Leading Through Uncertainty

We are living in uncertain, polarizing times. And, while it is understandable that political leadership takes the spotlight, we must not overlook the challenging realities that our organizational leaders are facing. Economic uncertainty, generational shifts, and socially polarizing opinions in the workforce will dominate the narrative for companies in 2017. People leaders at all levels of the organization will be subject to increased stakeholder scrutiny (from employees, boards of directors, consumers and governmental and community groups) and almost constant change. 

Leading through uncertainty requires a highly evolved set of skills and competencies. To understand what traits are most critical for your people leaders, download my white paper The Top 10 Competencies Your Chief People Officer Must Possess, or contact me directly. Your organization's ability to demonstrate proficiency in these leadership attributes will determine the success of your business in 2017 and beyond. 

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group
Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

The Top 5 Drivers of Engagement

Millennials will soon comprise 50% of the U.S. workforce. As a result, they will set the tone and influence workplace practices for the foreseeable future. To determine the best strategies for engaging top talent, we must look to this generation for insight. Using Millennials as the norm, here are the top five drivers of employee engagement.

1. Transparency of Information – Millennials require companies to be transparent with information in order to work effectively in their jobs and make decisions about their careers.
2. Connection to the Corporate Strategy – Millennials need line of sight to the business strategy to perform in their jobs well, and to understand that their work has a purpose.
3. Visibility – Millennials stay engaged when they get exposure to senior executives who are driving the strategy and who have their own experiences to share.
4. Opportunity – Millennials are driven by opportunities to advance in their careers and to develop professionally. 
5. Personalized Recognition – Millennials expect to participate in programs and receive rewards that are personalized and that recognize them for their time and efforts. 

Millennials will challenge employers to engage them in drastically different ways than their predecessors. In return, they will provide many of the necessary competencies and experiences necessary for companies to survive and thrive in the New Economy.

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

The Post Millennial Workforce

As companies struggle to acclimate and flex to the Millennial generation’s ideals and behaviors in the workplace, many are also realizing that they must ready themselves for the next generation of employees that is fast approaching. The values and characteristics of this emerging cohort will begin to shape the workplace of the future within the next five years. Companies that ready themselves now for this new influx of talent will have the competitive advantage for years to come.  

Demographers use a variety of names to refer to the Post Millennial generation - Generation Z, The Pluralists, the Homeland Generation - but none of these titles has yet to stick. And while it is clear that the members of this generation will be the most technologically savvy in history, most of their other traits have yet to crystalize. To learn about the predictions for this upcoming generation and the implications for the workplace, download my whitepaper, “The Post Millennial Workforce,” or feel free to contact me directly for more information.

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group
Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

The Top 10 Competencies for Your Chief People Officer

Over the past 15 years, I have worked with hundreds of Chief People Officers (CPOs) in a variety of industries and companies. I have also helped CEO’s hire for these critical roles, roles that have the power to significantly alter the performance and competitive advantage of a business. 

There has been a seismic shift in the way executives think about people, culture and workplace practices. They have come to understand that exceptional “People” leadership and systems are levers of operational and financial excellence. As a result, there is growing recognition that the background, skills and competencies of the CPO position are vital components to the success of the business as a whole, and that an alarmingly high percentage of current HR/People leaders do not possess what it takes to lead their companies into the future.

Companies require -- and deserve -- a highly evolved set of skills and competencies from their human capital leaders. To understand what traits are most critical, download my new white paper The Top 10 Competencies Your CPO Must Possess, or contact me directly.

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group
Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

The Top 10 Most Promising Jobs for Millennials

The class of 2016 has graduated. And while some have secured employment, many are still weighing their options. According to a recent Fortune Magazine article, the most promising jobs for Millennials include some surprising contenders: 

1. Physician Assistants
2. Actuaries
3. Statisticians
4. Biomedical Engineers
5. Computer & Information Research Scientists
6. Market Research Analysts & Marketing Specialists
7. Nuclear Engineers
8. Elevator Installers & Repairers
9. Petroleum Engineers
10. Therapists

The list in unexpected, and challenges conventional views on what “opportunity” means. But for companies that are struggling to find and keep Millennial talent, it represents significant clues as to what Millennials need and want from employers this year. 

