Not too long ago, working professionals would get into their car and make their morning commute to work. They would arrive at a building and upon entering that building, work would begin. At 5pm they would exit the building, drive home, and once they were at home they weren’t tempted to work anymore because they didn’t have the capacity to continue working. #TheGoodOleDays.
In the past, work was a location. Today work has shifted from a place to a space. The tech shift from fixed communications to mobile communications has redefined how and where we work.
I typically ask my audiences if they check their work email in bed or on vacation. 90% of folks in the audience will raise their hand. I often wonder if I should be holding a workaholics seminar.
Related Read: Narrow The Generational Gap By Understanding Each Generations Unique Perspective Of Work
Since we are enabled to work anywhere and anytime, it has become insufficient to manage people based on input (i.e. butts in seats or time in the office). Instead we must now manage outputs (i.e. the results of a task or project).
During a recent reception before an evening presentation that I delivered for a client, a manager shared the following story with me.
The manager mentioned to me that he managed a remote team and he recently hired his first Millennial employee. He had high hopes for the new hire but became quickly frustrated after seeing the Millennial employee routinely logging in online around 12pm. The rest of the team was typically online and working between 8-9am. The frustrated manager decided to have a conversation with the new Millennial hire about their non-typical hours.
The manager asked the Millennial, “How come you aren’t online in the morning with the rest of the team?" The Millennial responded, “That’s when I am in the gym working out." The manager was surprised by how nonchalantly his response was so he followed up with the question, “Well, how do you expect to get all of your work done?"
The Millennial responded, "I work until 12am or 1am.” The manager was taken back by the response because he had not considered any alternate work hours. After concluding the call, the manager checked the Millennial's login history which confirmed the Millennials late work sessions.
After much thought and consideration, the manager saw no reason why the Millennial couldn’t work during the time that worked best for him. The manager explained to me, “It took time but I’ve shifted my perspective."
The manager made the crucial shift from managing inputs (time logged in) to managing outputs (quality of work).
I thanked the manager for sharing his story and offered him the following insights.
- Clearly and consistently communicate the desired outcomes.
- Define any necessary due dates or benchmarks.
- Favor frequent feedback. Leverage today’s technology to offer relevant and timely correction. (Practice Leadership at Facebook Like Speed)
- Schedule a specific, reoccurring time where the entire team can be available and online to collaborate. This can be daily, weekly, or monthly.
Leaders must develop leadership skills that transcend generations, time zones, and now cyberspace.
How you work is shifting…and so must your leadership.
Question: Have you had success managing outputs vs inputs?
Consider Ryan Jenkins to be your next Millennial/Generation Y or Generation Z keynote speaker by clicking here...
