Author: Dan Negroni

Next Generation Coaching (AI Based) for the Worker of the Future

Shifting from Boss to Coach/Mentor is critical for employee experience and the Worker of the Future. As leaders and managers, we must understand this evolution and get it right. People need to feel seen, heard, and celebrated. They don’t want to be just another butt in a seat at an office. The worker of the future wants their work to mean something, to be personal to them, and to get real, individualized support on their career growth.

With many workplaces engaging in hybrid, remote or even contingent work, it’s harder than ever to not only engage your entire workforce, but ensure they’re getting the coaching, mentoring, and development support they need to be their best selves and crush performance.

Enter AI coaching.

AI coaching is in its incipiency, and here to enhance rather than take away from human coaches. People like myself who have spent years training and developing a coaching style that creates real results want to be able to provide more at all levels and AI provides access for all. AI coaching is a critically important to supplement all workplaces and contingent workers.

How AI Coaching Will Shape the Worker of the Future

One of the most important attributes of AI coaching systems and services like Fingerprint for Success, evoach, the Rocky.AI chatbot, and others is that they can be delivered on demand. In our hyper-connected world where we’re using to having data and information available at our fingertips, AI coaching is an on-demand service that your employees can access anywhere and anytime. Just as remote and hybrid work have shifted to allow people more autonomy to get their work done during their personal peak productivity (whether that’s 4am or 11pm), AI coaching allows people to get real-time feedback on their problems and challenges so they can continue to learn, grow, and push through their own limitations.

AI coaching also harnesses the power of big data, culling from millions of data points about people, their characteristics, their behaviors, and our history as a species to make personalized suggestions for growth. In a way, AI coaching is like having access to a brain that knows everything about everyone, allowing your workers to benefit from top-tier insights. It’s similar to how human coaches work, drawing on their personal experiences, their training, and their past successes coaching others with similar struggles to prescribe a course of action for you. The difference lies in the amount of data AI has access to and how it synthesizes that data into a personalized plan. And, of course, the humanness of the interaction.

AI Coaching – Unlocking the Workplace of the Future

The future of work is not one to many – it’s one to one. AI coaching helps workplaces overcome the financial and logistical hurdles to ensure everyone has access to mentoring, coaching, and support to be their best and do their best. It democratizes coaching for all.

Imagine your organization employs 76,000 people – that’s roughly how many people work at Meta right now. Now, imagine you are all in and committed to shifting your workplace culture to one of coaching and mentoring. You decide that in addition to empowering your leadership to coach and mentor their teams, you want to hire human coaches to grow all your people so they can continue to succeed in the new world of work. You calculate that one coach can work with fifty of your employees. If you want every single one of your employees to have access to a coach, you would need 1,520 coaches.

Enter AI. With the help of AI coaching services and chatbots, you calculate that one coach can now double the number of employees they can work with, one hundred each. Now you need half as many coaches as you did before, saving you tons of money and labor hours. You also find that your employees do even better because they can access the on-demand AI coaching whenever they need it to coach themselves and then supplement their learning with personalized sessions with their human coach.

That is why I find AI coaching so interesting and exciting. It makes building a true workplace culture that is founded on coaching and mentoring possible.

Limitations and Challenges of AI Coaching

People need people. They always have and they always will. While AI coaching offers incredible advantages and possibilities for the worker of the future, it cannot replace the benefits of working one-to-one with an experienced human coach who really gets who YOU are.

AI coaching systems and chatbots are really smart, but they excel at synthesizing and regurgitating information. Yes, they have access to millions of data points, but they lack the creativity and innovation of the human mind. That is why AI coaching should go hand-in-hand with human coaching.

Relationships matter. Working with a coach is not a transactional experience. It’s one that grows and develops over time as both people get to really know each other and form a deep connection. This is what makes the coach/mentor and mentee relationship so powerful. You’re accessing wisdom, advice, and support for your career and self, but you’re also forging a bond founded on respect and partnership.

What do you think of the AI coaching revolution? Are you excited? Inspired? Frightened? Leave me a comment below or send me a message and let’s chat. If you’re looking for a coach to help you up the game, click here to learn more about my coaching services.

Are You a Toxic Leader?

Toxic leaders can devastate a workforce. They may be in charge of the most talented people in the industry, but if they lead in a toxic way, much of that talent will go to waste. A good leader will not only bring out the best in their employees, they will also push them past their limits, allowing them to reach their fullest potential. Learn to identify your toxic leadership traits and you will be able to lead more effectively. You will also reduce your stress and improve overall productivity within your work environment.

Do You Find Yourself Exhausted and Unfilled at the End of the Day?

When you’re stressed, angry, or upset, you don’t function efficiently. You tend to be irritable and often spend more time finding things to complain about than finding solutions to problems. You’re always looking to find fault with others before you look for faults within yourself. This constant and intense expenditure of energy can leave us exhausted at the end of the day. You may feel as if you accomplished nothing and that your entire day was wasted.