For more insight into what drives Millennials, download my whitepaper, 7 Secrets to Working with Millennials or contact me directly.

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group
Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

Meet Your Millennial Manager, Part 3 - Performance Management

This is the last in a 3-part series on Millennials as managers. Part 1 covered Millennials as hiring managers.  Part 2 offered strategies for communicating with Millennial managers. This post address Millennial managers and performance management.

Millennials see the conventional annual or semi-annual performance review as static and one-directional. As managers, they will replace existing performance management processes with real-time goal setting and feedback loops using technology that allows for multi-directional, multi-level, and often transparent comments about the performance of an individual, team or manager. This will be challenging for both staff and HR professionals from older generations, who will have to adapt to new performance metrics, collaborative feedback channels, and different compensation and advancement protocols.

Millennials also believe that the 9-5 construct of work is dead. The workplace of the past is one where productivity is measured by the number of hours you sit at your desk. To Millennials, the future of work requires a high degree of flexibility – from the employee and the manager. This means fluid working hours, technology that enables remote work, and relationships that extend beyond the office. For Baby Boomer and Generation X employees who have spent their careers conforming to fixed hours and mindsets about performance, this will take an enormous adjustment in thinking and scheduling.

Millennials now comprise the largest generation in the U.S. workforce and are rising in rank. The world of management -- and all of its conventional wisdom -- is about to be turned on its head. For more insight into this sea change, download my new white paper Meet Your Millennial Manager – A Survival Guide for Older Generations, or contact me directly.

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

Meet Your Millennial Manager, Part 2 - Communication

In response to recent requests, I am providing a 3-part series of guidelines for Generation Xers and Baby Boomers who report to Millennial managers. The first in the series offered older generations insight into Millennials as hiring managers.  This post covers communicating with your Millennial manager. 

Communication breakdowns between Millennial Managers and their older direct reports are often the result of a difference in the definition of “initiative.” For Gen Xers and Boomers, taking initiative means “figuring it out” on one’s own, without having to rely on or involve others. Removing one’s boss from the weeds and any unnecessary details, meetings and decisions demonstrates strategic thinking and high performance. In contrast, Millennials equate taking initiative with asking questions and collaboratively engaging one’s boss. As bosses, Millennials expect their direct reports to regularly (as in daily, if not hourly) update them on projects and include them in decision-making. 

Older generation employees will have to revisit the meaning of effective employee-supervisor communication and learn to collaborate more closely with their Millennial managers to keep them in the loop. For most, this will be a challenging but valuable exercise.

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

Meet your Millennial Manager, Part 1 - The Interview

For the past 10 years, the world of work has struggled to make sense of Millennial employees. But what happens when Millennials are the managers, responsible for hiring and supervising older generations? 

Welcome to Part 1 of a 3-part series that introduces Generation Xers and Baby Boomers to Millennials as managers and provides practice guidance for working with and for them.

Let’s start with the interview.

Baby Boomer and Generation X candidates walk away from interviews with Millennial hiring managers perplexed, if not downright offended. Education and experience – the pillars of professional credibility and financial worth for decades – are not highly prized by Millennial recruiters. Instead, the emphasis is on what you know, how you think, and whether you are the right cultural fit for the company and team. What Millennial hiring managers really want to vet during an interview is whether the candidate has a knowledge of current and emerging trends for the job, demonstrates an ability and willingness to learn new skills quickly, and relates well to them. Millennials will immediately tune out to candidates who tout degrees, long tenures, and past knowledge. Know-it-alls need not apply.

Millennials now comprise the largest generation in the U.S. workforce and are rising in rank. The world of management – and all of its conventional wisdom - is about to be turned on its head. Are you ready?

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

The Secret Tool of Culture Change

An effective New Employee Orientation (NEO) ensures the retention and acculturation of new hires. This is particularly important for Millennials, who rank learning the corporate culture as the greatest challenge when transitioning into a new job. An NEO also serves as a crucial lever to attaining cultural transformation in an organization. If your company has embarked on a culture change or recognizes that the culture must change to drive better business results, it is best to focus on employees at the beginning of their tenure, when they are most impressionable. It is during these first days, weeks and months with a new employer that employees decide whether they will be champions of change within the company, become disgruntled and leave, or stay and become toxic by upholding the “old” culture.

