong culture of listening, coaching and reverse coaching would help them to stay on longer?

How to Coach Gen Y

One very interesting fact to come from the Ashridge research into Gen Y in the United Kingdom, was that 75 per cent of managers think they are coaching Gen Yers, but the Gen Yers themselves think that only 26 per cent of their managers are actually coaching them! So there is a real discrepancy between what managers and Gen Yers think coaching actually is. Interestingly, the same gap was evident in the Middle East, India and Malaysia.

At the risk of repeating ourselves, coaching is more about listening and questioning than about giving advice. You may feel that giving Gen Yers the benefit of your hard-won experience is a positive thing, but if you do, be aware that you are not actually giving them the coaching/mentoring experience that they want. So Gen Yers don’t really want to hear advice from you, but they do want feedback. They are open to feedback, but want to have it in shorter bursts and in a more straightforward way than you are perhaps used to giving.

Coaching Gen Yers will be more informal, more relational and more value-based than you may have experienced when coaching older generations. You might also expect them to want to give YOU some feedback and coaching (we talk about the concept of reverse coaching in Chapter 26). We can learn a lot from the Gen Y perspective and it would be arrogant not to listen to them and accept that they could also reverse mentor and coach us.

Gen Yers do not necessarily feel that they are well managed. A third (32 per cent) feel the way they are managed is below or greatly below their expectations, so as managers we would be well advised to get closer to the graduates and better understand their expectations of us as managers and leaders. We have said that Gen Y graduates want to be valued and respected, but 29 per cent responded that they did not feel valued or respected. Again, by doing more coaching and mentoring with the Gen Y graduates, we can show them the respect that they need, and also find out more about their needs and potential. Worryingly, 20 per cent are unhappy with the extent that they can use their abilities and knowledge in their organisations.

Cross-cultural Gen Y

The research tends to show that these findings are not limited to UK graduates but transcend national boundaries. That is, Gen Yers have more in common with each other than with national stereotypes. Research undertaken by Ashridge in the GCC countries in the Middle East shows that Gen Yers there also want a coaching style of management rather than a command and control one. In France, a recent study by the bank BNP confirms that Generation Z (the next generation that you’ll be coaching) also want a flatter hierarchy, a coaching style of management, flexibility, work–life balance and a sense of purpose and meaning (BNP Paribas 2015). Again, Ashridge’s research shows that Middle Eastern, Indian and Malaysian Gen Yers also want a coaching/mentoring relationship rather than a directive style of management.

In summary, it is clear that Gen Yers (and Generation Z) want to be mentored and coached, and treated with respect. They want a very different style of management and leadership, one that echoes the words of Sir David Bell – they want to work with you, not for you.

Tips for success

• Be aware that Gen Y colleagues expect coaching as part of their development.
  
• Don’t fall into the trap of giving advice prematurely.
  
• Gen Yers believe in equality so work with them; don’t tell them what to do. They, more than many others, want to develop their own solutions and plans.