© Gilbert L. Hoffer, Ph.D., PsyCor, Inc. Blue Bell, PA November 12, 2015 © Gilbert L. Hoffer,...

© Gilbert L. Hoffer, Ph.D., PsyCor, Inc. • Blue Bell, PA • November 12, 2015© Gilbert L. Hoffer, Ph.D., PsyCor, Inc. May 1, 2001 215-283-9322

Transitioning Leadership

Boomers to Millennials

PA Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (PAMIC)Harrisburg, PA

November 12, 2015

Gilbert L. Hoffer, Ph.D.President

PsyCor, Inc.

© Gilbert L. Hoffer, Ph.D., PsyCor, Inc. • PAMIC • Harrisburg, PA • November 12, 2015

© Gilbert L. Hoffer, Ph.D., PsyCor, Inc. • Blue Bell, PA • November 12, 2015

Psychometric Research Reveals

– More psychological variance within than across generations

– Generation differences that do make a difference are created by context


Engagement Is Key70% of employees

Not fully engaged or actively disengaged from their jobs

Keys to improving the engagement of Millennials

Engaging WorkplaceConduct annual surveys, listen to feedback, identify engagement drivers

Purposeful WorkHelp employees understand the importance of their work in relation to the

company’s overall mission

Giving BackOrganize volunteer projects and reward employees for their charity


Discovering and Developing Leaders

Discovering and developing the next generation of leaders requires:

Finding and pursuing common ground

Respecting and leveraging differences


Discovering and Developing Leaders

?


What Makes A Leader?

FOLLOWERS


We Recognize Superior Leaders

Not for who they are

Not for what they do

But for the consequences of their influence


Superior Leaders

Make a Real Difference

In Thought

In Action

Leadership Matters


Universal Leadership Competencies

The two most important

at any level

From Team Leader to Board Chair


Universal Leadership Competencies

Intellectual InquisitivenessThe best leaders focus on what they don’t know

[to better leverage what they know]

Personal AdaptabilityThe best leaders focus on being/doing what others need from them

[not on being/doing what they prefer]


When Is Leadership Required?

When more than one person is needed to get something done


What Are The Essential Elements Of Leadership?

Setting DIRECTION

Gaining ALIGNMENT

Building COMMITMENT


Colleague Discussiojn

1. Think of a leadership example ofa success or failure

2. Discuss how each of these elements contributed to the outcome


Current Leaders Should Scan Their Talent Pool

For Those Who DemonstrateSignificant and relevant intellectual curiosity

Capacity to adapt to what others need from them

For those Proactively Engaged inProviding Direction

Gaining Alignment Building Commitment


Respecting and Leveraging Differences

Boomers: Born 1945-1964 (ages 51-70)Career path, goal setting paradigm

Age + Time + Experience = Status and SalaryMaking mistakes kills careers

Gen X: Born 1965-1979 (ages 36-50) Organizational loyalty was no longer rewarded

Leaders failed their parents —too many layoffs with “restructuring”First generation not expecting to be as well off as their parents

First generation not expecting to be as well off as their parents


Respecting and Leveraging Differences

Millennials: Born 1980-2000 (ages 15-35)Career path paradigm

Latest skills = Status (get good at what you do)Making mistakes can be an efficient way to learn

Skill set determines where you are in the organizationLeadership is rotationalCorner office is not appealing

Happy sitting the corner coffeeshop with their laptop, tablet or smartphone — staying connected and current


Contributors to the Millennial Psyche

Influenced byMovies Interactive Video Games

What they learnedYouth can successfully battle adultsDon’t read directionsLook for rules and politics intuitivelyRisk and failure are fast ways to learnHow you learn is more valuable than what you learnMulti-player, multi –level, team-playing


What Milennials Learned - Continued

As you go through the gameLeadership roles rotate No one is an authority roleSuccess depends on peer-to-peer speedSpeed is paramount to learning

Developed a JIT mentalityBe ready to discard what you have learned because

it may not be helpful at the next level


Boomer Toys And Games Were Linear

What they learnedFollow directions carefully toComplete increasingly more complex chanllenges

Erector sets, chemistry sets, cooking sets, etc.

Errors needed to be avoidedThey lead to costly delays

Broken toys or lower competitive status


New World for Boomer Parents

• Children had become economic liabilities — no longer assets• Appliances made housework less time consuming• Small children no longer safely tucked into cribs until old enough to

begin to help — there help was no longer needed• Why have them?

