We've moved the goal posts!

It's already time for the February addition of #Thrive! Wasn't it Christmas yesterday?...

Once again I am looking at engagement in the workplace and how we can help it to get better.

Today I want to talk about how those joining the workplace in 2024 can thrive.

Gen Z get a lot of grief, there is much said about lack of work ethic, social and communication skills and all round resilience, hence the rather unfair 'snowflake' descriptor.

I acknowledge that due to various long term societal trends, social media being a big one, there is some truth in the above. However there are two key points I would raise:

1) Any of us are the outcome of the family and society around us. If there are some issues new to this generation, they were caused by the generation that came before. So stop giving them grief, and consider the new skills they bring and how you can help them learn some of the skills they didn't pick up so far in their education.

2) I have come to believe we have moved the goal posts, we have higher expectations of graduates entering the workforce today than we once did.

How would I support this?

I base my view on two key trends, technological and social.

First lets look at technology.

Some take the view that technology makes life easier, I would disagree, it makes life faster. The pace at which any reasonable successful team moves at today, is much faster than it once was.

In my own industry the volume of interactions, processes and outcomes one can manage at one time is beyond the comprehension of someone in the industry 25 years ago.

AI is accelerating this further and faster. It is doubling down on the fact that when we can cover so much process so quickly what is left of value is the core human skill set. That skill set of empathy, communication, self awareness, influence, creativity etc. is in increasingly high demand, it is what we now need humans to be.

I had a great conversation this week with a team from Stamford in regard 'Autonomous Agents' (next stage in AI application) and the trend I mentioned above is only accelerating.

Therefore graduates today cannot learn by simply doing the repetitive tasks, or the baseline admin type work as they once did. My clever SaaS system or AI can (or soon will) do it far more effectively and cost efficiently. So the graduate of today needs to be more mature, have a good IQ AND EQ and be able to apply those skills quicker and more effectively than we previously expected.

I know plenty of people who throw around the term snowflake who would have fallen flat on their face had they had to do the above...

Secondly, social.

It is a good thing that we have broken down previous social boundaries, it opens up society to a far wider group of people to bring their skill and talents into a welcoming work place. However we should acknowledge the complexity this ads for those entering work.

Once upon a time (not that long ago! 😀) most people (white collar workers), worked in the same environment (office), they wore the same clothes (suit or equivalent), they communicated in very similar ways within a very similar hierarchy. Everyone started off with the basics and slowly learnt their skill set and grew from there.

Now every singly one of those points is a potential minefield for a new starter to the workplace.

From their perspective;

What do a I wear? No idea... I can work just from home! Oh hang on, now I feel lonely and I'm not learning very quickly and I'm not sure how to speak with my colleagues when I meet them. I know I need to communicate more professionally than with my mates, but what does that mean? My team is diverse, great! But my team has four different nationalities, has a range of neurodiversity, and two of my colleagues are gender fluid. I like this, but I'm confused how best to interact with such a range of different people, best I just keep my head down and say nothing. My clients are a media firm in East London who are very similar to my team, but I'm also working with an internationally focussed city law firm who are much more traditional and I've just picked up a family run regional firm in Lincoln. I said the same thing to my new client that I'd said to my media client and I offended them, I'm so confused! I rarely see my boss as he works from home. He never used to, but since Covid he just loves walking his dogs every day and not having to commute...

I am perhaps painting some extremes to make the point, but I can 100% point to teams where the above description is a reality.

The skills, especially EQ, and maturity required to successfully navigate and thrive in the modern work environment far outweigh those required to enter the more 'traditional' workplace.

Let's be honest, we've moved the goal posts.

Consider that as you bring on graduates this year, consider how you can best help them to thrive! 😀

Please share this if you feel it is of value and I'll get working on next months edition!

If you ever want to discuss any of the topics raised drop me a line.

AND FINALLY - Podcast tip for the month:

The Rich Roll Podcast - If you have any interest in ANY form of self-development he consistently interviews a stream of inspiring people with lots to pass on.

Have a great month! 😀