The workplace demographics of our country have – and are – changing. Data show us that Millennials are now the largest generation in the workforce and by 2030, 33 percent of the workforce will be GenZ.

 

What this means is that leaders of all types of organizations must adopt new approaches to directing, managing, and inspiring their team members to help their companies succeed.

 

What’s necessary is that ongoing feedback to your employees is a necessary ingredient of your approach. What many of us have learned over the years is that we rarely get feedback from our managers – and too often, we only hear from them when we’ve done something wrong and never enough times when we’re doing good work. Here are three ways 3 ways to give feedback that’s productive and effective:

 

  1. Provide reinforcement. I’m always baffled when I’m conducting a training session and I hear employees talk about how their managers never tell them that they’ve done a good job. That must change. Saying “great job” to a team member is one way to let them know that you support them and are encouraging them to continue to do good work.
  2. Provide redirected feedback. If you’re noticing that an employee is not doing good work, you’ll want to set up a dedicated time to talk to them. You’ll want to help reconnect them to the mission. I always ask permission. Here’s how I approach the conversation: “Do you mind if I give you some feedback? … I see what you’re doing. But I need to redirect you. I like you did this, but I want you to do this, and this is why.” For example, you might discover that an employee loves talking to customers, but not meeting their sales quota because they’re not wrapping up calls quick enough. You’ll want to compliment them on their strong customer relation skills while also coaching them on shortening the calls.
  3. Be reflective. During your one-on-one with the employee, ask them what’s going well and what’s not? And for those tasks that aren’t going well, discuss what will improve the employee’s performance.

 

The bottom line: To improve your communication and relationship with your Millennial and GenZ team members, constant feedback must become a natural component of your daily routine.