Insight on Business

August 2014

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20 | I nsIgh t • A u g u s t 2 0 14 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m U P F R O N T connections B y n i k k i k a l l i o T he fourth annual Manufacturing First Conference & Expo will be held Wednesday, Oct. 22 at the KI Convention Center in green Bay. Keynote speaker Seth Mattison, founder and CEO of the Playa Vista, Calif.-based Futuresight Labs and strategic partner at BridgeWorks, LLC, is an expert on millennials (those born between 1980 and 1995) in the workplace. In an email interview, he discussed some of the key issues that manufacturers should keep top of mind as they address the growing skills shortage. to see an extended version of the Q-and-A, visit www. insightonbusiness.com. Manufacturers are seeing the baby boomer generation getting ready to punch out, and they're not seeing a wide enough pool of talent to replace those workers. What are some of the things manufacturers need to do to bridge this gap? It takes a big effort early in the supply chain of talent to really make a dent in the talent pool. I'm a big fan of all of the community involvement and outreach the (nEW Manufacturing) Alliance is doing to connect with the schools in the region to help build awareness and buzz about the industry. I also think the industry has to harness the momentum and energy that the tech space has created with the messaging that you are empowered to create game-changing, disruptive innovation at any age. Remember, this generation is watching as people their age – 16, 20, 25 – create billion-dollar companies. You're recruiting against that level of empowerment. so when we say, "Come in, pay your dues, do the grunt work, and maybe aer 10-plus years you can do something really interesting and make an impact in the company or the industry," it's not super-appealing. How can manufacturers appeal to the millennial generation to attract and retain that talent? In other words, how can manufacturers help make manufacturing an attractive career choice for them? Meaning: Every generation wants to do meaningful work, but millennials, in particular, want to feel like their work is making a difference, and they're looking for this from Day One. e driver here is all about having a purpose that's bigger than profits. People will oen say to me, "Well, seth, we're not saving lives here, we're making widgets – how can I make that meaningful?" Even if you're making widgets, you can continually talk about the impact people make on the organization's success. You can get involved and make an impact in your communities. Everyone can leverage the fact that meaning is the new money for this generation. Autonomy: People work best and are happiest when they have ownership over their work. Benefits and perks are important, but from our perspective, it's all about empowering employees. Training/Mentoring: Opportunities to learn and grow are huge engagement drivers across all the generations. Foster communities: great leaders know, it's easy to leave a company, but it's really hard to leave a community. What are some of the generational issues companies need to keep in mind? Communication challenges are everywhere in our workplace today and are always a topic of discussion with clients. e bottom line is there is no one-size-fits-all approach to communication anymore. today we must all be flexible in how we connect with one another. Can you text? You need to learn how to text. Can you pick up the phone and make a professional business call? You better learn. start asking the people you interact with how they would like to be communicated with and stop judging it. e key is to learn how to meet people where they are without losing who you are. How can companies help workers of multiple generations work together the most effectively? It starts with some general understanding and perspective on where each generation is coming from. e reality is many people don't really know that much about the other generations they're working with, and we have a tendency to label and stereotype each other. is goes in both directions. Creating some dialogue Talent: e next generation Manufacturing First keynote Seth Mattison discusses millennials in the workforce Seth Mattison

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