The Perfect Team

There are many articles on Millennials in the workforce, with some comparing them to Baby Boomers.  To be fair, I read these articles as generalization. People must be viewed for their individual merits, experience, education, most of all, skill sets and company/position fit.

So, what does this have to do with teams? It might be obvious - diversity. Currently, I’m using my decades of project management experience, including managing project managers, from multiple industries, to online banking software. I am teamed with a Millennial. When our team was first formed we were literally inverse ages. Our diversity does not stop with age, we are different ethnicities and gender.

The Perfect Team - Millennial and Baby Boomer. We work extremely well together, which like any team, is based on respect. One of the main differences is our problem solving approach. Having different approaches, which at times is exhausting, augments a collaborative environment providing a sound solution. Our collaboration does not stop with problem solving, but extends to process, customer focus, all facets related to our responsibilities.

This blog post is specific to our skill sets, but I hope to illustrate how diversity can benefit any company, by blending Millennials with Baby Boomers.

Long Distance Presentations

In today's world, people travel less and present more using Skype or similar tools to conduct presentations over the internet. I recently did a Presentation on Presenting to a group of new staff members. Here is the outline of that presentation.

Skype Presentation Training

PowerPoint Suggestions

• All type the same font – no more than two; can include italic and bold
• Headlines and subheads – consistent location, size and color
• All type off black – projected on a large screen, the contrast is too stark if full black
• Standardize the format and color scheme – see previous bullets
• Animate by presentation points – if you don’t your audience will always read ahead of you
• Avoid transitions – if used, use only one style
• Use your “arrow” keys, not your mouse. It’s quieter
• Include an opening and closing slide
• First Slide – Company Name you are presenting and date
• Last side – “Thank You” 
• Customize to your audience

Presenting Guidelines

• First Rule – Be yourself
• Be prepared – practice speaking aloud – go in an empty room
• Record and listen to yourself
• Mock presentation with feedback from coworkers
• Be set up early
• Show confidence – even if you’re not
• Don’t be afraid to laugh or goof up – correct yourself and move on
• Have a glass of water available
• Have Pencil and Paper for questions available
• Be conscious of repetitive speech - aaa, you know, um, and the word “like” (if you’re from the 1990’s)
• If you smile while giving the presentation, it will show in your voice
• Know you represent your company and the product
• Pace yourself, i.e. not too fast or too slow – Stay in allocated time
• Explain you will allow interruptions or pause for questions at given time or the end
• Don’t read the bullets verbatim, unless it’s succinct
• By using click animations, the audience will read it
• Avoid long paragraphs, unless you explain why or break it down into multiple slides
• Use a script – but don’t sound like your reading

How to Handle Dead Air – The audience may be gathering and the phone is live

• Telling jokes is very risky – avoid
• Know a little about the audience – location, recent news, traffic
• Weather always works

Overqualified Supplemental

How Do You Communicate?

With all the technology to communicate, email, text, chat, phone (landline or cell), what is the best tool?

I had a rule, when I was in corporate America, after three consistent emails back and forth, I picked up the phone and called the person. After two consistent phone calls , I’d show up in their office. Of course, this was before text and chat. Now, the rule would still apply. Just include text and chat with email.

It seems we have become to dependent on texting. Sometimes I think to avoid face-to-face communication. Don’t get me wrong, I think texting is a good thing (as long as you’re not driving). It can be less intrusive, like email, allowing the recipient to respond on their own time or get a quick answer to an immediate need.

A colleague of mine told me he sends an email and then calls the person. He’s in sales and informed me people have a harder time saying no over the phone. The concept is valid in all communications. Working with someone in their presence has its own dynamics - facial expressions, tone of voice, body language, etc. I think these are positive traits, whether the conversation is positive or negative, typically some result is accomplished.

If we all could adopt a similar policy to communications, as mentioned above, I believe humanity in the workplace can be augmented or even restored if lost. Life is all about relationships.

Work/LIfe Balance

You can't help but to have heard this term before. The tech industry is showing both sides of this cultural spectrum, with Netflix offering unlimited maternity time-off for both the mother and father on one side and Amazon pushing their associates to their limits on the other. Work-Live-Play complexes are sprouting up everywhere.

The operative word here is "balance". Managing a company strictly by data eliminates humanity. Too much flexibility and productivity can suffer. Every humans' needs are different. As I have mentioned in a previous blog, management is responsible to learn what motivates their associates. So how do you create the perfect balance, when no two people are the same?

The basic factors:

• Data - In business you must have measurements, financial and productivity
• Competition - I believe that a certain level of competition is healthy among associates, as well as "constructive" conflict. This country was founded on free enterprise and has thrived on competition
• Family or social life outside of work
• Health - Physical, mental and financial

What's the magic formula for work/life balance? I don't think anyone has developed it, nor do I believe it exists. How can it exist, with so many factors? If I took the time to dig very deep, I could probably write a Doctorial treatise on the subject. This would take years of research on a constantly changing target, as society evolves and companies come and go. Not only are no two people the same; no two companies are the same.

The question that needs to be asked, when choosing a company culture, is, "How much does the company own you." You can state what a miserable workplace exists at Amazon, but they were just rated the most valuable retail company over Walmart. That doesn't mean you should work there. As a company, you may decide your most valuable assets, hopefully after your customers, are your associates.

Companies will continue to push associates. Associates will continue to push back. This is how change works.