Zilliennials and Our World of Work

By Erwin Parengkuan

Founder, CEO of TALKINC, Writer, Certified Prof

"If this isn't taken care of, it could be serious for them, they're free without guidance, 70% of our workers are all of them!"
“Kami tuh banyak tahu, semua hal! saking banyaknya tahu kami sering bingung sendiri, mau mulai dari mana? Terlalu banyak pilihan!”
"Honey, I need healing, is that okay?"

Tentu anda bisa tebak, 3 ucapan di atas siapa yang bicara dan kepada siapa? Sedihnya, kita terlalu banyak menuntut ke mereka, lupa kalau ngomong harus satu pesan dulu, tanya mereka kenapa itu penting, baru lanjutkan lagi diskusi itu, dst. Bukan membombardir mereka dengan pesan yang bertubi-tubi dan membuat mereka kabur dan minta langsung healing.

I often meet them in class, share tips on how to communicate properly and chat with them.Tell them why this is and why it is important to do this to improve your career and of course to have communication skills that are more easily accepted by the person you are talking to, especially with senior people who are still arrogant and (increasingly) easily irritated.

Once in a session with them, there were 24 millennials, management trainees who were selected to become the successors of this large company.I asked an open question to accept the challenge of matching the explanation of the 4 terms that I had written on the flipchart.This child rushed to accept my challenge, arrived at the front of the class, then he scratched his head, and said to me "Oh, I forgot, sir, which one is this?"I said, "Well, I didn't ask you, you yourself took the initiative to come forward, try to remember what was already in your mind?"I said casually.I then turned the question around "Well, if you want to know what time I woke up this morning?"He quickly answered "No, I didn't ask!"Ouch!!!!!

For example, what often happens is that friction makes the sound louder.O seniors and parents, let's learn to understand their world which is very different from ours.They are very vulnerable, speak without thinking, are short, have incorrect grammar like South Jakarta children, etc.We absolutely must guide them, we must be more patient in guiding them.With the example above, if I think about it again, it could be that this child really didn't mean to act like this towards me, who in fact is older than the age of their parents and the facilitator in the class.It is clear that this child has lost his guidance and is drowning in the speed of the timeline and fast internet connection.

Lantas apa yang harus kita lakukan agar dapat menjembatani jurang jauh ini agar semakin dekat? Saya punya 4 jurus yang dapat membantu anda wahai para pemimpin:

1.Speak with respect

Realize that without them the organization will not continue to run and be sustainable.For this reason, we need to lower our ego, be patient and be sincere in talking to them.Even though in an organizational context we feel that everyone should be able to speak maturely, it would be better if we interacted and communicated with them, our 'glasses' must be changed to that of being their big brother, not an authoritarian boss.We have to dive into their world, respect whatever their opinions are.In every session with them it is good, our emotions must remain neutral and arouse curiosity and want to know what is in their mindset.Remember that all problems arise because of mistakes in building relationships and interacting.

2.Mingle with them

Luckily, generation X like me still read newspapers and are active on social media so they are more flexible in understanding what is happening in the digital world today.We have to put in the effort to connect with them, don't lock our Instagram account, wear sneakers instead of oxford shoes, also occasionally post on Instagram stories, hang out with them.As I often do with office children who are all millennials and zillenials.I position myself not as a boss, but as their father.If we want to hang out, I ask them to choose a place to hang out that is cool and of course instagrammable.Many large organizations around the world now do not enforce office hours, open office partitions to become co-working places, create "playgrounds" for them in the office, such as providing bean-bags for them to rest, etc.You must always remember that their motto is "you only live once, work and enjoy at the same time."

3.Building Raport and Finding Similarities

The next effort is to build personal channels with everyone in the office, especially those who will be the next future leaders, find out their personal side, their families, their girlfriends, etc. and find similarities that will make the relationship meaningful.Be a mentor for them, that's absolutely!Spend regular time with them, monitoring their progress.

4.Mutual respect for building a culture of trust

As leaders of course we have to continue to grow and ultimately become their role models, don't make them afraid because of our position.Leaders must walk the talk, not just talk, let alone just command.A trusted leader is one who has a warm, pleasant nature and has extensive expertise and insight and can provide the best solutions.So that they respect us and are comfortable with us.

4. This move will 100% increase business productivity, not only for each individual in it but of course the organization will continue to grow in line with the demands of the times, in line with core values, corporate culture and most importantly, everybody happy!