– Genetic drive to perpetuate the species needed a new “motive”– Child value became emotional reward for the adults

• Women no longer Housewives– Stay at Home Moms (Dads)– Helicopter parents begin to appear

• Dad’s became more engaged in child rearing• Video games — More complelling than outdoor play


Child Centered Parenting

ParentsWere encouraged to treat kids as equals

Rather than prepare children to enter the adult world Parents were finding ways to enter the child’s world

No longer authority figures to be obeyedThey became “peers”

Conversations changed Children have a voice in family affairs — without

earning it


Child Centered Teaching

TeachersAddressed by first nameGave children more personal choices

How and what would be studied

Self esteem paramount Effort valued more than performanceLess right and wrong grading

More collaborative, team-based projects


Information & Authority — Boomers Vs Millennials

BoomersAsk themselves: “What do I need to know?”Listen to authority figures

Learn what they are told to learnRespect the chain of command and win them over

MillennialsAsk themselves: “How can I find out what I need to

know when I need to know it?”

Evaluate their leadersHow relevant, current and useable is their

knowledge?


Rank order of Work Factors: Millennials vs Bosses

Important Things to Millennials in Rank Order

What Millennials Want What their Bosses Believe Millennials Want

Meaningful Work 30% High Pay 48%

High Pay 27% High Level of Responsibility 12%

Sense of Accomplishment 24% Meaningful Work 11%

High Level of Responsibility 3% Sense of Accomplishment 11%

Total Percentage Accounted for 84% 82%


Employee Benefits Desired By Millennials

Benefits most valued by employees

Training and Development 22%

Flexible Working Hours 19%

Cash Bonuses 14%

Remaining 12 benefits 1 - 8%


Future Leader Dialogue And Development Process

Stop , Look and Listen

Conduct a series of learning exchangesOpen to anyone interested in joining the conversation



Questions to consider — Individual Perspectives

1. What makes you think that this firm may or may not experience successful leadership succession?

2. What needs to happen for current leadership to move forward with transition planning/execution?

3. What would it take for the younger colleagues to give serious consideration to preparing for a leadership role in the organization?

4. What could increase your interest in playing an important roll in the future of this firm

5. What changes in leadership expectations may be needed for the next generation of leaders to come forward? (personal, social, community)



Individual Perspectives – Continued

6. What could help this happen?7. What obstacle if any may keep this from happening?8. What would you like to see be taken into account

when deciding who should become a member of the leadership team?



Questions to consider — Strategic Business Issues

1. What increases or decreases your confidence in the economic sustainability or growth of the firm

2. What surprising or disruptive developments are occurring in our industry


Intergenerational Actions

• Mutual mentorship — formal and/or informal methods to encourage mutual sharing and learning of knowledge, skills and contextual factors

• Facilitated experiential workshops– Such as “Cracking the Millennial Code: Understanding

the Behavioral Communication Styles of each Generation

• by Brad Szollose, author of Liquid Leadership: From Woodstock to Wikipedia

Contact info: [email protected]


Concluding Observations

• No generation has developed a better grasp of reality than another — experience accumulates to form a world view that fits the context that surrounds it

• The “coming transfer of leadership” in the US has begun and will take about two decades to complete — followed by the next generation transition

• Generational contrasts and gaps can be difficult to navigate due to the increasing complexity and the speed of change

• The millennial psyche is better prepared to more flexibly adapt to the rapidly developing challenges before them


Concluding Observations

• To thrive or perhaps just survive present leadership needs to: – Require senior leaders to create safety nets that support younger

professionals/emerging leaders whenthey challenge the status quo by identifying issues and suggest solutions to address them

– Place a value on rapid and shared learning from mistakes rather than demand error-free plans or solutions

– Encouraging support younger professionals/emerging leaders to proactively reduce their information gap by seeking out and listening carefully to the lessons learned by experienced colleagues who have survived previous mistakes and “lived” to tell the story, regardless of the their current role


Thank You

It has been a pleasure

Gilbert L. Hoffer, Ph.D.President

PsyCor, Inc.

215-283-2596 [email protected]

© Gilbert L. Hoffer, Ph.D., PsyCor, Inc. Blue Bell, PA November 12, 2015 © Gilbert L. Hoffer,...

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