Lately I have had many conversations with other business owners about “those darn Millenials.” It is easy to say that kids today are lazier and less invested than we were as recent college graduates. As we are getting older and more experienced, we start to take a different view of the future of the construction industry. We have been the caretakers of our industry for a long time and we wonder how the youth of today will design and build the buildings of tomorrow – undoubtedly much like our parents and mentors before us.
THE TRAINER/MENTOR
Like many Gen Xers I have had the responsibility for past employers as well as my own business to train and mentor the youth of the construction industry and I have many stories to tell – some amazing, some hilarious, and some are a cautionary tale of those not suited for the construction industry. In every event it was a learning experience for both teacher and student – I am certain I learned from each and every student about myself and my own limitations as an individual and a leader. Training and mentoring are both roles to be taken very seriously but they are different. Training is more task or procedure oriented – the trainer only need to know the skill themselves and be able to pass it on. The mentor is a long term role either assigned by a supervisor or undertaken by the mentor. To be effective, there must be a good relationship based on trust and respect, and the willingness of both parties to undertake the roles.
Recently I was talking with a woman sitting next to me on the plane about some of the younger people we have encountered (she was a recruiter) and we both drew the same conclusion – some of these kids are just not out there trying to climb the corporate ladder like we were in our 20’s. Don’t they understand that now is when they should be building their skills, education, and reputation that will follow them their whole career? We were not wrong, but not entirely correct either. I am certain that this exact conversation has happened multiple times in each generation before ours. There are always those who will not be ladder climbers at all, or may be unsure they have chosen the right career path.
THINGS ARE DIFFERENT THESE DAYS….
Things really are different today than in generations before. My father worked for the same company for 42 years right out of college, as was very typical for his generation. How many people age 50 and under can say the same? With each generation those numbers are dwindling. My siblings and I have all had a few job changes in our careers, and our children will have even more. Take a look at the statistics – the average tenure at an employer in 2016 was 4.2 years across all industries:
“Median employee tenure was generally higher among older workers than younger ones. For example, the median tenure of workers ages 55 to 64 (10.1 years) was more than three times that of workers ages 25 to 34 years (2.8 years). Also, a larger proportion of older workers than younger workers
had 10 years or more of tenure. Among workers ages 60 to 64, 55 percent were employed for at least 10 years with their current employer in January 2016, compared with only 13 percent of those ages 30 to 34. ” https://www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.nr0.htm
I am guessing most of you already know this but the actual numbers are still shocking. My generation (Gen X) called this job hopping and I was trained to look at this in a negative light on a resume. But what do you do when almost 90% of the candidate pool is doing it? That’s a new norm so we have to view it differently.
CROSSING PATHS
The fact is that there are still plenty of people climbing the proverbial ladder, they are just doing it in a different way. Instead of climbing the same ladder in a single company, they are hopping from one ladder to another, often returning to a past company at a higher position. This changes the leadership and training/mentoring discussion somewhat – instead of training/mentoring for your company, you are now training/mentoring for your industry as you may very well work with this person again one way or another. In the construction world you can be sure of one thing – you will very likely cross paths again even working in different areas of the country. You could mentor someone today and be working for them some years later.
MENTORING THE MENTOR
So as a caretaker of our industry in a changing world, we can choose to change with it or resist change and likely fail in the process. As Darwin implies, we should be responsive to change – adapt to the environment. I don’t think this means take all the lessons we were taught and throw them out the window. I think our mentors taught us some pretty good stuff that has worked well for us over the years. It’s evident who is and is not suited for our industry without expending a lot of time and resources. If you encounter someone not suited, help them find something that will make them happy. Those that want to do this for a living will work hard and learn quickly. We as the experienced of our industry have a duty to mentor our youth, but understand we have likely seen the end of people having decades of tenure at a single company. I don’t think it’s Millenials, or Gen X or any other generation specifically. The fact is we are in a rapidly changing world and the youth of today is different than we were – the youth of tomorrow will be different still and we can’t take it personally. As business owners we must create the best possible environment for our employees – we may change the tide but it won’t be overnight.
ADVICE TO THE YOUTH
- Keep in mind you will be very likely to see these people or their relatives again (in construction everyone is related to someone and it’s a very small world. Good or bad, your reputation will likely precede you).
- Find a good mentor as soon as you can. Ideally it’s someone you work with but otherwise someone with more experience that you trust.
- You will not likely be an executive right out of the gate, so be patient – mentors are taught to kick the tires and see what you’ve got for a while before loading on the accolades and promotions.
- Communicate clearly – you boss does not sit around wondering what you are thinking.
- Communicate professionally – the curse of youth is that you are seen as a whiner or complainer. Take care that you are professional in your communication and consider you are speaking with people older and more experienced – it will increase your chances of them listening to you.
- Remember a career is 30-40 years or more – a few years experience isn’t a lot in comparison. Older professionals will see you as “the kid” until you hit your late 30’s or so. See #5 to help overcome this.
- A good mentor will make you work harder than you ever thought possible, but don’t give up. It is extremely satisfying to know that you are capable of extraordinary levels of awesomeness.
- Take care of your mentor and they will take care of you.
- When it’s your turn to mentor, move mountains for your people. It comes back to you 10 fold.
- Remember you are working with other humans – everyone has a bad day from time to time. If they are having several in a row something is wrong – ask about it.
- Always work hard and be nice.
ADVICE TO THE MENTORS
- If you don’t already have one, find someone to mentor today.
- They are not you, or who you were when you were their age. That’s not a bad thing.
- They grew up in a different world filled with electronics, instant gratification, and divorced parents full of single parent guilt (hence the electronics and instant gratification). See #2.
- They need more positive reinforcement than you ever got or probably want to give. Give it anyway.
- Communicate often and clearly. Your strands of well earned gray make them want to say “I know”, but communicate anyway – they hear you.
- They are tougher than you imagine, just in a different way.
- Take an interest in them as individuals not just employees. Engage them about things outside of work.
- Move mountains for your people – there is nothing more satisfying then when they surpass you.
- Remember you are working with other humans – everyone has a bad day from time to time. If they are having several in a row something is wrong – ask about it.
- Always work hard and be nice.
I consider it a privilege to mentor the future of our industry. It allows us to continue to contribute to the industry that has been such a big part of our lives long after we are gone. Plus, the kids keep us up to date on all the cool new toys so we don’t become dinosaurs too soon ;-).
Happy mentoring!