NEOs are a critical opportunity to instill new employees with the culture your company aspires to represent to the world. Once acculturated and educated, these employees become key influencers of change, spreading throughout the company as foot soldiers of your mission. For strategies on achieving culture change through your NEO, download my new whitepaper, Achieving Culture Change Through Your New Employee Orientation. You can also join me for a free HCI webcast, Navigate A Successful Transformation from Orientation to Acculturation, on Thursday, February 25, 2016.

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

Millennials & the Feminist Divide

Generational clashes on feminism, politics and leadership are heating up, creating a perfect storm for the 2016 election year and new dilemmas for women (and men) in the workplace. Case in point: 

• In October the Daily Beast published an article, “Why Millennial Feminists Don’t Like Hillary,” in which Millennial reporter Lizzie Crocker dismissed Clinton, a Baby Boomer, as “too outdated and mainstream” on women's issues.
• This week, Los Angeles Times columnist and self-proclaimed Generation Xer Meghan Daum countered Crocker’s views in an Op-Ed piece entitled, “Yes, Millennials, Hillary Clinton is a Feminist.”

Regardless of what you think about feminism and politics, this multigenerational debate represents an intersection of conflicting generational norms and values about what it means and takes to be a female leader in the 21st Century. When translated to the workplace, these conflicting sentiments reveal profound generational differences among working women and challenges for the employers who struggle to recruit and retain them. 

We are entering of a new era of gender definitions and issues. The impact to the workforce and to companies tasked with attracting, engaging and developing women leaders, should not be overlooked. For more insight on this issue, please feel free to download my whitepapers, “Millennials Don’t Want to Lean In: Why Generational Differences Among Working Women Matter to Companies” and “The Working Mother of the Future: How Demographics Will Force Change for Women at Work,” or contact me directly. 

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

A College Educated Workforce for 2016

In the United States, the student debt of the Millennial generation is at an unprecedented level and university dropout rates continue to rise. The demand for college educated, skilled workers is quickly outpacing the supply. 

To help reverse this trend, the Interchange Group is donating funds this holiday season to Scholarship America, a non-profit whose mission is to make postsecondary education success possible for all students. Scholarship America is the country's largest provider of private scholarships, awarding over $3.3 billion to more than 2 million students and spending 97% of its total budget on programs. 

My wish for 2016 is to help students complete their education beyond high school with manageable debt so that our communities will prosper and our workforces will strengthen. 

Happy New Year!

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

The 10 Toughest Jobs To Fill In 2016 & What To Do About It

2015 was a challenging year for hiring managers. Regardless of industry and geography, companies struggled to find and keep top talent. Unfortunately, 2016 is predicted to be tougher. According to new data from Career Cast the 10 most difficult jobs to fill in 2016 represent a diversity of industries, levels and functions. 

• Data scientists
• Electrical engineers
• General and operations managers
• Home health aide workers
• Information security analysts
• Marketing managers
• Medical services managers
• Physical therapists
• Registered nurses
• Software engineers

Attracting and retaining talent will be the number one human capital challenge of 2016. It will force executives and HR leaders to reassess their needs and priorities and to work together to accomplish key talent objectives. To achieve your recruitment and retention goals for 2016 and beyond, follow these three strategies.

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

Planning for 2016

We are beginning the 4th quarter, a time when workloads increase and managers endeavor to complete projects due at the year’s end. Q4 is also a time of planning for the coming year, when upcoming strategic initiatives are vetted, confirmed and budgeted. Most HR and Talent Management executives, as a result, have more on their plate than is realistic to accomplish, and are reluctant to offload the work to their own direct reports, who are equally burdened with year-end deadlines.

Effective managers cope with this crunch time by developing a small cadre of trusted outside specialists to delegate overloads of work to in Q4 or at any other time. Over the years, these consultants learn the company and culture and are available on call to use their specialized expertise to complete initiatives, from start to finish, with limited guidance. Many are also trusted resources for designing, facilitating and documenting strategic planning efforts so that the executive’s time and bandwidth are freed to think and execute at the appropriate leadership level. 