Are You Angry or Frustrated All the Time?

If you notice that you’re angry or frustrated most of the time, ask yourself why. The key to being a good leader is knowing your leadership style and finding ways to maximize your own potential. Be creative. Find where your passion lies. Do you enjoy the work you do? If so, then focus on finding your joy in helping others be productive. If not, consider finding a different job. Being angry and frustrated just minimizes your effectiveness as a leader. Take the time to relax and look for ways to enjoy what you do.

Do Your Employees Feel Valued and Appreciated?

A toxic leader rarely recognizes the true value of the people they work with. If you want to become a better leader, take the time to get to know your employees. Find their strengths and weaknesses. Help them identify their talents and then give them the tools and resources they need to make the most of their abilities. Show them how appreciative you are of the effort they put into the work they do. Recognize both individual and team efforts so that everyone can be proud of their efforts.

Do You Find Yourself Taking on the Majority of the Work?

A toxic leader will often take on the majority of the work because they don’t have faith in their employees. This can lead to resentment and may cause employees to not put in the effort they should. If you want to maximize your employees’ potential, encourage them. Delegate duties and then help each employee do a better job. They can only improve if you give them the guidance and support they need to succeed. Instead of stressing over the work, give your employees a chance to learn more and take on more responsibility.

When Was the Last Time You Practiced Self-Care?

The best way to get the most out of your workforce is to lead by example. This includes self-care and encouraging your employees to express themselves. Many employees don’t take time off because they are made to feel as if they aren’t trying hard enough when they do. Speaking their mind can get them in trouble as well. Take a day off when you need it and allow your team to work on their own. Encourage them to speak up when they have a question, concern, or an idea that may be useful. Taking time away and self-expression are great ways to keep the mind clear and more focused on the tasks at hand.

Do You Lack Enthusiasm or Passion?

Another toxic leadership trait is the lack of enthusiasm or passion that many leaders begin to feel when they no longer enjoy what they do. When you get to that point, it’s time to take a short break. Meet with your team and ask them what changes they would like to see in the workplace. Let them be more involved in some of the decision-making steps. Their ideas may be just what you need to find your passion again. Toxic leadership can be the result of depression, anxiety, addiction, or other mental health disorders. Consider talking to a counselor and looking for ways to get back into the swing of things. Becoming a good leader is a learning process. Find your own leadership style and continue to grow with your employees. Working together can bring out the best in both of you.

Three Resilient Career Paths You Should Pursue At The End Of The Pandemic

(Today we’re sharing a guest post from our friends over at Career Karma. With the world starting to open up again, you might be thinking about your next career move. Though no one can predict the future, these three jobs may be among the most resilient choices you can make.)

With vaccines being developed and released for the Covid-19 pandemic, it almost seems as if the end may be in sight. Unfortunately, this virus has certainly done a large amount of damage around the world by putting millions of people out of work and disrupting general trends within the workforce. In fact, American unemployment peaked at a distressing 14.7 percent back in April and has only slowly been recovering.

 If you are a part of the millions who were laid off, rest assured knowing that there are still actions you can take. Not every industry has been completely disrupted due to the pandemic, and there are a number of resilient career paths that anyone can choose to follow and succeed in. Pursuing one of these paths may lead to a long-lasting career, but be sure to choose a path that resonates with your skills and interests.

UX Design

For those who don’t consider themselves to be tech-savvy, pursuing UX design is a fantastic choice. Unlike a more extensive tech profession, becoming a UX designer does not require as many technical skills, such as coding. Becoming a member of this field requires an eye for aesthetics and design thinking, which makes it one of the most accessible tech fields to enter.

As the future comes nearer and nearer, web designers are going to be needed at an increasing rate. Without web designers, the Internet would be full of raw websites that aren’t appealing to the eye. After all, the best way to convince someone to interact with your site is for it to catch their eye.

Contrary to popular belief, a career such as this doesn’t require an extra degree from a traditional institution. Opt instead to attend an accelerated web design bootcamp that can teach you how to become a web designer in a matter of months. Choosing this path and networking to find professionals in your area who you can learn from will help you to set up a successful career in the coming years.

Data Science

Data science is a unique field that not many typically consider. The reason it hasn’t been considered as much in the past is due to its high barrier to entry. Previously, a master’s degree was required to enter this field, but the rise in online education has taken this barrier and shattered it.

 Now, anyone with data analysis skills and an eye for sifting through large amounts of data has the potential to enter this field. InfoWorld has projected that the US alone may have as many as 250,000 job openings for data science by 2024. Clearly, this is a field that has only grown in importance as the number of computers, websites, and subsequent data have increased over the years.

 As mentioned, the barrier to entry that was a master’s degree has been partially removed by new forms of education. New data science bootcamps, as covered on Bootcamp Rankings, have the ability to teach students everything they need to know about the field in a matter of months. With an average length of just over a year, these bootcamps are a great choice for working professionals, or those looking to get back in the workforce.

Coding

Coding as a general skill can help you land many jobs and open new doors that were previously closed to you. The skill became prominent over the last decade and has resulted in a number of jobs being created. Languages such as Python, Java, HTML, and C++ rule the industry, and developing skills in any of these can help you stand out in the future.  

As with data science and web design, there are bootcamp you can attend, completely online of course, that will teach you anything and everything about your chosen coding language. This is a great strategy for anyone who just lost their job, or is simply looking to develop an impactful skill in their free time.

Conclusion

A global pandemic isn’t something anybody could have predicted 2020 would have in store, but we all had to roll with the punches regardless. We are fortunate that it seems the pandemic is coming to an end in the near future, but there are still many pieces to put back together. Don’t be afraid to jump into a new career that will last you for years to come.

The 5 Tools You Need for Great Communication and Feedback in the Remote Workplace

The 5 Tools you need for Great Communication and Feedback in the Workplace

We get inquiries all the time from people who are seeking strategies and tools to deliver effective communication and feedback in the workplace. Why? Because we all generally (technical term here) suck at communication and relationships and they really, really matter. Now more than ever in this new era of remote and disconnected work, we must hear each other clearly. With 60-93% of all communication happening nonverbally (depending on which study you’re referencing), there’s not a lot of room for mistakes. We must be able to effectively communicate with others, no matter what the medium, if we want to be successful in the rapidly evolving future world of work.

Below, we’ve compiled 5 of our best tools for the most effective communication and feedback in the “new” workplace:

Listen More Than You Speak

One of the most important tools for effective communication and feedback in the workplace is to practice the art of actually listening to the person you’re speaking to. Too many times we ask questions without bothering to listen to the answer. Your ears are the #1 most important communication tool you have! Yet, we’re often too busy thinking about what we’re going to say next or worrying about something else entirely to really listen to the person who’s speaking. So, make the commitment to listen more than you speak – it will shift your focus from “self” to “others” which is a critical component of relationship building.

Give Feedback 365

The old way of annual performance reviews is dead and has been dead for a long time. The workplace changes too rapidly, especially in this era of forced remote work, for annual reviews to be of practical use to us. Instead, give real-deal feedback in the moment when it’s needed. When you give continuous feedback to employees, peers, clients, and even your bosses, you allow for iterative micro-adjustments. We’re not always going to get everything right or have the correct response for every situation. Feedback allows for those tiny shifts that can add up to massive change to actually happen.

Ask Great Questions

You’ve heard me say this over and over again. Learn how to ask great questions. It is one of the most effective communication tools in your toolbox. Great questions are open-ended, nonjudgmental, supportive, and help you go deeper to mine for the crystals below the surface. The power of the question can move a room, create trust in an instant, create empathy and connection immediately. Questions are a lifeline in communication, and don’t forget to listen to the answer for the follow up of a whopper question. If you’re not sure how to ask great questions, pick up a copy of Chasing Relevance or reach out to us for help.

Communicate Better

If you’re reading this post, you’re probably looking for ways to up your communication game and learn how to better connect with others. One of the most effective ways to do that is to change the way you communicate. Adopt our GPS Communication Strategy and watch how your conversations and relationships change. GPS stands for Gratitude, Permission, and Shared Experience. It’s a framework you can apply to every conversation, but especially the tough ones. Click here to check it out. Let’s practice anytime you need it.

Recognize What is Needed from Your People and Celebrate Success

Finally, we must make a habit of recognizing the good and bad and speaking of them and celebrating all the wins from big to small. Beyond fostering stronger relationships with our team members, recognizing the status, fatigue or challenges and speaking of them creates trust and empathy. People feel heard and part of the tribe. Of course, recognizing the successes throughout and the wins also allows you to give positive feedback in the moment (remember Feedback 365) and reinforces the behaviors you want to continue. Plus, everyone likes to feel like they’re understood and doing a good job, that they’re making a difference, and that what they do has meaning.

When it comes to effective communication and feedback in the workplace, it isn’t something you perfect overnight or that you ever even master. Instead, it’s something that needs constant attention and cultivation if you want to reap the benefits. However, with the right tools, tips, and strategies at your disposal, you can up your game quickly and create success. If you liked the concepts we shared in this article, reach out to learn how we can support you with personalized, on-demand coaching, workshops, and training for yourself and your team. Make sure to ask us about our new coaching product, Hooga!

Employee Development in the Virtual Workplace Matters Now More Than Ever

Employee development really matters. It always has. But now look at this: we’re all working remotely, interacting virtually, and dealing with uncertainty, stress, and anxiety surrounding the pandemic. It’s never been more important to invest in employee development, especially for the younger generations, Millennials and Gen Zs. They want to matter in the workplace and want a career plan. We all did. How do we know all this? Easy, we just asked them! They’re human beings, too.

