In another attempt to relive my youth I bought tickets for an array of bands over the course of a year. In one memorable gig flurry I went to see The Lathums (a new indie band) at the exact same venue as I saw Suede (one of the original indie bands) a few days later. Both bands were brilliant but what really stood out for me was how different but similar the experiences were.
One was awash with predominantly Gen Z’ers belting out the tunes with all the enthusiasm and optimism of youth and the other was predominantly Gen X’ers – belting out the tunes with heart and feeling that real life experience brings. Both crowds were living in the moment and making the whole experience so much better. I could have easily assumed that one of the gigs wasn’t for me and missed out on a great night.
This made me wonder about how organisations can fret consciously or subconsciously about how they deal with different groups or think they don’t have any appeal to certain groups We have all heard some of the more obvious statements such as ‘they just want it on TikTok’ or ‘they don’t do social media’ but sometimes this can evolve onto more organisationally harmful assumptions such as ‘they are all snowflakes’ or ‘they are too old to change’. Can your organisation afford to be so limiting in its appeal and it outlook?
What assumptions do you make when you are hiring or thinking about a new way of doing things? Do you value fresh thinking over experience or vice versa ? You could be placing hidden limitations on you and your people. Equally, think about the opportunity if you can have the freshness of new ideas coupled with the practical learning from the past. Of course it is much complex than looking forward versus back and the worst assumption anyone can make is that the all Gen Z’ers are the same and that they all want to learn from TikTok. However, the best organisations value and cultivate these difference in a way that makes their organisation as a whole so much more powerful.
So how do you get there ? Every organisation is different but there are some broad steps:
- Create a coalition around common organisational aims – this sounds obvious but having a clear north star is always the starting point.
- Work towards a culture of understanding (and curiosity) over assumptions (and limitations). This is not about words but actions. Think about the micro moments people experience. For example, does your reward framework encourage innovation or deter risk taking ?
- Helping your people develop in line with both of the above. For example, a good development plan will broaden someone’s understanding and visibly support the aims of the organisation.
If you would like to know more about how your organisation can grow and evolve through creating a purposeful and curious workforce then get in touch and I promise not to bore you with any more of my musical taste!