Erin Mies and Kristen Ireland of People Spark Consulting offer insights on how to create process and equip people. The duo shares some takeaways for managing a multi-generational workforce. And they share how to prepare high performing individuals to take over legacy roles.
“A lot of times, leaders and managers feel like we need to have the answer. We feel we need to have this job structure because when somebody asks me, ‘What’s next?’” Ireland says. “You don’t need to have the answer; you need to have the question.”
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She highlights how conversations with team members reveal their intent in a more helpful and beneficial way.
For example, asking to have an employee help the manager understand their interest areas for additional development. She says this is particularly insightful in managing a multigenerational team.
“The biggest thing that somebody can do is ask questions and listen to those responses,” she says. “In many cases, we’ll make some assumptions about what that means, or somebody’s intention, motivation or an action. Let’s not assume what’s important to somebody. Let’s ask what’s important to somebody.”
What To Expect With The Next Gen
In their consulting, Ireland and Mies say there are two big takeaways about the next generation of leaders in ag business: energy and passion.
When team members are approaching retirement and managers are able to use their experience in training newer team members, set clear expectations for how the time is spent together in their training.
“We expect a lot of times that just by osmosis of riding in a spreader truck with somebody that it’s going to just magically happen,” Mies says. “The more tactical kind of guidance that I would give is around not being afraid to expect some clear expectations around what it is. Share with them what it is that you want them to be learning and listening for and picking up and why it’s important to the business. Unless we get pretty explicit on it, we may completely miss that person nearing retirement did really did and was known for without being clear about it.”
Set Up Leaders For Success
Time is not the most important measurement in getting someone ready for a new or expanded role.
Ireland shares an example in working with a co-op manager who identified an emerging leader but said they needed three more years until the role would be offered to them.
“I understood he needed about three years to be ready, but you have to identify the specific skills, experience and background training needed in that time frame. Because otherwise, three years later, they may not be there if you haven’t defined what success looks like.”
Learn more in Mies and Ireland’s recent book.
A team or role transition may also open the opportunity to examine the future needs for the business.
“I was working with a co-op who had somebody as their go to person. He could fix everything. His job was if something goes down, you fix it. And the general manager was concerned of when he retires in three or four years, he needed somebody who can do what he did,” Ireland says.
She shares the value in looking at the bigger picture, and stepping back asking ‘what does success look like for this role?’ And in this example, investing in more preventative maintenance to reduce downtime provided a better fit.
“Sometimes it’s not about how a person does the job, or the steps they took, but it’s about looking at the opportunity to redefine what success looks like for the role,” Ireland says.
Make The Meaning of Work Apparent
Mies references a nationwide study across multiple industries showing that 44% of workers don’t know how the work they do every day impacts the business.
“Managers should be able to say these are the accomplishments and the impact for our co-op/our ag retail business. And they should be able to connect those dots for somebody to show that impact. It is a great way to continue motivating someone when they want to know that the work they’re doing is meaningful.”
