Much has been written about how the younger generation of employee views the world of work very differently than previous generations. While older generations talk about these frustrations, younger generations find themselves feeling equally puzzled by—and frustrated with—what they see as outmoded attitudes towards work, the workplace, and managing.
Add to these fundamental differences other sources of difference: cultural, regional, gender, personality style, and socioeconomic differences that shape how each person “shows up” at work, and we can understand why people experience so many interpersonal issues and communication challenges in the workplace. It IS helpful to understand how people from different generations and with personality styles think and view the world.
But that’s not enough. We need tools to bridge those differences, and even more importantly, TRANSCEND these differences.
In this program, we will briefly discuss some of the most commonly recognized generational and personality style differences that cause conflict and interfere with teamwork and employee engagement, then we will launch into tools that help us do less reacting to others and engage in more effective responding.
David Lee, the founder of HumanNature@Work, works with employers who want to improve employee engagement, productivity, and customer service through his consulting, coaching, and training. He has worked with organizations and presented at conferences both domestically and abroad. An internationally recognized thought leader in the field of employee engagement and performance, he is the author of over 100 articles and book chapters published in the US, Europe, India, Australia, and China. He is the author of Dealing with The Difficult Co-Worker, Managing Employee Stress and Safety (published by MEMIC) and Powerful Storytelling Techniques (published by ATD Press). Both the second and third editions of the business classic, The Talent Management Handbook, feature a chapter of his about the topic of Onboarding. In addition to his research and work with both struggling and “best in class” organizations, David Lee’s work draws from a wide range of scientific disciplines that seek to understand human nature. Taking this research which typically doesn’t find its way into the business world, David translates these principles of human nature into practical leadership and managerial strategies that optimize employee performance. To capture the impact understanding human nature makes, David borrows from the popular TV show The Dog Whisperer, and explains “Understanding human nature helps you become a People Whisperer, and by doing so, dramatically improves your ability to get the best results from others (and yourself).” Recently, his work on what makes organizations resilient and employees perform at their best has focused on the central role productive relationships and productive conversations have on these outcomes, with this being the take away message: “Every better business result you want requires having a better conversation.”
