Mob Effect

I've been incredibly busy with work and volunteering the last few months and haven't written anything tactical about management and leading generation Y in quite a while. I thought I would write something that could aid other managers in their respective fields and industries to lead their team in the right direction.

I'll explain my tactics and philosophies in building the team, training, retaining, and changing the culture of your team through generation Y employees.

Talking with my peers, colleagues and fellow young professionals in small and large organizations I find that we all perceive our company's current cost saving measures differently and with different foci on what is important. Our values our created as individuals but also as a collective group within the community of individuals we work with. This is what I call the mob effect. It's one portion of how we has human beings react to change -but for some reason I find that gen Y is overtly reactive, emotional, and vocal about their perspective. Instantly seeking validation through "likes" on facebook or retweets on twitter, or even a ":)" or "tots" via text message. On the other end of the these updates and messages the "friends" or public agrees or disagrees and it creates a larger group feeling a certain way with so much shared abundance of information.

How many times have you written up an employee, or had a serious performance conversation with a member of your team? and what you said and how you said it is fodder for the rest of the team by day end? Or how many times have you not said anything and your "in-action" is messaging the wrong message and that gets out not only to your team (through gen y's need to share) , but neighboring groups and teams? With the amount of information that is shared and collected so freely and easily its more and more imperative for managers to become leaders than simply be managers or Gen Y will collect and share data and essentially mob into one hive mind/group and make a collective decision that might not be the direction your organization has asked you to take the group. The scenario I'm painting is a bit extreme, but I wanted to get the idea of the mob effect explained so that I can explain how to navigate it and leverage it. Take the negative aspects of Gen Y and make them work for you and your organization.

1. Eliminate negativity. Any change cannot take place without the will and energy to change. Like a bad virus a negative team member will infect the rest of the group. Treat it quickly and early and if it still persists - take the member out of the equation.

2. Recruit and Borrow Aggressively. There are people that are successful all around you in the same organization, or competing, or neighboring, or indirect or anything. Get out there and aggressively search and find the right people, knowledge and resources to obtain your goals. This is to operate your business while you slowly build, hire and train "your" team of people that you interview and choose.

3. Keep them happy and create clear goals and objectives. Create validations on behaviors that you want. Create quick and severe punishments for behaviors that are un acceptable and continually push and grow team members. Make it competitive and develop skills and cross train. Read Jack Welch's Auto Biography it explain this a bit better than me but "continually hire great people and continually performance out employees that are not elevating or escalating the organization or group.

4. Most important! make it "cool" to be the best at what you do. Change the culture of the group and control the mob effect. This part takes time and as your building your team and taking out the negativity in your team the collective mob thought will all be geared towards your direction because only people that understand your vision will be left. Reward monetarily and with praise and recognize those that strive for greatness set in the parameters of your organization.

The main points to keep at the top of your mind is to understand that you are constantly communicating wether your verbally talking or not. Also understand that any message you send to any gen Y is a message to all gen Y. Gen Y is a culture of sharing and individuality and as that culture progresses it actually becomes the exact opposite of individuality but collective mob effect. Don't fear it, embrace it and own it.

Finding Balance

Have you ever felt over committed and stretched so thin that your not even sure why you do what you do? and more importantly is what your doing the most important and vital thing to get yourself "caught up"?

Its been a very interesting month for me with the culmination of many various volunteer groups, committee work, board, council group and Starbucks obligations, leading to a point where I quite literally cannot keep up or seem to get caught up. This has happened to me before in many more instances than I would like, but in all the prior situations I've come to the conclusion that "where there is a will there is way". That will has forced and guided me to become more and more developed in my planning and organizing skills by utilizing technology and systems to accomplish my ambitions and goals of wearing more hats and being more things to more people.

As I get caught up in another moment like that now in my life I've come to the realization that it's all about balance. There are two very specific situations in the last few weeks that have helped guide me to my conclusion of finding balance and happiness.

The first hit me when I was on my 4th hour of emails, fairly stressed but determined, when my friend texts me. Trying to be reactive and kind I respond via text, and as I go back to emailing I end up responding to one of his emails, while we are still texting. Long story short we end up texting, emailing, and instant messaging - 3 separate conversations. It became a joke and he added facebook to the mix. I'm sure it's a gen Y thing to always be so connected and reactive, but the tricky part of it is that I was satiated in my need to keep with my systems, emails get responded to by amount of work time, quick ones first and then filed in the proper mail folder. Texts are their own category with its own system and same with facebook etc. I learned two things.

1. sometimes being too organized and disciplined can actually lead to more inefficiency

2. If your inundated with "To do's" how do you dictate what gets done right now and what gets pushed out? which leads me to my second epiphany.

All week long I'm going through the motions of where my iphone tells me I need to be, color coded by what "hat" I need to be wearing. *After planning something in the macro level I let my iphone tell me where to be and what to do. Every thing I did and every event I attended I questioned myself, is this a better use of my time than that? I've never questioned the planning that I've put in place on my calendar before, but with my "time" resource dwindling and commitments increasing it becomes much more apparent that something has to change. And so I come back to the same conclusion as before "where there is a will there is a way". So I'm going to try a couple of tactics and systems to enlarge my capacity and develop the skills to do more in my day with less time or cut things out.

The interesting thing about this time around is that I'm not stressed out about it anymore. I know where I'm headed and through trial and error, success and ambition I will eventually get to the level that I want to be at. I just need to take a moment to smell the roses and enjoy what I have.

The Win-Win-Win Philosophy

What is the future of business and success? How can you ensure your one step ahead of the curve? Here is my personal prediction and perception of how to navigate through the cultural changes caused by the generational differences and find "success".

You have to start thinking broader, mixing macro and micro and focusing on the obvious while keeping in mind the bigger picture- Just like Gen Y.

Baby Boomers are getting older and nearing the age where they will stimulate certain industries such as the medical and financial planning industries etc. On the flip side Generation Y by default will help mold and create the new parameters of business culture simply through becoming the dominant work force and business leaders over the course of the next 2 decades.

You need to take into consideration what Generation Y will bring as it becomes not only the dominant work force but also the dominant buying power in our nation. So what does Gen Y want? and what would drive this generation to not only work but to buy and promote?

The win-win-win strategy and philosophy is something that I strongly believe in and I predict will be instrumental for all businesses in the next few decades. I have found that Generation Y and to a certain degree Generation Next will change the culture of commerce, community and government as it comes into full swing as the dominant player in the workforce, community and politics. It's a cyclical balance (and projection) but I guesstimate that the successful businesses and entrepreneurs of tomorrow will be savvy in being balanced and multi faceted to be truly remarkable.

The win-win-win Philosophy is seamlessly incorporating earning revenue by community involvement and other various social services which in turn alleviates tax payer $, to in turn allow the government to take the savings to stimulate the economy, and the cycle continues again.

I have a great example of this and although it may be the exception to the rule, the philosophy and mindset is what I'm trying to communicate.

At Starbucks in Downtown Mountain View CA on Castro Street I was able to hire a cafe attendant with down syndrome named Jeremy. Jeremy is an excellent employee with perfect attendance and performance, always looking for ways to develop new skills and continue his employment with Starbucks. Jeremy "wins" because he has a job where he gets to be an active member of the community, earns a paycheck and benefits, belongs to a team and helps build awareness for people with developmental disabilities to all the people that frequent this Sbux.

Starbucks wins because we just earned an employee that will never be late, always excited to work, never needs to be re-trained, will learn new skills, grow with the company and never want to leave. And as an added bonus - something that helped me truly understand the possibilities of the win win win . . . .business grew! Customers old and new would hear about Jeremy and to support his employment would drive for miles and miles, sometime skipping many SBUX locations to come and purchase their coffee at the Castro St. location to support Jeremy's employment. I made more money from trying to do something good for someone in need! It was an unexpected benefit which was a very easy and unique sell to my company.

The government wins because now that Jeremy works at SBUX he also earns benefits that comes with anyone working PT to FT. He gets to earn stock options, 401k, medical, dental, and all the other plethora of discounts that SBUX partners get, and he earns his wage and pay. When we have people with special needs they qualify for supportive services funding paid by the gov't and tax payers. Although having a PT job at SBUX does not eliminate his needs for supportive services, over time and with enough participants it will lead to a decrease in gov't spending and involvement. The eventual savings can go back into stimulating businesses that focus on: being green, working with delinquent teens, supporting the elderly, etc etc as these businesses make their revenue in their respective industries.

Generation Y'ers tend to choose to purchase products from companies that have a sense of community involvement and it's an incredible anomaly since the inception of Corporate America, but- it's "cool" to do good. The more Gen Y pushes and gears companies to share their profits with social aspects in their local and larger community through their purchasing power, companies will focus their energies in being more active members in their communities because it's not only the smart way to make money but potentially the only way. As an added benefit or "win" the government will be able to perpetuate the cycle by funneling it's savings or funding towards business and economy. It's the cause and effect caused by Generation Y's growing age, position in economy and embedded culture. This is the Win-win-win philosophy.

Let me know what you think? and feel free to check out Google's app all for good, done in collaboration with the First Lady, as well as we include initiative in collaboration with Maria Shriver our CA's first lady.

http://www.allforgood.org/

http://www.weinclude.ca.gov/

Obama leading Gen Y

I think it's absolutely fascinating that President Obama has placed our first Chief Information Officer in his administration with the sole purpose of uploading as much analytical data the government collects and uses in one central location with with ease of use and accessibility of standard formatted files. I just finished downloading an excel file quantifying CA residents by year, age, sex, and race. I don't know what I personally will do with the information so abundantly given and freely shared but it's exciting to think about the potential that it brings. And even more so the simple idea of the government creating such transparency with it's data, it's wonderfully catering to the newer generations in a way that asks for collaboration and sharing. Again it can be harmful as well because with all sharing and openness it's the will of the user and with the data being so manipulatable you really have to ask yourself why take the risk? what is the point?

Why create a centralized place to gather information? why make it accessible to the general public and share such information via the internet?

I've been speculating and trying to wrap my brain around it with no real tangible reasons that I can ascertain but I do know how it makes me feel. It makes me feel interested, excited, and it gives me a sense of belonging and ownership. I also would like to add that the website and "idea" gives so much transparency that it eludes to accountability and trust. I feel more secure knowing that we will know what the leader we elected is doing and the metrics to either hold him accountable or create opinions or understanding of his actions. It makes me feel like I'm part of the "team" or networked in. Lastly it's so in tune with Generation Y. We don't have to ask what? why? how? can I help? who do I talk to? we simply are given the information and encouraged to collaborate and expand and create new ways to optimize and revolutionize. . .and share!

www.data.gov

Our current administration is trying something very new and very generational as a small part of it's strategy to lead this country and create buy in into it's policies and procedures. Using technology and data sharing to create transparency and collaboration with the public, twittering updates and finding new forms of mediums to create not only government accountability and public and private collaboration but ultimately buy in and trust. I can't speak for the country and all the generations but I truly feel that this change in operations and medium will truly impact and sing a strong note with Generation Y.

The Clear and Concise Message

Navigating through the myriad of stimuli that Gen Y faces is a daunting challenge. In our current day of age we are a generation that has access to an inexhaustible resource of information and mediums of communication. The level at which we can now communicate and "share" is in a sense global and covers almost everything you can think of.

So how does one create movement and grab the attention of the generation leading the masses in global communal sharing of information? It's through a clear and concise message.

Undaunted, simple, clear, and unchanging. I've been struggling a lot with various groups that I work with both professionally as well as personally. It seems that the economic downturn may have created a cause and effect, a reactive flux in what needs to happen because the cause was so immediate and clear. So many months after reacting and reacting I come to realize that I may have lost my focus and priorities.

Its important when managing or working through Generation Y to keep the message clear because we are constantly bombarded with data and new information. And when we are forced to work through these chaotic times Gen Y'ers tend to lose their focus or determination. For example I manage two stores currently, and I recently took a vacation. When I got back the clear and simple message was almost all forgotten and the store culture and work was fairly skewed by the leader I put in place. Granted I've only been at these stores for a short amount of time and it was expected to a certain degree, but it's interesting to me how aligned everyone got once I expressed the clear and concise message again.

There will always be a million things going on and as we get older . . . it becomes 2 million things but if you can message the main priority clearly, concisely and create consistency you can create traction with a diverse group of highly action oriented, capable but terribly entitled and frenetic group.

change takes time . . .

I've had some great conversations in the last few days with a number of people who have really impressed on me the functionality and the simple truths of the generational gaps. I wanted to write about some of the thoughts that were shared and some of the revelations that I have had from them.

The first major point that I learned was that our preceding generation is not necessarily savvy with the usage of all the mediums of technology or at least at the rate at which we progress with new technology. I was talking with a friend/colleague/mentor about the frustrations I had with the inefficiencies of some of the methods that we would use to execute our business and various other volunteerism groups. I felt that the major loss was in communication and hierarchy systems that caused bottlenecks and politics vs the end goal achievement. His reply to me was that as much as there needs to be amiability to accept change in technology and grow with its resources; the end truth is - change takes time and traditions are not as easily broken. If you really want to achieve an end goal then I would also need to realize that I'm actually hindering the end goal by not comprimising to the systems in place.

It was a very eye opening moment for me, to realize that I could with my good will and intentions be the reason that the end goal could be hindered even in the slightest. I still feel very confident about my idea of what a more efficient method could look like but by trying to force change without thinking of my audience I was in turn slowing the end goal down.

The next idea that I learned the last few days is that as generation Y'ers we tend to be much more public and out spoken. Call it righteous or opinionated but the very fact that I'm writing this blog so publicly and confidently about tactics and my point of view on such an abstract topic as business, management and generational differences is in itself proof of that. There have been so many times where I have given the feedback that I need to work on my composure and or tact when working with people. Granted that I can't say for sure if I'm loved and respected by my staff, supervisors and peers but I can say that I rarely hold back what is on my mind. It feels too natural to me to be honest with my thoughts and opinions to any audience. When I'm not sure I ask, when I don't agree I disagree, when I enjoy something I recognize it, and I will speak my mind the same way without reservation or fear to whomever I'm working with. This in idea is great but in applicability it is also troublesome and can detriment the organization's flow of operations immediately.

Not everyone is open to feedback, open thoughts, direct engagement without politics and its not necessarily the way the world works. Change takes time and in order to effectively achieve the group's end goal its very necessary for generation Y to learn to these systems and processes and utilize them as the change happens if the result is to achieve a goal.

My last reflection on this topic is that the value of achieving a goal has to be more important than doing something the most efficient way, especially when the frustration of the inefficiency only creates further inefficiency. It goes both ways- and as time progresses so will change.

Technology & the Socialist Community

I'm an avid gadget and tech buff. Always reading up new and hot items coming off the line or soon to come out, especially paying attention to the functionality and flexibility of its systems. Yes its a hobby and its also a passion in certain degrees, but it also serves a major purpose for the masses that are like me. I believe that we are looking for optimized way to be more efficient.

When we look at new gear and tech that comes out we are comparing its functions and capabilities with the systems that we currently have. We are asking ourselves is it cool? but really we are asking ourselves will this make my life easier and more effective? The demand in our culture to be more effective and do more with less is so great that we are creating the demand for products and services that give us more ease of use and increasing functionality.

With this continual augmentation of technology with a focus on effectiveness, I wonder what are some of the fundamentals that we as Generation Y prioritize. I personally feel that we drive most of our focus through "sharing" be it social or professional. The idea is that we are continually looking for ways to be more connected . . . with everything that we can with as little outlets or peripherals to carry around or maintain.

Can your phone access the internet? what speed? can it read pdf? can it word process? how much is it? and as googlenomics start to come into play in the next decade and the masses will enjoy relatively if not complete free connectivity - how fast? what can't you do on it? how large is it? There are a million questions again varying between different people and how they utilize their peripherals as well as live their lives, but the fundamental of "sharing" information stays the same.

So in a way I find it very unique that as a capitalistic economy our inner need to share, post, read, recirculate information is creating a common area of information where the masses can pull from and benefit. For a very specific example, I say to one of my employees "oh I'm really looking for a new tv. I'm really excited about some of the new technologies coming out with it. Maybe I'll go to Best Buy?" They say to me "why? why don't you check online, craigslist, amazon, etc. price check, read feedback, reference tech sites for reports?" Get the exact same product but through a million different channels and look for a better price with much more research and information.

The thing that really interests me about this simple example is that it made me realize that it covers everything! My employees with me included are sharing our status and events on facebook and interfacing and in effect sharing common information. We are collectively gathering the diversity, talents, interests etc of our staff. Although its not necessarily a huge priority in immediate top line sales it is something to recognize.

Generation Y is helping to create the very community of information thats accessible and editable - all the time. And their demand for products and services that feed into it only create the technologies that foster it. Supply and demand.

I'm not really sure what my point is or even if I'm justified in saying any of what I just said but I thought it was an interesting thought regarding the direction of Generation Y and its effect on our society.