My work prepares leaders and their workforces to think strategically about their resources and to excel under conditions and in environments that are often quite different from what they have known historically. It moves through the entire employee lifecycle, from attracting and onboarding new hires, to developing and retaining them, to ensuring that career paths and succession plans are in place for the roles that matter most to organizations. The results create cost savings and stabilize companies for growth and profitability.

In support of completing 2015 project initiatives or your 2016 planning efforts, please feel free to access my whitepapers, blog posts, and multi-media for useful thought leadership and insight.

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

Millennials’ “Don’t Ask, Do Tell” Vacation Policy

Managers of Millennials complain to me that their young employees will tell, not ask, their managers that they will be taking vacation or time off. Or the Millennial will opt to work remotely without clearing it with their boss. From the Manager’s perspective, this shows a brazen lack of respect for the manager and the workload of others.

The Millennial perspective is quite different. Millennials believe that the 9-5 construct of work is dead. They intuitively understand that the future of work requires a high degree of flexibility – from the employee and the employer. Their willingness and desire to work in such dynamic ways, however, is ahead of what most employers understand, or have the capacity and infrastructure to currently support. Millennials assume their bosses are on the same page about this flexibility, but that cannot be farther from the truth.

Most conflict between Millennial employees and their older managers stem from generational differences in upbringing, work history and present-day expectations of the job. For insight into the most common areas of conflict and for strategies on integrating Millennials into organizations for long-term success, download my latest whitepaper, The Top 3 Conflicts Between Millennials & Their Managers or feel free to contact me directly. 

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

Millennials Don't Take Initiative - Or Do They?

"Millennials don't take initiative." This is the sentiment of most Generation X managers I meet, who complain that their younger employees wait around for work to be assigned to them and only perform the bare minimum required of their job.

When I share this perspective with Millennials, they are shocked. Millennials think that they do take initiative. Their professional ambition and desire to excel in their jobs requires it. 

So why is there such profound difference of opinion on this issue? Here is the answer:

• Millennials equate taking initiative with asking questions and collaboratively involving one's boss
• Generation Xers believe taking initiative means "figuring it out" on one's own, without having to rely on others 

These contrasting views make sense, given each generation's experience growing up and in the workplace. However, they are cause for costly and avoidable misunderstandings at work that lead to low productivity, retention and engagement.

For insight and strategies on to how to bridge the generational divide and integrate Millennials into organizations for long-term success, please feel free to visit my website or contact me directly.

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

Millennials Don't Scoop Ice Cream

The rate of teen employment has dropped significantly over the last two decades. While the majority of teens in the 1970's and 80's worked during summer vacation, less than 1/3 of last summer's teens held a paying job. Instead, they:

• Enrolled in high school or college courses
• Did unpaid community service work as part of their graduation requirements
• Took unpaid professional internships to bolster their college applications

While these activities make Millennials more attractive to colleges, there is a noticeable downside. Once Millennials enter the workforce, they lack the experience with service and administrative tasks that past generations gained from summer jobs. Many also enter the workforce not having experience with pay checks, requests for time off, and other requirements germane to employment. This unfamiliarity with the world of work has put Millennials at odds with older hiring managers, who express disbelief when their young employees do not accept "grunt work," take time off without approval, or ask for a raise because their net pay does not cover living expenses. The misunderstandings that ensue on both sides are time consuming and expensive.

To reconcile this problematic divide, employers must retool their hiring and onboarding practices to include more education on the fundamentals of work and to align expectations about the company, culture and roles. Without this knowledge, Millennials begin jobs on shaky ground that is difficult to correct down the road.

For more insight and strategies on how to integrate Millennials in to your organization for long-term success, register for my upcoming webcast, New Hire Onboarding - Practical Advice to Boost Performance & Retention, or contact me directly

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

What Does a Female Leader Look Like?

