The Secrets to Relevance at Work – at Any Age - Part Two

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Continuing the discussion on how to stay relevant in all your roles and relationships at work, we dive in here to action steps and everyday behaviors. (You can find Part One at https://youcantgoogleit.com/blog/2023/the-secrets-to-relevance-at-work-at-any-age.)

SOLUTIONS, ACTION STEPS & TOOLS

Be an energy magnet

Make others feel important by being interested first, and interesting second.

“We relate to people who relate to us,” said Don Zinn, a Baby Boomer. In his view and experience, “People can be dried up and done at age 30 or 40, and I’ve worked with 60- or 70-year-olds who are sparkplugs.” Important manifestations of energy are revealed in body language, voice tone and pace. When you are with a person using active body language, a confident voice and a moderate-to-lively pace of speech, it signals they are focused on the conversation, task or outcome – with energy.

Developing rapport with younger generations is increasingly imperative as their numbers come to dominate the workplace. The energy ingredients that attract William Edmonds, formerlythe Gen Y/Millennial member of the Human Resources Department at Corning Incorporated, are: “making younger people feel valued, informally engaging with them, being inclusive, always being eager to learn and be a contributor.”

Learn, understand and personalize perspectives

Singer Tony Bennett, even into his 90s had been collaborating as a performing artist and “mutual mentoring” across the generations. And he reinvented himself while bringing the American songbook of classy classics to younger audiences. The reinventing in the last several decades owes much to his son Danny, who became his business manager. Danny connected Tony with much younger generations of fans, and he thrived on work with a myriad of younger performers, including such popular multidimensional artists as Lady Gaga and the late Amy Winehouse. He had even performed in the 2016 Thanksgiving Day parade with Miss Piggy.

The key to true confidence in navigating an organization in the early years is understanding the perspectives and expectations of older generations and managers. Millennials tell me they are very eager to learn these factors in order to do their best work. Have curiosity and learn the typical perspectives of all generations.

Determine Your Authentic Age

Age can be defined in various ways, all of which have valid meaning and add to the richness of a multi-generational environment. How old are co-workers, managers and employees beyond just chronological age? A thoughtful list of defining categories, “The Prism of Age,” was presented by the Sloan Center on Aging and Work in 2010. I found this concept so intriguing and potentially valuable that I have developed the “Authentic Age Assessment tool to help describe one’s more realistic and meaningful age and help workers of all ages/generations advocate for their relevance and value.

The intended outcome is to add confidence. It enables you to evaluate your value at work looking at age in eight ways beyond chronological age. My theory is that you may have to convince yourself first and formulate your story in both rational and emotional terms with passion to present your most effective case for relevance. And advocate for yourself.

EVERY DAY ACTION TIPS for any age or generation

Willingness needs to be translated into everyday action. Even in senior positions, you need to be a contributor.

  • Strengthen your curiosity muscle.

  • Always look for the value of others regardless of age or experience. Appreciate it rather than criticize or complain.

  • Learn how to adopt a positive attitude, even in conflict situations to resolve them rather than exacerbate them.

  • Welcome the unrecognized potential and value of both older and younger co-workers and colleagues: such as for new market contacts, entry of new industries, new needs depending on life stage and age.

  • Be future-oriented.

I compiled a two-part checklist of energetically connecting behaviors for multigenerational teammates, new hires into the organization, manager or volunteer: 7 Positive Things Seasoned Workers Can Do to improve their relevance, connection and confidence at work; and 7 Tips for more Junior Workers to Interact confidently and successfully.

Contact me at pwhaseot@pdcounsel.com requesting it, and I’ll send you the PDF.

This article contains excerpts from “You Can’t Google It!: The Compelling Case for Cross-Generational Conversation @ Work” by Phyllis Weiss Haserot (Morgan James Publishing, 2018)

© Phyllis Weiss Haserot 2023.