Latest news with #EdDoherty
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How The Leadership Ripple Effect Can Help Connect With Younger Workers
Ed Doherty is the founder of One Degree Coaching, LLC. One Degree Coaching helps leaders navigate the new world of work. There is nothing more effective in building a healthy culture than hiring from within. It offers numerous benefits, primarily providing a pipeline of loyal talent who already embody your culture. They are the people you know, and they desire opportunities to grow. The problem is that they may not desire to grow with you. Generational divides are as old as human civilization. As a Boomer, I remember my elders accusing us of many of the negative stereotypes we now apply to Millennials, Gen-Z and the emerging Gen-Alpha. "Lazy" and "entitled" are two of the labels I recall from my youth. Some things never change! Generational Divides Are Overblown—But Don't Ignore Younger Workers' Needs We are in a new era of work. If you are a Boomer or Gen-X boss, you may not like the demands of the younger generations, but complaining about them isn't going to change anything. In this new world of work, organizations will have to adapt and develop a new people strategy. Most businesses I coach are still applying the "IBM Model," the old "climb the corporate ladder" motivational scheme. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer employees are interested in that ladder. They grew up watching the older generations struggle with a lack of work-life balance and burnout, and they have their own plans for their futures. Like their predecessors, younger workers want money and bonuses, but they also want: • Work-life balance and flexibility • Purpose and meaning • Autonomy • Learning opportunities • Open communication and feedback • Mental health support Just to name a few! The Fulfillment Model For Better Training And Development The fulfillment model is beginning to take root in an attempt to create a broader approach to training and development. Instead of asking, "What do you want out of your opportunity at our organization?" the question becomes, "What do you want out of your life?" By connecting team members' future goals with their present roles, leaders are experiencing increased loyalty and engagement. For instance, I work with many restaurant companies, and a majority of their workforce is part-time and transient—especially the front-of-house employees. They are working for the money only and do not see a connection between serving guests and their ambition, which in many cases is to own their own business. But the restaurant industry is rife with lessons for these future entrepreneurs. The customer service aspect alone is invaluable for those with entrepreneurial leanings. The Power Of The Ripple Effect Another opportunity that helps motivate younger workers to remain with a company and rise to middle management is the positive ripple effect that managers can have on their team members. Meaningful and purpose-driven work is at the top of these younger workers' wishlists, and by mentoring them using the fulfillment model, they can come to see the power of that ripple effect. Any longtime, people-centric leader can share stories of the lives that they have positively impacted. Several years ago, my brother-in-law passed. He was a head librarian who worked at a university for over 30 years. At his funeral, hundreds of people gathered to share stories of how he had impacted their lives. We were amazed because he had never mentioned his mentorship work, and we had no idea the ripple effect he created for his students and peers. Final Thoughts: Connecting With Younger Workers Purpose and meaningful work are at the top of many workers' wishlists for their workplaces. When I share with my young mentees the power of the ripple effect and how their influence may be felt for generations to come, it often piques their interest. They ask me to share some examples from my 45 years of leadership experience. Not surprisingly, I have many stories to share. When your primary focus is on people, their stories write themselves. After I have shared some stories with my mentees, their mood often shifts to the problems they see with the modern workplace, where middle managers are under-supported and overworked. The only answer I have for them is, "If you don't help change the work world, who will?" Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
Forbes
08-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Power Of Simplicity When It Comes To Cultural Codes
Ed Doherty is the founder of One Degree Coaching, LLC. One Degree Coaching helps leaders navigate the new world of work. getty I am a master ideator and codifer. I can create complex systems that can baffle the mind. I am not bragging; I am admitting a fault. I am never happy with the systems I create, and I constantly reiterate and reevaluate every concept. A former business partner became so exasperated with my constant reinvention that, looking back, I believe it was the unspoken reason for our breakup. Early in my practice, a client pointed out my approach was "wonky." That was a kind way to express that my content was unusable. What good is an idea or system if it is so nuanced that only the author can understand it? Simple is best. Over the years, I have disciplined myself to quiet my creative impulses in exchange for clarity. If you cannot communicate in a manner that most can understand, you are practicing a form of self-manipulation. Today, there are more distractions and noise than ever before, and great ideas can be lost quickly. For hyperactive ideators like me, we need to be reminded to forsake volume for clarity. The K.I.S.S. Principle is attributed to a wartime naval engineer, Kelly Johnson. During the process of designing an engine for wartime use, he handed his fellow engineers the tools likely available in the field and told them to design an engine that would be repairable with the limited tools available to the field mechanic. This clever engineer worked backward. He imagined the end user and the environmental conditions under which his design would need repair. Simple is not stupid; it is genius. This practical design thinking is crucial for developing and communicating ideas among groups. While using complex and lofty language can be tempting when building organizational structures like vision statements and core values, simple and direct language will embed itself faster and more sustainably in an organization. When I am asked to work with a team to improve culture and engagement, the first step is determining whether there is an existing culture codification. If vision, mission statements and core values exist, the next step is to ask employees if they can recite them. If they can, I will ask them if they believe in them. This simple line of inquiry can tell me much about whether values are embedded or if they are another failed top-down mandate. My experience is that most organizations either overcomplicate cultural codification or undercommunicate it. Or both. When an organization asks me to help it create a newly minted set of core values, I tell the leaders it is best not to proceed with the codification unless everyone can "live the values." The worst thing for an organization is to espouse cultural ideals without consistently modeling them. It is a tremendous responsibility, and everyone needs to buy in. I have witnessed too many disengaged teams who can point to the faded core values poster on the wall as a monument to failed leadership. It doesn't have to be that way. There are crucial (and simple) steps you can take to develop, launch and embed your cultural guardrails successfully. Here are a few suggestions: • Keep it simple! When codifying your cultural ideals, remember they have no value if they can not be easily committed to memory. I suggest no more than five value statements. Mission and vision statements should also be brief. • Involve your team. Think of the process as pollination. Create a "culture committee" comprised of team members from as many departments as possible. If done in this inclusive manner, committee members will carry the "pollen" back to their "hives." • Don't just hang the poster. Codifying your ideals is just the beginning. Many rush to create collateral material they can share with their team without creating the cultural touchpoints that make the process sustainable. • Create cultural touchpoints. Many sources, like Charles Duhigg's book The Power of Habit, state that if you practice a new habit daily, it takes 66 days to form. At work, we must create touchpoints to share, discuss and practice our culture as a team. Embedding takes time and discipline. One approach is to have your culture committee members choose a "value of the month" and devise a way to encourage team members to share examples of their teammates living this value. • Live your values! The most crucial and ongoing discipline (especially for leaders) is to be a role model for your values. Being a good cultural role model requires humility and vulnerability. If this is uncomfortable, remember that your team wants an authentic leader. If you fail to live up to our ideals, recognize that you are human, apologize and watch your team rally behind you! The painter Hans Hofmann is often quoted as saying, "The ability to simplify means eliminating the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak." Simplicity is the key to effective communication. Organizations and their leaders must also codify and embed cultural behaviors with charity. Codifying cultural ideals is the easy part. Consistent and simplified communication is needed to turn the core values poster into cultural habits that can evolve into better workplaces with engaged team members. By eliminating the unnecessary, we too can allow the necessary to speak. Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