In Deloitte’s recent Global Millennial Survey, they found that 41% of Millennials and 43% of Gen Zs expressed concern over their longer-term financial future. Similarly, 40% of Millennials and 46% of Gen Zs worried about their job or career prospects. From start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, in diving deeper, they discovered that respondents felt less confident that they possessed all of the skills and knowledge necessary for future success.

Guess what employers – you have to be the guide! As an employer, it’s your job to make sure your people get what they need from your organization. And organizations that provide that support outperform their counterparts. It does not just happen and how you do training and mentoring matters. Good news, while the Deloitte survey found that companies are doing a better job of this (with 65% of Millennials and 68% of Gen Zs saying their employers are providing enough support in this area) we need to be doing more to win. Investing in your people is one of the key ways to make sure your organization not only survives this pandemic but thrives in the world that comes after.

At launchbox, here is how we help. We know each client is different and they need customized products and solutions to reach their goals. Increase your employee development offerings in the months ahead with these 3 simple ways to give your people what they need and want to achieve success:

 

Virtual Workshops

In this disconnected world, help your team pull together to solve the disconnect because we can’t afford for our people to be anything other than highly engaged in the workplace. We need them to bring their best selves to work every day. Offer a transformative system that will help your team find, build, and share connection. Then empower them through simple and unique tools and strategies to own their growth and get to that next level.

 

On-Demand Training

We’ve worked with thousands of young Millennials and Gen Zs and if there’s one thing we know about them, it’s this: they want things on their own terms. And that includes access to employee development training. MEET THEM WHERE THEY ARE. Try a system for coaching and mentoring that is sustainable over time. We use virtual training systems that employees can access anywhere on-demand called Hooga, however, just make sure they can access people when they need help. Help your people figure out how to work from the inside out, to discover who they are, and the value they have to contribute to the world. Then show them how to use their learnings about their own Strengths & Story to connect with others and build better relationships. Ask us how you can try Hooga for free today!

 

Individual One-on-One Coaching

For the employee, manager, or executive who desires to take their development to the next level, we believe in direct individual or group high-performance coaching that is tailored to the needs of the individual. Make sure you place an emphasis on creating a connection to self first, so they can then build the tools to win with others. Through one-on-one coaching you will help them discover, develop, and articulate their own impact: we call it Strengths & Story. Once you help them become self-reliant and create the work competency of knowing who they are, you can believe they will better connect to coworkers, team, boss, clients, etc. to deliver value and create greater impact for them and you.

 

The world as we knew it has changed. It’s time for us to step up and invest in developing next-generation leaders within our own organizations. We are here to help! If you’re not sure how to start, click here to reach out and book a free call with us.

Connecting in the Virtual Workplace: B.R.I.D.G.E. the Gap

Now the need for connected and engaged workforces has never been greater, thanks to COVID-19! Remote and separate work is killing us. Our 5-year focus has been connecting the generations in the workplace. We developed a winning workplace formula to connect the Millennials, Gen Zs, and every generation. B.R.I.D.G.E. the Gap.

Companies of all sizes and shapes around the world are now forced to confront heightened culture issues inside the workplace.  The need for a system to help them B.R.I.D.G.E. the gap around generation, gender, race, religion, whatever, is daunting. Our workplace connection system is guaranteed to work when companies authentically believe and deploy it.

FACT: The most important life/work skill is relationship building. The ability to build relationships is your connection currency. B.R.I.D.G.E. is a 6-step framework that solves today’s most challenging workplace issues. Learn more about how to B.R.I.D.G.E. the Generation and Diversity Gap below and if you’d like help implementing, reach out to us.

B.R.I.D.G.E. the Gap in Your Workplace

 

B: Bust Myths

No matter what specific challenge you’re facing in your workplace, it starts by checking your assumptions at the door. We all buy in to myths, biases and beliefs about the people we work with that may or may not be true. But make a commitment right here, right now, to stop placing people in a box. Instead, lean in and really listen. Understand and welcome that diversity, it creates better business results – just check out this study from Deloitte. If you connect to yourself by busting myths you are free to inquire and listen to your own strengths.  Once you understand yourself, you’re ready to engage with others to find the strengths in them. Busting myths starts with understanding and identifying what people are really bringing to the table – not the baggage or labels you’ve assigned to them.  That is what leaders that transform the workplace do.

R: Real Deal

Authenticity and trust are two of the most important ingredients for creating strong relationships and real leadership. And, now that we’re all working remote and dealing with the uncertainty, anxiety, and frustration of life during a pandemic, it’s become more important than ever that your workplace colleagues know you’re there for them. Be interested and interesting.  Care and put in the effort to be vulnerable.  It pays in connection currency.  Stop making excuses and blaming others (colleagues, friends, etc.) and start becoming genuinely interested in your team, their ideas, solutions, and strategies. Challenge yourself to learn as much as you can about everyone: What makes them tick? What motivates them? What inspires them?  What are their goals? Simply ask great questions and then go deeper to form rock-solid relationships.  My 19-year-old son told me this week that the greatest gift I gave him was the ability to understand, practice, and shape question asking. He said with that he could enter any room of 200 and find something in common with every person and build relationships.  Now I want to test that skill.  Anyone have a room of 200 during COVID?