When I speak on the topic of female leadership to cross generational audiences of women, dress is often a topic of conversation. It is a visual manifestation of how we view power. For example, Baby Boomer parameters for women's attire in the workplace favor the pant suit. In contrast, Millennial women prefer clothing that expresses their femininity and does not emulate male power norms.

Dress is just one of the many indicators that we are on the cusp of a new era of gender definitions and issues. Generational differences among women are redefining female leadership norms, and changing demographics are forcing new realities for working mothers. To successfully attract, develop and retain 21st century female leaders, organizations will need to develop targeted strategies for:

• Engaging a multigenerational female workforce
• Attracting and onboarding women for long-term retention
• Building and promoting a strong pipeline of women leaders
• Providing workplace flexibility that adds real value to working parents
• Addressing financial security and equal pay for women

For insight into this these strategies, feel free to listen to my HCI podcast, Set a Course for Substantial & Authentic 21st Century Female Leadership, or my NPR interview, Some Companies Fight Pay Gap By Eliminating Salary Negotiations.

If you are coming to the SHRM conference, be sure to attend my MEGA SESSION, What Women Want: Recruiting, Developing and Keeping 21st Century Women Leaders, on June 30. 

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

What Really Belongs in Your New Employee Orientation

Millennials rank cementing relationships and learning the corporate culture as the greatest challenge when transitioning into a new job, way ahead of learning their new job responsibilities. In fact, 28% of Millennials report quitting a job because they did not feel connected to the organization.

New employee orientations play a critical role in building organizational savvy and helping young employees connect to and navigate company culture. This can be done effectively, by off-lining administrative information from the orientation, to be accessed on an "as needed basis," and instead using the time to educate new hires on corporate history and culture and to help them establish bonds with their peers and others in the organization.

To learn how to design your new employee orientation to focus on acculturation, download my new whitepaper, From Orientation to Acculturation: What Really Belongs in Your New Employee Orientation and/or register for my May 13th webcast, New Hire Onboarding: Next Practices for Boosting Performance and Retention

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

Death by Orientation

The biggest mistake a company can make when onboarding talented, energetic employees into an organization is to cram hours of mind-numbing employment information into its new employee orientation. And yet, this is exactly what many new hires, arriving enthusiastic and ready to work, must endure during their first week on the job with a new employer. 

New employee orientations are dumping grounds for compliance. Every department wants to shove as much information about employment, benefits, diversity, and safety as possible into the time allotted. The result is a jam-packed session of PowerPoints, handouts and talking heads. Instead of reaffirming an employee's decision to take the job, and welcoming him or her into the culture, the company unintentionally creates a finger wagging session that leaves new hires weary and dispirited. 

New employee orientations play a significant role in a new hire's developing opinions about you as an employer. To learn how to use the time strategically to educate new hires on what really matters, download my new whitepaper, From Orientation to Acculturation: What Really Belongs in Your New Employee Orientation and/or register for my May 13th webcast, New Hire Onboarding: Next Practices for Boosting Performance and Retention.

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy

New Specialization on the 21st Century Female Leader

I have developed a new specialization on the 21st Century Female Leader and the evolving landscape of women and work that I would like to share with you.

Stemming from my expertise on the changing workforce and the impact of demographic shifts on organizations, and my success in helping companies onboard, manage and plan for the succession of top talent, I have gained unique insight into what is required to attract, develop and retain women leaders. 

These strategies for engaging emerging and tenured female leaders have been captured in the following 10-minute podcast and whitepapers. Please feel free to download and share them.

• Set a Course for Substantial and Authentic 21st Century Female Leadership
• Millennials Don't Want To Lean In - Why Generational Differences Among Working Women Matter To Companies
• The Working Mother of the Future - How Demographics Will Force Change for Women at Work

In addition, I am pleased to present this expertise in the form of a webinar next week and live presentation in June.

The Female Leader: How to Recruit, Develop & Retain 21st Century Women Leaders

Business Management Daily Webinar, March 27, 2015

What Women Want: Recruiting, Developing & Keeping 21st Century Women Leaders

SHRM Annual Conference Mega Session, June 30, 2015

I look forward to engaging with you on this critical topic. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me directly at ahr@interchange-group.com.

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy