Appreciating Generation Y

Many companies today recognize the need to attract and retain Generation Y employees. They are the employees who are born in the age of computers, are tech savvy and know how to function in a connected and digital world. Many corporate leaders as well as head hunters have posed to me the question. How does one motivate employees of the current generation? Most of them try out corporate life and after a few months drop out, often with notice, but sometimes without.

Recently, my daughter Wina, launched her book of short stories, published in the US, entitled "Paper Weight" before a motley crowd of a hundred or so artists coming from different colleges and universities. The site is a hole in the wall place aptly called "Exile from Main Street", near De La Salle University. The place was crowded, the audience composed of enthusiasts cheered the singers on and applauded as my daughter read one short story after another. Everyone was happy over the delicious, reasonably priced food but most of all being in the company of artists. I took the opportunity before the launch to interview 5 randomly selected generation Y artists: Ram, Joelle, Jeff, Wina and Lia.

WHYS, BEHIND GENERATION Y

Tita: What is driving the young people these days? How do you characterize your generation?

Ram: We are less concerned with the traditional concept of careers. We want to express ourselves, leave behind a legacy. Each individual has his own definition of success...some looking for threir own personal happiness. Like this book launch, this serves as a stepping stone, a milestone for Wina. But for us it serves as an inspiration.

Tita: Why would you launch in a small place like this? Are you trying to make a statement by choosing this place?

Ram: We don't depend on publishing companies... we like the concept of wikipedia... we are willing to give to the world without asking for much. Give free things to the world because you want to. Money is not main driver, it is mainly for sustaining our ability to produce products.

Tita: What is your art?

Ram: I am what you would call a dabbler. I try my hand at art, writing, poetry, scriptwriting. I used to work with IBM, now I want to pursue my dream. All or nothing.

Joelle: I think people are tired of marketing gigs and following trends. Young people are now more inclined towards products or services that are interesting to them, something different. If the product is interesting it does not have to cost much to sell, more word of mouth amongst like minded individuals.

FINDING TIPPING POINTS

Wina: For this launch my partners and I computed our costs. We want to sell out everything that we printed. Partnering with a real big name, makes your art inaccessible to those people who truly care for your art. We don’t give it out for free, but at an affordable cost, because we have got to eat. We actually compete with many people specially writers who got there ahead of us. Building a readership base takes time. It is a myth when people say digital is easy.

Joelle: She is talking of tipping points of the thoughts of Malcolm Gladwell. We are excited to experiment, to see what works.

Jeff: The dream of generations before us is to get married and settled down. Young people are not primarily concerned with settling down at once, they want to prove success first in their activities. Be prepared to give the best for your children.

Joelle: If we achieve what we want to achieve, then time to settle down.

Ram: I remember a song from ABBA the musical . One character likened winning to a game of chess. I was impressed by the statement "Domestic bliss is a shelter for their failings" . I don’t want this said of me, I succeed first then I settle down.

WORKING TOGETHER

Tita: Do you artists work together? Or you come together mainly for occasions like this?

Joelle: Artists like working with other artists. Van Gogh and Monet worked together. Their style cross germinated and they developed their own individual style. We want to work together. It is a myth that artists want to work alone all the time. Why do I want to be part of the artists group? Artists have to support one another. I am in the visual arts, more impressionist in style. I am actually attending a workshop now. I left college to pursue my art.

CORPORATE CHALLENGES
Tita: Why did some of you give up on corporate life so easily?

Jeff: Young people tend to have short attention span, they get bored easily.

Joelle: We want to look around more, we want to explore.

Ram: Corporations work like a machines, cogs that can be replaced. Give us room to grow, people are organic, we are more like plants. Don't deal with us like machines. The internet gives us so much information we know when we are not treated right.

Tita: If you are back in corporate what would you propose as an improvement?

Ram: How to do better? Less meetings. You are focusing on your work then they call meetings that disturb your trend of thought. It is like waking you up in the middle of a nice dream. Enhance the level of inspiration, while leaving us to do our work well.

Joelle: Heard a material in Ted Talk. People get more work done outside the business meeting. All these meetings distract. Focus is like sleep. There are different phases phases, light sleep, then the dreaming phase. People can’t get into the right phase where they can do great work, their superiors cut off their focus. It takes time to get to most productive zone.

Ram: I watched the Film on Lincoln work. Lincoln treated everyone as equal. The people in his cabinet are not yes men they can speak their minds. Instead of yes, we ask why. Get different opinions, get best course of actions. Don't give us simply answers.

Lia: My first job was as a secretary. After 6 months, I left to study fine arts. But now I don’t know I may have been too idealistic. With my new course it is difficult to find another job. I think I want to go back to old discipline. More on sales and marketing to networking.

Joelle: In any creative field, there will always be a business side, we have to pay our dues. No matter how we want to go into our art, we have to learn how to manage people.

Jeff: In Google, they only work on results of the projects rather than looking at the time. They give you a deadline then you get down to work. They share what they are doing with everyone. Get everyone together.

Lia: I know of some companies that have game rooms during dead hours.

Ram: I know a company where they don't have managers, the one who shows the most initiative will be the leader, to determine level of incentives people do a peer review and they decide who gets more. Assess for competencies like innovation. Young people are used to talking it out among themselves and arriving at consensus. Since all the employees in this company are developers, they outsource support functions.

Tita: Thank you for the valuable insights. Enjoy the launch.

I think human resource leaders have to rethink practices to retain Generation Y. Then again there is no stereotyping them. Each one maybe different.

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The Art of Living the Present Moment

Recently, I had a profound conversation with my daughter about how different life is today compared to twenty years ago. Before, she recalled how we would go on a week or so of vacation come Christmas  and Lenten seasons. This past year has been different. The days before Christmas I was busy meeting deadlines as we wrapped up the year-end projects at work. Come January 2, I was already neck deep in meetings.

In her case, she continues to work at home, writing short stories and attending to her on line business, then getting back to school for a number of units she still has to earn before graduation. Wistfully I started to ask myself, are we really living and enjoying life as we should. There has been a radical shift in terms of how we lived life then and now. And yet the global environment and technology that brought these changes about have become crucial to our comfort and convenience.

COPING WITH CHANGE

Amidst all these changes at work (in fact work is no longer confined to the office or factory) how does the average working man or woman cope? Or thrive and succeed? How does one adjust psychologically to the flow of fast moving external events and changes?

William Bridges writing of transitions talked about the three distinct phases of endings, neutral zone and new beginnings. While the external change may have happened, it is in the make-up of man to cling to his/her comfort zone. To change s/he has to desire to end certain habits and ways. Then moves into the neutral zone where s/ he is caught in between letting go of the past and embracing the new. Finally, he climbs to the new beginnings. But how does one manage a stream of changes? Can man flex to change and still live a challenging and serene life?

LIVE THE PRESENT MOMENT

Amidst all the turmoil and complexity you might think we need to pursue expensive solutions. One remedy that has worked for me, that is simple but requires a lot of discipline is “ living the present moment”. It is a way of life and philosophy that mystics and profound thinkers of the great religions have recommended.

Living the present moment means living to the fullest the task in front of you, or listening with complete mindfulness to the person in front of you or expressing with clarity an idea that you are sharing in a meeting. It means forgetting in the moment the past and the future and live completely and enjoy the moment.

                                                               

ONE MINUTE MANAGEMENT

Some years back, a management writer recommended a technique called “ one minute management”. If we truly live the present moment, then one minute is precious. One can praise an employee in one minute, or give a corrective action in a minute. It is when we carry in our heads several tasks at the same time that we fail to accomplish anything worthwhile. Precisely, in this age of multi-tasking, do we need to focus at the single task in front of us. Living the present moment means doing that job or task with perfection, precision and completion. This enables us to do quality work, making every piece of work a masterpiece. Work then truly becomes an art if we put 100% of our attention to it. In fact, one writer noted that all artful work is in fact spiritual work.

SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION

My first encounter with “living the present moment” was coming across a book of Chiara Lubich “Yes, yes. No, no”. Lubich the founder and leader of the Focolare Movement writes, "The gospel itself focuses man on the present, not wanting him to be worried about the future. It makes him ask for bread from the Father just for today. It invites him to carry only today’s cross and that each day has troubles enough of its own. To get used to living the present well, one must know how to forget the past and how not to be worried about the future. This makes sense since the past exists no more and the future will be when it becomes present.”

Chiara’s book also cites Evdokimov, an Orthodox theologian explaining modern man’s alienation. He says. “The man of this world lives in the past, in his memories as he awaits the future. As regards the present moment he tries to avoid it. He tries to kill time. This man does not live in the here and now. The hour you are living, the job you are doing, the person you are meeting at this moment are the most important for your whole life.”

PLANNING AND LIVING THE PRESENT

Someone may ask, but is it not essential for every person today to plan for the future or plan for the day. How do we respond to our multiple roles and responsibilities if we do not plan? Living the present moment does not mean forgetting or neglecting to plan. In fact a written plan helps us live the present moment well. Our daily plan enables us to face each job, each meeting, each phone call with simplicity, peace and serenity. It enables us to achieve more with less stress on the job.

Flexibility is also required. Sometimes we get too hang up or attached to our schedule feeling upset when we have to make a change. We have to flex  and open ourselves to changes that may happen during the day. Welcome an unexpected call from a customer. Or jump into an opportunity to help a staff who comes to you with a difficult situation. The trick is to jump into the present moment. For example actively listening will enable your office mate to share ideas well if you listen with rapt attention and together easily find solutions. Afterwards, one can always go back to the do list in a peaceful and natural next moment.

KEY TO MANAGING CHANGE

Living the present moment is the key to managing the variety of changes around us. It enables us to adapt the change paradigm to be proactive rather than reactive, to be flexible rather than rigid, to be responsible rather than feel a victim of change.

Try living the present moment well and you will see how quickly you can cope with the speed of change. It will help you relish and enjoy life at work or at home.

Recognizing the Hero in You!

The Christmas season provided us a respite from the busy work days. It allowed us to find the time to reflect on the greatness of God and His divine decision to send His Son to become man, and therefore, be one of us. Then it made me rediscover the soul of Mary who said yes to the will of God, considering herself as the “handmaid of the Lord”. The theme for me was utmost heroism and self-sacrifice.

HEROIC SERVANT LEADERSHIP

In leadership literature today, one encounters more frequently “heroic” and “servant leadership”. It is noteworthy that the trend was set over 2000 years ago when at the right time, God put in motion the series of events that permitted us to celebrate Christmas today.

I understood, there is something deep and profound around the term heroism. It was a term popularized once again with the untimely death of DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo (though I believe that God’s time is always perfect) and how people saw in his simple and moving ways true service and concern for people. He embodied the selfless leadership that moved people’s hearts to go beyond themselves and reach out to others.

ROBREDO AND MAGSAYSAY AWARDS

A few weeks after his death, I received an invitation from Magsaysay Foundation to attend the awards night for the 2012 Ramon Magsaysay Awards. Out of curiosity and a desire to write about the subject, I nudged my husband to join me. It was to listen to a running theme of heroism. Heroism means having the courage to forget oneself at the service of community or society. It is making that contribution that matters. The awardees were ordinary people who lived extraordinary lives. Or rather they were people who responded to that deep calling within them for service and sacrifice, not counting the cost of their personal comfort.

It also made me ask myself, in this stage in my life, am I ready to live a heroic life? A heroic life is living life to the fullest driven by that mission that lies deep within our soul that drives us to serve others. I also understood that heroism has a different meaning for every person. Every person is irreplaceable in the sense of the unique combination of talent, disposition, competence and grit that moves one to act. The core question is: what can I best contribute within my unique capacities and competence?

HEROIC ROLE MODEL

Recently, I met a married couple, friends of mine, whom I used to tap as consultants for value formation when I used to work in a bank. I encountered then in the Saturday market held inside our village. I heard the good news that the woman has gone in remission for the cancer that has afflicted her. And in her journey her husband gave solid and faithful support. What impressed me most was her story. She went for chemotherapy in Singapore. She understood how at the chemotherapy room people felt sad and depressed, with a lingering pallor and scent of death.

In her case, she was deeply spiritual. She understood that her sickness was a special gift reserved by God for special people, who willingly offer their sufferings in union of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. With this prayerful attitude she became the “ray of sunshine” in that room spreading cheer and joy, energizing patients with love and hope. She understood there is nothing “impossible with God”. She wanted to provide the “positive psychology” she has mastered to everyone. Today, with much gratitude in her heart, she demonstrated to us what heroism meant in that hospital bed. Indeed, whatever our circumstances we can be heroes.

HEROISM AND MISSION

A hero based on the dictionary definition is a “man of distinguished courage or ability admired for his/her brave deeds and noble qualities”. S/he is in the opinion of others a model or ideal person. I also strongly believed that the essence of heroism is the ability discover one’s mission and start to actualize it. I understood mission as “listening to the voice within” and doing God’s will. I agree with St. Jane Frances de Chantal when she said, "Happy are those who concentrate on following the will of God in all their actions. They will enjoy a deep peace because they find happiness in doing God’s will”.

Twenty two years ago, I made the decision to think through my personal mission. It was a statement that gave me clarity and a sense of purpose defining who I am and how I want to live. In pursuit of this mission I decided to set up Ancilla (a helping hand), a training and consulting company at the service of people and enterprises using my competencies in organization development, human resource management and communications.

Most importantly, it was to embrace the philosophy and values of the economy of communion of the Focolare Movement. Essentially, the company’s profits would not be at the service of its stockholders alone, but a portion is given to help the poor and another portion for spreading the gospel. They have truly been the most fulfilling and enjoyable years of my personal and professional life. We know the gospel is true, “give and you shall receive” and our cupboards have never run empty.

PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT

Stephen Covey guides us through making a personal mission statement. “It is an individual statement that defines what you want to be (character) what you want to do (contributions and achievement) and the values and principles upon which being and doing are based”.

2013 MISSION 

 
After much reflection, I have decided that I will continue to be a “helping hand”, but this time not only for business enterprises but to provide affordable services to social enterprises that help in alleviating poverty. As I see the rosy Philippine economic indicators, my wish is to have more people participate in the gains of the economy through reduced poverty levels in our country. I understood that side by side with what is done at the national levels, one can help families and communities.  

I will use my competencies in managing change, human resources and communications to help strengthen social enterprises located in poor communities to build capability to enable and empower the poor. I believe in KASH mapping, looking deeply in the knowledge, attitude, skills and habits of a poor family and make it easier to customize and find the precise intervention needed. These can include coaching, training, education, referrals, networking among others. The key is for the family to find work or livelihood that ensure financial stability.

WORKING MODELS FOR ADDRESSING POVERTY

I dream of discovering and writing up working models that will be useful as I pursue work for my doctorate degree and put the material at the service of the country. I know that in partnership with others, this is possible. It is not easy, one has to persevere in helping, but I am aware that true “peace” in my soul and in our country can result from caring and systematic ways of helping the poor. I wish to firm up my plans in 2013 and start to execute in 2014.

I end this article with the wish for our dear readers to craft or review their personal mission statement and start building the hero in you. My best wishes for a meaningful 2013!