I: I Own It

Let’s face it: it’s easier to blame others and make it someone else’s problem when you don’t have to hang out with them in the break room or stare at their cubicle all day. But real leaders step up and own their side of the street. When things go wrong, take responsibility. And when things go right, own that too. You must have personal accountability in everything you do if you want others to own their stuff, grow, change, and show up differently.  You want to change the world change yourself because what happens to you is because of you.

D: Deliver Value

If you’re familiar with my views, you know I’m always talking about delivering value to others. Without that, you’re dead to me and everyone else. Value is a big freakin’ deal! I believe if you show up, serve, and focus on how to consistently give values to others, your life and your results will change tremendously. So how do you personally connect, mentor, lead, motivate, engage, and add value to those around you? Where are you crushing it and where could you do better? And has it changed since the pandemic began? When will you recapture some of the magic you had before you went remote? And, how?

G: Goals in Mind

In the virtual workplace, it’s more important than ever that people have a clear sense of what a company’s goals are and what the vision is for the future. A shared vision and shared goals allow people to get into alignment with each other, regardless of their differences or past experiences. If you’re a leader, it’s up to you to create that vision and then lead with transparency and purpose. If you’re a team member, check in with yourself and ask great questions like: How does what I do help achieve the company’s goals? Why am I important to the company? Most importantly, given the radical changes we’ve gone through, what goals in mind do you have for workforce development?  Now more than ever, adapting to change in economies is not just about cost-cutting and risk assessment, it’s about finding and training the right leaders that will persevere in the new uncertainty. DO you have a system for that goal? If so, it better relate to connecting people.

E: Empower Success

Our signature program, Strengths & Story, centers on helping individuals discover and articulate their own strengths to others. Why do we focus on highlighting strengths rather than correcting weaknesses? Because we want to empower people and help them discover what is already special about them. Everyone has their own innate superpowers so help your team recognize and cultivate their gifts. Then, celebrate them when they succeed!

 

As we went through the B.R.I.D.G.E. acronym, I hope you noticed that even though we’re using B.R.I.D.G.E. as a means to close the gap between self and others, we kept the focus on the self – specifically, on you! That’s no accident. The only person we can control in all situations in ourselves. So creating change and getting the results we want starts with us doing the work from the inside out. If you need help stepping up and becoming the leader you want to be, we offer personalized, on-demand coaching. Contact us to learn more about what we can do for you and your team!

How Millennials and Gen Zs Are Navigating the Pandemic: Stress and Resilience Revisited for the Young

Each year, Deloitte releases their annual survey about the youngest generations in the workforce, Millennials and Gen Zs. I look forward to their report because it’s full of valuable research and statistics we use to inform much of the work we do here at launchbox by bridging the gaps with our clients.

Conducting a study of this size and magnitude is a serious undertaking that takes months and months of work. So what do you do when a global pandemic arrives and changes the world as we know it almost overnight? If you’re Deloitte, you take your original research and back it up with a pulse survey to see how some of the original respondents are faring amidst extreme change. Then, you use that data to publish a survey that offers one of the most informative and well-researched pictures of how young people are doing at work and at home even as they face an uncertain future.

Hint: they’re doing better than a lot of us would have thought. And the younger they are, the better they’re doing with uncertainty.

Below, we break down some of the key findings in the 2020 Deloitte survey and what this means for employers who are struggling to connect their remote employees to each other and their teams.

 

Key Finding #1: Millennials and Gen Zs Are Less Stressed Now Than They Were and That Means No More Business as Usual

Deloitte’s original survey was conducted between November 2019 and the early weeks of 2020. In that survey, 48% of Gen Z respondents and 44% of Millennial respondents reported that they were “stressed all or most of the time.” But in the pulse survey Deloitte conducted in April and May of 2020, they discovered an 8% decrease in stress for both generations. This is despite the fact that about 25-30% of respondents actually lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. Pretty crazy what a huge reset will do to a generation or two.

What does this mean for employers? It means that many of your younger employees aren’t going to want to go back to business as the old usual. For some, the pandemic has had measurable benefits and they’re going to want to keep them. Things like the ability to work remote, flexible schedules, a reduction in calendar obligations, and more. 69% of Millennials and 64% of Gen Zs reported that they believe having the option to work from home in the future would relieve stress. After the pandemic is over, 64% of Millennials and 60% of Gen Zs said they would like the option to work from a remote location from frequently. So as an employer, ask your people what they want from you and their workplace. What parts of life pre-pandemic do they miss? And what do they hope stays in the past? We know they miss connection – look at the bars! However, do they need work connection 24/7 like we thought? No. They want to be trusted and also have more control and freedom about how and where they live and work. Pandora’s box is open.

 

Key Finding #2: Job Loyalty is Increasing Amongst the Younger Generations

A common complaint I hear from the older generations is that Millennials and Gen Zs “aren’t loyal.” They job hop a lot and when something’s not working for them, they are quick to seek alternative employment rather than stick it out to see if it improves. It’s one thing I love about the youth – they refuse to settle for anything less than what they think they deserve.

Yet in Deloitte’s primary survey, and contrary to popular belief, “more millennials said they’d like to stay with their employers for at least five years than would prefer to leave within two years.” In fact, just 31% of Millennials respondents to the primary survey shared that they intend to leave their current employment within the next two years, down from 49% in 2019! Interesting because we are seeing this with our clients too. They really want more safety and belonging. If you trust them and grow them, they will want to stay. Imagine that.

Deloitte hypothesized that the increase in job loyalty amongst the younger generations is due to their employers doing a better job addressing their needs, creating a diverse and inclusive working environment, and supporting their development through training and mentorship, among other factors. Across both generations, 71% of respondents felt that their employers were doing a fairly good job at creating a working environment that is inclusive and diverse. And roughly 70% of Millennial and Gen Z respondents felt their employer was making a positive impact on the local community. As an employer, pay close attention to these findings. We know that some of the things young people want from their employers include opportunities to learn and grow, transparency, real-deal authentic communication, and purpose and contribution. Make sure you have a system in place that gives your people what they want. Need help? Reach out to us – we have actionable tips and hacks that will help you create that system inside your business.

 

Key Finding #3: The Pandemic Has Increased Individual Responsibility and Empathy

If there’s one thing we can all agree on about the pandemic, it’s that we’ve all been affected in one way or another. Some of us dramatically, others marginally. Yet the coronavirus pandemic has emerged as one of the defining moments in living history, uniting us against a common enemy. For our young people, it’s had the positive effects of increasing their empathy for others and encouraging them to get more involved in supporting their local community. In Deloitte’s pulse survey, 75% of respondents across both generations reported, “once restrictions are lifted, they will take actions that have a positive impact on their communities. Seven in ten said they already have done so.” Three-quarters of respondents also mentioned that the pandemic had made them more aware of and sympathetic towards the needs of different people around the world.

What does this mean for employers? It means your younger generations, who were already pre-disposed to wanting to make a difference by doing work that matters, have had their innate generational desire towards purpose and contribution reinforced by recent events. Which means you really have to get this right with them! You need to connect them to their purpose, help them see that the work they’re doing matters, and give them the tools to create impact for others. It’s a tall order, but we think you’re up to the challenge. And we recently launched a new virtual product, Strengths & Story, to help. Your employees will learn how to identify their strengths and connect to their story so they can create an impact that matters. Contact us to learn more about getting access to this product for your team.

 

Click Here to Read the Full 2020 Survey From Deloitte

 

Did any of these key findings surprise you? Are their areas you know you need help in? We’re here for you. We’ve helped companies from start-up to Fortune 500 bridge the gap in their workplaces and solve for success. Reach out to us to claim your complimentary call and learn what we can do to help you succeed!

What Your Millennial and Gen Z Employees Need From You Right Now

For the younger generations, Millennials and Gen Z, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will be particularly profound. For some of them, too young to feel the full weight of other recent, life-changing events like 9-11 and the 2008 market and jobs crash, this pandemic is their first exposure to real hardship. And, the most profound hardship most of us for any generation have experienced; it’s taking away the in-person human connection that is our primary source for safety and belonging. For other generations, the effects of the last recession, 9/11, wars, swine flu, still haven’t faded away.

As the employer and future employer, to the next leaders of our world and your workforce, you must truly understand this younger generation’s experience. And what they need from you in the workplace or the marketplace. They currently account for 38% of the workforce and by the end of the decade, 58% of employees will be either a Millennial or a Gen Z. If you and your business want to continue to survive and thrive in the new world of work, it’s not an option to ignore the needs of the younger generations and the effects the pandemic is having on them. You must meet them where they are and give them what they want in order to build your high-performance team and extend their reach to connecting with your clients. These generations actually account for 3 trillion dollars worth of annual spending!

Really, what Millennials or Gen Z employees want from their employers is no different than what any of us want. They just tend to be more vocal about it and more insistent that they get the support they’re seeking. This is one reason I love working with young people – they are absolutely determined to make it a better world and they’re not shy about going after it.

To help your Millennial and Gen Zs learn to be resilient from all the change we’ve had over the past few months and thrive, focus on these simple things:

 

Help Them Feel Safe

This is a big one and we covered it in our last blog. People need to feel safe at work. Physically safe (make sure they know the steps you’re taking to protect them from the virus), but also emotionally and psychologically safe. They need to know the workplace is a safe place to speak up, to tell it like it is, and to call out toxic or damaging behaviors. The depth and spread of the #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter movements have shown how much the younger generations value creating spaces of inclusivity, equality, and safety. As I tell all of my clients, listen and listen like a trampoline, meaning bounce back with even better questions.

 

Help Them Feel Like They Belong

We all want to feel like we’re part of something that matters and again, Millennials and Gen Zs are no different. They place a high value on finding workplaces that allow them to do work that is meaningful. And it’s up to you to make sure they can clearly see how their work has meaning and how it’s contributing to your overall organizational goals. If you need help, we’re here. We’ve helped hundreds of organizations and teams solve the crisis of disengagement by helping connect team members to their personal and professional purposes (their why) threaded to your corporate missions through our flagship online program, Strengths & Story.

 

Provide Access to Mentoring and Coaching Opportunities

Though COVID-19 has done away with a lot of our traditional ways of providing professional development through the method of sending our people off to workshops and conferences, the younger generations were craving something different even before the pandemic. In a recent blog, we discussed how today’s young workers want the freedom and flexibility to seek out their own mentors and coaches, to learn on demand and in the way that suits them, sometimes even informally. They also need to take ownership in their mentoring relationships. With our teams working remotely and feeling isolated, helping your young people access new mentoring and coaching opportunities and techniques is critical.

To help, we recently launched our online portal, Hooga, to provide a virtual and on-demand coaching options for your people to learn the principles of our Strengths & Story workshops. Reach out to us to find out how you can get access!

 

Show Them How to Build Resilience

With all the uncertainty and stress that’s invaded our lives recently, one of the most important things Millennial and Gen Z employees need from you is to learn how to build and cultivate their own resilience. Sometimes called “grit” but even deeper, a person’s resilience is simply a measure of their ability to bounce back quickly when things get tough. And things have never been tougher for our workers than the challenges of COVID-19.

We have a 3-step system you can use to help them build better resilience. Click here to check it out now.

 

Reskill Them on Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence is key for success in the future world of work. And with so much stress, anxiety, and uncertainty, people need people. We need to feel connected to each other and that we have strong relationships, whether it’s with our bosses, coworkers, clients, or friends and family. Make sure your younger employees are equipped with the skills they need to up their game when it comes to their own Emotional Intelligence. Learn how to reskill them and coach them on Emotional Intelligence here.

 

Your Millennial and Gen Z employees need you to step up and help them in the wake of COVID-19. Start here with these five ideas. If you need help implementing any of the above strategies or would like a personalized recommendation for your team, reach out to us to learn how we can support you to success.

The Case for Creating Safety and Belonging in the Workplace Has Never Been Clearer

As we get used to a new normal and over the shock and grief of COVID-19, it’s never been more important to care about our workplace. Our employees and teams really need a sense of safety and belonging. Both in the psychological and in the physical sense, as COVID-19 leaves us with new rules and regulations.

Simply put, if people don’t feel safe at work and if they don’t feel like they belong, they won’t do their best work. It really is that simple. The key to creating a successful culture that helps your company thrive and deliver high performance is to make sure your employees are safe. That means addressing their fears and concerns over their physical and psychological safety in a post-COVID19 world. Here’s how:

 

Ask, “What Can I Do Differently to Serve You?”

To solve any problem in your workplace, start by asking great questions. Questions that encourage the other person to go deep and really mine for the crystals so you can help solve for the challenges. I love these ideas from Google’s Head of People Analytics – start this week by asking these questions of every person on your team:

1) What am I doing now that you want me to continue to do?

2) What am I NOT doing frequently enough that you’d like to see more of?

3) What can I do to make you more effective?

Asking great questions demonstrates to the other person that you care about them, that you’re willing to listen, and you’ve got their back. When people know you care, they’ll trust you. Trust goes a long way toward creating a true culture of safety and belonging. In this new world you actually may want to share your procedures for physical safety and further check to see if they do feel physically safe and social distanced.

 

Ask, “What Makes Work Meaningful?”

We all want to do work that is meaningful, that makes a different for someone else or the world. With all this time at home, worrying about what’s going to happen to our families, our friends, our jobs, it’s got a lot of people thinking about what’s really important in life and questioning if they’re living in alignment with those principles.

Make sure you’re helping everyone on your team connect their work to their meaning and purpose. Help them see why they’re doing something and how it’s contributing to larger team or organizational goals. When people can see that they are part of something and helping to meaningfully create progress, they will feel that they belong. Again, COVID-19 is a game changer. Is there something you can do to help your employees or clients create meaning while protecting them at this time?

 

Seek to Reskill on Emotional Intelligence and Behaviors to Create Safety and Belonging

In previous articles we’ve discussed the importance of cultivating Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in our changing workplace. As we reenter the world and workforce with differing fears, anxieties, and stresses, demonstrating EQ has never been more important. Self + Others = Success. EQ helps us get there.

Reskill your team on the basics of EQ and make sure they understand how to really listen in a meaningful way, how to ask great questions, how to have empathy for the other person, and how to tap into their own strengths and story to connect. Also, make sure that you understand the real challenges of the current times and be sensitive to how they are feeling. Seek to address how their colleagues and clients may be feeling as well.

Check out our toolbox here for free resources you can use to help your people level up and let us know if we can help you apply them to our current day scenarios.

 

If you make a conscious choice to intentionally create a culture of safety and belonging, your team and company will thrive. We’ve seen it happen over and over again with our clients – and we’re sure these simple hacks will make the difference for you, too.

Need some support? Reach out to us – our Strength & Story system guarantees you will create a culture of safety and belonging and see real results with your team and business in 100 days or less. Contact us to find out more about how we can help you grow and thrive.

Where’s the Free Food and Ping-Pong Table? What New Hacks Will Solve the Innovation Vacuum in the Work-From-Home Economy?

The work-from-home revolution has been unleashed. While it’s true that the workplace and worker of the future were both already changing prior to our current global pandemic, this lockdown has cemented a new era.

Big headlines from some of the largest tech companies in the world are just the beginning of this new era. What will it do to our workplaces?

Jack Dorsey, the CEO of both Twitter and Square was the first to announce their “work-from-home forever” policy change. Other companies soon followed suit and last week we had the announcement from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg that the tech giant’s employees may also continue working from home indefinitely.

So what does this mean for cities that currently enjoy prestige as tech hotspots like San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Austin, and others? And more importantly, what does this mean for companies who have invested years and hundreds of thousands of dollars creating campuses stocked with free food, gyms, ping-pong tables, and more in an effort to attract the best and brightest employees in the industry?

That is the question that has been on my mind the last few weeks as I work with my own clients, including executives from some of the largest companies in America. It’s been well documented that perks like free food do more than attract rock star employees. A 2015 study from Cornell University found that when crews of firefighters eat together, they perform better on the job than crews who eat alone. This didn’t escape the leader in free food and organized socialization, Google, or the thousands of other companies that have followed their lead. For tech companies, offering free food has the same effect. Science dictates that it brings people together and fosters friendships, ideas, and innovation.

Prior to CVOID-19, the ubiquitous new age “dining hall” that could be found at many tech companies created a natural space for innovation. Where people gather and come together, there is always the potential for the creation and spread of new ideas. And it’s these new, innovative ideas tech companies relied on to stay one step ahead of the competition. Summarily, food and eating together creates safety and belonging , which creates trust, which creates innovation.

Here’s one thing I know: the work-from-home revolution and less human-to-human gatherings will create a safety and belonging gap which will lead to an innovation vacuum in your company unless you take steps to prevent it. Even now, your employees likely are not sharing meals together. They’re logging off of Zoom or Slack to go eat alone in their own kitchens. Ideas are not being exchanged and innovation is stalled.

So if you want to continue to spur innovation inside your company, as I know you do, use these ideas to foster safety, belonging, and innovation in the workplace:

 

Bring People Together

One of the most important steps to fostering innovation during the work-from-home revolution is to be intentional about replacing the cafeteria. You must find a replacement for your company’s dining hall, happy hour, or mixers that fits our new normal of social distancing and working remote. Rather than getting off of Zoom or Slack for lunch, encourage people to stay on and eat together as they would at the physical office. Schedule virtual happy hours. Randomly assign or encourage small groups to form and meet weekly over video chat to check in with each other and talk. As regulations allow, have people meet outside of work in small groups to walk or go for a hike. In fact, creating small bonded teams of 6-8 works for the Navy Seals. They create a brotherhood of safety and belonging, which yields the highest performance. Our millennial/Gen Z networking groups at launchbox, encourage participants to form a “tripod,” a small group of three people that meet for lunch and check in with each other between monthly meetings. No matter what you choose to do, you must be intentional about encouraging the human-to-human connection.

 

Ask Your People What They Need From You

One of our favorite workplace hacks to create and build strong teams and companies is to simply ask your people what they need from you. Are they feeling Zoom Fatigue with too many meetings already? Are they isolated and feeling distant from their team? Are they experiencing challenges at home that are interfering with work? Regular check-ins with your people will help you solve problems, build strong employee loyalty, and ultimately create the space people need to innovate. Unhappy, stressed, scared people do not create game-changing breakthroughs. Happy, confident, supported people do.

 

Foster Resilience

If you haven’t checked out our blog on mastering the 3 components of resilience, read that next. Our 3 C’s of Confidence, Commitment, and Clarity will help your people create resilience. As I said above, unhappy employees do not innovate. Help your people meet the challenges of the work-from-home revolution by teaching them the skills to build and maintain resilience. It will change the way they show up for work, their team, and your clients.

 

The work-from-home revolution has arrived and it’s now our normal. We do the work with business owners, executives and workplaces to help them find, build, and share their Strengths and Story to build high performance cultures through safety and belonging. What could be better? Click here to book a free session with us today!